In the Spring and Autumn Period, Zheng Guo rose to become a small hegemon under the rule of three generations of monarchs, Zheng Huan, Zheng Wu and Zheng Zhuang, but failed to become a real hegemon of the world. In the final analysis, the rise of Zheng Guo is more dependent on the keen political vision and scheming of the three generations of monarchs, while the political and economic system involving the national economy and the people's livelihood is not too much innovative reform. Zheng Guo's land, population, and military strength were not enough to make it a real big country. We may wish to compare the real "big family" of Qi Guo with Zheng Guo, an upstart who rose for a while.
When the Zhou Dynasty divided the princes of the world, the State of Qi was one of the five largest princely states. The first monarch of the State of Qi was Jiang Ziya, who assisted King Wu of Zhou in destroying the Shang. The State of Qi was the largest non-Ji vassal state in the world at that time, and it was also given the privilege of conquest of princes who disobeyed the king's orders by the Zhou royal family. The fiefdom of the State of Qi was in the north of present-day Shandong Province: to the west by the mountains, to the north by the river, and to the east by the sea. This geographical pattern allows the State of Qi to sit on three natural barriers. The Shandong Peninsula is flat, rich in water resources, and has a vast loess area suitable for farming.
Such a geographical environment gives the State of Qi at least the following advantages: it has a natural geographical barrier, it is suitable for agricultural production, and the State of Qi has the advantage of fish and salt in the sea. The State of Qi, which was near the sea, was a proper salt-producing country at that time, and salt was a vital strategic resource at that time. The State of Qi was large, populous, well-fed, economically prosperous, and had political privileges granted by the Zhou royal family. To the east of the State of Qi are the Yi tribes that were still in the barbaric era. The backward Yi tribes could only passively fight in front of the State of Qi. The nearest great princely state to the west of the State of Qi was the State of Wei.
When the Zhou Dynasty divided the princes of the world, Wei Guo and Qi Guo were one of the five major princes, but after entering the Spring and Autumn Period, the Wei State with frequent civil strife was already weak and weak. The Rong Di tribe in the north of the State of Qi had a certain strength, but it was not enough to pose a fatal threat to the State of Qi. The only countries that really make the State of Qi feel like a fish in the throat are the Lu and Song states in the south. The state of Lu, which was also one of the five princes, was blocked between the state of Qi and the princes of the Central Plains. Although Zheng Guo seized the opportunity to take the lead in the early Spring and Autumn Period, the advantages of the State of Qi were more obvious than those of Zheng Guo in the long run.
Why did the State of Qi, which had such an advantage, not take the lead in hegemony? It turned out that the State of Qi experienced nearly seventy years of civil unrest from the late Western Zhou Dynasty to the early Spring and Autumn Period. After the death of Duke Cheng of Qi in 795 BC, his son Duke Zhuang of Qi succeeded to the throne. During the reign of Duke Zhuang of Qi, the State of Qi began to enter a period of recuperation. The Duke of Qi Zhuang followed the governing policy of Jiang Taigong: because of customs, simple etiquette, honor, shanggong, trade and industry", it is the benefit of fish and salt. The State of Qi developed the fish and salt industry, textile handicraft industry and commerce according to local conditions. During this period, the population of the State of Qi grew rapidly and the economy developed rapidly.
Economic development in the Country of Qi gradually gave birth to a large class of free people. The free people of the State of Qi come from two aspects: first, because the policy of the State of Qi is relatively open, the surrounding free people come to the Country of Qi to do business, work, and farm; second, in the process of economic development, slaves continue to struggle and gain freedom. The increase in freedmen, in turn, further promoted the economic development of the State of Qi. The new relations of production necessarily promote the development of production: agriculture at that time was called "the industry". The development of agriculture has also promoted the development of commerce, handicrafts, fish, salt and other industries.
Many people who talk about the hegemony of the State of Qi may first think of qi Huangong in the Spring and Autumn Five Hegemonies. There have always been many different theories about which five people the Spring and Autumn Five Powers are, but almost any of them are indispensable to Qi Huangong. The Duke of Qi Huan was regarded as the first hegemon in the Spring and Autumn Period to truly command the world, but the foundation of the hegemony of the State of Qi was laid long before the Duke of Qi Huan. It is said that when Zheng Guo was struggling hard in the Central Plains to pursue hegemony, Qi Guo was making a fortune in a muffled voice. After the death of Duke Zhuang of Qi, who reigned for 64 years in 731 BC, he was succeeded by his son Duke Qi.
Duke Qi was one of the Three Little Bullies of the Spring and Autumn Period with the same name as Duke Zhengzhuang. The first great overlord of the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Huan of Qi, was the son of Duke Huan of Qi. During the 33 years of the reign of Duke Qi, the country was unified and the political situation was stable. The Duke of Qi continued the consistent state of Qi's governing strategy since Jiang Taigong: because of the customs and simple etiquette, it was convenient for the people to trade. While the state of Qi was thriving in national strength, it formed alliances with the States of Zheng and Lu abroad to balance the Wei and Song states. In the end, the Qi Dynasty basically did not participate much in the struggle between the countries of the Central Plains. On the surface, the State of Qi in this period was helping Zheng Guo to become the hegemon of the Central Plains, but in fact, in the eyes of the Qi people, Zheng Guo was used as a gun.
The alliance between the State of Qi and the State of Zheng was actually a balance between the State of Wei and the State of Song through the power of the State of Zheng. However, when Zheng Guo appeared to have a tendency to dominate the Central Plains, the Duke of Qi would join forces with the State of Lu to contain Zheng Guo. When Zheng Guo wanted to annex Xu Guo to expand his territory, it was the intervention of the State of Qi that prevented Zheng Zhuang from annexing Xu Guo. During this period, the State of Qi pursued a typical offshore balancing strategy in diplomacy: the State of Qi generally did not intervene in the melee of the Princes of the Central Plains, but united with other princely states to suppress and contain whoever was strong. This diplomatic strategy of maintaining a balance of power is actually quite similar to the diplomatic strategy of modern Britain, the United States and other countries.
However, as Zheng Guo's strength increased, the State of Qi gradually felt more and more difficult to contain. It is said that in 25 years, Duke Qi suffered defeat in the battle with the Northern Shanrong tribe, so he had to put down his body and go to Zheng Guo for help. It would have been embarrassing for Yang Yang to ask someone else to save the scene, and what was even more embarrassing was that Qi Gonggong wanted to marry his daughter to Prince Zheng Guo afterwards in order to express his gratitude but was rejected. The disgraced Duke of Qi changed his previous offshore balanced foreign policy and instead personally participated in the Central Plains struggle for hegemony: in 26 years, Qi and Zheng attacked The Alliance of Yi Xiangyi, and in the 29th year of the Duke of Qi, Zheng, and Wei attacked the State of Lu.
Civil unrest broke out in the 30-year-old warlord Zheng Guo. Three years later, the State of Qi, together with Song, Wei, Chen, and Cai, defeated the State of Zheng. Since then, Zheng Guo, a small hegemon in the early Spring and Autumn Period, has collapsed, and the State of Qi, as a great hegemon who can truly command the world, is about to enter the stage of history. After the death of Duke Qi, his eldest son, Duke Xiang of Qi, succeeded to the throne. The Duke of Qi Huan we mentioned above is actually the third son of Duke Qi. Since Duke Xiang of Qi, who was the eldest son of a concubine, had already inherited the throne, how did Duke Huan of Qi ascend to the throne later? Speaking of Qi Xianggong's reputation in history, it can be said that it is terrible.
Qi Xianggong's bad reputation was caused by his incestuous affair with his half-sister Wen Jiang. Such a bloody plot is not a TV series bridge, nor is it a record of a wild history novel, but it really happens in real history. In 709 BC, Duke Qi married his daughter Wen Jiang to Duke Huan of Lu, but this did not end the unrequited love between brothers and sisters. In the fourth year after Xianggong ascended the throne, Duke Huan of Lu took his wife Wen Jiang on a visit to the State of Qi. Originally, it was not unusual for the monarchs of the two countries to visit the alliance, but it was not normal to take their wives on a trip at that time.
At that time, marriages between the various princely states were quite frequent: the princess of any country was considered a husband once married into another country. Under normal circumstances, the wives of princes and princes would not go abroad (even if they did not return to their mother's house). As soon as Ke Wenjiang heard that her husband was going to visit the Country of Qi, he made a fuss and must go with him. Lu Huangong, who could not get his wife, had to take Wen Jiang with him to the State of Qi. Who knew that as soon as Wen Jiang returned to the State of Qi, he hooked up with his brother Qi Xianggong's old love rekindling. This matter was fortunate to die and let Wen Jiang's husband Lu Huangong crash.
The king of a country in Lu Huan's Gongtang Hall actually let his brother-in-law wear a green hat. Lu Huangong was angry in his heart and scolded Wen Jiang. Lu Huan's temper directly killed him: after Wen Jiang was reprimanded, he found Qi Xiang's announcement. Qi Xianggong, who was resentful, decided to simply get rid of Lu Huangong. Qi Xianggong pretended to set up a banquet to entertain Duke Lu Huan. To say that everything was so disturbing that the Duke of Shanglu Huan not only did not return to China immediately, but also went to the banquet set up by Qi Xianggong without any defense. Lu Huangong also didn't want to think about cleaning up you on the territory of the Qi state.
Qi Xianggong deliberately drunk Lu Huangong at the banquet, and then arranged for his son Peng Sheng to assassinate Him on the way back to the pavilion to rest. Afterwards, Qi Xianggong claimed that it was an accident. There is no impermeable wall in the world- the news of Qi Xianggong's incest and the killing of his brother-in-law still spread throughout the princely countries. It is said that the brother-sister incest is already a scandal that is enough to explode, but the ugly deeds of Qi Xianggong are more than this: in the same year that Lu Huangong was killed, Qi Xianggong invited the monarch of the State of Zheng to come to the State of Qi in the name of Huimeng, but when the monarch of the State of Zheng arrived in the State of Qi, the Duke of Qi Xiang directly killed the people.
It is indeed enough to deceive the monarchs of other countries into killing them on their own turf in the name of the League. The reason why Qi Xianggong killed The Monarch of Zheng Guo with such despicable means was because the two of them fought when they were young. It is said that it is normal for children to fight during play, but Qi Xianggong actually wanted to kill the other party for this. It can be seen from this that Qi Xianggong's psychology is actually quite dark, but sometimes a person's talent and virtue are not directly proportional. Qi Xianggong was a typical talented and unscrupulous man—in fact, the foundation of the state of Qi's hegemony was laid by this absurd prince who was in charge of the incest scandal.
At that time, the territory of Shandong Province was mainly distributed with several larger princely states such as Qi, Lu, and Ji. If the State of Qi wants to achieve hegemony, it must first subdue the two countries. In contrast, Ji Guo's strength was weaker than that of Qi and Lu. For a long time, Ji Guo pursued a diplomatic strategy of uniting with the Lu state to balance the Qi state. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the monarch of the State of Ji made a rumor in front of Zhou Tianzi, which led to the killing of the Duke of Qi. The generation from the Duke of Qi to the Duke of Qi Xiang has experienced more than 180 years of nine generations of monarchs. The hatred of the State of Qi towards the State of Ji was therefore called the "Vengeance of the Ninth Dynasty". Later generations used the idiom "the enmity of the Ninth Dynasty" to describe the hatred of the country and the family that had accumulated for a long time.
Qi Xianggong wanted to fight against Ji Guo in the name of revenge for his ancestors, so he asked the minister: "Can the old vendetta of the past nine generations still be repaid?" The minister replied, "Even the vengeance of all ages must be repaid, let alone only the ninth?" "In 693 BC, the Duke of Qi Xiang raised an army to fight the three cities under the banner of avenging the Ninth Ancestor. In 690 BC, Qi Xianggong sent troops to attack the capital of the Ji state. Qi Xianggong's so-called "revenge of the ninth world" is actually just an excuse for his own external expansion, but the legitimacy of the "revenge of the ninth world" of Qi Xianggong has been disputed in later generations.
In the Spring and Autumn Period, when the legal system was not yet perfect, the contradictions between the families often resolved between them only through blood relatives revenge. However, according to the customs and customs of the time, revenge can only be within five lifetimes at most, otherwise everyone will only lead to endless results of retribution for wrongs. In this regard, the "Ram Biography" believes that the national vendetta is not limited by generations, and the "Left Biography" holds an opposing position. Later, Emperor Wu of Han said: "The revenge of the Ninth Emperor of Qi Xianggong, the great righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period." Therefore, Emperor Wu of Han dynasty northernly attacked the Xiongnu on the grounds that Liu Bang, the ancestor of Han Gao, was trapped in Baishan Mountain.
Qi Xianggong destroyed Ji Guo under the banner of "revenge of the Ninth Dynasty" and should have aroused a strong reaction from the State of Lu. For a long time, Ji Guo pursued the strategy of uniting with the Lu state in diplomacy. Lu Guo should have come forward to protect his younger brother, and the objective fact that Lu Huangong died at the hands of Qi Xianggong further deepened the contradiction between Qi and Lu. Even if Lu Guo did not fight with Qi Guoda, he should at least protest diplomatically. However, the State of Lu was unusually calm in the face of the reality of the destruction of the State of Ji. So is this because the State of Lu cannot afford to provoke the State of Qi?
The State of Lu was indeed unable to provoke the State of Qi for most of the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, but the State of Qi, which had just risen during the Qi Xianggong Era, was far less powerful than it would be later. At this time, the State of Lu was not much worse than the State of Qi in terms of territory, population, and military strength, but after the death of Duke Huan of Lu, the State of Lu did not have time to react immediately. Duke Xiang of Qi took the opportunity to send an army to help his sister Wen Jiang and the son of Duke Lu Huan to power. The Duke of Luzhuang, who succeeded to the throne, had to accept the remote command of his mother Wen Jiang, who was in the State of Qi, while at the same time, he was also under constant surveillance by the Qi army arranged by his uncle Duke Xiang of Qi.
At this time, although the state of Lu was not annexed by the state of Qi, it had actually become a vassal of the state of Qi. The state of Qi destroyed the state of Ji and suppressed the state of Lu, which laid the foundation for future hegemony. Just at this time, civil unrest broke out in Weiguo. Wei Xuangong, who caused civil unrest in Wei, had few famous achievements in history, but he was famous because he liked to mess with the relationship between men and women like Qi Xianggong. Wei Xuangong had an affair with his father's concubine in his early years, and later robbed his son's daughter-in-law who had not passed through the door. The daughter-in-law that Duke Wei Xuangong snatched was none other than Duke Qi's eldest daughter, Wen Jiang and Duke Qi Xiang's sister Xuan Jiang.
In order to make Jiang Sheng's son the crown prince, Wei Xuangong arranged for the killer to kill the original prince. Duke Hui of Wei, who succeeded to the throne after duke Xuan of Wei in 700 BC, was the nephew of Duke Xiang of Qi. After Duke Wei Huigong succeeded to the throne, the political forces to which the original crown prince belonged launched a coup d'état to drive Wei Huigong away, and then installed the prince's half-brother Qian Mu as the king. Duke Hui of Wei fled to the State of Qi to join his uncle Duke Xiang of Qi. At that time, Qi Xiangzheng was busy dealing with the State of Lu and the State of Ji. Duke Hui of Wei, who had freed his hand after eight years in the State of Qi, decided to send troops to help him return to China to restore his throne.
In 688 BC, Qi Xianggong led the armies of Qi, Lu, Song, Chen, and Cai to attack Weiguo. After the war, Duke Xiang of Qi successfully raised his nephew Duke Hui of Wei to the throne of the Wei monarch. After this battle, Wei Guo also became the loyal younger brother of the State of Qi. At this time, Qi Xianggong was not said to be a great overlord who commanded the world like Qi Huangong in the future, but at least it was not worse than the small overlords like Zheng Zhuanggong before. However, because the scandal of brother and sister incest on Qi Xianggong was too ugly, later historians did not give Qi Xianggong the title of overlord.
Qi Xianggong did not get the title of overlord, in addition to his poor reputation, he eventually became a loser in the political struggle. In the second year after escorting Duke Hui of Wei back to china and restoring the throne, Duke Xiang of Qi sent his ministers Lian Zhi and Guan Zhifu to garrison Kuiqiu. Lian Zhi and Guan Zhi's father had originally been a good official in the capital, so he did not want to run to a poor and remote area to garrison. Qi Xianggong had no choice but to say that when the melons were ripe in the next year, he would definitely send someone to change their guard with them, but when the agreed melons were ripe, Qi Xianggong did not mention this stubble at all. The angry Lian Zhi and Guan Zhifu led an army to rebel and killed Qi Xianggong.