Duke Huan of Qi

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Duke Huan of Qi (齊桓公, Qí Huán Gōng, died 643 BC) was the best-known ruler of the state of Qi in the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. His personal name was Jiāng Xiǎobái (姜小白) and he was the brother of Duke Xiang. His clan was Lǚ(吕). When Duke Xiang and Duke Wuzhi of Qi who took the throne after Duke Xiang were both killed, his elder brother Jiu, who was in Lu then, was supposed to be the heir and had gained support from Duke Zhuang of Lu, and Guan Zhong (管仲), who was initially teacher of Jiu, shot an arrow at Xiaobai on his way back to Qi from Ju, but it didn't hurt Xiaobai at all while Xiaobai pretended to be shot to death immediately and managed to arrive in Qi earlier than Jiu and take the throne after the ministers were persuaded by Bao Shuya. This angered Duke Zhuang of Lu and he started a fight against Qi for Jiu at Qianshi(乾时), but was finally defeated by Qi troops and even some of his own territory in Wenyang(汶阳) was possessed. Seeing Duke Huan was steady at his throne, Duke Zhuang of Lu assassinated Jiu eventually in order to make peace. Duke Huan was the Marquis of Qi from 685 BC until his death; under this period the State of Qi reached its zenith, and the Duke himself was elected to be one of the Five Hegemons.

At the start of his reign and on the advice of his trusted retainer Bao Shuya Lord Huan appointed Guan Zhong, an outstanding politician, to be his Prime Minister. Under Guan Zhong's reforms, Qi became the strongest state of the time, allowing Lord Huan to make a greater impact outside his state. Under the slogan of respecting the king and defending against the barbarian(尊王攘夷, pinyin: zūnwáng rǎngyí), Lord Huan gained hegemony among the states of ancient China. He helped the states of Yan, Xing and Wei against barbarian troops. He also called on some states to attack the state of Chu in order to ‘defend the honor of the king’.

The slogan 'Respecting the king and defending against the barbarian' was much later revived by the Japanese at the time of the Meiji restoration.

An incident is recorded in the chapter Xiaocheng (小稱) of the book Guanzi (管子):

Yi Ya (易牙) served the Lord (公) Huan of Qi with his culinary talent. The lord said, "the only thing which I have yet to taste is steamed infant." Then, Yi Ya steamed his first-born and offered him to the lord.

(in Classical Chinese: 夫易牙以調和事公。公曰：「惟蒸嬰兒之未嘗。」於是蒸其首子而獻之公。)

(There was not a strong taboo on cannibalism in ancient China and many accounts of cannibalism can be found in other historical times; for another example see Duke Wen of Jin).^{[citation needed]}

Upon Guan Zhong's deathbed, Duke Huan of Qi approached him to discuss who he should appoint as his next prime minister. Guan Zhong strongly discouraged allowing Tang Wu, Yi Ya, Shu Diao, and Gongzi Kaifang to stay, but Duke Huan only sent them away for a few months. After calling them back those four secretly staged a coup, locking Duke Huan in his room and making the outside world believe they were relaying his orders. One day one of his wives got in through a small hole and found out that the ministers had been starving the Duke to death. He died and was not buried for eleven days, so that "worms began crawling out from around his door", which allowed the people to find out that something was amiss. (Guanzi, Xiaocheng chapter. Alan Rickett's translation, p. 428-32.)

Other versions of this story also exist, some in the Guanzi, others in a variety of sources such as the Huainanzi, Annals of Lü Buwei, and Han Feizi. For example, the story from the Annals of Lü Buwei says that the Duke waited three years to recall his ministers after Guan Zhong's death.

He had less than twenty sons, none was born by any of his wives, but he had six favorite concubines and each bore him a son:

• Wukui (Wugui). The eldest son and had helped restore the state of Wei, which was also the country his mother was from. He wasn't the heir of Duke Huan of Qi (though according to the tradition then, he should be) but was supported by Yi Ya and Shu Diao and succeeded his father, while many ministers against them were killed by soldiers instructed by Yi Ya and Shu Diao, and in order to get the dead Duke Huan buried, his succession had once been admitted. However, when Song troops in behalf of Zhao came, Shu Diao was murdered by nobles, while Yi Ya escaped. He was hanged, never titled. Later his mother was buried alive as a punishment. His ruling only lasted three months.

• Yuan. Also born by a concubine from Wei. He led a rebellion to oppose the succession of Zhao with Pan and Shangren, but was defeated by Song and he was forced to escape to Wei, and his mother was also buried alive for his action. When Duke Zhao of Qi was in power, he was recalled. Finally he was titled Duke Hui of Qi after Duke Yi of Qi was killed. He died in 599 BC and the following dukes of Qi were all descendants of him until House of Tian took the throne.

• Zhao. Duke Huan of Qi created him the heir and had requested Duke Xiang of Song take care of him. Upon his father's death, he went to Song for help and finally succeeded in taking the throne. He was titled Duke Xiao of Qi, but he failed to rebuild the hegemony of his father. He died in 633 BC.

• Pan. He was supported by Kaifang. He cooperated with Yuan and Shangren in the rebellion against Song, but was declared innocent in the opinion of the Qi ministers. He succeeded Duke Xiao of Qi and was titled Duke Zhao of Qi. It was also said that Kaifang murdered son of Duke Xiao of Qi to create him the duke. He died in 613 BC and was succeeded by his son She, who was murdered and replaced by Shangren only five months later.

• Shangren. He was once supported by the people of Qi, and was also declared innocent after the rebellion against Song was defeated. He wouldn't plot against Duke Zhao of Qi because the latter treated him well. But when his nephew She took the throne, he murdered him and made himself the duke, and was titled Duke Yi of Qi. The descendants of Guan Zhong had displeased him, so they fled to Chu. He also imprisoned not only mother of the murdered duke She but also the ambassador sent by Zhou, though freed them later. He was murdered by two ministers who were in company with him on travel but hated him very much, in 609 BC. He no more gained the support from the Qi people and the ministers create his elder brother Yuan as his successor rather than his own heir, while even the two who murdered him fled to Chu without any resistence.

• Yong. He escaped to Qin from the conflicts of his elder brothers and was appointed as a minister. Chu once gave him a fief in Yanggu which was grabbed from Qi, with Yi Ya as his prime minister, but when Chu made peace with Qi, the fief was returned to Qi.