Wei Bao

Wei Bao (魏豹, died 204 BC) was a king of the Kingdom of Wei during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC) in Chinese history. He was a descendant of the royal family of the Warring States period state of Wei.

Following the collapse of the Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, divided the former Qin Empire into several kingdoms. Wei Bao was appointed as the King of Western Wei (西魏王) in 206 BC. His territory encompassed the former Wei lands west of the Yellow River.

Initially, Wei Bao allied himself with Liu Bang (later Emperor Gaozu of Han) against Xiang Yu. However, after Liu Bang suffered defeats against Xiang Yu, Wei Bao switched his allegiance and sided with Xiang Yu in 205 BC. He cited illness as his reason for leaving Liu Bang's camp, but in reality, he saw Liu Bang's prospects as dimming.

Liu Bang dispatched Li Yiji to persuade Wei Bao to rejoin his side, but Wei Bao refused. Subsequently, Liu Bang sent the general Han Xin to attack Wei Bao in 204 BC. Han Xin swiftly defeated Wei Bao's forces, capturing him in battle. Wei Bao was later executed by Liu Bang. His former territory was incorporated into Liu Bang's expanding Han kingdom. His concubine, Bo Ji, later became a consort of Liu Bang and the mother of Emperor Wen of Han.