With the development of society and the progress of history, the areas around the Central Plains have gradually developed, in addition to the Qin state dominating in the west, the south has also risen a big country that can dominate - the State of Chu. As the name suggests, the State of Chu was a state established in the land of Jingchu in the south. In ancient times, there were constant wars between clans, the old clans disappeared, and new clans arose. A strong and stable ethnic group takes a long time to form, let alone develop and grow into the supreme form of rule of the "state". The State of Chu is also a country that has finally taken shape after a long period of development and finally formed an ethnic group with common language, economic life, culture and psychological qualities in the Jingchu region after a long period of running-in with ancient ancestors.
The State of Chu arose in the early Spring and Autumn Period and was located in the area south of the Central Plains. The ancestors of the State of Chu can be traced back to the Yellow Emperor's grandson Huan Huan. He was one of the "Five Emperors", also known as the Gaoyang Clan, so Qu Yuan of Chu expressed himself in his "Departure from Sorrow": "Emperor Gaoyang's Miao descendants are Xi." "The following generations have been passed down from generation to generation, and the title, the volume, and the heavy li have been born in turn. As the great-grandson of Emperor Gaoxin, Chongli served as the Fire Lord of the Gaoxin clan of Emperor Zhao and was in charge of religion. Chong and Li were originally two clan names, which were merged into one due to the development and integration of the clans. Chongli served as the fire chief, with the ability to take fire and save fire to illuminate the world, so he was given the name "Zhu Rong", which means "Daming" and "Bright and Righteous". Chongli was appointed by Emperor Zhao to suppress the rebellion during the Gonggong Rebellion, but the execution was not effective, and the rebels were not exterminated, thus angering Emperor Zhao and causing the disaster of killing himself. After Chongli's death, his younger brother Wu Hui took over his position, still known as Huozheng (火正), still known as "Zhu Rong".
Wu Hui's son was named Lu Zhong, and Lu Finally had six sons, namely: Kun Wu, Sam Hu, Peng Zu, Hui Ren, Cao Surname, and Ji Lian. The names of several of his sons are related to the lands they have been enfeoffed. Ji Lian, surnamed Qi, is the ancestor of the Chu royal family, and his descendants are either scattered in various cities or traveled to remote areas, and there are few records in the history books, and it is impossible to know in detail. However, taking the fate of other branches of the ethnic group as a reference, the descendants of Kunwu and Pengzu also prospered for a time, but they were successively destroyed by Shang Tang and Shang Yi. It was also normal for the various ethnic groups of the Chu ancestors to migrate south during the frequent tribal wars at that time and the constant squeeze of the powerful Shang Dynasty.
Until the end of the Shang Dynasty and the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, one of Ji Lian's descendants was called the Bear, who was attached to the Shang Dynasty, which was already in turmoil at that time, and on the other hand, vigorously supported the emerging Zhou Dynasty, advised Xi Bojichang, and later became an elder and important minister in the dynasty of King Wen of Zhou. Such glory greatly improved the status of the ethnic group, and for a long time in later generations, it became the political capital on which the Chu state depended for its survival and development.
Xiong Xuan, the descendant of the bear, lived in the era of King Cheng of Zhou. Xiong Xuan himself had meritorious service, and his ancestors were also meritorious ministers, so he was rewarded by King Cheng with a fief, located in the south, and the capital was set at Danyang, which is now Hubei Zigui, which is the original prototype of the Chu state. In fact, the symbolic significance of this award is far greater than the actual significance, which means that the existence of the Chu state as a princely state was recognized by Zhou Tianzi. In addition to Xiong Xuan, at that time, the people who jointly served King Zhou Cheng were Lu Gongbo, Wei Kang's uncle Zimu, Marquis Xie of Jin, and Lü Ling, the Prince of Qi, which also initially reflected the distribution of princes centered on King Zhou Cheng. The fiefdom obtained by Xiong Xuan, although the area is not large, the quality is extremely high, first of all, it is located at the strategic road at the junction of the three provinces, and the geographical conditions are superior; secondly, the terrain is flat and the land is fertile, which can be said to be extremely advantageous, creating an important prerequisite for the survival and development of the Chu state.
However, the Chu state and the Zhou Dynasty were not monolithic, because the Zhou Dynasty always treated the Chu state as a "barbarian state", and although it recognized its existence, it did not give corresponding respect and political status. The monarch of the State of Chu was only called to do some chores when the Heavenly Son met the Alliance, but he could not attend the princes, which was undoubtedly a humiliation for the State of Chu, so it was natural for the State of Chu to be dissatisfied with the Zhou Dynasty. The Zhou Dynasty also adopted a policy of vigilance and suppression against the rapidly rising State of Chu, and even sent troops to plunder and conquer the State of Chu several times. However, the Chu state was gradually growing stronger, and it was no longer Wuxia Amon, who not only did not suffer losses in the face of the Zhou Dynasty's crusades, but also repeatedly won victories, beating the Zhou Dynasty without the strength to fight back, not only losing the "Sixth Division", but even the monarch (King Zhou Zhao) "died".
When King Ji Xie of Zhou Yi was in power. During this period, because the Zhou royal family entered a stage of decline, the princely states had a disobedient heart, and the uneven development of the princely states led to many things that fought against each other. The ruler of the Chu state, XiongQu, a descendant of Xiong Xuan, also developed his own power at this time, sending troops to attack the surrounding small countries, expanding the land into the Jianghan River Valley, and through a series of policies, he won the support of the people. The expansion of Xiongqu enabled the State of Chu to occupy Places such as Yong, Yangyue, and Hubei, which were rich in grain and copper mines, which provided a strong guarantee for the growth of the economic and military strength of the State of Chu.
The increase in the power of the State of Chu made XiongQu more and more confident, and he was dissatisfied with the title given to him by the Zhou Dynasty, so he made his eldest son Xiong Wukang the King of Jurchen, the second son Xiong Hong the King of E, and the youngest son Xiong Zhikang the King of Yuezhang, all of which belonged to the self-established name and were distributed in the remote areas of the Chu State along the Yangtze River.
After King Li of Zhou ascended the throne, he was very tyrannical, and XiongQu, worried about the safety of the Chu state, gave up these self-appointed titles. After Xiong Qu's death, his eldest son Xiong Wukang succeeded to the throne. Wu Kang died early, and Xiong Zhihong took the throne, but his younger brother Xiong Yan killed him and usurped the throne. Xiong Yan gave birth to Xiong Yong. In the sixth year of Xiong Yong, King Li of Zhou was attacked by the people of zhou because of his tyranny and ruthlessness, and finally had to flee. Since this year, the Chu state has a relatively clear historical calendar.
Four years later, his younger brother Xiong Yan succeeded him, and died ten years later, succeeding his eldest son Xiong Shuang. After Xiong Shuang's death, his three brothers killed each other in order to compete for the throne, and in the end, Ji Yi won for Xiong Yi. After Xiong Yan's death, Xiong Yi succeeded him, followed by Xiong Yi, that is, Ruo Ao.
During this period, the Zhou Dynasty was controlled by King Xuan of Zhou. The Zhou Dynasty and the Chu State were constantly at war, winning and losing each other. It can be seen from one thing that the State of Chu has entered the center of gravity of King Xuan of Zhou's policy, that is, King Xuan of Zhou moved Shen Bo to Xie Yi and established the State of Shen to prevent the State of Chu from invading. The establishment of the Shen state did play a role in containing the state of Chu.
After the death of King Xuan of Zhou, his son King You of Zhou took the throne, that is, he was the emperor who single-handedly concocted the famous "Princes of Beacon Theatre" in history, and from the moment he lost his trust in the world, his tragic fate was doomed. Twenty years after Ruofang ascended the throne, that is, in 771 BC, the Zhou Youwang Ji Gong ne died in the rebellion of the Inuyasha, the Zhou royal family migrated eastward, the Western Zhou Dynasty perished, the Eastern Zhou era began, but the world was in chaos, and the Zhou royal family was gradually declining.
Seven years later, Ruo Ao also died, and Xiong Kan succeeded him as Xiao Ao. Six years later, Xiong Xuan succeeded to stand, for the sake of the oyster. After his death, his brother Xiong Tong killed his son and usurped the throne. After Xiong Tong ascended the throne, he established himself as the King of Chuwu. At this time, the State of Chu had been developing for many years under the vigorous efforts of Ruo Ao and Qiao Mao, and its troops were strong and strong. King Wu of Chu could be said to have taken over a rising southern country that already had the initial capital to unify Jiangnan. King Wu carried out political governance internally, conquest externally, and constantly expanded its territory, enabling the State of Chu to become further powerful, and during its 51-year reign, the State of Chu was in an unprecedented stable situation, laying the foundation for a great power in the Spring and Autumn Period in terms of politics and economy.