During the Warring States Period, countries sought allies in order to dominate the world. Among them, the military alliance between Wu Qi and King Wu of Wei is very eye-catching. Based on the strategy of "joining forces and verticals" and "connecting horizontals", they jointly fought against the powerful Qin state.
Wu Qi was a famous general of the Chu State, who fled to the Qi State for family reasons in his early years, and later took refuge in the Lu State. He showed great military talent in both Qi and Lu, but he was never reused. It wasn't until 386 BC that Wu played to the state of Chu and was appointed Ling Yin (equivalent to the current prime minister) and began to display his talents.
At this time, after Qin Xiaogong ascended the throne, he began his own road to hegemony. His goal was to unify the Six Kingdoms and build a powerful empire. However, at this time, the other five kingdoms were not completely subjugated to Qin, so Qin Xiaogong decided to attack the weakest country first, Korea.
At this time, King Wu of Wei had become the monarch of Wei. He knew that if Qin defeated Korea, it would be Wei's turn next. So, he sent someone to find Wu Qi, who was serving as Ling Yin in the Chu State, hoping to unite to resist the Qin State.
Wu Qi accepted the invitation, believing that it was an opportunity to change his fate. He said to King Wu of Wei: "If we can join forces, we can resist the attack of the Qin army. So, the two countries reached an agreement and prepared to fight together against the Qin state.
Wu Qi first suggested that King Wu of Wei strengthen army building and improve the combat effectiveness of his soldiers. He also offered to build fortifications to prevent enemy invasions. At the same time, he also put forward the strategic idea of "joint vertical", hoping to contain Qin through the power of other countries, so that it could not concentrate its forces on attacking any country.
King Wu of Wei adopted his advice and actively prepared for war. Under his leadership, Wei's army grew rapidly and its strength increased. At the same time, Wu Qi also began to contact other countries, hoping to form an alliance against the Qin state.
After a period of hard work, Wu Qi finally succeeded in winning over some countries to join their camp. These countries included Zhao, Yan, and Zhongshan, and they all agreed with Wu Qi's strategy of "joining forces".
Despite having so many allies, Wu Qi knew it wasn't enough. Because they were facing the state of Qin, which had a strong military power. Therefore, he put forward the idea of "Lian Heng", hoping to persuade some countries that originally supported Qin to turn around and support them through negotiations.
In the process, Wu went from place to place, constantly lobbying the leaders of various countries. He told them that only by uniting together can they defend themselves against a strong enemy. His efforts were not in vain, and many countries were moved by him and joined their camp.
In this way, "the alliance of Wu Qi and Wei Wuwang was able to resist one against two" and successfully resisted the invasion of Qin. The war also made people realize the importance of the two concepts of "joint vertical" and "continuous horizontal", which became an important political tool and were widely used in many historical events. Wu Qi is also known as one of the most important military strategists in Chinese history.