The Wei Liao Zi, one of the Seven Military Classics of ancient China, is a text on military strategy written during the Warring States period, lasting from around 475 BCE to 221 BCE. The work is named after Wei Liao, who is said to have either been a student of Lord Shang or an important advisor during the Qin Dynasty. However, there is little evidence to support either view. The Wei Liao Zi promotes both a civil and military approach to governance and highlights the significance of agriculture and people as the state's most valuable resources. Additionally, it advocates for a government that follows humanistic values in line with Confucianism and maintains that the ruler should be a model of virtue while deviance from this standard or values that could harm the state should be met with severe punishment.