Wei Chenggong

Wei Chenggong (衛成公, ? – 600 BCE) was a ruler of Wei during the Spring and Autumn period of China, whose personal name was Ding (鄭).

Career

In the 25th year of Duke Wen (635 BCE), when Duke Wen died, he became the Marquis of Wei.¹

He newly formed marriage ties with Chu. In the 3rd year of his reign (632 BCE), Jin asked him to lend passage to attack Cao and to relieve Song, which was besieged by Chu, but he refused.¹² Moreover, when Jin relieved Song, it also requested that Wei assemble troops, and his great officers all said to allow Jin's request, but he did not listen.¹ Because of this, he was attacked by Jin and lost Wulu.²³

Only later did he try to form an alliance with Jin, but Jin refused; he tried to side with Chu, but the people of the Wei capital did not follow him.² He was driven out by the great officer Yuan Xuan (元咺) and resided at Xiangniu (襄牛). When Chu was defeated at the Battle of Chengpu, he fled to the state of Chen,¹² and sent Yuan Xuan to Jin to serve his younger brother Shuwu and have him attend the covenant at Tiantu. Hearing that Yuan Xuan had set up Shuwu as Marquis of Wei, he killed Yuan Xuan's son Jue (角), who was attending him. Shuwu and Yuan Xuan attended the covenant at Tiantu, and in the sixth month Jin restored Chenggong to his position; but Chenggong, not trusting Shuwu, entered before the appointed time. Ning Wuzi (寗武子) tried to enter ahead of the Marquis of Wei to stabilize the people of the capital, but the gate guard Changzhang (長牂) mistook Ning Wuzi for an envoy sent by the Marquis rather than the advance party, and entered the city together with him. With no one guarding the gate, the chariot-guard of Chenggong, Gong Zi Tianjian (歂犬) and Huazhong (華仲), was in charge; when Shuwu ran out to welcome Chenggong, the chariot-guard shot and killed Shuwu. Chenggong cut Shuwu's leg and wept, and when Gong Zi Tianjian grew afraid and tried to flee, Chenggong had him killed.