While the Jin state was busy expanding, the Central Plains states and the southern Chu state did not stop for a moment. In 655 BC, Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Of Lu, Duke Huan of Song, Duke Xuan of Chen, Duke Wen of Wei, Duke Wen of Zheng, Duke Xu, Duke of Cao Zhao, and Ji Zheng, the Son of King of Zhou, met at the first stage (present-day southeast of Sui County, Henan Province), and everyone discussed making an alliance in August, and as a result, King Hui of Zhou secretly summoned Zheng Wengong over and said, "I will arrange for you to mix with the Chu state, and the State of Jin, and can help you, so that the State of Zheng will be safe." Zheng Wengong was very happy and was not ready to ally with the other seven countries. Uncle Kong advised: "The monarch cannot act rashly, so that he will lose the assistance of the allies, and the hidden dangers will come at any time, and when there is difficulty, he will go to the allies for help, he will lose more things, and it will be too late to regret it." Zheng Wengong did not listen and secretly ran back to Zheng Guo.
In the following year, in Xia, the heads of state of the six kingdoms of Qi Huan, Lu, Song Huan, Chen Xuan, Wei Wen, Zheng Wen, and Cao Zhao led troops to attack Zheng and besieged Xinmi. King Cheng of Chu fulfilled his promise to help Zheng Guo, sent troops to besiege the capital of Xu Guo, the princes rescued Xu, the Chu state retreated, and Zheng and Xu were relieved.
In the winter, Cai Muhou, as an intermediary, guided Duke Xu to Wucheng (武城, in present-day northern Nanyang, Henan Province) to surrender to the Chu state, with Xu Gong's hands tied and jade walls hanging from his mouth, a group of doctors dressed in filial piety, and soldiers carrying coffins, asking King Cheng of Chu to accept Xu Guo's surrender. King Cheng of Chu took the advice of The Great Master Feng Bo and accepted Xu Guo, and in this way two opposing camps were formed: Chu, Cai, Zheng, and Xu, led by Chu, and Qi, Lu, Song, Chen, Wei, and Cao, headed by Qi. In addition, the Jin and Qin states were busy expanding and annexing the small countries around them.
![I read the Zuo Zhuan Sixty-Five (658 BC) in the second year of Lu Qigong[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)