Goujian, the last king of the Spring and Autumn Period, was a famous politician and military leader. After being taken hostage by the State of Wu, he endured the hardships of "sleeping on sticks and tasting bile". He eventually conquered the State of Wu in 473 BC.
Career
Goujian (reigned 496–465 BC) was the king of the Kingdom of Yue near the end of the Spring and Autumn Period. King Goujian's reign coincided with arguably the last major conflict of the Spring and Autumn Period, the struggle between Wu and Yue, wherein he eventually led his state to victory, annexing the rival. As such King Goujian is sometimes considered the last of the Five Hegemons.King Goujian's army was known for scaring its enemies before battle by forcing its front line, composed of criminals sentenced to death, to commit suicide by decapitating themselves.
Politics
In 496 BC, King Goujian defeated the Wu army and King Helv of Wu died of injuries sustained in the battle.In 495 BC, King Goujian launched another attack against the Wu State. The Yue army suffered a crushing defeat and retreated to Huiji Mountain .Later, while King Fu Chai of Wu was vying for hegemony in the north and his state power was weakening, King Goujian launched a surprise attack against the State of Wu and killed the crown prince of Wu. He wiped out the Wu State in 473 BC.
Shortly afterwards, King Goujian pushed his troops northward by boat, with Song, Zheng, Lu, Wei and other states submitting to his rule. He relocated his capital to Langya (present-day south of Jiaonan in Shandong), forming alliances with vassal states such as Qi and Jin. In the end, King Goujian’s hegemony status was officially recognized by King Yuan of Zhou.
Views
Whilst ruling his kingdom, Goujian never relished kingly riches, but instead ate food suited for peasants, as well as forcing himself to taste bile, in order to remember his humiliations while serving under the State of Wu.