Wolf Fox County

This is a sweeping historical novel about the famous general Wu Qi of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. Set mainly around Langhu Ridge and the city of Lishi, it portrays the many facets of life in Xihe Commandery of the State of Wei, commonly known as Langhu Commandery, and the joys and sorrows of its people. In the thirty-eighth year of Marquis Wen of Wei (409 BC), thirty-two-year-old Wu Qi trained an elite force, the Wei Warriors, at Langhu Ridge. When the Qin army attacked the Zhao city of Lishi, he rushed to its aid and secured a narrow victory. He then launched a campaign against Qin, capturing five cities in succession and routing an army of 500,000 Qin soldiers with just 50,000 Wei Warriors. Year after year, Wu Qi fought to defend Xihe. He fought the Qin army seventy-six times, winning sixty-four battles and drawing the other twelve. But the jealous chancellor Gongsun Cuo slandered him to Marquis Wu of Wei, and Wu Qi was stripped of his post. With no other choice, he left for Chu, where he became governor of Wan. King Dao of Chu later appointed him chief minister to carry out reforms.

The novel also explores Wu Qi’s state of mind as he compiled the Zuo Zhuan and The Art of War by Wu Qi, as well as the lives of many figures from the same era, including Duke Jian of Qin, Marquis Wen of Wei, Marquis Wu of Wei, and Gongzi Lian (Ying Shixi). It also recounts the tragic fates of the Wu women, Tian Xiaoxuan, Xiao Qiong, Dai Furong, and the other wives, concubines, and songstresses who accompanied him throughout his life, leaving readers deeply moved.