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JiangZiya
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

LShang(Chinese:fl.11thcenturyBC),
commonlyknownasJiangZiya()andJiang
Shang(),wasanancientChinesemilitarystrategist
whohelpedKingWenandKingWuofZhouoverthrow
theShangdynasty.AfterKingWuestablishedtheZhou
dynasty,LShangwasenfeoffedatQi,whichlater
developedintoapowerfulstateintheSpringandAutum
andWarringStatesperiods.Asthefounderofthestateof
Qi,hisposthumoustitleisDukeTaiofQi(Chinese:
pinyin:QTiGngliterally:"GrandDukeof
Qi").[1][2]

LShang
DukeofQi

Contents
1Namesandtitles
2Background
3HiredbyKingWenoftheZhou
4AttackoftheShang
5Personalviewsandhistoricalinfluence
6Inpopularculture
7Notes
8Seealso

JiangZiya'sportraitintheSancaiTuhui
Reign

11thcenturyBC

Issue

YiJiang

9Externallinks

Namesandtitles
LShang'sancestralnamewasJiang,clannameL,givennameShang,andcourtesynameZiya
().HeisamaincharacterinthepopularMingdynastynovelFengshenBangwrittenover2,500years
afterhislifetime.InthenovelheiscalledJiangZiyaandJiangShang,whichhavebecomethenamesheis
mostcommonlyknownas.HeisalsoknownbyvarioustitlesincludingJiangTaiGong(GrandDuke
Jiang),TaiGongWang(,GrandDukeWang),andShiShangFu.

Background
ThelastruleroftheShangdynasty,KingZhouofShang(16th11thcenturyBC)wasatyrannicaland
debauchedslaveownerwhospenthisdayscarousingwithhisfavouriteconcubineDajiandmercilessly
executingorpunishinguprightofficialsandallotherswhoobjectedtohisways.Afterfaithfullyservingthe
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Shangcourtforapproximatelytwentyyears,JiangcametofindKingZhouinsufferable,andfeigned
madnessinordertoescapecourtlifeandtheruler'spower.Jiangwasanexpertinmilitaryaffairsandhoped
thatsomedaysomeonewouldcallonhimtohelpoverthrowtheking.Jiangdisappeared,onlytoresurface
intheZhoucountrysideattheapocryphalageofseventytwo,whenhewasrecruitedbyKingWenofZhou
andbecameinstrumentalinZhouaffairs.[3]Itissaidthat,whileinexile,hecontinuedtowaitplacidly,
fishinginatributaryoftheWeiRiver(neartodaysXi'an)usingabarblesshookorevennohookatall,on
thetheorythatthefishwouldcometohimoftheirownvolitionwhentheywereready.

HiredbyKingWenoftheZhou
KingWenofZhou,(centralShaanxi),foundJiangZiyafishing.King
Wen,followingtheadviceofhisfatherandgrandfatherbeforehim,
wasinsearchoftalentedpeople.Infact,hehadbeentoldbyhis
grandfather,theGrandDukeofZhou,thatonedayasagewouldappear
tohelpruletheZhoustate.

DaiJin,DroppingaFishingLine
ontheBankoftheWeiRiver,
NationalPalaceMuseum

ThefirstmeetingbetweenKingWenandJiangZiyaisrecordedinthe
bookthatrecordsJiang'steachingstoKingWenandKingWu,theSix
SecretTeachings(/).Themeetingwasrecordedas
beingcharacterizedbyamythicauracommontomeetingsbetween
greathistoricalfiguresinancientChina.[3]Beforegoinghunting,King
Wenconsultedhischiefscribetoperformdivinationinorderto
discoverifthekingwouldbesuccessful.Thedivinationsrevealedthat,
"'WhilehuntingonthenorthbankoftheWeiriveryouwillgetagreat
catch.Itwillnotbeanyformofdragon,noratigerorgreatbear.
Accordingthesigns,youwillfindadukeormarquistherewhom
Heavenhassenttobeyourteacher.Ifemployedasyourassistant,you
willflourishandthebenefitswillextendtothreegenerationsofZhou
Kings.'"Recognizingthattheresultofthisdivinationwassimilartothe
resultofdivinationsgiventohiseldestancestor,KingWenobserveda
vegetariandietforthreedaysinordertospirituallypurifyhimselffor
themeeting.Whileonthehunt,KingWenencounteredJiangfishing
onagrassmat,andcourteouslybeganaconversationwithhim
concerningmilitarytacticsandstatecraft.[4]Thesubsequent
conversationbetweenJiangZiyaandKingWenformsthebasisofthe

textintheSixSecretTeachings.
WhenKingWenmetJiangZiya,atfirstsighthefeltthatthiswasanunusualoldman,andbeganto
conversewithhim.Hediscoveredthatthiswhitehairedfishermanwasactuallyanastutepoliticalthinker
andmilitarystrategist.This,hefelt,mustbethemanhisgrandfatherwaswaitingfor.HetookJiangZiyain
hiscoachtothecourtandappointedhimprimeministerandgavehimthetitleJiangTaigongWang("The
GreatDuke'sHope",or"TheexpectedoftheGreatDuke")inreferencetoapropheticdreamDanfu,
grandfatherofWenwang,hadhadmanyyearsbefore.ThiswaslatershortenedtoJiangTaigong.KingWu
marriedJiangZiya'sdaughterYiJiang,whoborehimseveralsons.

AttackoftheShang
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AfterKingWendied,hissonKingWu,whoinheritedthethrone,decidedtosendtroopstooverthrowthe
KingofShang.ButJiangTaigongstoppedhim,saying:"WhileIwasfishingatPanxi,Irealisedonetruth
ifyouwanttosucceedyouneedtobepatient.Wemustwaitfortheappropriateopportunitytoeliminatethe
KingofShang".SoonitwasreportedthatthepeopleofShangweresooppressedthatnoonedaredspeak.
KingWuandJiangTaigongdecidedthiswasthetimetoattack,forthepeoplehadlostfaithintheruler.
ThebloodyBattleofMuyethenensuedsome35kilometresfromtheShangcapitalYin(modernday
Anyang,HenanProvince).
JiangTaigongchargedattheheadofthetroops,beatthebattledrumsandthenwith100ofhismendrew
theShangtroopstothesouthwest.KingWu'stroopsmovedquicklyandsurroundedthecapital.TheShang
Kinghadsentrelativelyuntrainedslavestofight.This,plusthefactthatmanysurrenderedorrevolted,
enabledZhoutotakethecapital.
KingZhousetfiretohispalaceandperishedinit,andKingWuandhissuccessorsastheZhoudynasty
establishedruleoverallofChina.AsforDaji,oneversionhasitthatshewascapturedandexecutedbythe
orderofJiangTaigonghimself,anotherthatshetookherownlife,anotherthatshewaskilledbyKing
Zhou.JiangTaigongwasmadedukeoftheStateofQi(todaysShandongprovince),whichthrivedwith
bettercommunicationsandexploitationofitsfishandsaltresourcesunderhim.
AsthemostnotablePrimeMinisteremployedbyKingWenandKingWu,hewasdeclared"themasterof
strategy"resultingintheZhougovernmentgrowingfarstrongerthanthatoftheShangDynastyasthe
yearselapsed.ThusmakinghimknownwellasthemostfamousPrimeMinisterofallinChina.

Personalviewsandhistoricalinfluence
AnaccountofJiangTaigong'slifewrittenlongafterhistimesaysheheldthatacountrycouldbecome
powerfulonlywhenthepeopleprospered.Iftheofficialsenrichedthemselveswhilethepeopleremained
poor,therulerwouldnotlastlong.Themajorprincipleinrulingacountryshouldbetolovethepeopleand
tolovethepeoplemeanttoreducetaxesandcorvelabour.Byfollowingtheseideas,KingWenissaidto
havemadetheZhoustateprosperveryrapidly.
Histreatiseonmilitarystrategy,SixSecretStrategicTeachings,isconsideredoneoftheSevenMilitary
ClassicsofAncientChina.
Today,JiangZiyaisregardedasoneofthegreateststrategistsinbothChinesehistoryandtheworld,andis
honoredasthefirstfamousgeneralandprogenitorofstrategicstudies.IntheTangDynastyhewaseven
accordedhisownstatetempleasthemartialpatronandtherebyattainedofficiallysanctionedstatus
approachingthatofConfucius.

Inpopularculture
HeisaprominentcharacterinthepopularChineseclassicnovelFengshenYanyi(),sometimes
translatedasCreationoftheGods.InthisnovelhehasbeenknownwellasDaji'sarchrival,andtheone
whoorderedherexecutionpersonally.
Therearetwoxiehouyuabouthim:
GrandDukeJiangfishesthosewhoarewillingjumpatthebait(),which
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means"putone'sownheadinthenoose".
GrandDukeJianginvestiturethegodsomittinghimself(),whichmeans
"leaveoutoneself".
Inthescenario"ChineseUnification"oftheCivilizationIV:Warlordsexpansionpack,JiangZiyaisthe
leaderoftheStateofQi.
TheprotagonistofHoshinEngi,TaiKouBou(TaiGongWang),isbasedonJiangZiya.Buthowever,his
personalityisquitecomical.
HeisalsoplayableinvideogamesAizoubanHoushinEngi,HoshinEngi2andMysticHeroes.Heiskind,
humbleandjust.
JiangZiyaisalsoDaji'sarchrival(JiangZiyaneverthoughtofDajiashisrivalwhileDajiherselfactually
thoughtthatJiangZiyawasherrival)asJiangZiyacaneasilyseethroughDaji'splans.
JiangZiyaisaplayablecharacterinKoei'sWarriorsOrochi2.Inthegameheisalternativelyreferredtoas
TaigongWang.Astarkcontrasttothehistoricalaccountshowever,wouldbethatheisportrayedasa
handsomeyoungman,whoisquitearrogant,althoughheisstilladivinelygiftedstrategistandagoodman
atheart.Heisoftenreferredtobyothers,namelyFuXi,NwaandDajias"boy".Thereasonforhis
radicallyimproviseddesignmaybetoemphasizehisrivalrywithDaJi,whosecharacterdesigndepictsher
asbeingyoungandbeautifulaswell.TheirclashesarelooselyinspiredbytheFengshenYanyi.
InFinalFantasyXI,theitem"LuShang'sFishingRod"isawardedtoplayersforcatching10,000carp.Itis
noteworthyforitsabilitytocatchbothsmallandlargefish,andisnotoriouslyhardtobreak.
IntheonlinegameWarofLegendsJiangZiyaisaplayablemonk,with45"ability."

Notes
1. ^SimaQian.[HouseofDukeTaiofQi](http://www.guoxue.com/shibu/24shi/shiji/sj_032.htm).
RecordsoftheGrandHistorian(inChinese).Guoxue.com.Retrieved14May2012.
2. ^HanZhaoqi(),ed.(2010).Shiji()(inChinese).Beijing:ZhonghuaBookCompany.pp.2495
2510.ISBN9787101072723.
3. ^abSAWYER,RALPHD.TheSevenMilitaryClassicsofAncientChina.NewYork:BasicBooks.2007.p.27.
4. ^"T'aiKung'sSixSecretTeachings".Trans.RalphD.Sawyer.InSAWYER,RALPHD.,TheSevenMilitary
ClassicsofAncientChina.NewYork:BasicBooks.2007.p.40.

Seealso
BoyiandShuqi
ZhouWang(ShangDynasty)
KingWuofZhou(ZhouDynasty)
Chinesemythology
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SixSecretTeachings

Externallinks
JiangTaigong:TheSupremeStrategist
(http://www.jadedragon.com/archives/tao_heal/meh1223.html)
WelcometoTaoistsecret.com(http://www.taoistsecret.com/taoistgod.html)
WikimediaCommonshas
mediarelatedtoJiangZiya.

DukeTaiofQi
HouseofJiang
Regnaltitles
Newcreation

RulerofQi
11thcenturyBC

Succeededby
DukeDingof
Qi

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