Wu Rui (died ), King Wen of Changsha, was an ancient Chinese general who helped

Liu Bang Emperor Gaozu of Han (256 – 1 June 195 BC), born Liu Bang () with courtesy name Ji (季), was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning in 202–195 BC. His temple name was "Taizu" while his posthumous name was Empe ...

establish the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

. A

Baiyue The Baiyue (, ), Hundred Yue, or simply Yue (; ), were various ethnic groups who inhabited the regions of East China, South China and Northern Vietnam during the 1st millennium BC and 1st millennium AD. They were known for their short hair, b ...

magistrate of

Po County Poyang County is a county under the administration of Shangrao city in the northeast of Jiangxi Province of the People's Republic of China, bordering Anhui Province to the north. It is located on the eastern side of Lake Poyang. History The a ...

under the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), ...

, he rose to become King of Hengshan during the

collapse of Qin The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), th ...

and was enfeoffed as

King of Changsha The Changsha Kingdom was a kingdom within the Han Empire of China, located in present-day Hunan and some surrounding areas. The kingdom was founded when Emperor Gaozu granted the territory to his follower Wu Rui in 203 or 202 BC, around the sam ...

during the early Han dynasty.

Life

An ethnic Yue, Wu Rui was the son of Wu Shen ''Wú Shēn''), formerly grand marshal ''dà sīmǎ'', the highest military office) of the Chu state. During the

, Wu Rui was the magistrate of

, which had not yet flooded. He enjoyed high popularity among the local Baiyue people and was known as "Lord of the Po" After Chen Sheng launched the

Dazexiang Uprising The Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising (), July–December 209 B.C., was the first uprising against the Qin dynasty following the death of Qin Shi Huang. Led by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, the uprising helped overthrow the Qin and paved the way for t ...

against the Qin, Wu Rui organized a Baiyue army and joined the rebellion. Wu Rui's followers included Mei Xuan ''Méi Xuān'') and his son-in-law

Ying Bu Ying Bu (died 195 BC) was a warlord and vassal king who lived in the early Han dynasty. He was a native of Lu County (六縣; present-day Lu'an, Anhui). In his early life under the Qin dynasty, Ying Bu was convicted and sentenced to ''qing'' (黥 ...

, both of whom assisted

and played a major role in his victory against Qin and

Xiang Yu Xiang Yu (, –202 BC), born Xiang Ji (), was the Hegemon-King (Chinese: 霸王, ''Bà Wáng'') of Western Chu during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC) of China. A noble of the Chu state, Xiang Yu rebelled against the Qin dyna ...

. In Wu Rui was bestowed the title King of Hengshan ''Héngshān wáng'') by Xiang Yu, as one of the 18 kings under the "Hegemon-King of Western Chu". In after Liu Bang's victory in the

Battle of Gaixia The Battle of Gaixia was a last stand fought in December 203 BC during the Chu–Han Contention between the forces of Liu Bang (later Emperor Gaozu of Han) and Xiang Yu. The battle concluded with victory for Liu Bang, who proclaimed himself Emp ...

, Wu Rui, along with other kings loyal to Liu Bang, called the latter to take the title of emperor. After the foundation of Han dynasty, he was moved from Hengshan to become the

. Wu Rui died shortly after reaching Linxiang (present-day

Changsha Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a popul ...

), the capital of his new fief.

Legacy

Wu Rui was buried near Changsha. After his death, the kingdom passed to his son, Wu Chen ''Wú Chén''). His descendants honored him under the

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments ...

King Wen ("the civil king").''

Book of Han The ''Book of Han'' or ''History of the Former Han'' (Qián Hàn Shū,《前汉书》) is a history of China finished in 111AD, covering the Western, or Former Han dynasty from the first emperor in 206 BCE to the fall of Wang Mang in 23 CE. ...

'', Chapter 34. His line was the only one among non-Liu family kings to survive past Liu Bang's reign. In the early

Three Kingdoms Period The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the We ...

, Wu Rui's tomb was demolished to provide the source of wood for a new temple for Sun Jian. The body was so well preserved that one of the participants later commented to Wu Gang ''Wú Gāng'') "colonel of the Nanman" ''Nánmán xiàowèi'') and a living descendant of Wu Rui, that he looked particularly similar to his ancestor.

Li Daoyuan Li Daoyuan (; 466 or 472 in Zhuo County, Hebei – 527) was a Chinese geographer, writer, and politician during the Northern Wei Dynasty. He is known as the author of the '' Commentary on the Water Classic'' (''Shuijingzhu''), a monumental work o ...

, ''

Commentary on the Water Classic The ''Commentary on the Water Classic'' (), or ''Commentaries on the Water Classic'', commonly known as ''Shui Jing Zhu'', is a work on the Chinese geography in ancient times, describing the traditional understanding of its waterways and ancie ...

'', citing Guo Ban (郭頒), ''Shiyu'' (《世語》)：魏黃初末，吳人發芮冢取木，於縣立孫堅廟，見芮尸容貌衣物並如故。吳平后，與發冢人於壽春見南蠻校尉吳綱曰：“君形貌何類長沙王吳芮乎！但君微短耳。”綱矍然曰：“是先祖也。”

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Rui 202 BC deaths Chu–Han contention people Qin dynasty generals Baiyue Han dynasty generals