Chapter 49: The Accession of Helü

Not long after Yu Mei, the third son of King Shoumeng of Wu, ascended the throne of Wu, he passed away. Before his death, Yu Mei explicitly stipulated that Jizha should inherit his throne, but Jizha firmly refused and went into hiding.

However, a state cannot be without a ruler for a single day. Given that the designated heir refused to accept the throne, the people of Wu decided to elect a new ruler. They reasoned that since the last king was Yu Mei, Yu Mei's son, Liao, should inherit the throne. This, however, caused great dissatisfaction in Prince Helü, the son of Zhuan Zhu. Prince Helü believed that the reason the former rulers of Wu passed the throne among brothers rather than to their sons was entirely because of Jizha. If the wishes of the former kings were to be followed, the throne should have gone to Jizha; if not, the throne should have fallen to him, Helü, and by no means should Liao have become the ruler! Consequently, Prince Helü remained resentful of Liao's ascension and secretly plotted to kill King Liao of Wu.

At this time, Wu Zixu, a noble official from the State of Chu, came to the State of Wu to seek refuge. He incited King Liao to attack Chu, claiming there would be many benefits. Prince Helü argued against this, saying, "Wu Zixu's father and brother both died at the hands of the King of Chu. His desire to attack Chu now is merely for a private vendetta and holds no benefit for Wu." Consequently, King Liao rejected Wu Zixu's proposal. Later, perceiving that Prince Helü harbored malicious intentions and desired to assassinate King Liao, Wu Zixu recommended a brave warrior named Zhuan Zhu to Helü. Upon meeting Zhuan Zhu, Helü was exceedingly pleased, and from then on treated Wu Zixu as an honored guest.

In the winter of 515 BC, King Ping of Chu passed away. In the spring of the following year, taking advantage of Chu's national mourning, the State of Wu dispatched troops to attack Chu. King Liao sent his two younger brothers, Prince Gaiyu and Prince Zhuyong, to lead an army to attack the border towns of Chu, while also dispatching Jizha as an envoy to the State of Jin to observe the reactions of the various feudal lords. However, Chu appeared to have been well-prepared for Wu's assault; the Wu army fell into a Chu ambush, became completely encircled, and had their retreat cut off.

Prince Helü deemed this a heaven-sent opportunity. At that moment, King Liao's trusted generals were all away on the military campaign, and there were no upright and outspoken loyal ministers left in the capital, making it the perfect time for an assassination. Prince Helü said to Zhuan Zhu, "This golden opportunity must not be missed. According to ancestral laws, I am the rightful heir to the throne. Once I kill Liao and inherit the throne, the matter will be a fait accompli, and even if Jizha returns, he will be utterly helpless." Zhuan Zhu replied, "Liao's mother is advanced in years, his sons are still young, and his two brothers are away commanding troops in Chu and cannot return. Furthermore, there is nobody in the capital willing to lay down their life for him. If we strike now, success is certain! I will certainly not disgrace your trust." Finally, Prince Helü told Zhuan Zhu, "My destiny is entrusted to you."

Thus, on a certain day in April of that year, Prince Helü concealed armored warriors in the basement of his residence and prepared a banquet, inviting King Liao to drink with him at his home. King Liao was deeply vigilant; the route from the royal palace to Helü's residence was heavily guarded by personal troops, and even around his banquet seat, sword-wielding guards stood on alert. When the banquet was in full swing, Prince Helü feigned a foot ailment and retreated into the basement. At that exact moment, Zhuan Zhu concealed a dagger inside the belly of a roasted fish and presented it to King Liao. As Zhuan Zhu placed the roasted fish before King Liao and slowly peeled open its belly, he suddenly drew the dagger from within and thrust it at King Liao. Zhuan Zhu successfully assassinated King Liao, but he could not escape and was put to death by King Liao's guards.

Following the assassination of King Liao, Prince Helü successfully seized the throne and became King Helü of Wu. After ascending the throne, to honor Zhuan Zhu's contribution, King Helü enfeoffed Zhuan Zhu's son as a senior minister. At the same time, King Helü sealed away the dagger used to assassinate King Liao—known as the Fish-Intestine Sword—vowing never to use it again. Soon after, Jizha returned to the country. Just as Helü had anticipated, Jizha harbored no ambition to seize the throne; faced with these twists of fate, he simply accepted the natural course of events, yielded to destiny, and recognized Helü's position as ruler.

Upon hearing of the coup in Wu, the State of Chu withdrew its troops. At that time, internal turmoil also broke out within Chu. Consequently, after the Chu forces retreated, King Liao's younger brother, Prince Gaiyu, who was leading troops abroad, fled to the State of Xu—a vassal state of Chu—while Prince Zhuyong fled to the State of Wu.

Having finally achieved his wish of becoming King of Wu, Helü began to employ Wu Zixu. Under Helü's leadership, the national strength of Wu grew rapidly, making it one of the prominent vassal states in the late Spring and Autumn period. Wu Zixu, one of the masterminds behind Zhuan Zhu's assassination of King Liao, finally attained an important political position in Wu and gradually became King Helü's chief strategist. Later, Wu Zixu recommended the renowned military strategist Sun Wu to King Helü. King Helü appointed Sun Wu as a general of Wu, and the hegemony of Wu in the Spring and Autumn period began from this point.

Following the successful assassination of King Liao, Helü smoothly became the King of Wu. However, King Helü still harbored many anxieties because Liao had a son named Qingji, who possessed the valor of ten thousand men and had fled to the neighboring State of Wei after Liao's assassination. In Aicheng of Wei, Qingji gathered troops and horses, calling upon neighboring feudal lords to avenge his father, thus becoming a thorn in Helü's side.

In the second year of King Helü's reign, he desired to eliminate Qingji, but worried that because Qingji was in a neighboring state, it might provoke a punitive expedition from the other lords, leaving him uncertain of how to proceed. Consequently, Helü asked Wu Zixu, "You made a great contribution to the assassination back then. Now I hear that Liao's son Qingji is uniting the feudal lords to punish me. What do you think I should do?" Wu Zixu replied, "This servant serves his lord with loyalty. Back then I secretly plotted the assassination with Your Majesty, and now to prepare to destroy his son would run counter to the will of Heaven."

Helü then retorted, "Back then King Wu of Zhou attacked King Zhou of Shang, first killing King Zhou, and after gaining the empire, he also killed King Zhou's son, Wu Geng, yet no one condemned King Wu. We are killing Qingji to protect ourselves; what will of Heaven is there to speak of?" Wu Zixu said, "This servant serves you so that the State of Wu may achieve hegemony in the future; what is there to fear? I am on very close terms with an assassin, and he should be able to accomplish this task."

Hearing this, King Helü asked with some apprehension, "Qingji's physical strength surpasses that of a normal man and can match ten thousand; can this assassin truly succeed?" Wu Zixu replied, "This assassin's strategy and intellect can also match ten thousand." Hearing this, King Helü asked eagerly, "Who on earth is this person?" Wu Zixu answered, "It is Ya Li. I once saw him humiliate the brave warrior Jiaoqiu Xin." Curious, King Helü asked, "How did he humiliate Jiaoqiu Xin?" Thereupon, Wu Zixu recounted the whole story from beginning to end.

Jiaoqiu Xin was a native of Donghai who had come to the State of Wu as an envoy from the State of Qi. Passing by the Huaijin ferry crossing, he led his horse to the water's edge to drink. A monster in the water swallowed his horse. In a rage, Jiaoqiu Xin leaped into the river and fought fiercely with the monster for three days and three nights. In the end, Jiaoqiu Xin fought the monster to a draw but lost one of his eyes, which made him fiercely famous. Upon arriving in Wu, he happened to encounter a friend's funeral. At the funeral, he spoke arrogantly and disrespectfully to the scholars and officials of Wu, loudly boasting of his valor in fighting the water monster, acting as if he had no equal in the world.

Ya Li utterly despised such behavior, and said with a stern expression, "I have heard that a true warrior in battle does not shift his stance against the sun, does not turn his heels against spirits, and utters no cry when fighting men. He goes forth alive and returns dead, accepting no humiliation. You fought the water spirit in the depths, yet failed to recover the life of your horse, and instead lost an eye, paying the price of bodily disfigurement in exchange for a reputation of strength. This is something true warriors feel deeply ashamed of. Since you cling to life and fear death, failing to die in battle, what face do you have to be so arrogant and conceited before me?"

Jiaoqiu Xin was left speechless by these words, and departed in shame and anger. Upon returning home, Ya Li knew that Jiaoqiu Xin would surely come to seek revenge that night. Therefore, Ya Li told his wife to leave all the doors and windows open that night, allowing him free access. That night, Jiaoqiu Xin indeed arrived at Ya Li's home. Under the cover of darkness, he walked straight to Ya Li's bedside, pressed his sword against Ya Li's neck, and said, "You truly deserve to die! First, you should not have humiliated me in public; second, knowing full well that I was coming, you still left your doors open at night; third, seeing that I have arrived, you still do not flee."

Ya Li calmly retorted, "You likewise have committed three faults: first, when I humiliated you, you did not utter a single word; second, you crept in silently and entered the hall without making a sound, which is clearly a sneak attack and not the behavior of a warrior; third, you use a sword to coerce me yet still speak with such unearned bravado, which shows you have a guilty conscience and is likewise no sign of a warrior." Hearing Ya Li's reply, Jiaoqiu Xin was deeply moved, lamenting that there could be such a warrior in the world, and sighed, "You are the true warrior. If I were to kill you, would I not be mocked by the entire world? If I do not die, I will likewise be a laughingstock to the world." Thereupon, Jiaoqiu Xin committed suicide on the spot, dying right beside Ya Li's bed.

When King Helü of Wu heard of Ya Li's deeds, he decided to host a banquet for him. Wu Zixu then sought out Ya Li and told him, "The King of Wu has heard of your noble righteousness and integrity, and wishes to grant you a private audience." Ya Li consequently accompanied Wu Zixu to an audience with King Helü. Upon meeting Ya Li, King Helü asked, "What kind of man are you?" Ya Li replied, "This servant is a man from a thousand li east of the realm, frail and weak, swaying with the wind. But whatever commands Your Majesty has, this servant will certainly do his utmost." King Helü was somewhat disappointed with the man recommended by Wu Zixu, and remained silent for a long time.

Suddenly, Ya Li said to King Helü, "Is Your Majesty troubled by Qingji? This servant can kill him." King Helü replied, "Qingji's valor is rare in this world. His bones and tendons are strong, capable of matching ten thousand men. Your current strength is inferior to his!" Ya Li pressed further, "As long as Your Majesty wishes him dead, this servant can kill him." King Helü said again, "Qingji is a clever man. Though he is now cornered and has sought refuge in a foreign state, he is no less capable than the scholars and officials under the feudal lords. How do you plan to kill him?"

Ya Li replied, "This servant has heard that if one enjoys the comforts of home without serving one's lord with all one's might, one is disloyal; if one's heart is filled with the love of family while failing to eliminate the troubles for one's lord, one is unjust. I will pretend to have committed a grave crime and flee; I beg Your Majesty to kill my wife and sever my right hand. Then Qingji will surely trust me without a doubt." After hearing Ya Li's plan, King Helü agreed to let him act according to his scheme.

After Ya Li fled the State of Wu, King Helü followed the plan by executing his wife and burning her corpse in the marketplace. Ya Li wandered among the various feudal lords, proclaiming his injustice, and was regarded by the world as innocent. Later, Ya Li arrived in the State of Wei and sought an audience with Qingji. Upon meeting Qingji, Ya Li spoke with indignation: "Helü is benighted and devoid of Dao, as Your Highness well knows. Now, without any crime on my part, he has murdered my wife and burned her corpse in the marketplace. I am familiar with the situation in Wu, and relying on Your Highness's extraordinary valor, Helü can easily be defeated. Why does Your Highness not join me in a punitive expedition against Wu?" Qingji believed Ya Li, and thereupon began selecting and training soldiers in preparation for an attack on Wu.

Three months later, Qingji led an army to attack Wu, with Ya Li accompanying him. Ya Li and Qingji sat together in the same boat crossing the river. When they reached the middle of the river, Ya Li decided to assassinate Qingji. Because Ya Li lacked physical strength, he sat upwind, using the force of the wind to lunge at Qingji with his dagger. Qingji did not die instantly; regaining his composure, he grabbed Ya Li, plunged his head into the water three times, and then lifted him up to place him upon his knees. Qingji laughed heartily twice and said, "There truly are warriors in this world! To dare to come and assassinate me!" Qingji's attendants wanted to kill Ya Li, but Qingji stopped them, saying, "This is a warrior of the world! How can one kill two warriors of the world in a single day?" Qingji specifically instructed his attendants: "Let him return to the State of Wu to honor his loyalty." Only then did Qingji pass away.

When Ya Li's boat arrived at Jiangling, he refused to go any further. The attendants asked, "Why do you refuse to go on?" Ya Li said, "To serve my lord and have my wife killed is to be devoid of human-heartedness; to kill the son of the former lord for the sake of a new ruler is to be unrighteous. With such actions, what face do I have to face the people of the world?" Thereupon, he threw himself into the river to drown. However, Ya Li did not die immediately and was rescued by the attendants. Ya Li then said, "How can I not die?" The attendants replied, "You cannot die yet; honors and emoluments await you to receive them!" Nevertheless, Ya Li drew his treasured sword, severed his own hands and feet, fell upon his sword, and died.

With this, King Helü of Wu eliminated a thorn in his side. Ya Li's loyalty, valor, human-heartedness, and righteousness made him one of the most famous assassins of the Spring and Autumn period.