UNIT: Wei Martial Troops | Wei Wuzu: 魏武卒

Music: Yin-Yang Adrift

Bronze Warring States era dagger- axe halberd (Ji) blade with intricate tiger shaped decoration. Bronze weapons still predominated Chinese warfare at this era. Serrated and scythed versions were used, as well as triple bladed variations.

They were the first unit of renown in the Warring States period. A versatile crack force that could transform into halberdier, crossbowmen, or swordsmen as needed and also provide shield screens if they came under heavy fire. And despite their expensive armor, their rigorous training in long marching (with days of rations) allowed them to threaten afar and redeploy even during extreme duress with great order. Aside from the unit's immense cost, training and upkeep, it was one that virtually had no weaknesses. 

Rigorously selected without distinction of birth from the best of various camps of Wei warriors and given the best armors that covered most of their bodies, they were capable of marching 40–50 km in one day while equipped with heavy armor, a helmet, a halberd or pike, swords, a shield, a crossbow with 50 bolts, and three days of rations. The term 武卒 Wuzu as a distinction generally also referred to armored and professional soldiers of the era. 

Wei zuzu 魏武卒 (lit, "Wei Martial Troop") An approximate reconstruction. Note: they'd certainly not be armed using the halberd as a spear with those oversized shields. More likely the shields were smaller and used in conjunction with their swords, alternatively the shield could remain large and slung on the back- as done with examples used in late medieval Europe where by they potentially provided a solid pavise for their crossbows. Wei wuzu were the strategic genius philosopher-general Wu Qi's creation, an elite and versatile core of heavily armored Wei infantry that is equipped simultaneously as halberdier, crossbowmen, and sword and shield (or pavise) infantry. "Martial" in this instance not only denoted their role as warriors but their proficiency in many martial arts- as such were like weapon masters. 

Lacquered double curved infantry shield with intricate patterns. Such shields were used from the Warring States period to the Han.

Armored guard's heavy armor- black lacquered hide stitched together with red silk. Hide armor during this period varied from ox hide to more expensive hides such as rhino that are almost certainly reserved for the aristocrats. The boots of some aristocrats are fashioned from white deer skin. Material evidence excavated from the Tomb of the Marquise Yi of Zeng (Sui). 

THE FIRST- AND UNLIKELY GREAT HEGEMON OF THE WARRING STATES PERIOD

The first major bloodshed of the Warring States period between major kingdoms saw a strange sight: of Qin, the military terror before and after this period, being resoundly bullied in front of the realm's stage, at the hand of the first great philosopher general of this age. According to traditional sources, five hundred thousand Qin warriors would be mustered to avenge this grievous humiliation. The full context and lead up to this era is examined in length in the article that covers the beginning of the Warring States period.

Quality and Efficiency: Born from the partition of Jin into 3 successors: Wei, Zhao, and Han. Wei was one of the best organized and most meritocratic at the time of Jin's partition. It was led by the extremely astute Marquess Wen of Wei who reformed his small, but ably led state with a court full of talented meritorious ministers and diplomatically roped in the other 2 Jins to achieve collective interests.

WU QI & WEI"S AMBITIOUS WAR FOR HEXI

The first great shaper of nations in this period was Wu Qi. Born from a rich family, Wu Qi devoted much of his youth in arduously studying the military treatises and classics of statecraft. When he was driven out of his birth state~ he entered into the service of the central state of Wei. Wei was a competent but small state at the center of the Warring States world and it was surrounded by potential enemies and competitors on all sides. However one thing that distinguished Wei over others was that its governing apparatus was extremely meritocratic. 

Through radical reforms the Marquis of Wei had ensured that its civil and military government ignored hereditary peerage and instead opened to all that were able to rise due to merit. Due to his experience and scholarship, Wu Qu was given reins to Wei's military.

Wu Qi then formed a crack troop of elite and professionally drilled military section called the Wei Wuzu 魏武卒 (lit, "Wei Martial Troop") an elite and versatile core of heavily armored Wei infantry that was equipped simultaneously as halberdier, crossbowmen, and sword and shield (or pavise) infantry. "Martial" in this instance not only denoted their role as warriors but their proficiency in many martial arts- as such were like weapon masters. The wei wuzu would soon embark on a campaign that immortalized them in Chinese history. 

The Hexi Corridor (Red)- the traditional geopolitical flashpoint between Jin and Qin. With Jin partitioned between Wei, Zhao, and Han (with Wei being the strongest and redirecting the mutually suspicious Zhao and Han toward the 3 central state's external enemies) Wei began to redirect the 3 states to fight Qi to the east and Qin to the west, repelling the Di- steppe nomad led state of Zhongshan in the process. In the west, the Hexi Corridor was of vital strategic importance. 

In 409 BC, the Marquis of Wei appointed Wu Qi as the commander-in-chief to conquer Hexi from Qin. According to records, Wu Qi led Wei Wuzu march south and northern in war, during this period, he fought 76 times with the armies of the princes, winning 64 times, and the rest were draws." He attacked Hangu Pass to the west, fought countless battles with the Qin state, and seized more than 500 miles of Hexi and great 5 walled cities from Qin. He then held on to the region for 20 years and entrenched the Wei position there. 

A key stretch to the west of the Yellow River's shores, the region is both easily defended by a narrow mountain pass and also possessed very fertile farmlands. Lands so fertile and great for raising horses it would vitally bolster the possessor's population and economy. Furthermore, whoever possessed the rich pass would have the initiative to invade the other while having their flank secured by steep mountains. 

When a new Duke ascended into the Qin throne he called for a realm wide muster in Qin to revenge against this past humiliation. The Qin gathered some 500,000 soldiers and threw them against the Wei defenses at Yin Jin- which had only 50,000 defenders largely composed of the Wei wuzu. The result was a staggering victory where the Wei elites beat back the Qin army and Qin was forced to retreat. The Qin Duke soon died and Qin entered into a period of major soul search to reform and redress its state.

Despite this resounding victory and 20+ years of loyal service, Wu Qi was driven from Wei by intrigue at court. However by this time his renown was throughout the land and soon found employment in the great state of Chu. 

There, even in his old age he performed his miracle again and forged an invincible war machine in Chu where it then went on to score a series of conquests. However when his patron king died, jealous rivals at the Chu court slew him. Despite the tragedy of his end. Many similar wandering scholar- generals would follow in his wake and radically lead the way for the great state's development in this era.

During his patron's funeral, the Chu nobles shot Wu Qi with arrows. Wounded Wu then ran up to the corpse of his late patron and pleaded for his life, but the assassins did not relent and shot him to death with volleys of arrows~ in turn even piercing the late king's body with many of them.  

All of Wu Qi's reforms in Chu were then reverted afterwards. So died the first great philosopher- general of this bloody age, only to have his great deeds and methods undone. And with his death, Chu lost a critical (perhaps life saving) early advantage. An age, that now, inspired by his discoveries and reforms would become much bloodier in the making. Perhaps its only fitting, that Wei- the first great meritorious state of this era, was resoundly defeated by the next 2 states that aggressively reformed and promoted meritorious ministers: Qin, and Qi. More detailed coverage of the radical reform of Qin by Shang Yang, and in Qi by Sun Bin (supposedly Sun Tzu's own descendant) can by read here. The Qi elite warriors were called Qi Assault Troops Qi Jiji, while the Qin armored vanguards were called Qin Elites Qin Ruishi- which is likely a generalized term for the best units of Qin.

Elite armored halberdier in the early Warring States period on the left. Qin heavy armored elite vanguard on the right. By the late Warring States period Ji usually average in length about 2.8 meters while longer ones were reported to be as long as pikes. True pikes were also recorded to around 5.5 meters.

THE AGE OF PHILOSOPHER- GENERALS HAD BEGUN

Armory: Cold Light Armor (寒光甲胄工作室) Reconstructed Warring State/ Qin era Ji halberd. The bronze blade is fastened to the lacquered wooden haft- because the spear point is not connected with the blade there could be considerable distance between the blade and the spear tip. This configuration allowed for massive production of scale in vast numbers.

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