生平

前704年，秦憲公去世後，大庶長弗忌、威壘和三父廢太子秦武公，另立秦出子繼位。

前698年，三庶長派刺客殺害秦出子，擁立原來被廢的秦武公繼位。

前697年，征伐彭衙（今陝西省白水縣東北）的彭戲氏，一直進兵到華山下。

前695年，秦武公追究三庶長謀殺秦出子之罪，殺之並將其族滅。

前688年，攻打邽（今甘肅省清水縣北）、冀（今甘肅省甘谷縣南）兩地的戎族，並在兩地設縣。

前687年，在杜（今陝西省西安市長安區東南）、鄭（今陝西省華縣）兩地設縣，攻滅了小虢國。

前678年，秦武公去世，葬于平陽（今陝西省岐山縣西南），他是首位使用人殉的秦國君主，陪葬人數多達六十六人。秦武公有一子，名叫公子白，被封于平陽，未能繼位，由秦憲公次子、秦武公之弟秦德公繼位。

注釋

Accession to the throne

Duke Wu was the eldest son and the crown prince of his father Duke Xian of Qin. However, when Duke Xian died in 704 BC at the age of 21, the ministers Fuji (弗忌) and Sanfu (三父) deposed Duke Wu and installed his younger half-brother Chuzi on the throne. Six years later, in 698 BC Sanfu and Fuji assassinated Chuzi and put Duke Wu, the original crown prince, on the throne.

Reign

In 697 BC, the first year of Duke Wu's reign, Qin attacked the Pengxi tribe (彭戏氏) of the Rong people and the Qin army advanced east to Mount Hua. In 695 BC, Duke Wu executed Sanfu, Fuji, and their clans for the crime of murdering Chuzi. In 688 BC, he attacked the Rong people to the west, establishing counties in the former Rong territories of Gui (邽, in present-day Tianshui, Gansu) and Ji (冀, in present-day Gangu, Gansu). The following year, he established the counties of Du (杜, in present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi) and Zheng (郑, in present-day Hua County, Shaanxi) in the east, and conquered the minor state of Xiao Guo.

Death and succession

After 20 years of reign, Duke Wu died in 678 BC and was buried in Yong (in present-day Fengxiang, Shaanxi). Although Duke Wu had a son named Bai (白), he was succeeded by his younger brother Duke De of Qin as ruler of Qin. Duke De moved the Qin capital to Yong, while Prince Bai was enfeoffed at the old capital Pingyang.

Human sacrifice

According to Sima Qian, Duke Wu was the ruler who started the practice of funeral human sacrifice in the state of Qin. When he died in 678 BC he had 66 people buried with him. The later ruler Duke Mu, who died in 621 BC, had 177 people buried with him, including several senior government officials. This practice would continue for almost three centuries until Duke Xian (Shixi) banned it in 384 BC.