Battle of Boju
506 BCE · Boju, Hubei, China
The Battle of Boju was fought in 506 BCE in Boju, Hubei, China between State of Wu, with Cai and Tang, vs the State of Chu; decisive Wu victory; the Chu capital Ying was captured.
Battle of Boju: quick facts
- Date
- 506 BCE
- Location
- Boju, Hubei, China
- Belligerents
- State of Wu, with Cai and Tang, vs the State of Chu
- Commanders
- King Helü of Wu, Wu Zixu and Sun Wu (Sun Tzu) vs Nang Wa
- Result
- decisive Wu victory; the Chu capital Ying was captured.
- Era
- ⛩️ East Asia
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Boju?
The Battle of Boju was the climactic engagement of Wu's invasion of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period. The Wu army, reportedly trained according to the military theories of Sun Tzu, defeated the much larger Chu forces in a series of engagements culminating at Boju. The victory led to the capture of Chu's capital Ying, one of the most stunning military campaigns in ancient Chinese history. The campaign is often cited as a practical demonstration of the principles in Sun Tzu's Art of War.
Did you know?
The Wu invasion that culminated at Boju was supposedly influenced by Sun Tzu himself. Some historians believe Sun Tzu served as a military adviser to the Wu king during this campaign.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Boju on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.