Battle of Boju

The Battle of Boju (Chinese: 柏舉之戰) was the decisive battle of the war fought in 506 BC between Wu and Chu, two major kingdoms during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. The Wu forces were led by King Helü, his brother Fugai, and Chu exile Wu Zixu. According to Sima Qian's Shiji, Sun Tzu, the author of The Art of War, was a main commander of the Wu army, but he was not mentioned in the Zuo Zhuan and other earlier historical texts. The Chu forces were led by Lingyin (prime minister) Nang Wa (also known as Zichang) and Sima (chief military commander) Shen Yin Shu. The Wu were victorious, and captured and destroyed the Chu capital Ying.

Background

Wu was originally a minor state east of Chu, which was a major power of the Spring and Autumn Period and was frequently at war with the state of Jin, the other major power north of Chu. In order to check Chu's expansion, Jin made an alliance with Wu, trained the Wu army, and taught them to use chariots. Wu gradually grew stronger, and in 584 BCE defeated Chu for the first time and annexed the Chu city of Zhoulai. In the following 70 years Chu and Wu fought ten wars, with Wu winning most of them.