Bo Pi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bo Pi was a bureaucrat in the state of Wu in the Spring and Autumn Period. His grandfather, Bo Zhou-li, who was an official in the state of Chu, was executed, and Bo Pi fled to Wu, where he served as an advisor to the king of Wu. During a war with the state of Yue, in which Wu had the upper hand, Bo Pi was corrupted by lavish gifts from King Gou Jian of Yue. Bo Pi influenced King Fu Chai of Wu to make peace with the state of Yue despite Wu Zixu's, another advisor of King Fu Chai, objections, who warned of a possible future attack by Yue. Afterwards the two advisors competed for the king's trust, until Bo Pi convinced the king to execute Wu Zixu for treason. Then, while King Fu Chai waged another campaign in the state of Qi, King Gou Jian made a backstabbing attack on Wu, conquering it, just as Wu Zixu warned about. Bo Pi was executed by King Gou Jian for disloyalty to the former King Fu Chai and, ironically, for accepting gifts from foreign rulers.