This is the 279th original article of Shi Shuoxing
In other words, during the Spring and Autumn Period, five ambitious overlords emerged, and although each family had different opinions, King Chuzhuang was a hegemon recognized by many historians. Unlike several other overlords, King Chu Zhuang succeeded to the throne for three years, indulging in wine all day, and in the eyes of outsiders, he was indeed a faint monarch. However, three years later, a series of actions by King Chu Zhuang punched everyone in the face.
First of all, the situation in the Central Plains before King Zhuang of Chu ascended the throne, due to the continuous war between Qin and Jin, Chu took the opportunity to force Zheng, Chen and Chu to form an alliance with Chu by force, and Cai also attached chu to him. In the second year of the reign of King Zhou (617 BC), King Mu of Chu and the kings of the three kingdoms of Zheng, Chen, and Cai allied with Yu Tuo (厥貉, southwest of present-day Xiangcheng, Henan) to jointly attack the Song, and the Song also abandoned the Jin and annexed Chu. Chu's power went deep into the Central Plains.
The Jin, under the control of fighting against Qin, could not go all out to the south, so a confrontation between the north and south of The Jin and Chu was formed, and a long-term small-scale war was waged for the countries in the middle region. Either side does not occupy the absolute advantage over the other, and can only try its best to maintain the middle ground under its control, in a state of relative balance.
In this context, King Zhuang of Chu was born, and in the fifth year of King Zhou (614 BC), King Chu Mu died and King Xionglu succeeded to the throne. He was an ambitious aristocratic ruler who sought to inherit the legacy of his grandfather and father and strive for the supremacy of the Central Plains. On the surface, he did not ask about the government, indulged in wine, secretly examined the tendencies of courtiers, and secretly chose his confidants, all of which were in preparation for the big moves he held back later.
After three years of investigation and preparation, by the third year of King Zhuang of Chu (611 BC), he had basically mastered the situation in the middle of the dynasty. At this time, the Yong state (present-day southwest of Zhushan, Hubei), which had originally submitted to Chu, suddenly rebelled and united with the "Qun barbarians" to prepare to attack the Chu state. King Zhuang then personally commanded the army to destroy the Yong state, and used the prestige of the yong to reform the state apparatus of the Chu state.
King Zhuang of Chu had three reform measures. The first is the centralization of power. Appointing close ministers who are loyal to themselves, Such as Wu Shan and Su Cong, to take charge of state affairs, and in accordance with the patriarchal principle of "choosing the inner surname from the relatives (the close branch of the own clan) and the foreign surname from the old (the old subject of the family)," the personnel affairs were greatly adjusted and updated, so that the state power was in his own hands.
The second is to rectify politics. In addition to "not losing morality, rewarding not losing labor, old and generous, traveling with alms (giving favors to outsiders and exempting them from hard labor)", the main thing is to strengthen the hierarchical system, "gentlemen and villains, things have clothes and badges (nobles and commoners have different costumes and colors), nobles have constant respect (nobles have a fixed noble status), and lowly have equal prestige (prestige has equal differences)" in order to consolidate the dominance of their nobles and maintain the hierarchical order of their society.
After several years of efforts, King Zhuang's position in the country became increasingly consolidated, and the military strength of the Chu state also increased, so he pointed his strategic direction to the north and competed with the Jin for control of the small states in the middle zone. Thus began the battle for supremacy between Jin and Chu!
How do you think about king Chu Zhuang who seems to be a dimwitted king
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