Spring and Autumn Overlord (5) - a blockbuster Chu Zhuang King

In 626 BC, five years before the death of Duke Mu of Qin, King Cheng of Chu died.

King Cheng of Chu reigned for forty-six years and witnessed the successive hegemony of Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin, and Duke Xiang of Song and Duke Mu of Qin were eager to try.

In the alliance of Zhaoling, it was he who fought against the Duke of Qi Huan; it was he who fought with the Duke Wen of Jin at the Battle of Chengpu; it was he who kidnapped Song Xianggong and beat the Song army to the ground in the following year to find teeth. In the history of hegemony in the early Spring and Autumn Period, there are his shadows everywhere.

King Cheng of Chu, the hero I, did not expect that he would die at the hands of his own son. This son of the hands-on man was called Shang Chen, and he was originally the prince of Chengwang.

Yes, this bloody case is related to the succession to the throne. Turning to the history books, more than 90% of all cases related to the execution of the king are related to the succession to the throne of supreme power.

In history, there are very few monarchs who are not good at female color like the Chongzhen Emperor at the end of the Ming Dynasty, except for the habit of breaking sleeves. Emperor Wen of Sui favored the empress because the lone empress was too domineering. Of the more than 500 emperors, the emperor who only married one wife was emperor Xiaozong Hongzhi of Ming.

King Chu Cheng was incapable of doing anything, and his wives and concubines loved Wu and Wu, and as a result, he naturally made the same mistake as King Zhou You. In 626 BC, King Cheng of Chu decided to depose the Shang courtiers and appoint the son of Hise Ji as the crown prince. After Shang Chen confirmed the news, he asked his master Pan Chong.

Pan Chong asked: Can you make the position soft?

Shangchen said: Can't do it.

Pan Chong asked again: Can you do it in exile abroad?

Shangchen also said: It can't be done.

Pan Chong asked again: So, can you do a big thing?

Shangchen said: You can do it.

Therefore, in October, Shang Chen led troops to surround the palace and forced King Cheng of Chu to commit suicide. King Cheng offered to eat bear paws and then die, but he was not approved. King Cheng had no choice but to hang himself. After the death of King Cheng, the first name to be determined was "Spirit". This is an "evil rumor", such as the Jin Linggong and the Zheng Linggong, who are both unjust for the king and die of death. Therefore, the king died blindly. In desperation, he changed his name to "Cheng", which closed his eyes. (See Zuo Chuan Wen A.D.)

Shangchen ascended the throne as King Chumu. Although King Mu had problems with his character, he was better than his father Chengwang in the matter of becoming king. During his reign of twelve years, King Mu did his best to change the inferiority of the State of Chu after the Battle of Chengpu, successively destroying the States of Jiangguo, Six Kingdoms, and Tatetsuki, and further controlling the Jianghuai region; attacking and forcing the State of Zheng to make peace with the State of Chu; capturing the Huqiu of the State of Chen; and quelling the rebellions of Douyixi and Zhonggui. It can be said that when King Mu died, he handed over a hegemony that was about to succeed to his son.

King Mu's son was the famous King Zhuang of Chu. In 613 BC, King Zhuang of Chu succeeded to the throne. In three years, he ignored the government and politics, did not issue military orders, and blindly extravagant and lascivious. Even if you don't act, you must also set up a sign saying, "Those who enter the counsel, kill and do not forgive." Doctor Wu Ju (Wu Zixu's grandfather) couldn't bear to enter the palace for advice, but King Zhuang held Zheng Ji in his left hand and Yue Nu in his right hand, sitting in the band with a hippie smile, looking like he had no heart and no lungs.

Wu Ju asked, "There is a bird that has not flown for three years and has not sounded, what kind of bird is it?" King Zhuang replied: "If you don't fly for three years, you will soar into the sky; if you don't fly for three years, your voice will be amazing." "But after a few months, King Zhuang is still the same as me."

Doctor Su could not bear it anymore and came to consult King Zhuang again. King Zhuang listened to the fury and reprimanded Su Cong: "Do you want to die?" I have already said that whoever gives advice, I will kill. Su Cong replied, "If you kill me, you can make Junshang Xianming, this is exactly my wish!" King Zhuang stood up after listening to this and said emotionally: "The doctor's words are all loyal words, and I will definitely do as you say." Immediately, King Zhuang ordered the disbandment of the band and sent the dancers, determined to do a great job. (See History of the Chu Family)

After receiving his heart, the King of Chu Zhuang was indeed a blockbuster. In 611 BC, the united Qin and Ba states were destroyed. In 608 BC, he joined forces with Zheng Guo to invade Chen and invade Song, and later ordered Zheng Guo to beat up Song who had betrayed Chu and surrendered to Jin. It can be seen that at this time, Zheng Guo had become Chu's younger brother, and Jin Guo had no time to take care of it because linggong was killed in civil unrest. In 606 BC, the State of Chu rebelled against Lu Hunrong and drove the procession under the eyes of the Zhou royal family to parade troops on the outskirts of the Zhou capital.

King Ding of Zhou, who was strong and strong, could only pinch his nose and send Wang Sun Man to treat the Chu army. Wang Zhi of Chuzhuang was so proud that he asked Wang Sun Man about the size and weight of Jiuding. The legend of Jiuding was cast by Xia Yu, and the bronze used came from Kyushu, symbolizing Xia's leadership over various tribal states and tribal alliances. Later, Xia Jie lost his morality and Jiuding moved to Shang; Yin Yi lost his morality, and Jiuding moved to Zhou. Jiuding was actually a symbol of the supreme power of the dynasty. King Zhuang asked Ding, what do you mean?

Wang Sun Man righteously and sternly told king Zhuang of Chu: The key lies in virtue and not in Dingding. Although Zhou De is now in decline, his destiny has not changed. The size of the ding is light and heavy, or do not ask as well. King Zhuang of Chu listened, did not say a word, and collected his troops and returned to China. (See "Zuo Chuan, Three Years of Xuan Gong")

In fact, King Chu Zhuang knew in his heart that the completion of hegemony was neither in Ding nor in virtue, but in strength. Only with strength can we qualify for the size of the top. No strength, in vain to make people laugh. How can you make others feel powerful? King Chuzhuang's answer was non-stop war.

In 601 BC, the Shu state was destroyed. In 599 BC, the Battle of Zheng and The Battle of Jin Chu Yingbei. In 598 BC, xia zhengshu, the minister of the state of Chen, was killed in the name of chaos. In 597 BC, Zheng was again cut down. The Battle of Jinchu broke out. In 595 BC, the Battle of the Song Dynasty. Take a look at this long list of war catalogs, and the war maniacs deserve it. Among them, the Battle of Wu and the Battle of the Siege of Song enabled King Zhuang of Chu to achieve hegemony.

The Battle of Wu was the second major battle between Jin and Chu after the Battle of Chengpu. One big difference between the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States is the purpose of the war. The purpose of the war during the Warring States period was annexation, just like a big fish eating a small fish, and if you eat it, you will not spit it out again. The purpose of the war in the Spring and Autumn Period is to fight for hegemony, just like the underworld fights for turf, fighting for who has more little brothers, the more little brothers have the greater the right to speak, that is, the boss. Zheng, Song, Chen, Lu and other small and medium-sized states were sandwiched between the great powers of Jin, Qi, Qin, and Chu, and could only follow whomever had the biggest fist.

However, the result of small and medium-sized states being the head of the wall is that they are beaten more often. Because no big brother will tolerate the betrayal of the little brother, and no little brother is the big brother who can be deterred by the shock of the tiger's body. The younger brother disobeyed and was beaten by the big brother; if he obeyed, he had to fight with the big brother to fight other little brothers; after he took it, he changed to the new big brother and was beaten by the old big brother again. As a result, the small and medium-sized states that served as buffer zones became high-incidence areas for war, especially the two medium-sized states, Zheng Guo and Song Guo. According to statistics, during the Spring and Autumn Period, the number of times Zheng Guo participated in the war was seventy-two times, and the Song State was forty-six times.

Zheng Guo and Song Guo were feuds. The State of Song was a descendant of Yin Shang, and the surname of a prince of the state was a prince. Duke Huan of Zheng was the son of King Li of Zhou and the younger brother of King Xuan of Zhou, with the surname of Ji (姬), the prince of the state. The two states are neighbors, looking at each other unfavorably, and they have made a fight at every turn, and they have not stopped since the Spring and Autumn Period. When it comes to the stage of the Jin-Chu struggle for hegemony, everyone must choose a side, and both countries follow a principle, that is, they are not in the same camp as each other.

At the Battle of Chengpu, Jin and Song were on one side, and Chu and Zheng were on the other, and the result was that Jin won a victory. After the war, Zheng Guo was attached to the Jin State, and the Song State ran to the side of the Chu State. In 610 BC, Zheng Guo followed the Jin state and joined forces with the Wei state to fight the Song. In 608 BC, the State of Song could not withstand the severe beatings of the State of Jin and was beaten from the State of Jin. The State of Song was from Jin, and the State of Zheng was from Chu. When king Zhuang of Chu saw that the Song state had rebelled, he raised an army to attack the Song. In order to save the Song Dynasty, the Jin State raised an army to attack Zheng. In order to save Zheng, the State of Chu fought an encounter with the State of Jin in Beilin and captured Xie Yang (later released) the Grand Master of the State of Jin. In the following year (607 BC), Zheng Guo was ordered by the State of Chu to attack the Song Dynasty, and won a great victory, capturing the Song ruler Hua Yuan (who later fled).

Song Guo was bullied by Zheng Guo, and at this time, the boss of the Song State, Jin Guo, naturally wanted to take the lead for his younger brother, and he fought Zheng several times in a row, until Zheng Guo surrendered. Zheng Guo surrendered to the Jin state, and of course the Chu state had to teach him a lesson. Therefore, from 606 BC onwards, the State of Chu attacked Zheng one after another, and fought until the surrender of zheng. However, this time, king Zhuang of Chu decided to educate Zheng Guo, the wall-headed grass, and surrounded Zheng Du in the spring of 597 BC.

The besieged Zheng people performed divination and then cried in the Taimiao Temple and on the city walls. Three months later, Zhengdu fell. Zheng Xianggong led the sheep bare-chested and submitted the surrender letter. The three armies of the Jin State who came to the rescue could not swallow this breath and went to war with the Chu army, and the result was defeated. This is the Battle of Pong. (See "The Twelve Years of Zuo Chuan and Xuan Gong")

There was the Battle of Wu, and only then did the later Siege of Song. In 595 BC, King Zhuang of Chu sent two envoys at the same time, one to the State of Jin and the State of Qi. Those who go to the Jin state must pass through the State of Zheng; those who go to the State of Qi must pass through the State of Song. However, King Zhuang ordered the two not to borrow the way from Zheng and Song. This is deliberately provoking. Because even the envoys of the King of Zhou, passing through the small countries of The Zhou Dynasty, had to take the road to show respect for the territory and sovereignty of the country.

Zheng Guo had just been subdued, and the envoy did not have to worry. Two years ago, Jin, Song, Wei, and Cao gang established an offensive and defensive alliance. The covenant stipulates that if anyone is bullied, he shall be saved by the common, and if there is anyone who betrays the alliance, he shall be called "to beg for the sick"; if anyone betrays the alliance, he shall be called "to beg for the second". This covenant was implemented very well by the Song Dynasty. In the face of the arbitrariness and unreasonableness of the Chu people, Hua Yuan, the ruler of the Song Dynasty, said: Passing through our country without borrowing the road is to regard our country as their border town, which is equivalent to the destruction of the country. Offending the Chu people and causing military disasters is also the destruction of the country. If the result is the destruction of the country, then it is better to die with dignity and dignity. The Song people chose to be tough, and as a result, the Chu envoy Shen Zhou was killed.

When king Zhuang of Chu heard the news, he threw up his sleeves and rushed out, and his entourage chased him to the front yard before giving him shoes, chasing him to the palace gate before giving him a sword, and chasing him to the street before helping him get into the car. The king of Chuzhuang, who was trembling with anger, ordered that an army be immediately sent to surround the Song. The besieged Song people asked the Jin state for help according to the agreement. However, what huayuan never expected was that because of the defeat at the Battle of Wu, the Jin state made a shrunken-headed turtle this time, and only sent the doctor Xie Yang, who had been captured by the Chu people in Beilin, to appease the Song state.

Unfortunately, when Xie Yang passed by Zheng Guo, he was captured by Zheng Ren and sent to the Chu camp. The Chu people bribed Xie Yang with heavy money to send false information. Xie Yangsan refused, so he had to agree. However, when Xie Yang got on the stairs and shouted to Song Du, what he shouted was: Song Guo brothers resisted! Our army has all been assembled and will arrive soon!

The deceived King zhuang of Chu was furious and ordered Xie Yang to be killed. King Zhuang said to Xie Yang: What does it mean to rebel? It's not me who's heartless, it's you who don't believe. Go to the execution ground!

Xie Yang, whose face does not change color, said: The king can issue orders, called righteousness; the subject can complete the mission, call it faith; and realize morality with good faith, call it profit. Faith is indisputable, faith is indisputable, where is there two different missions at the same time? How can an envoy be bribed when he is ordained to come out with a mission that is life? Previously, he had dealt with Junshang only in order to bring the widow's words to the Song Kingdom. This is called trustworthiness.

This impassioned statement allowed Xie Yang to escape the disaster. At the same time, the Chu people's military food was exhausted, and they could not survive, so King Zhuang had to order the collection of troops. Seeing that the Song kingdom was about to be saved, Shen Zhou's son knelt in front of King Zhuang's horse. Shen Zhou knew at that time that he would undoubtedly die, and he also had to go to the Song Kingdom with a hard scalp. On the one hand, it is because the king's life is difficult to violate, and on the other hand, it is also because king Zhuang once boasted about Haikou. Now, Shen Zhou has generously died, but King Zhuang has no faith in what he says, what can be done?

King Zhuang of Chu had no face to face Shen Zhou's son. At this time, a doctor in the Chu state came up with an idea: to build a house in the countryside of the Song Kingdom, repair water conservancy, and open up wasteland to cultivate land. In short, it is to convey a clear message to the Song people: Shen Zhou's revenge must be repaid. You will not surrender for a day, we will not go for a day; you will not surrender for a year, you will not go for a year; you will not surrender for a lifetime, you will not go for a lifetime. When the Song people heard the news, they wanted to cry without tears. Because the Song Dynasty had been besieged for eight or nine months, there were no grains in the city. The Chinese can only exchange children for killing and eating, dismantling bones as fuel. Where can I still hold out?

At this time, the only ones who could save the Song Kingdom were themselves. At the critical moment, Hua Yuan, the ruler of the Song State who had been captured by Zheng Guo, stepped forward and sneaked into the Chu camp at night to call the commander of the Chu army out of bed. Hua Yuan said that the widow sent Yuan to tell the truth: Our country is exhausted of food, and can only eat for food, and analyze the skeleton to cook, but even so, asking us to sign an alliance under the city is tantamount to destroying the country, and it is absolutely impossible. If your army can retreat thirty miles, it will only obey.

The Chu people were shocked. They retreated thirty miles, signed a treaty with the Song Dynasty, and agreed that "I have no deceit, I have no fear", and took Hua Yuan as a hostage. At this point, Zheng and Song were both from Chu, and Chu Bayecheng. (See "Zuo Chuan, Xuan Gong 14th and 15th Years")

The struggle for supremacy between Jin and Chu was the main theme of the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period. However, after 591 BC, with the death of King Zhuang of Chu, this pattern of hegemony gradually extended to the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the drama of hegemony was about to enter its climax.