Spring and Autumn Overlord (IV) - Western Hou Bo Qin Mu Gong

Although Qin Mugong's "Western Hou Bo" is not as popular in history and cultural relics as the "Hou Bo" of Jin Wengong, it is also officially certified. According to the "History of Qin Benji", in the thirty-seventh year of Qin Mugong (623 BC), King Xiang of Zhou sent Zhao Gong to bring 12 copper drums to Qin MuGong to congratulate Qin MuGong on his pioneering work. At this time, Qin Mugong, in Xirong "Yiguo Twelve, Open Land Thousands of Miles", it can be seen that this "Western Hou bo" is Qin Mugong really played out.

Why is it the "Western Houbo"? Because in the era of Qin Mugong, in the Central Plains, there was Xiaobai, the Duke of Qi Huan, and the Gong of Jin wen. In his lifetime, Mu Gong failed to touch the Central Plains, so he turned around and headed west, finally completing the conquest of Xi Rong, laying a solid foundation for the unification of the qin state at the end of the Warring States period. According to Guan Zhong's standard of "honoring the king and destroying Yi", Qin Mugong's move was actually to destroy Yi, riding on the road of Yi Yi and crowning the princes, so this "Western Hou Bo" actually had a fairly high gold content.

I think that at that time, the birthplace of the Zhou Dynasty was also in the west of the Shang Dynasty, and its development and growth were also due to the victory of the war against the surrounding Rongdi tribes, and the King of Zhou Wen, Ji Chang, was known as the "Marquis of Xibo". Now it was the turn of the Qin state to hoard its strength west of the Kunshan Mountains and slowly dig the corners of the Zhou Dynasty, which was really a "good reincarnation of the Heavenly Dao".

From the topographical point of view, the Guanzhong Plain where the Qin state is located is perfectly in line with the later sayings of "building high walls, accumulating grain in a wide area, and slowly becoming king". A Qin ridge isolated the covetousness of the princes of the Central Plains, and The Duke of Qin Mugong conquered Xirong and completely solved the external problems of the Qin state. Therefore, even if the successive Qin kings after Mu Gong were mediocre, they could always sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight and reap the benefits of the fisherman. Occasionally, he also plays a role such as an arbitrator. When the Shang martingale transformation method followed the Guan Zhongba technique, it was natural for Qin to dominate the world.

Speaking back to Qin Mugong. He was the son of Duke De of Qin and the younger brother of Duke Xuan of Qin and Duke Cheng of Qin. Duke Degong of Qin had three sons: the eldest son, Duke Xuan of Qin, the second son, Duke Chenggong of Qin, and the younger son, Duke Mu of Qin. The succession system of brothers to brothers was a Tradition of the Shang Dynasty. It can be seen that Kunshan is isolated not only from the military, but also from the cultural system. Later, it will also be mentioned that another important cultural system of the Qin State that is different from the Central Plains, the funerary culture.

In the fourth year of the reign of Duke Mu of Qin (656 BC), when zhongyuan was in the period of qi Huan's hegemony, Duke Mu of Qin personally proposed to Duke Xiangong of Jin, and Duke Xian of Jin married his eldest daughter to Duke Mu of Qin as his wife. The Jin Dynasty rebelled against Li Ji, and Duke Mu of Qin sent his son Yiwu back to the Jin State to succeed him, in order to serve as the Duke of Jin. As a result, Gong'en of Jin Hui took revenge and forced the State of Qin to cut down the Jin Dynasty, and the State of Jin was greatly defeated, and had to cut off the land for peace, and sent Gongzi Yuan to the State of Qin as a hostage. In order to win over Gongzi Yuan, Duke Mu of Qin married his third daughter Huai Ying to Gongzi Yuan as his wife. When Duke Hui of Jin was seriously ill, Gongzi Yuan left Huai Ying and secretly ran back to the Jin state to succeed to the throne, in order to serve the Duke of Jin Huai. Jin Huaigong was also a white-eyed wolf, which led to unrest inside and outside Jin. Duke Mu of Qin took the opportunity to send his son back to the Jin dynasty as a monarch, for the sake of the Duke of Jin. Duke Mugong of Qin's second daughter Wen Ying had already married Zhong'er as his wife, and remarried his third daughter Huai Ying to Duke Wen of Jin, who later had a son (Gongzi Le) with Duke Wen of Jin. The history of this period is called "the good of Qin and Jin".

During the reign of Duke Wen of Jin, the Qin and Jin dynasties were indeed relatively harmonious, that is, the generations were a bit chaotic. Duke Mu of Qin was the brother-in-law and father-in-law of Duke Wen of Jin, the brother-in-law and son-in-law of Duke Mu of Jin, the uncle and husband of Duke Wen of Jin, and the niece and wife of Duke Wen of Jin. Duke Wen of Jin was Huai Ying's uncle and uncle and husband, and Huai Ying was the niece, niece and concubine of Duke Wen of Jin. Such generational relationships are not uncommon in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States. However, compared with the minority regimes of later generations, it is a small scene. The legendary Wang Zhaojun was occupied by three generations of grandchildren, and had descendants with his grandfather and father, and this generation relationship did not know what to calculate.

Han Yu left us the story of "Bole and Maxima" in "Ma Shuo", and it is said that Bole lived in the Qin Mugong period. The truth of this story is no longer verifiable. However, from the body of baili xi, the "Five Immortal Doctors", we can get a glimpse of Qin Mugong's determination to use his talents. In 655 BC, Qin Mu redeemed Baili Xi with five black ram skins, so Baili Xi was called "Five Doctors". Bai Lixi recommended Uncle Jian and Uncle Jian's sons Xi Qishu and Bai Yibing to Mugong of Qin, and Bai Lixi's son Meng Mingshi also defected to the Qin State. Later, Bai Lixi and Uncle Jian were worshipped by Qin Mu as Shangqing, and Meng Mingshi, Xi Qishu, and Bai Yibing were worshipped as generals by Qin Mugong. Qin Mugong's five sheepskins were exchanged for five sages, which became a legendary story throughout the ages.

Bai Lixi can probably be regarded as the second person to be called a great politician after Guan Zhong in the Spring and Autumn Period. Baili Xi entered Qin, bringing advanced cultural, political and farming techniques to the Qin state, making the Qin state a powerful country that could compete with the Jin and Chu states for hegemony. Leaving aside the routine operations in internal affairs, its merits also lie in the lofty vision of military strategy. From 628 to 626 BC, the Qin state failed to attack the Jin Dynasty twice, and Bai Lixi realized that the qin state's eastward advance had been firmly strangled by the Jin state, so he judged the situation and recommended that Qin Mugong implement a westward development strategy. Qin Mu openly planned his plan, and there is a history that "Qin Mu publicly claimed to dominate Xi Rong".

Since Duke Mu of Qin was the great benefactor of Duke Wen of Jin, Duke Wen of Jin refused to clash with Duke Mu of Qin throughout his life, even though Duke Wen of Jin was already a veritable overlord of the Central Plains. However, the source of Qin and Jin's failure can be traced back to the Qin and Jin dynasties during the Jin Wengong period, when Qin and Jin joined forces to fight Zheng, and Qin Mugong unilaterally tore up the alliance agreement.

In 637 BC, the exiled prince passed by Zheng Guo and was treated arrogantly and rudely by Zheng Wengong. In 630 BC, he had become the heavy ear of the Duke Wen of Jin, in order to avenge the one-arrow revenge of that year, and at the same time punish Zheng Guo for attacking the Chu state in the Battle of Jinchu Chengpu and uniting with the Qin state to fight Zheng. The coalition forces are menacing, and the troops are approaching the city. At this time, how much Zheng Ren asked for forgiveness did not work. Jin Wengong let out a word: Give Shu Zhan to me, and I will withdraw my troops.

Shu Zhan, how did you offend Jin Wengong? Could it be that Zheng Wengong's rudeness was Shu Zhan's idea? No. On the contrary, Shu Zhan urged Zheng Wengong to be kind to His Ear. However, when his repeated exhortations were still ineffective, Shu Zhan proposed: If he could not be treated with courtesy, then kill him. Because Shu Zhan had already concluded that gongzi was extraordinary and would inherit the throne sooner or later. When the time comes, he will definitely come to take revenge. As it turned out, Shu Zhan was right.

However, although Zheng Wengong made a big mistake at that time, his performance at this time was like a man. He refused to hand over Shu Zhan or even tell him about it. Shu Zhan stepped forward. Shu Zhan, who was preparing to be martyred, rushed to the Jin camp alone. The Jin people set up a large cauldron and planned to cook him.

Shu Zhan said: Please allow me to finish my words and then die!

Jin Wengong said: You speak!

Shu Zhan said: The Emperor God sent disasters to Zheng, so that Zheng Guo was facing a great disaster. Today's situation was anticipated by the subordinates in those years. The subordinates were able to respect the wise and prevent evil, and this was wisdom. Now to be able to kill oneself and serve the country, this is loyalty.

After speaking, Shu Zhan walked to the cauldron, grabbed Ding'er with both hands, and shouted at the heavens: Kill me, kill me! From now on, those who serve the country with wisdom and loyalty will end up with the same fate as me! (See Spring and Autumn Grain Liang Biography)

Jin Wengong listened and immediately stood up. He ordered shu Zhan to be released and sent back to Zheng with the most solemn etiquette. Shu Zhan was impressed by his words to impress Jin Wengong and escaped death, but unfortunately the matter did not end because of his loyalty. Jin Wengong, who was deeply resentful, also proposed that he must see Zheng Wengong and humiliate him in person before he was willing to give up.

Such an alliance under the city, signing is humiliating to the country, and not signing is destroying the country. At the critical moment, another wise man saved Zheng Guo. This wise man is called the Armour of Candles. Candle Zhiwu took advantage of the night to sneak into the Qin camp and calculated three accounts for Qin Mugong.

The first account is whether the destruction of the Zheng Kingdom is good for Qin. The conclusion of the Candle Martial is that there is none. Because there is a gap between the Qin state and the Zheng state, even if the Qin and Jin divide the Zheng state, the Qin state will get the enclave, and the enclave is difficult to really occupy. The final result is bound to be cheaper.

The second account is to protect whether Zheng Guo is good for Qin. The conclusion is yes. Because Qin is in the west and Zheng is in the Central Plains. The State of Qin had affairs with the princes, and most of them had to borrow the Zheng State to travel east. As the host, Zheng Guo could provide various conveniences for the diplomats of the Qin State to communicate with each other.

The third account is whether the alliance between the Qin and Jin states can be relied upon. The conclusion is unreliable. The lesson of the past is the treachery of Jin Huigong. Moreover, where will the ambitions of the Jin state be satisfied? Now that zheng has succeeded in the eastward expedition, the next step is to expand westward. Therefore, for the Qin state, to destroy Zheng in the United Jin Dynasty is to follow one's own interests and lure the wolf into the house.

Qin Mugong understood as soon as he heard it. Immediately unilaterally signed a peace agreement with Zheng Guo, and also sent troops to Zheng Guo to stand guard. When the doctor of the State of Jin heard the news, he requested to attack the Qin army, but Duke Wen of Jin did not agree. Wen Gong said that without the Qin State, the widows would not be where they are today. It is unkind to benefit from others and turn against each other; it is unwise to lose allies and build enemies again; it is unwise to abandon harmony and create turmoil. Therefore, Jin Wengong also withdrew his troops. (See "Thirty Years of Zuo Chuan and Gong Gong")

Shu Zhan and Candle Zhiwu, relying on three inches of uncorrupted tongue, one is righteousness, the other is profit, so that Zheng Guo, whose life is hanging on the line, turn the crisis into safety. At the same time, it also gave eye drops to the Qin state and the Jin state, so that after the death of The Duke Wen of Jin, there was a quick discord between Qin and Jin.

In 628 BC, Duke Wen of Jin died. Taking advantage of the lack of time in the Jin dynasty, Qin Mugong sent Meng Mingshi, Xi Qishu, and Bai Yibing on an eastern expedition to prepare to sneak attack Zheng Guo. However, it was recognized by Zheng Guo's merchant Xiang Gao. When Xiang Gao arrived in Zhou, he encountered the Qin army on the road, saw through their intentions, and on the one hand pretended to be Zheng Guo's envoy to qin camp labor, and on the other hand sent people back to report the letter. When Zheng Mu heard the news, he sent someone to the hotel to tell the undercover agents of the Qin state that you have lived in our country for a long time, do you want to go to the garden to hunt some elk and bring them back? Meng Ming saw that Zheng Guo was already on guard, so he had to change his plan, destroy the slippery country, and banshi returned to Qin. (See "Thirty-three Years of the Left Transmission and The Duke of The People's Republic of China")

This incident caused the Jin people to hate each other. They hated the Qin state for "not mourning my mourning, but the same surname as Wu Wu" (Jin and Zheng and Shui were all surnamed Ji), and decided to ambush the Qin army on the way back. The succeeding Duke Xiang of Jin, dressed in Ma Daixiao, dyed his white mourning clothes into black military uniforms, personally led his troops to attack the Qin army, and captured Meng Mingshi, Xi Qishu, and Bai Yibing, before returning to China to bury Duke Wen of Jin. This is the "Battle of Kun" between Qin and Jin.

Duke Xiang of Jin planned to kill Meng Mingshi and the other three generals to pay tribute to Duke Wen, and relying on Wen Wei's rescue, the three generals were able to release them back to Qin. Qin Mugong showed the arrogance of a hegemon, wearing a fierce suit that represented the defeat of the army and the humiliation of the country, he came to the capital and greeted the three generals on the outskirts. Qin Mugong cried and said, "I have wronged you!" This time, it is the sin of the widow, what is wrong with you, what is wrong with you? So the three generals took office as before.

In fact, after the Jin Xianggong released the three generals, he also regretted it and sent troops to chase them. But when the pursuing soldiers arrived at the Yellow River, the three generals were already in the river. Meng Mingshi performed a great salute on the ship and said: If the widowed king of our country fulfills the benevolence of the king, and does not bow down to the front of the army, then after three years, he will come again to thank the king for his great grace!

Unfortunately, two years later, in the "Battle of Pengya" between Qin and Jin, Meng Mingshi was once again defeated. The Jin people even sarcastically said: The general threatened to come after three years to thank the widow for his unhiring grace, but it was really a matter of words! Then call your army the "Master of Worship"!

Qin Mugong, who had suffered this strange humiliation, was not discouraged, and Meng Mingshi was still reused, and finally took revenge a year later. In 624 BC, the Qin army conquered the Jin Dynasty and Mu Gong personally marched. After crossing the Yellow River, he ordered all boats to be burned as a sign of determination to die. The monarchs of the Jin Dynasty also knew that the Qin army would be victorious, so they adopted a "policy of non-resistance" and could not defend the city. So the Qin army swept the Jin territory, seized the Jin land, paid tribute to the fallen soldiers, and then returned to China. A year later, Qin Mugong continued his efforts and conquered Xirong. (See History of Qin Benji)

Two years after the conquest of Xirong, in 621 BC, the founder of the Great Qin Empire, Duke Mu of Qin. At this time he made a serious mistake, killing the living to make funerary goods. A total of one hundred and seventy-seven people were martyred, including three of the best talents of the Qin state, the three sons of the Ziyu clan, Zhongxing, and Needle Tiger. Such a funeral system was a relic of the Shang Dynasty and was not accepted by the Zhou people. Therefore, it was only natural that the Zhou people did not recognize the hegemonic position of Qin Mugong. Seeing this, there is nothing unacceptable about the terracotta warriors of Qin Shi Huang.