(Photo: Chun Tao)
King of Chu (04) Chu Xiongxuan: The first feudal prince of the Western Zhou princely state of Chu, the country with a territory of only fifty miles
Yu Dazhong
Chu Xiongxuan, surname Of qi, xiong clan, name. Great-grandson of Chu Xiong Flea (鬻熊), grandson of Chu Xiongli, son of Chu Xiong Crazy. The Western Zhou vassal state of Chu was enthroned and reigned for 37 years from 1042 BC to 1006 BC.
In 1042 BC, King Ji of Zhou cheng remembered the merits of the ministers during the reigns of King Wen of Zhou and King Wu of Zhou, and promoted their descendants. At that time, the princes who were divided into titles were Gong, Hou, Bo, Zi, and Male Fifth Rank, and the great-grandson of The Bear (Chu Xiong Flea) was sealed in the wild land of the south, and the title was viscount, called Chu Zi, and the land given to him was only fifty miles in radius, and the State of Chu was established, and the capital of the state was located in Danyang.
Where is Danyang today? There are at least four theories in history: first, that Danyang was in the east of present-day Dangtu County, Anhui Province, and that the initiator of this theory was Ban Gu of the Eastern Han Dynasty; second, that Danyang was in present-day Hubei Province, and that the initiator of this theory was Guo Pu of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, which was endorsed by Northern Wei Daoyuan; third, it is believed that Danyang was in present-day Zhijiang, Hubei Province, and this theory first began in the Han Dynasty, and many modern scholars agree with this theory; fourth, it is believed that Danyang was in present-day Huaichuan, Henan, and this theory began with Sima Zhen in the early Tang Dynasty.
After Xiong Xuan was enthroned, he developed production, expanded his territory, rode a chai cart and wore rags to open up Jingshan Mountain, waded through the mountains and rivers to pay tribute to Zhou Tianzi, and could only use peach bows and jujube arrows as tributes. Xiong Xuan assisted Ji Zhao, king of Zhou Kang, together with Duke Qi Ding of the State of Qi, Wei Kangbo, the king of the State of Wei, Marquis Xie of Jin, and Bo Bird, the king of the State of Lu. The four kingdoms of Qi, Wei, Jin, and Lu, which were closely related to Zhou Tianzi, were all given treasures by King Kang of Zhou. The Chu state was not related to Zhou Tianzi, so it did not receive the treasure given by Ji Zhao.
The Zhou Dynasty classic "Chinese" records that when the princes met the alliance, Xiong Xuan, the king of the State of Chu, together with the Xianbei chieftain, was responsible for "guarding the fire", indicating that the Chu State was very weak and humble at the beginning of its establishment. The "Qinghua Jian Chuju" records that when Xiong Xuan was founded by Feng Danyang, he built a temple for divination and sacrifice, but lacked the tribute of sacrifice, so he went to The Kingdom of Yan to steal a calf that did not have a horn, and was afraid that his master would come to find trouble, so he slaughtered it overnight and sacrificed it.
It is precisely on such a weak basis, through the efforts of several generations of monarchs from Chu Xiong to Chu Xiongqu, that the territory of the Chu State has been continuously expanded, the national strength has been continuously enhanced, and it has gradually become a big country.
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