Duke Kang of Qi died in 379 BC with no heir from the house of Jiang, which had

ruled Qi since the state's founding. The throne instead passed to the future King
Wei, from the house of Tian. The Tian had been very influential at court towards
the end of Jiang rule, and now openly assumed power.[3]

The new ruler set about reclaiming territories that had been lost to other states.
He launched a successful campaign against Zhao, Wey and Wei, once again extending
Qi territory to the Great Wall. Sima Qian writes that the other states were so
awestruck that nobody dared attack Qi for more than 20 years. The demonstrated
military prowess also had a calming effect on Qi's own population, which
experienced great domestic tranquility during Wei's reign.[4]

By the end of King Wei's reign, Qi had become the strongest of the states and
proclaimed itself "king"; establishing independence from the Zhou dynasty.