King Gou Jian of Yue
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King Gou Jian of Yue (越王句踐) (reigned 496 BC - 465 BC) was the king of the Kingdom of Yue (present-day Shanghai, northern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu) near the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, named Luo Gou Jian (雒句踐). Gou Jian was the son of Marquess Yun Chang of Yue, he was defeated and captured by King Fu Chai of Wu of the neighbouring State of Wu. After three years of servitude and humiliation with his wife in the State of Wu, he gained the trust of King Fu Chai who eventually allowed him to return to his state where he resumed his rule and initiated major reforms. He soon appointed skilled politicians, such as Wen Zhong and Fan Li, as advisors to help build up the kingdom. During this time, his ministers also worked to weaken the State of Wu internally through bribes and diplomatic intrigue. All the while ruling his kingdom, Gou Jian never relished in riches as a king, but instead he slept on sticks and eating food suited for peasants. This way, he could remember his humiliations while serving under the State of Wu. There is a Chinese idiom, "Wo Xin Chang Dan" (literally meaning "sleeping on sticks and tasting gall"), which came about because of this and his perseverance. After ten years of economic and political reforms, his state at last became powerful enough to challenge and eventually annex the State of Wu in 478 BC, where King Fu Chai was forced to commit suicide. Later, King Gou Jian met the dukes in Xuzhou and gained hegemony among the states.
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