The Battle of the Long Spoon in the Story of Chinese History

The Battle of Changspoon was a battle between the States of Qi and Lu in the Spring and Autumn Period of China, taking place in 684 BC[1] (present-day Laiwu, Shandong Province). This battle was another important battle of Qi and Lu after the Battle of Ganshi in 685 BC. The victory of the State of Lu in this battle indirectly contributed to the peace of Qilu a few years later.

Lu Guo's comments on the battle were considered important points of view for preparing and managing army morale before the battle.

The Zuo Zhuan has a detailed description of the battle, but neither the Records of the Qi Taigong Family nor the Lu Zhou Gong Family have any records of the battle.

Event details

background

Duke Xiang of Qi was assassinated by Gongsun Ignorance at the end of 686 BC, and a month later (spring of 685 BC) Gongsun Ignorance was also killed by the Chinese. Gongzi Gui and Gongzi Xiaobai returned from the Lu and Ju kingdoms respectively. Xiao Bai came to the throne first, for the Duke of Qi Huan.

Duke Lu Zhuang returned to China to escort his son back to China, and was defeated when he fought with the Qi army, and only spared himself. The State of Qi then planned to attack the State of Lu again.

The battle passed

In early 684 BC, the Qi army attacked the state of Lu. Cao Jiao, a Lu man, went to see Duke Lu Zhuang and asked him why he was fighting. Duke Lu Zhuang was not accepted by Cao Jie on the grounds that he shared his usual use with his subordinates and did not indiscriminately set up sacrifices during sacrifices. Duke Lu Zhuang then claimed that he was as reasonable and fair as possible in the administration of justice, and Cao Jie believed that Lu "could fight a war",[2] and was approved by Duke Lu Zhuang to accompany him to supervise the battle.

Cao Jiao did not immediately order a decisive battle with the Qi army on the battlefield, and waited for the Qi army to attack three times before letting the Lu army attack with drums, and the Qi army was defeated. [3] Cao Jie then prevented Duke Zhuang of Lu from pursuing him immediately, and after observing that the Qi army's flag had overturned and the wheel trajectory was chaotic, he ordered a pursuit, and finally the Qi army was completely driven out of the border of the State of Lu. [4] This is the source of Mencius's statement to King Hui of Wei (King Hui of Liang), "One drum makes gas, then declines, and three is exhausted", and it is also the source of the idiom "one drum makes gas".

Subsequent

In June 684 BC, the State of Qi joined forces with the State of Song to attack the State of Lu again. Duke Zhuang of Lu and the State of Song fought against Chengqiu and won a great victory. The Qi army then retreated. [5] In May of the following year (683 BC),[6] the Song state fought against Qiu's defeat, but the state of Lu was victorious again. [7]

The State of Qi held a peace conference with the State of Lu at Ke in 681 BC. Qilu was relatively harmonious during the reign of Duke Zhuang of Lu, and Qi only joined forces with Song and Chen to attack the western part of Lu in 675 BC. [8]

comments

After the war, Cao Jie analyzed the reasons for the victory: "one drum, then decline, three exhaustion"[9], meaning that the morale and strength of the army would decline after many consecutive battles. Attack the weak enemy army with a morale-filled army, so win. In addition, Cao Jie also explained that during the war, he did not immediately pursue the Qi army, because he was worried that the Qi army would set up an ambush. After observing the situation of the Qi army, he knew that the Qi army had indeed fled in a big defeat, and only then did he order a pursuit.

The Chinese writer Xiao Shui (Zhang Shouchun), in his book The Bronze Age Dinosaur Wars, argues that Cao Jie's introduction of the concept of a tactical reserve in the campaign was the "fundamental reason" for his victory over the Lu army.