Career

At the same time, a military revolution was being forced upon East Asia: the horse-drawn chariot, long a mainstay since its introduction from West and Central Asia in the late second millennium BC, was being upstaged by the horse-riding cavalry that was emerging among the northern barbarians. The lightly armoured barbarian bowmen proved superior in mobility and efficiency to the heavily armoured chariots used by the nobility and the slow-moving peasant infantry.

King Wuling decided to introduce cavalry, but he faced a cultural obstacle: the traditional loose dress worn by men, with its wide sleeves and skirt-like long gown, was ill suited for horse riding. Yet such clothing occupied a near-sacred place in Chinese culture. For example, when he was praising the Qi statesman Guanzhong for his successful resistance to the ‘barbarians’, Confucius chose to do so through a metaphor drawn from the traditional dress code. So King Wuling’s introduction of ‘barbarian’ trousers encountered strong upper-class opposition. In 307 BC, however, he convinced his noblemen of the dire necessity to strengthen the Zhao military and the need to adopt the narrow, short ‘barbarian’ dress, complete with trousers and boots.

Achievements

• When King Wuling started his reign over the state of Zhao in 325 British Columbia, it was in a precarious situation, surrounded by powerful rivals and ferocious ‘barbarian’ enemies.

• King Wuling abdicated in favour of his younger son in the summer of 299 British Columbia. The retired king assumed the title of ‘lord father’ and concentrated on military affairs. This abdication had an unmistakable ‘barbarian’ flavour, reminiscent of the steppe tradition of maintaining a young, energetic khan, often via regicide, real or ritual.

• He brought trousers to China.

Connections

Father:

Zhao Suhou

He reigned in the State of Zhao during the early Warring States Period of Chinese history. Marquess Su died in 326 BCE. His son, Zhao Yong, became King Wuling of Zhao.

elder son:

Zhao Zhang

King Wuling came to disapprove of his successor’s actions and brought forward his elder son, who had been passed over for succession. This led to a fratricidal battle in 295 BC. Not only was the elder brother mercilessly killed, but the followers of the young king also laid siege to Wuling’s palace and he was reduced to searching out sparrow nests for chicks and eggs to eat, dying of slow starvation after more than three months under siege.

younger son:

Zhao He

King Wuling abdicated in favour of his younger son in the summer of 299 BC.

Wife:

Queen Hui