Although the State of Qi was defeated at the Long Spoon, this did not affect the later hegemony of the Duke of Qi Huan. More than a decade later, the northern Yan state (present-day capital Beijing) sent envoys to seek help, saying that the Yan state had been invaded by the nearby Shanrong tribe and had lost the war. Duke Huan of Qi decided to lead an army to save the Yan kingdom
In 663 BC, the Qi army arrived in the Yan state. Shanrong snatched a group of people and treasure and fled back. The armies of the State of Qi and the State of Yan joined forces in pursuit to the north. Unexpectedly, they were led into a valley by the enemy. The valley is like the sea. It has no edges. How could not find the original road, this time Guan Zhong came up with an idea. He said to Qi Huangong, "Maybe the horse can recognize the way." It's best to find some old local horses and let them walk on their heads. Maybe they can get out of this place. ”
Qi Huangong asked someone to pick some old horses and let them lead the way. These old horses really led the people out of the valley
After Duke Huan of Qi helped the Yan state defeat Shanrong, Xing was also invaded by the Di people of another tribe. Duke Huan of Qi drove away the Di people with his men and helped Xing rebuild the city walls. Then the Di invaded the State of Wei. Duke Huan of Qi helped the State of Wei rebuild its capital on the south bank of the Yellow River. It was precisely because of these things that Qi Huangong's prestige increased. Only the southern State of Chu (whose capital is now located in the northwest of Jiangling, Hubei Province) not only disobeyed the State of Qi, but opposed the State of Qi and wanted to compete with the State of Qi. The State of Chu was located in southern China and had never had contact with the princes of the Central Plains. At that time, the princes of the Central Plains regarded Chu as a "barbarian". However, the Chu people reclaimed land in the south, gradually conquered some nearby tribes, and gradually became a great power. Later, he called himself the King of Chu and paid no attention to the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty. In 656 BC, Duke Huan of Qi made a date with the armies of Song, Lu, Chen, Wei, Zheng, Cao, and Xu to jointly attack the Chu state. When king Chucheng learned of this news, he also gathered his men and horses to prepare for resistance. He sent an emissary to see Duke Huan of Qi and said, "Our great king asked me to ask." The State of Qi is in the north, and the State of Chu is in the south. The two countries have no contact and do not interfere with each other. Why are your soldiers here? Guan Zhong asked, "Although our two countries are far apart, they were both granted by Emperor Zhou." When the Duke of Qi was given the title, he accepted an order that if anyone disobeyed the emperor, the State of Qi had the right to requisition. Every year, your Chu state paid tribute to the emperor Bao Mao (the green grass used to filter the wine). The messenger said, "We did not pay tribute to the Son of Heaven, it was our fault." ”。 We will pay tribute in the future. After the emissary left, the combined forces of the State of Qi and the princes advanced again, and when they reached Zhaoling (present-day Haocheng County, Henan Province), King Chu Cheng sent Qu Wan to inquire, and in order to show his military prestige, Duke Huan of Qi asked Qu Huan to get on the car to look at his soldiers and horses.
Qu Quan smiled slightly and said, "Everyone admires you for helping the emperor, stressing morality, and helping the weak, and people admire you, if we rely only on force, although our national strength is not strong, we use Fangcheng as a city wall and Han Shui as a trench, even if you bring more people and horses, you may not be able to fight into it."
Qi Huangong listened to Qu Quan's words and was very tough. It is estimated that he may not be able to defeat the Chu state easily. In addition, because the Chu state admitted his mistake and promised to pay tribute to Bao Mao, he also won face. In this way, the eight princes of the Central Plains and the Chu state signed a covenant at Zhaoling and returned to China separately. Later, a dispute arose among the Zhou royal family, and Duke Huan of Qi helped crown prince Ji Zheng consolidate his position. After the crown prince ascended the throne, he was the King of Zhou Xiang. In order to repay the Duke of Qi Huan, King Xiang of Zhou specially sent emissaries to give the sacrificial meat of the Taimiao Temple to the Duke of Qi Huan, which was a generous gift. Duke Huan of Qi took the opportunity to meet with the princes and entertain emissaries of the Son of Heaven at Kuiqiu (present-day eastern Lankao, Henan) in the Song dynasty, and made a covenant. The main contents are: construction of water conservancy and disaster prevention. Neighbouring countries should not be allowed to be treated as watering holes; neighbouring countries should not be forbidden to buy food in times of famine; and all princes of the Allies should be friendly to each other after signing the covenant. There have been many such large gatherings in history, and Guan Zhong died in 645 BC. Two years later, Duke Huan of Qi also died. As soon as Duke Huan of Qi died, his five sons seized the throne, civil unrest broke out in the State of Qi, and Gongzi Zhao fled to the State of Song. The hegemony of the State of Qi thus ended