preface
During the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, the law of the jungle led to frequent wars between countries. In a battle between Song and Zheng, a seemingly absurd episode changed the direction of the war and became an allusion often used by posterity. In the final analysis, it is nothing more than the complexity of human nature and the impermanence of fate. Based on historical facts, this article intends to trace the life of Hua Yuan, a general of the Song State at that time, and analyze why he lost the most important battle of his life due to confusion when his career was in full swing.
1. A famous general known as the uncrowned king
In the Song Kingdom, there is hardly anyone who does not know the name Huayuan. He was the most outstanding military commander in the history of the Song State, and he single-handedly assisted the four generations of Song Marquis and made many miraculous achievements. The common people privately called him the "uncrowned king".
Hua Yuan was born in 650 BC, the son of a grassroots military general of the Song Kingdom. He has been diligent and studious since he was a child, and was admitted to the Guozi supervision of Song Guozi when he was a teenager to systematically learn the art of war. At the age of twenty, there was a royal fight in the Song Kingdom, and Hua Yuan stepped forward to help Song Xianggong defeat the rebels and quell the domestic rebellion.
From then on, Hua Yuan rose to prominence in the officialdom of the Song state, and soon rose to the rank of Zuo Xiang and began to participate in state secrets. Whenever the Song Kingdom encountered foreign invasion or internal turmoil, Hua Yuan could strategize, command Ruoding, and help Song Hou tide over the difficulties.
As Zuo Xiang, Hua Yuan won the trust of Song Xianggong, and the two often locked up in tents to discuss state affairs, sometimes from morning to midnight. Hua Yuan was humble and courteous, never showing his talent in front of Duke Xiang, and only seeking to silently assist the monarch. This made Xianggong value his character even more.
At the age of thirty, Hua Yuan was already in the right phase. In this year, the strong neighbor Qi State saw that the Song State was weak, and because of its own strength, it repeatedly invaded the borders of the Song State. Hua Yuan saw that the monarch had no choice, and invited himself to go to war. He swung his division north, launched a surprise attack while the Qi army was immersed in pride and complacency, defeated the Qi army in one fell swoop, and won back a game for the Song state.
Before this operation, Hua Yuan took great pains to carefully survey the terrain of the Qi border, and he sent spies to spy on the movements of the Qi army and the wandering sluggishness of the soldiers. At the beginning of the campaign, he personally supervised the march of the troops, strictly requiring the soldiers to quickly attack the slack Qi army. Hua Yuan's careful planning and decisive execution made this battle achieve brilliant results.
This victory immediately made Hua Yuan famous, and people rushed to praise his wisdom and bravery. Hua Yuan also sat as the first general of the Song State from then on, laying the foundation for the future strength of the Song State. When the people of the Song Kingdom learned the news of Hua Yuan's great victory, they all rejoiced and praised Hua Yuan as the savior of the Song Kingdom. Some people also carved the image of Hua Yuan on a stone tablet to show their respect for him.
Such all kinds of merits make Hua Yuan a hero in the Song Kingdom. Although he was not a royal family, his ability to strategize even exceeded that of many Song Marquis at that time. Therefore, the people privately called him "the uncrowned king." Hua Yuan did not care about this, he maintained a humble and low-key style, and only wanted to serve the country with all his heart.
II. The border crisis broke out
In the winter of 607 BC, Hua Yuan was 66 years old. He went through the three dynasties and assisted Song Wengong in attacking strong enemies, and the national strength of the Song state was unprecedentedly strong. Who knew that this year, a message made him feel tricky.
It turned out that Zheng Guojun saw that the main forces of the Song State were transferred to the northern defense, and he was eager to annex a border town of the Song State. This important town is close to the border between the two countries, and the terrain is dangerous, and if it is lost, the consequences are unimaginable. It is located in the hinterland of the Song Kingdom and has tens of thousands of inhabitants. It is not only an important production area for grain in the Song Kingdom, but also a key point of north-south transportation. If the Song Kingdom loses this important town, it will inevitably cause a heavy blow to its national strength.
Hua Yuan pondered for a long time, and Zheng Guo suddenly came menacing, and there must be fraud in it. He sent people deep into Zhengguo to find out the truth, and soon found out the truth: Zhengguo had a serious famine in the country, and the monarch provoked a border dispute with the Song State in order to divert the attention of the people. It turned out that this year, Zheng Guo was hit by drought and locust plagues, and the people's lives were miserable. In order not to let the people concentrate their grievances on himself, Zheng Jun clashed with the border of neighboring countries and wanted to unite the people in the face of external troubles.
Hua Yuan understood that retreating at this time would only provoke a more violent encroachment. He asked Song Wen Gong to lead the new mixed army to control the Zheng army. Song Wen Gong knew that Hua Yuan was a minister of the throne, and immediately agreed to his proposal. Song Wengong was deeply worried about the border crisis, and he woke up many times in his dreams, worried about the safety of the border towns. As soon as he received Hua Yuan's request for battle, Song Wengong immediately approved it and gave him full command of the battle.
However, Hua Yuan also knew in his heart that the recruits under his command had not been fully trained, and if they encountered Zheng Guo's main force, the odds of victory might not be great. However, he was already old and strong, and he was unwilling to live up to the expectations of his countrymen, and was determined to go deep alone and use outwit to make up for the disadvantage in military strength. This made the people of the Song Kingdom admire him even more, admiring Hua Yuan's courage and courage.
3. Missed opportunities
From winter to spring, the mixed army led by Hua Yuan came to the plain at the junction of Song and Zheng, facing the Zheng army from a distance. As soon as they saw the dense and cold ironclad phalanx, the recruits of the Song Army were all terrified. Many young people who had never even practiced bows and arrows were at a loss, and some even vomited on the spot.
Hua Yuan knew the importance of morale, and he asked his men to bring the shepherds of the surrounding grasslands, slaughter all their sheep, and cook them into a steaming lamb meal. That night, he gathered all the soldiers, gave an impassioned speech, and shared a feast of mutton with them, which boosted the morale of the army. Hua Yuan first praised the noble sentiment of everyone serving the country, then detailed the battle plan for the next day, and finally drank three cups to show his determination. The soldiers were also infected by his courage, and they all raised their arms and shouted, rekindling their fighting spirit.
However, at this critical moment, Hua Yuan made a seemingly minor mistake and laid the groundwork for defeat.
It turned out that when distributing mutton, Hua Yuan's gang forgot to leave a share for one person - that is, the coachman who was responsible for driving Hua Yuan's car. This coachman has a strong personality, and has been following Hua Yuan to death for a long time, and it is inevitable that he will have some contempt for Hua Yuan in his heart. He thinks of himself very high, thinking that he is also Hua Yuan's henchman and general, and now he sees his colleagues enjoying mutton, but he is forgotten, and the sheep are worried, thinking that Hua Yuan deliberately attacked him. He secretly vowed in his heart that one day he would give Hua Yuan a disgrace and let him see his power. This kind of sub-hatred burned in the battlefield later, and finally caused Hua Yuan to suffer a big loss.
The coachman takes revenge on the lord
At dawn the next day, the battle officially began. Hua Yuan personally commanded the New Army and entered the Zheng Army's defense line with a bang. Zheng Jun was caught off guard and retreated. Victory is at hand. The recruits, who were originally demoralized, also regained their fighting spirit as they advanced, shouting Hua Yuan's name one after another, vowing to annihilate Zheng Jun in one fell swoop.
But at this moment, the resentful sheep found a good opportunity to take revenge. He drove straight into Zheng Jun's camp and sent Hua Yuan alone to the enemy. Seeing this, Zheng Jun was overjoyed and immediately besieged and captured Hua Yuan. Yang Bin's heart was proud, feeling that he had finally proved his strength and gave Hua Yuan a dismount. He excitedly imagined that he would be rewarded by Zhengjun and promoted to general after returning to China.
The morale of the Song army suddenly collapsed. Hua Yuan was their spiritual pillar, and as the commander was captured, the recruits all abandoned their armor and fled. Zheng Jun took advantage of the situation to counterattack and lightly won this victory. The scene of the defeat of the Song army was extremely miserable, and there were abandoned weapons and corpses everywhere. The generals and soldiers of Zheng Jun laughed and drank freely to celebrate.
A culprit that led to the defeat of a victorious campaign. And all this was caused by Hua Yuan's momentary negligence when distributing mutton. Many Song soldiers secretly cursed the sheep as they fled, lamenting that this victorious battle had been lost in vain. Some people also shed tears, regretting that General Hua Yuan's life's achievements were ruined.
Consequences, and lessons
This defeat had a profound impact on the Song Kingdom. The border town was occupied by Zheng Guo, and the city of Philip fell soon after. The national strength of the Song State was weakened for a while. The people lived in hardship and complained. For a time, people's hearts were scattered, and the country was full of internal and external troubles.
As for Hua Yuan himself, although he was later released by Zheng Guo through negotiations, his reputation has been severely damaged. After returning to China, he was depressed all day long, and he no longer had the ambitions of the past. Soon after, he chose to retire to the mountains and forests and spend the rest of his life leisurely. Hua Yuan's supporters all felt sorry for him and believed that he did not deserve such hatred in his later years.
The tragedy caused by a lamb shows the impermanence of fate. It also warns future generations that it is necessary to establish a concept of collective honor in the team, and not to work in isolation. Otherwise, evil consequences will be met. The mistake caused by Hua Yuan's negligence is ultimately a loss for the country.
Whenever people mention this decisive battle between Song and Zheng, they can't help but sigh with emotion: Hua Yuan's great achievements in his life, and the achievements and defeats are really suffocating. A small oversight caused his ups and downs to turn upside down. Future generations must know the trade-offs in order to avoid a repeat of the same tragedy. This defeat left a painful lesson for the Song Kingdom, and people understood the importance of unity more clearly. It also warns everyone that, in the pursuit of individual honor, it is not forgetting that the collective good is fundamental.
epilogue
The battle of Song and Zheng in the Spring and Autumn Warring States, or the overall situation was revealed due to temporary confusion, is really sighing. Life is full of bad circumstances, and we should remain humble and vigilant in order to achieve ultimate success. Huayuan's lessons are worth everyone's self-examination and prevention of micro-development, in order to avoid irreversible mistakes in the career.