Everyone knows that "Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, Wei, and Qin" were called the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period by later generations.
However, there was an eighth hero during the Warring States Period, and it was the Zhongshan Kingdom. The reason why the Zhongshan Kingdom is known as the "Eighth Hero of the Warring States Period" is because in its heyday, it relied on its powerful military strength to expand its territory and conquered a territory of about 30 cities "five hundred miles square" with a population of nearly one million. According to the "Warring States Policy": "Zhongshan rose up to meet Zhao and Yan, fought in the south against the eldest son, and defeated Zhao; fought in the north at Zhongshan, defeated the Yan army, and killed its generals. Zhongshan is a country with thousands of vehicles, but the enemy is a country with ten thousand vehicles. Fight again and win." This is a true portrayal of the Zhongshan Kingdom at that time.
"The First Establishment of Duke Wu" has a total of fifty chapters and nearly 500,000 words. The story is based on the history of the early Warring States period, from 434 BC to 414 BC. It begins with Duke You of Jin paying homage to his three ministers, and slowly begins to unfold: the former only heir of the Zhongshan Kingdom, Prince Ji Ku, became a thorn in the side because the concubine beside Wei Qing, the daughter of Wei Wenhou, the queen of Zhongshan, gave birth to the son Ji Sheng. Zhai Huang, the acting prime minister of the Zhongshan Kingdom, and Chi Zhangqiu, the powerful minister, sent people to assassinate Ji Ku but failed. Zhai Huang's son Zhai Jing was killed by Le Shu, a minister of Ji Ku. This led to the Zhongshan Kingdom sending troops to kill Ji Ku. However, the monarch Wen Gong knew that the courtiers sent troops to kill his son, but he could do nothing. With the assistance of a group of loyal ministers and generals such as the "Eight Pillars" in the court, Prince Ji Ku (Wugong of Zhongshan) stepped onto the political stage during the Warring States Period. He contributed to a series of thrilling stories such as the three Jin Dynasties united with Yue to conquer Qi, sent Qin Huai Gong back to the country, made friends with Lord Yiqu, disturbed the land west of the Qin and Wei Dynasties, helped Zhao Xianzi return to the court, and crusaded against the treacherous prime minister Chi Zhangqiu.
