Helü or Helu was king of the state of Wu[1] from 514 to 496 BC, toward the end of the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China.
The king assigned Wu Zixu to lead the design and building of his "great city", which forms the basis of Suzhou's present old town.
[5] In 506 BC, Helü, with the help of Wu Zixu and Sun Tzu, the author of The Art of War, launched major offensives against the state of Chu.
[6] Chu managed to ask the state of Qin for help, and after he was defeated by Qin, the vanguard general of Wu troops, Fugai, a younger brother of Helü, led a rebellion.
In 496 BC, upon hearing that Yunchang of Yue had died, he launched an invasion of Yue, but was injured and subsequently died from his injuries while telling his son to avenge him.