Since the State of Wei fell to the throne of hegemony, the situation in Eastern Zhou had changed dramatically. The state of Qin in the west seized the opportunity to seize the land west of the Wei state, and the state of Qi on the coast of the East China Sea was proud to win two victories over the State of Wei. Privately, there may be more excitement about the Loss of the Hegemonic Throne of the State of Wei, which has been under the jurisdiction of the State of Jin for a long time since the early Spring and Autumn Period.
Looking back, as early as the early Jin Dynasty and the annexation of the Zheng State by Korea, the Zhou royal family sent Taishi to the Qin State and took the initiative to show favor to the Qin people: "Zhou was previously united with Qin, and later separated. But after five hundred years of separation, they will become one again; after seventeen years of the merger, there will be a king! "At that time, the State of Qin was still in the Qin Xiangong period, far less powerful than after the Shang Martingale Transformation Law. The fundamental reason why the Zhou royal family was so eager to show favor to Qin was that Han, Zhao, and Wei were too strong, and the two pillar states that the royal family moved east to the east were eliminated one after another, so that the royal family deeply felt threatened and had to find other backers.
Perhaps because the Zhou royal family has two hearts, the Three Jins also regard the Zhou royal family as a thorn in their eyes. In 367 BC, Marquis Yi of Han and Marquis Cheng of Zhao joined forces to divide the Zhou King Qi in two again. Since then, the titles of the Eastern and Western Zhou Dynasties have once again appeared in history: the Eastern Zhou Emperor Feng Zhou Wang, living in Gongyi (present-day old city northeast of Gongyi, Henan), with jurisdiction over Luoyang (i.e., Chengzhou), Pingyin (northeast of present-day Mengjin, Henan), Yanshi (present-day Yanshi City, Henan), and Gongsiyi; Western Zhou Jun lived in Wangcheng (present-day western part of the old city of Luoyang, Henan), with jurisdiction over Wangcheng, Yanshi (southeast of present-day Yanshi, Henan), and Gucheng (northwest of present-day Luoyang, Henan).
Decades ago, there was already a gap between the Zhou royal family and the Three Jins; now that the State of Wei had just suffered the defeat of Ma Ling, the Zhou royal family could not wait to pay tribute to Qin Xiaogong - this was a blatant challenge to the authority of the Three Jins!
However, the Zhou royal family hastily invested in the Qin state so quickly, and perhaps there is no historical origin. After the fall of Western Zhou hundreds of years ago, the princely states that supported the Zhou Ping king's regime the most, except for the Jin and Zheng states, belonged to the Qin state. Now that the Jin and Zheng have disappeared successively, the Zhou royal family is close to the Qin state at this time, and I am afraid that it is also a little sympathetic.
However, the Zhou royal family was so courteous to Qin that it could be said that it was a shaved head picker - a hot head. In the past, the Three Jins toyed with the Zhou royal family in the palm of their hands because the royal family was really too weak; the powerful Qin Association remembered the past, and must be respectful to the Zhou royal family?
If Zhou Ren really thought so, it would be too stupid and naïve.
One day, a large group of Qin troops suddenly appeared under the capital of Eastern Zhou, Gongyi City, and openly shouted at the Zhou people and demanded Jiuding!
Jiuding, according to legend, was forged from the gold of Kyushu in the Xia Yu era, which means that Kyushu under the heavens is an absolute symbol of royal power. The Qin people's demand for Jiuding was also self-conscious of being full of wings, preemptively attacking the royal family in order to win the opportunity in the battle for hegemony. This move of the Qin people made the Zhou royal family's intention to rely on the Qin state to survive in an instant, frustrated: although the Three Jins were unreliable, the Qin state after it became powerful was also a white-eyed wolf, and actually remembered the royal family's Jiuding!
However, at this time, many of the royal treasures, including jiuding, were preserved in the Western Zhou. The Qin people sent troops to the Eastern Zhou To demand Jiuding, was it a bit of a mistake?
Although Jiuding was not in Eastern Zhou, the king of Zhou, the titular co-lord of the world, lived in Eastern Zhou for a long time. Although the King of Zhou was now just a puppet, the Qin people wanted Jiuding, and no matter how he said it, they had to get his consent. Therefore, the Qin army will come to attack The Eastern Zhou.
In the face of the surging Qin army, Eastern Zhou Jun suddenly panicked: he wanted to refuse, if the Qin army forcibly attacked, Eastern Zhou could not resist at all; he wanted to agree that once jiuding was lost, the meaning of the existence of the Zhou royal family would disappear for the most part.
The dilemma of eastern Zhou Jun had no choice but to summon the doctor Yan Li (lǜ) to discuss the matter together.
Against any big country in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the Zhou royal family alone will certainly not succeed. After Yan Li heard this, he immediately proposed to ask for foreign aid: "The great king does not have to worry, the subordinates request to send an envoy to the east to the state of Qi for help." ”
Qi Guoyuan was on the coast of the East China Sea, and after the fall of the Western Zhou Dynasty, relations with the royal family had always been estranged. Although the royal family recognized the Tian clan DaiQi, after the Tian clan Dai Qi, the Zhou royal family preferred to give Bo Yu Qin rather than Bo Yu Qi, which made the Qi people resentful. Now that the royal family is in difficulty, why let the Qi people come to help?
Although the Zhou royal family and the State of Qi were estranged, the state of Qi was now defeating the state of Wei twice, and it was in the middle of the day. In addition to the State of Chu in the south, the only one that can compete with Qiang Qin is probably the State of Qi. The relationship between the Zhou royal family and the Chu state will only be weaker, and asking the Qi state for help is also a last resort choice for the Zhou royal family.
Therefore, if qi people want to be able to help, the Zhou royal family must pay a corresponding price.
After coming to the State of Qi, Yan Li was also unequivocal, and made a condition that the Qi people could not refuse: "The State of Qin was too unreasonable to do things, and actually raised troops to force Eastern Zhou to ask for Jiuding." The Eastern Zhou emperors and ministers tried everything they could, and finally decided that instead of giving Jiuding to the Qin State, it was better to send Jiuding to your country. To preserve the fallen country, you can obtain a good name; to get the Jiuding is the most precious treasure in the world. I hope the king will think about it carefully! ”
This is really a person sitting at home, and the rich man suddenly hit his head!
The Zhou people took the initiative to offer jiuding, which made the greedy desire in the eyes of the King of Qi burn more and more vigorously. For a moment, his mind was hot, and the King of Qi did not hesitate to send 50,000 troops to rescue Eastern Zhou.
Although the Qin army was strong, the Qi army that had won two victories over "Wei Wupao" was also unstoppable. In the face of such a powerful enemy, the Qin people did not dare to make a mistake, so they had to take the initiative to retreat.
A monstrous disaster of the Zhou royal family was safely resolved.
But before Eastern Zhou Jun could be happy for a few days, another creditor immediately came to the door to force the debt: as soon as the Qin army retreated, the State of Qi hurried to Eastern Zhou and came to ask for Jiuding. This is really the front door just sent away the tiger, and the back door ushered in the hungry wolf! How to dispatch the Qi people became another problem for Eastern Zhou Jun.
However, Yan Li confidently faced the Eastern Zhou Jun with a vote: "The great king does not have to worry, the subordinates have requested to go to the State of Qi to solve this crisis. ”
As soon as he saw the King of Qi, Yan Li gave a difficult problem: "Eastern Zhou relied on the righteous deeds of your country, and the father and son of the monarch were able to be saved." Now we are willing to sacrifice the Nine Dings, but I wonder from which road the Great King wants to transport it to the Qi Kingdom? ”
Hearing that the royal family had agreed to sacrifice the Jiuding, the King of Qi was full of joy and replied without even thinking about it: "The widow will borrow the way from the State of Wei." "In the early years, the defeat of the State of Wei by the State of Qi had already made the Wei people subservient; the two kingdoms of Wei and Qi were also close neighbors, and it was only natural for the State of Wei to transport Jiuding to the State of Qi.
But Yan Li poured a basin of cold water on King Qi: "No! The monarch of the State of Wei wanted to obtain jiuding, and had been plotting for a long time under Huitai (a high platform in the capital of the State of Wei) and above Shaohai (present-day northwest of Kaifeng, Henan). Once Jiuding entered the Wei Kingdom, it was bound to be unable to come out again. "The King of Wei is ostensibly aligned with his subjects, but everyone knows that this is just a stopgap measure. In the face of the Nine Ding National Treasures, which symbolize the world, which of the entire Eastern Zhou Dynasty did not move? Therefore, once Jiuding enters the State of Wei, the long-coveted Wei people will not be able to rob it -- is it necessary to rob Jiuding and then fight against Qi and Wei?
Hearing this, the King of Qi hesitated and gave another path: "I can also borrow the way from the Chu State." "As early as the Spring and Autumn Period, the Chu people regarded themselves as barbarians and claimed themselves kings; since they were barbarians, they had always had great contempt for the etiquette system of the Central Plains, and Jiuding might not have enough teeth for the Chu people. In this way, the State of Qi could of course use the State of Chu to transport Jiuding. However, to transport Jiuding from the Chu Kingdom, you have to go around a big circle to the south and then return to the Shandong Peninsula, which is quite a long way!
The distance is still secondary, but will the Chu people really be indifferent to Jiuding?
During the Spring and Autumn Period, King Zhuang of Chu visited the Zhou royal family and personally inquired about the weight of Jiuding; in the same period when the Qin people were rejuvenating and approaching eastern Zhou to seek Jiuding, another thing that the Chu people did also proved that the Chu state had also coveted Jiuding for a long time.
That time, the Chu people came to Western Zhou and declared that they would borrow the road between the two zhou dynasties in order to fight against the two kingdoms of Han and Wei. Borrowing the Zhou Dynasty King Qi to attack Han and Wei, this reason seems to be extremely reluctant. By this time, Korea had annexed the State of Zheng and moved its capital east to Xinzheng; after the defeat of Maling, the State of Wei was repeatedly eroded by the State of Qin and was forced to move its capital to Daliang (大梁, northwest of present-day Kaifeng, Henan). It can be said that the two kingdoms of Han and Wei are directly bordering the Chu state, do they still need to borrow the royal family? Obviously, the Chu people have ulterior motives!
Western Zhou Jun, who was guarding Jiuding, was suddenly under a lot of pressure, and he was sad all day. At this moment, a local from Luoyang took the initiative to stand up and solve problems for Western Zhou Jun. Although the local was still unknown at this time, he would soon become famous all over the world. This person was Su Qin, the famous cross-border warlock in later generations. Su Qin happened to stay at home at this time, and when he saw that Western Zhou Jun was killed, he couldn't wait to show his skills.
Facing Western Zhou Jun, Su Qin advised him to open a point: "First clear a road, straight to the Yellow River." The two kingdoms of Han and Wei would certainly be extremely jealous, and the two states of Qi and Qin were also afraid that the Chu people would come to seize the royal jiuding, and they would definitely unite with Han and Wei to attack the Chu army. Then the Chu people would probably not be able to hold the land beyond Fangcheng (north of present-day Ye County, Henan), and how could they dare to use the road to march between the two weeks? If the four kingdoms of Han, Wei, Qi, and Qin can't join hands against the Chu state, even if you don't want to give jiuding to the chu state, the Chu army will definitely come to attack it! ”
Su Qin's move was actually to use force to fight: posing as a way to borrow the way for the Chu army, prompting other powerful forces to join hands to attack the Chu state. If the other powerful forces could not stop the Chu army, then sooner or later Jiuding would be taken away by the Chu people! Giving way to a road seems to lure wolves into the house, but the current situation will never allow the Chu army to set foot on the territory of King Qi of Zhou: once the Chu army invades, Qin, Han, Wei, Qi and other countries join forces to block the front and then intercept, and the Chu state is afraid that it will be "stealing chickens and not corrupting rice"!
Therefore, in the end, the Chu people did not dare to send troops!
Although the Chu people's plan failed, this is enough to prove that the Chu people will not be indifferent to Jiuding. Therefore, Yan Li replied directly: "No! The Chu monarchs also wanted to get Jiuding, and they had been plotting for a long time in Yeting (present-day Ye County, Henan). If Jiuding entered the Chu Kingdom, then it would not come out. ”
Hearing this, King Xuan of Qi was a little discouraged: "Then which road should I use to transport Jiuding to the State of Qi?" ”
Yan Li had already calculated, and replied without hurrying: "We in Eastern Zhou are also worried about the Great King!" Jiuding is not like a vinegar pot sauce altar, which can be carried in the arms to reach the State of Qi; nor is it like a bird, a mule and a horse, which can drive and rush to the Country of Qi. After King Wu of Zhou rebelled against Yin Shang and obtained Jiuding, each Ding cost 90,000 manpower to lead; Jiuding, it needed 99.81 million people. The rest of the required soldiers, equipment, and equipment should also be prepared in the same number. Even if the king can have so many manpower today, which way should he transport it out? I'm really worried about the king!" ”
Yan Li's remarks were obviously exaggerating the difficulty of Jiuding's transportation and wanting king Qi to retreat.
King Qi also understood and asked, "You have said so much, or do you not want to give Jiuding!" ”
Yan Li was extremely calm, and replied: "I really don't dare to deceive your country, please quickly give the route to transport Jiuding, our country is waiting to move out of Jiuding!" ”
Being chased by Yan Li like this, King Qi could not answer for half a day. As a last resort, he had to dispel the idea of asking for Jiuding. The Jiuding of the Zhou royal family, after being remembered by the Qin state and the Qi people forcefully forced debts, miraculously remained in the Zhou royal family.
Although Jiuding was temporarily secured, judging from the frequent crises encountered by the Zhou royal family because of Jiuding, the biggest difference between the Warring States and the Spring and Autumn Period has quietly emerged.
Gu Yanwu once said: "In the Spring and Autumn Period, Emperor Yuzong of Zhou, and the Seven Kingdoms will never speak of the king!" "In the Spring and Autumn Period, except for King Chuzhuang, who went to the royal family once to ask for the crown, no one from the other princes dared to come to the royal family to ask for Jiuding. However, in the Warring States period, not only did the great powers of Qin, Qi, Chu and so on openly covet Jiuding, but even the traditional Xia states of Qi, Wei, Han, Zhao, Qin, and Yan completely ignored the existence of the King of Zhou and claimed the throne one after another. Zhao and Han even ignored etiquette and forcibly divided The Zhou Dynasty in two. All these prove that although the name of the King of Zhou is still there, the people of the world no longer regard him as the co-lord of the world. The frequent crises encountered by the royal family Jiuding are the full embodiment of this change.