In feudal society, when the emperor chose the heir, he always respected the length. If anyone wants to ignore this rule, they are bound to be unanimously opposed by the government and the public. Even a stubborn monarch like the Ming Dynasty's Wanli Emperor eventually had to succumb to the opinions of his ministers and allow his eldest son, whom he did not like, to ascend to the throne against his will.
However, there are exceptions to everything.
During the Spring and Autumn period, the kings of the Chu state always let their youngest son inherit the throne. Over time, in the Chu kingdom, the younger son's ascension to the throne became a matter of course, and the eldest son's ascension to the throne was actually a move of rebellion.
In 672 BC, King Cheng of Chu succeeded to the throne and became the twentieth monarch in the history of the Chu state. During the Spring and Autumn Period, there were countless princely states of all sizes. Although they exalt benevolence on the surface, they are in fact unscrupulous to achieve their ends. As long as the territory can be expanded, anything that is contrary to etiquette and benevolence can be done.
King Cheng of Chu was well aware of this, and had the heart to attack Zheng Guo as early as a teenager. In the view of King Cheng of Chu, the land of Zhengguo was fertile and rich in products, and it was the link between the south and the north. If you want to fight with the powerful countries such as the State of Qi and the State of Jin in the north, you must control the State of Zheng. Therefore, King Cheng of Chu was eager to try, constantly creating friction on the border of zhengguo and trying to provoke war.
What King Cheng of Chu did, the prince of the State of Qi, Duke Huan of Qi, had always seen in his eyes. Like the ambitious King Cheng of Chu, the Duke of Qi Huan was also a king who was not willing to be lonely. Zheng Guo's strategic position, he saw more thoroughly than King Cheng of Chu. Before King Cheng of Chu could annex the State of Zheng, Duke Huan of Qi said that the seven kingdoms of Lu, Song, Chen, Wei, Zheng, Xu, and Cao would join forces against the State of Chu.
Looking at the mighty eight-nation army, King Chu Cheng could only put away his sharp edge. He pretended to have no quarrel with the world and said, "There was only a little awkwardness between Chu Guo and Zheng Guo, and there was no big deal. Qi Huan accepted it when he saw it was good, and did not push too hard, but only asked King Cheng of Chu to make a pact together to maintain the balance between several powerful countries.
King Cheng of Chu wanted to swallow Zheng Guo in one bite and then go north to dominate and lay the foundation, but unexpectedly ended up with a feathered ending. While hiding his dissatisfaction, he laughed and laughed with the Qi Huan Guild, saying that he would abide by the agreement. Soon, the Chu army retreated, and the Duke of Qi Huan also gave the Order to the Eight Kingdoms Army to return to the Dynasty.
After the withdrawal, King Cheng of Chu did not collapse, but changed his targets and made Tang Guo and Sui Guo his targets. The Kingdom of Tang and the State of Sui were two small states closely linked to the State of Chu, and they had always been the only ones who were the leaders of king Chu Cheng, and wan did not expect that King Chu Cheng would take himself out of the knife.
The monarchs of the Tang Kingdom and suiguo originally wanted to emulate the State of Zheng and find the support of the State of Qi or the State of Jin, but they were too far away from these two northern powers to contact each other in a short period of time. Although the neighboring kingdoms of Deng, Jiang, and Dao had the heart to save each other, they were also projectile countries themselves, and they could not curb the pace of King Chu Cheng. In this way, King Cheng of Chu took the Suiguo and Tang kingdoms with thunderous momentum and expanded his territory.
After the destruction of the Suiguo and Tang kingdoms, the limelight of King Chu Cheng was no different for a while. The surrounding small countries took the Suiguo and Tang kingdoms as a lesson, and one after another bowed to the Chu state, and Let the king of Chu Cheng wreak havoc in the south. King Cheng of Chu took advantage of the hot iron to further expand his troops and build weapons, and wanted to wait until the time was ripe to find Qi Huan to pass the move.
Unfortunately, the dream of King Cheng of Chu's hegemony was not destroyed in the hands of the Duke of Qi Huan, but instead disappeared in the civil strife of the Chu state.
The matter also began with the alliance between King Cheng of Chu and duke Huan of Qi.
The move north did not allow King Cheng of Chu to destroy the State of Zheng as he wished, but it opened his eyes and exposed him to various advanced weapons and systems of the northern princely states. At that time, most countries had already implemented the primogeniture system, and only the Chu state and a few other countries were still insisting that the younger son inherit the throne.
Other small countries are no more, but the Chu state is the most powerful princely state in the south. When the alliance was held, the princes of Qi Huan and Jin Wengong talked about this matter, and they all said that the Chu people were acting upside down and were still some uncivilized barbarians. King Chu Cheng listened from the sidelines, and it was not easy to refute it, but he just frowned tightly.
After the destruction of the Tang kingdom and the Sui state, King Cheng of Chu had the intention to emulate the state of Qi and the state of Jin, using the system of primogeniture and letting his eldest son Shang Chen take the throne. As soon as the news came out, the Shang ministers were overjoyed, but several old ministers of the Chu State wrote letters of opposition one after another, saying that the ancestral law should not be tampered with. When King Chu Cheng saw this, he hesitated in his heart, not knowing whether he should continue to support Shang Chen.
Shang Chen was a brother who only knew how to play around, and he never dreamed that he had the opportunity to inherit the throne. In order to make his father firmly change the law, while using heavy money to bribe several old ministers of the Chu Kingdom, he put on a diligent and studious appearance, changing the appearance of idle hands in the past.
Having money can make ghosts grind, which is a universal truth. Under the operation of the Shang chen, the voice opposing the change of law gradually weakened. When the merchant saw the situation, he went to visit his father every three or five places, and said that he had no feelings for the throne, and everything was left to his father's decision. King Chu Cheng was happy in his heart, so he summoned the old minister Dou Bo, whom he trusted the most, and talked about the change of law.
Dou Bo was the Ling Yin of the Chu State, and his actions had always been old and heavy. The merchant's act of bribing the courtiers, instead of succeeding in bribing Dou Bo, made Dou Bo even more disgusted with him. Dou Bo originally wanted to persuade King Cheng of Chu to beware of shang courtiers, but when he looked back, he felt that he should not intervene in the disputes of the Chu royal family, so he was silent and just looked at it coldly.
At this time, seeing king Chu Cheng mention this matter, Dou Bo avoided the weight and said lightly: "The great king is now young and powerful, and it is the time to lay the foundation of the world, why do you have to choose an heir early?" King Chu Cheng smiled and continued, "The matter of the prince is of great importance, and the widow also wants to settle people's minds as soon as possible. Shangchen was diligent and studious, generous and filial, and he was sure to be able to shoulder great responsibilities and become a wise man. ”
After Dou Bo listened, his face was cloudy. After a few moments, he stepped forward and said to King Chu Cheng, "Great King, our country has always been a young man who does not grow up, and it is not in accordance with the rules to establish a merchant minister as a prince. Moreover, and..." Dou Bo hesitated for a moment, and then plucked up the courage to say: "Moreover, the old minister thinks that Shang Chen is a very sinister person and cannot be the king of the Chu State." ”
Listening to Dou Bo's words, King Cheng of Chu was half-convinced, and temporarily shelved the matter of establishing a prince, planning to examine the Shangchen again. After a while, King Cheng of Chu saw that Shangchen was still studious, so he assured Shangchen to live in the Eastern Palace. The Eastern Palace was the residence of the crown prince, and King Cheng of Chu's move was equivalent to directly appointing a merchant as the prince, which was just a ceremony.
After moving into the Eastern Palace, shangchen was ecstatic. He bribed the chancellor with more money, hoping to make his position as crown prince more secure. However, the two-sleeved Qingfeng Doubo still refused to accept it, which made Shang Chen very embarrassed. At this time, someone told the Shang chancellor about Dou Bo's advice to King Chu Cheng. After Shang Chen learned about it, he hated and feared Dou Bo. He had wanted to send assassins to secretly kill Dou Bo, but Dou Bo's home was heavily guarded, and several attempts were unsuccessful.
Soon after, the jin monarch Jin Wengong died of illness, and The Duke of Jin Xiang succeeded to the throne. The Jin Dynasty is an old power in the north, and its every move affects the situation in the world. When King Chu Cheng heard the news, he was keenly aware of the subtle changes in his surroundings. He constantly exerted pressure on Xu Guo and Cai Guo, vassal states of the Jin Dynasty, and wanted to hold Xu and Cai tightly in his hands. The monarchs of the States of Xu and Cai had always acted smoothly, and taking advantage of the unstable foothold of the Duke of Xiang of Jin, they decisively broke away from the control of the State of Jin and submitted to King Cheng of Chu.
Although The Duke of Jin Xiang was still young, he did not want to be oppressed by the State of Chu. He reorganized his troops and horses and launched an attack on the Chu state, hoping to teach King Chu a lesson. King Cheng of Chu was exactly what he could not ask for, and he immediately sent Dou Bo to lead an army to meet the battle, intending to defeat the Jin state in one fell swoop and continue to expand the prestige of the Chu state among the princely states.
The commander of the Jin army was the veteran general Yang Chufu, who led the army to the front line, and felt that it was difficult to take advantage of Dou Bo's hands, so he insisted on not being able to hold out and prepare to slowly look for the flaws in the Chu army. Dou Bo knew that this battle was only allowed to be won and not defeated, lest he be punished by King Cheng of Chu. Seeing that Yang's father was mainly defensive, Dou Bo did not dare to attack without authorization.
The Jin and Chu armies faced each other on the front line.
War is an extremely expensive thing, and even if there is no battle, the daily use of grain and grass is a huge number. Two months later, Jin Xiang saw that the battle on the front line had not yet borne fruit, and his heart was anxious. He constantly urged the Yang Father on the front line to let the Yang Father attack quickly, and could not wait so inexplicably.
After Yang's father received the order from the Duke of Jinxiang, he secretly cried bitterly in his heart. Jin Xianggong was far away in the court, and he didn't know the situation of the Jin army at this time, but he knew it himself. Now that the morale of the Jin army is low and there is a shortage of food and grass, many people have secretly fled back to China. Fortunately, the enemy did not take the initiative to attack, which was barely maintained until now. He had wanted to persuade Jin Xianggong to withdraw his troops, but he didn't know how to speak. Now it is difficult for him to do it just by stabilizing the hearts and minds of the army, so why talk about fighting? However, if there is no war, you will fall for the crime of disobeying the king's orders, which is also a death.
Looking at the water not far away, Yang Chu Father fell into contemplation. Finally, he gritted his teeth and planned to kill the horse as a live horse doctor. He sent someone to the Chu army camp and said to Dou Bo, "Our Jin army has long wanted to fight with you, but we are just worried that the two armies will not be able to let go of their hands and feet when they are separated by water." Now we are willing to retreat thirty miles and wait for your whole army to pass through the waters before going to war. If you are not willing to cross the river, retreat thirty miles and wait for us to cross the river. No matter how you choose, we Jinjun will have to do a big job in pain and happiness. These days, it really spoils us. ”
Faced with the provocation of the Jin army, Dou Bo took the case and immediately decided to lead his army to cross the river and defeat the Jin army. At this time, the deputy general Cheng Daxin stopped Dou Bo and said, "The Jin army said that we would wait until we crossed the river before going to war, who knows if they will do this." What if father Yang attacks while we cross the river? Instead of this, we retreated thirty miles to wait for work and let the Jin army cross the river. Dou Bo nodded after listening to it, feeling that cheng daxin's approach was a little more secure. He told the Emissaries of the Jin Dynasty of his decision, and then retreated thirty miles to wait for the Jin army.
Father Yang didn't have the idea of fighting at all, he just wanted to give An explanation to Duke Xiang of Jin. After seeing the Chu army retreating, he hurriedly reported to the Jinxiang Public Courtesy: "The Chu army was frightened by the majesty of our army, and before we could charge, they ran away. Duke Xiang of Jin felt that this result was also acceptable, so he ordered Yang's father to lead the army back to China. And Dou Bo and Cheng Daxin on the opposite side of the water, waiting for the left and right, the Jin army still did not come. Dou Bo sent people to reconnoiter, and only then did he understand his plan. Chu and Jin fought each other, and eventually ended with the respective retreats of the Chu and Jin armies.
When Shang Chen heard that Dou Bo had returned without success, he framed dou bo in front of King Chu Cheng: "Bao Er heard that soon after the Jin army retreated, Dou Bo also withdrew. The Father and King thought carefully, where in the world is such a coincidence. It must have been some kind of secret agreement between Dou Bo and Yang's father that they agreed to withdraw their troops. After saying this, Shang Chen falsely accused Dou Bo, saying that Dou Bo had accepted bribes from Yang's father. King Cheng of Chu did not distinguish between right and wrong, believing that Dou Bo was detrimental to his own face, so he ordered Dou Bo to commit suicide as a punishment.
When Dou Bo saw King Chu Cheng's will, he knew that shangchen had done it. He was anxious and angry, and said sadly: "I once said that Shangchen was sinister, but now it seems that this is indeed the case!" After saying this, Dou Bo obeyed the will of King Chu Cheng, drew his sword and killed himself.
After Dou Bo committed suicide, someone told King Chu Cheng what he said before he died. King Cheng of Chu felt that something was wrong, so he summoned Cheng Daxin and carefully inquired about what Dou Bo was doing at the front. After Cheng Daxin explained the ins and outs of the matter, King Cheng of Chu realized that he had wrongly killed zhongchen. He remembered Shang Chen's previous words and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
From then on, King Cheng of Chu began to stay away from the Shang courtiers and had the idea of establishing a prince instead.
Shang Chen bribed all the attendants around King Chu Cheng, and Every move of King Chu Cheng was under his control. At this time, the Shangchen's wings were already full, and there was no need to continue to disguise. With a heart like a jackal, in order to become the king, he became more and more depressed, and he actually had the idea of killing his father and seizing the throne. Before King Chu Cheng could realize it, Shang Chen ordered dozens of heavily armed dead soldiers to break into the palace and come to King Chu Cheng's face in a murderous spirit.
Although King Chu Cheng made a big mistake, after all, he had the arrogance of an emperor. In a desperate situation, King Chu Cheng said calmly and calmly, "The widow likes to eat bear paws very much, can you taste it one last time?" ”
The Assassins understood that King Chu Cheng wanted to wait for reinforcements to arrive, and that wanting to eat bear paws was just a delaying tactic. The leading assassin said coldly, "Bear paws are too difficult to cook, so it is difficult to obey." After saying this, he and the others strangled King Chu Cheng alive with a belt.
Since King Cheng of Chu had already made Shang Chen the crown prince, after King Cheng of Chu was killed, the arrival of reinforcements was meaningless. The Shang courtiers claimed that King Chu Cheng had died of illness and then shamelessly inherited the throne.
It is a pity that the hero of King Chu Cheng, in the end, ended up with such a miserable end. The matter of the prince is related to the foundation of the country, and it is impossible to change it without authorization. King Chu Cheng insisted on going his own way, and the result was only to lift a stone and drop it on his own feet.
As a result, what he did sounded a wake-up call for future generations.
Resources:
[Zuo Chuan (左傳) from the year of the Common Era to the year of wen A.D., "Records of History, Volume 40, Chu Shijia No. 10"]