He Qi

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He Qi (賀齊) was an officer of the Three Kingdoms Period that served under the Kingdom of Wu. During Qi's service, he served under both Sun Ce and Sun Quan. He was born in Shanyin, capital of Kuaji commandry, and join Sun Ce in 196 AD. He initially was the Chief Commandant of the Southern Region (the area of Dongye) but was soon given control of the county of Yongning, which had been under the rule of Wang Lang. Soon, he greatly expanded the southern borders of Wu. By 205, he had recruited a 10,000 army and had formed eight new counties. In 208, he was appointed General of the Gentlemen of the Household Who is majestic and firm by Sun Quan.

He was then ordered to take over the Yi and She counties, which he did easily. However, the Baopuzi book of Ge Hong of the fourth century tells of a sotr where the Hill people of this region used preventive magic, that made metal weapons useless, and arrows turn back at the soldiers. He Qi is to have remarked "I have heard that a cutting edge of metal can be prevented and the poison of snake can be prevented. However a thing that has no edge, and a snake that cannot poison cannot be affected by these spells." He then ordered his soldiers to make wooden clubs, and the enemy was utterly defeated.

He continued to expend the territory of Wu. He served in the failed battle of He Fei. He, along with Lu Xun destroyed the rebellion of You Tu in 216. After this, he stayed on the Yangzi frontier and defended the region from the Shan Yue. His achievements makes him one of the most important officers of Wu, as his achievements proved critical for the development of the State of Wu, and allowed future expansion that would be carried out by the likes of Bu Zhi and Lu Dai. He, more than any other officer, secured the stability of the outer regions for the Kingdom of Wu. He Qi was also known as being very extravagant, favoring showy type weapons, armor and ships.

Source: De Crespigny, Rafe. Generals of the South. 1990