King Min of Qi
Encyclopedia
King Min of Qi (323–284 BC, ruled 300–284 BC) was a notoriously unsuccessful king of the northeastern Chinese state of Qi
during the Warring States Period
. "Famous for his paranoia and megalomania, the king was the archetype of the unworthy and unaware ruler" and in the end "he suffered the greatest disgrace in the world"
, his country was invaded and devastated and he was murdered.
Qi was one of the most powerful countries in China at his accession, if not the most powerful.
In 288 BC. King Min took the title of Di of the East (東帝), and his ally King Zhaoxiang of Qin
called himself Di of the West (Di was originally the name of the high god of the Shang. It also (or later) had a weaker sense of sacred or divine; the same character was used to mean Emperor in later times.) But so many people objected that both kings were forced to return to the title of "king" (wáng 王) and there was no Di in China until Qin Shi Huang
unified China in 221 BC and gave himself the title of Huang Di, which we translate as Emperor.
King Min, like his predecessors, supported scholars in the Jixia Academy and inviting prominent visitors to talk with him. Su Qin
was one of his advisors; Lord Mengchang
(Tian Wen) was for a while his chancellor. But "all of King Min's assessments were like this [i.e. foolish], which is why his state was destroyed and his person placed in harm's way." King Min had his critics executed, sometimes in cruel ways such as being boiled alive or cut in two at the waist; he gradually alienated the commoners, his own royal clan, and the great ministers.
In 286 BC, King Min attacked and destroyed Song
. King Min attacked Chu
and defeated its army. But his own army became exhausted, and Qi was promptly attacked in its turn and lost all the territory it had gained. "All blamed the king, saying, 'Who made this plan?' The king said, 'Tian Wen [Lord Mengchang] made it!' and the great ministers thereupon... drove Tian Wen from the state."
At the end of his reign, after King Min had angered even his own generals who were defending Qi, his capital city of Linzi
was invaded and sacked in 284 BC. by General Yue Yi
of Yan, partly at the instigation of King Min's advisor Su Qin
. "The army of Yan
entered the capital...fighting with each other over the great quantity of bronze stored in the treasury." The king fled to Ju 筥 (either in Wey
or along with Jumo one of the two Qi cities that remained unoccupied). All but two cities of Qi were conquered. Even after his defeat, King Min never blamed himself; he agreed with an obsequious advisor who said, "Your majesty had the title of Sovereign of the East and in fact controlled the world. You left your state to live in Wey with a manner that expressed complete satisfaction." But the king was then captured, and his former minister, Nao Chi 淖齒, of Chu, confronted the king: " 'For hundreds of miles about your districts... garments have been wet with blood.... Did the king know this?' 'I did not.'... 'Can such a person remain unpunished?' cried Nao Chi and executed King Min in the drum-square at Ju." Another account says Nao Chi "bound King Min by his joints and suspended him from a beam in the ancestral temple. There the king hung all night and died the next day." He is often cited in literature as a warning example of a ruler who would not listen to good advisors but believed bad ones. "This is the reason Qi was defeated on the banks of the Ji River and the country of Qi became a wasteland....King Min died as a result of his arrogance over the greatness of Qi."
Nao Chi was killed by one of King Min's followers, Wangsun Jia, who with Tian Dan then reconquered the seventy cities of Qi, found Tian Fazhang 田法章, King Min's son, who had "cast off his robes of royalty and fled to the house of the king's astrologer where he worked as a gardener", and set him on the throne (King Xiang of Qi 齊襄王). Qi never regained its power. However, it survived as a kingdom and was the last independent land to succumb to the unification of China under Qin Shihuang in 221 BC.
Qi (state)
Qi was a powerful state during the Spring and Autumn Period and Period of the Warring States in ancient China. Its capital was Linzi, now part of the modern day city of Zibo in Shandong Province....
during the Warring States Period
Warring States Period
The Warring States Period , also known as the Era of Warring States, or the Warring Kingdoms period, covers the Iron Age period from about 475 BC to the reunification of China under the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC...
. "Famous for his paranoia and megalomania, the king was the archetype of the unworthy and unaware ruler" and in the end "he suffered the greatest disgrace in the world"
, his country was invaded and devastated and he was murdered.
Qi was one of the most powerful countries in China at his accession, if not the most powerful.
In 288 BC. King Min took the title of Di of the East (東帝), and his ally King Zhaoxiang of Qin
King Zhaoxiang of Qin
King Zhaoxiang of Qin or King Zhao of Qin was the son of King Huiwen and younger brother of King Wu. After the death of Wu in 306 BC, Zhao contended for the crown of Qin with his younger brother. With the support of King Wuling of Zhao, Zhao finally ascended the throne...
called himself Di of the West (Di was originally the name of the high god of the Shang. It also (or later) had a weaker sense of sacred or divine; the same character was used to mean Emperor in later times.) But so many people objected that both kings were forced to return to the title of "king" (wáng 王) and there was no Di in China until Qin Shi Huang
Qin Shi Huang
Qin Shi Huang , personal name Ying Zheng , was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 246 BC to 221 BC during the Warring States Period. He became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 BC...
unified China in 221 BC and gave himself the title of Huang Di, which we translate as Emperor.
King Min, like his predecessors, supported scholars in the Jixia Academy and inviting prominent visitors to talk with him. Su Qin
Su Qin
Su Qin , was an influential political strategist during the Warring States Period of Chinese history . He was born in Chengxuan Village, Luoyang in present day Henan Province. According to legend Su Qin was a disciple of Gui Guzi, the founder of the School of Diplomacy...
was one of his advisors; Lord Mengchang
Lord Mengchang of Qi
Lord Mengchang , born Tian Wen, was an aristocrat of the State of Qi during the Warring States Period of China. He was born as Tian Wen, son of Tian Ying and grandson of King Wei of Qi. He succeeded to his father's fief in Xue. Lord Mengchang is well known for the size of his entourage...
(Tian Wen) was for a while his chancellor. But "all of King Min's assessments were like this [i.e. foolish], which is why his state was destroyed and his person placed in harm's way." King Min had his critics executed, sometimes in cruel ways such as being boiled alive or cut in two at the waist; he gradually alienated the commoners, his own royal clan, and the great ministers.
In 286 BC, King Min attacked and destroyed Song
Song (state)
Sòng was a state during the Eastern Zhou Spring and Autumn Period . Its capital was Shangqiu . In 701 BC, a political marriage between Lady Yong of Song and Duke Zhuang of Zheng empowered Song to manipulate the management of Zheng.- Origin :After King Wu of Zhou overthrew King Zhou of Shang,...
. King Min attacked Chu
Chu (state)
The State of Chu was a Zhou Dynasty vassal state in present-day central and southern China during the Spring and Autumn period and Warring States Period . Its ruling house had the surname Nai , and clan name Yan , later evolved to surname Mi , and clan name Xiong...
and defeated its army. But his own army became exhausted, and Qi was promptly attacked in its turn and lost all the territory it had gained. "All blamed the king, saying, 'Who made this plan?' The king said, 'Tian Wen [Lord Mengchang] made it!' and the great ministers thereupon... drove Tian Wen from the state."
At the end of his reign, after King Min had angered even his own generals who were defending Qi, his capital city of Linzi
Linzi
Linzi was the capital of Qi from 859 BC to 221 BC during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period in China. The ruins of the city lie in modern day Linzi District, Shandong, China. The city was one of the largest and richest in China during the Spring and Autumn Period...
was invaded and sacked in 284 BC. by General Yue Yi
Yue Yi
Yue Yi was an officer of the State of Yan during the Warring State period, also known as Lord Guojun. He was the son of the prime minister of the small nation of Zhongshan, but when Zhongshan was destroyed by Zhao's King Wuling, he was forced to wander from country to country...
of Yan, partly at the instigation of King Min's advisor Su Qin
Su Qin
Su Qin , was an influential political strategist during the Warring States Period of Chinese history . He was born in Chengxuan Village, Luoyang in present day Henan Province. According to legend Su Qin was a disciple of Gui Guzi, the founder of the School of Diplomacy...
. "The army of Yan
Yan (state)
Yān was a state during the Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of Chinese history. Its capital was Ji...
entered the capital...fighting with each other over the great quantity of bronze stored in the treasury." The king fled to Ju 筥 (either in Wey
Wei (Spring and Autumn Period)
This article is about the State of Wei founded during the Spring and Autumn Period. For the Warring States Period state whose name is pronounced identically, see Wei ....
or along with Jumo one of the two Qi cities that remained unoccupied). All but two cities of Qi were conquered. Even after his defeat, King Min never blamed himself; he agreed with an obsequious advisor who said, "Your majesty had the title of Sovereign of the East and in fact controlled the world. You left your state to live in Wey with a manner that expressed complete satisfaction." But the king was then captured, and his former minister, Nao Chi 淖齒, of Chu, confronted the king: " 'For hundreds of miles about your districts... garments have been wet with blood.... Did the king know this?' 'I did not.'... 'Can such a person remain unpunished?' cried Nao Chi and executed King Min in the drum-square at Ju." Another account says Nao Chi "bound King Min by his joints and suspended him from a beam in the ancestral temple. There the king hung all night and died the next day." He is often cited in literature as a warning example of a ruler who would not listen to good advisors but believed bad ones. "This is the reason Qi was defeated on the banks of the Ji River and the country of Qi became a wasteland....King Min died as a result of his arrogance over the greatness of Qi."
Nao Chi was killed by one of King Min's followers, Wangsun Jia, who with Tian Dan then reconquered the seventy cities of Qi, found Tian Fazhang 田法章, King Min's son, who had "cast off his robes of royalty and fled to the house of the king's astrologer where he worked as a gardener", and set him on the throne (King Xiang of Qi 齊襄王). Qi never regained its power. However, it survived as a kingdom and was the last independent land to succumb to the unification of China under Qin Shihuang in 221 BC.