The Shattered Kingdoms and the Seeds of Rebellion
When the Qin dynasty unified China in 221 BCE, it did so through brutal military conquest that left the six defeated states smoldering with resentment. The former Wei kingdom, strategically located in the central plains with its capital at Daliang (modern Kaifeng), suffered particularly devastating destruction. In 225 BCE, Qin general Wang Ben besieged Daliang for three months before breaching its walls by diverting the Yellow River’s waters – a catastrophic flooding that reduced the proud capital to ruins and marked the Wei royal family’s tragic end.
This historical trauma shaped the actions of Wei nobility like Lord Ningling Wei Jiu and his cousin Wei Bao, who became political refugees under Qin rule. Their chance for restoration came when Chen Sheng launched the Dazhu Chu rebellion in 209 BCE, the first major uprising against Qin tyranny. As Chen’s forces spread across former Chu territories, his general Zhou Fu received orders to reclaim former Wei lands in the Dong and Yang commanderies – a mission that would unexpectedly revive Wei’s royal legacy.
The Noble Refusal: Zhou Fu’s Constitutional Crisis
Zhou Fu’s military successes created an unusual constitutional dilemma. After pushing north into former Qi territory (modern Shandong), his officers and allied states urged him to proclaim himself King of Wei. Both the newly restored Qi under Tian Dan and Zhao under Wu Chen actively encouraged this, seeing a strong Wei as a buffer against both Qin forces and Chu’s expanding influence.
In a remarkable display of political principle, Zhou Fu refused the crown, declaring: “In times of chaos, true loyalty emerges. As we all rebel against Qin, Wei territory should properly be ruled by a descendant of its royal house.” This insistence on legitimate succession rather than personal ambition led Zhou to advocate for Wei Jiu’s restoration – though it required five embassies to convince the suspicious Chen Sheng, who feared resurgent aristocratic power.
The Phoenix Kingdom: Wei Jiu’s Brief Restoration
Wei Jiu’s coronation in late 209 BCE marked one of history’s most poignant restorations. With Daliang still uninhabitable from Qin’s flooding decades earlier, the new court established itself at Linji (modern Fengqiu, Henan). Zhou Fu became chancellor, rebuilding administration while preparing defenses against inevitable Qin retaliation.
The restored Wei embodied both the promise and peril of the anti-Qin movement. Its legitimacy drew from pre-Qin aristocratic traditions, yet its survival depended on cooperation between former enemies – the peasant rebel Zhang Chu regime that enabled it, and the neighboring restored states of Qi and Zhao that had been Wei’s historical rivals.
The Qin Counterattack: Zhang Han’s Military Campaigns
Qin’s supreme commander Zhang Han, fresh from crushing Chen Sheng’s rebellion, turned his disciplined armies northward in early 208 BCE. His campaign against Wei demonstrated textbook siege warfare: isolating Linji while preparing for anticipated relief forces. The subsequent Battle of Linji became a tragic reenactment of Daliang’s fall, with Wei Jiu ultimately choosing self-immolation after surrender to prevent another massacre – a decision that cemented his legacy as both tragic and noble.
Zhang’s victory proved pyrrhic. Though he destroyed Wei’s army and killed both Wei Jiu and Zhou Fu, the campaign exhausted Qin’s forces and created strategic overextension. More critically, it provoked the rise of Xiang Liang’s Chu forces as the new anti-Qin standard-bearers.
The Eastern Theater: From Donga to Dingtao
The eastern campaigns following Wei’s collapse revealed shifting dynamics. Xiang Liang’s Chu forces, previously untested against Qin regulars, proved their mettle at Donga (modern Yanggu, Shandong) – the first major rebel victory over Zhang Han. This success began a cascade of Chu advances: victories at Puyang, Cheng Yang (where Xiang Yu and Liu Bang’s forces committed retaliatory massacres), and Yongqiu (where they killed Li You, son of Qin chancellor Li Si).
These battles demonstrated how Wei’s sacrifice created strategic opportunities. By drawing Zhang Han eastward, Wei allowed Chu to consolidate western positions. The cooperation between Xiang Liang’s main force and the Liu-Xiang detachment also previewed the military partnership that would later challenge Qin at its heartland.
The Tide Turns: Zhang Han’s Tactical Renaissance
Zhang Han’s response to initial defeats revealed why he remained Qin’s most formidable general. Adopting strategies reminiscent of Bai Qi and Wang Jian, he:
1. Used Puyang’s natural defenses (reinforced by Yellow River channels) as an impregnable base
2. Secretly reinforced via river logistics while appearing weakened
3. Coordinated with Wang Li’s northern army for a pincer movement
4. Exploited enemy overconfidence after their victory streak
This culminated in the September 208 BCE night attack at Dingtao that killed Xiang Liang – a masterstroke that temporarily reversed rebel fortunes and shifted the war northward.
Legacy of the Hundred-Day Kingdom
Though lasting barely eight months, the restored Wei played disproportionate historical roles:
1. Military Strategy: Proved that only coordinated multi-state efforts could challenge Qin, setting the template for later alliances
2. Political Thought: Zhou Fu’s insistence on legitimate succession influenced subsequent debates about post-Qin governance
3. Moral Exemplars: Wei Jiu’s self-sacrifice and Zhou Fu’s rejection of power became celebrated examples of Confucian virtue in chaotic times
4. Strategic Consequences: Its destruction forced anti-Qin forces to develop more sophisticated military cooperation, directly enabling later victories
The Wei restoration’s story remains one of history’s great “what-ifs” – a glimpse of how China’s transition from Qin tyranny might have developed differently had this aristocratic-led experiment survived. Its lessons about coalition warfare and legitimate authority would echo through the Chu-Han contention and into the Han dynasty’s founding.