Legends of ancient Chinese celebrities: 24

In 613 BC, Xiong Lu, the son of King Chu Mu, ascended the throne and was known as King Zhuang of Chu. Although King Zhuang was young, he was quite scheming. King Chumu only ascended the throne by killing his father, so during his 12 years in power, he was not really recognized by most people in the dynasty. After King Zhuang ascended the throne, in order to be able to distinguish between loyalty and treachery in the chaotic situation, he did not do anything about the government for three years, and made secret visits until he obtained loyal generals.

King Zhuang of Chu successively defeated the Yirong tribes of Yong, Elk, and Baipu, which had taken advantage of the Chu famine, to stabilize the western frontier; then, he eliminated the rebellious Ruo'ao clan in the country, and the power of the Chu king was further consolidated.

King Zhuang of Chu appointed Sun Shu'ao as Ling Yin to rectify internal affairs, and in terms of the official system, "the internal surname is chosen from the relatives, and the foreign surnames are selected from the old." "The King of Chu appointed his most trusted princes or favorite brothers to assist in the administration and formed the core group of the government. The Ling Yin, Sima Dynasty, County Gong, and County Yin of the Chu State were all held by gongzi, and the new nobles, mainly the sons of the royal family's close relatives, replaced the old nobles, who were mainly based on the Great Clan, and took over the power of the Chu State. Chu commanded officials for their political achievements, and had a strict reward and punishment system for military merit in winning and losing. Diplomatically, since the beginning of King Cheng of Chu, he has formed an alliance with Qin. After the Battle of Qin Ziyi, he and Jin became a country of feuds, and Chu took the opportunity to win over the Qin state and marry him. After the alliance between Qin and Chu was formed, they became two opposing groups with the Jin and Qi states in the north.

With the country already stable, King Zhuang of Chu began to actively engage in his hegemonic activities again, destroying Qunshu, redefining its boundaries, and forcing Wu and Yue to make an alliance with Chu and recognize their hegemonic status. Then, he couldn't wait to point the spearhead of the attack at the Central Plains.

The State of Chu has always been regarded by the Central Plains states as the object of "YiYi", and has been ostracized and despised. Therefore, the Chu state sent troops to attack the Central Plains countries with great retaliation, and King Zhuang of Chu was no exception. While reforming internal affairs, he actively strengthened his armaments and made preparations for hegemony in the Central Plains.

In 606 BC, King Zhuang of Chu personally led an army to attack the Rong clan around Luhun. When he reached the territory, he reviewed the troops to show the strength of the Chu forces and intimidate Zhou Tianzi. Upon hearing this news, King Ding of Zhou panicked and immediately sent his chancellor Wang Sun man to treat the Chu army. King Zhuang of Chu asked Wang Sunman during the conversation: "How big are the nine Dings in the Zhou royal family, and how heavy are they?" This question stunned Wang Sunman. Because Jiuding is the symbol of Kyushu under the heavens, but also the symbol of state power, marking the dignity of Zhou Tianzi, no one is allowed to ask. At this time, doesn't King Chu Zhuang's question mean that he wants to seize the world and conquer the Central Plains?

The resourceful Wang Sun man immediately calmed down and calmly replied, "The size and weight of Ding lies in virtue and not in Ding itself." In the past, when Yuxia was prosperous, remote countries came to pay tribute, so they asked the chiefs of Kyushu to pay tribute in bronze and cast jiuding, which was painted with many mountains, products and all kinds of strange things, so that the people could know to stay away from the monsters that endangered people. Later, Xia Jie's morality was corrupted, and Ding was moved to Yin, which lasted for nearly 600 years. The King of Shang was cruel and desolate, and Ding was moved to the Zhou Dynasty. If the Son of Heaven is virtuous, ding, although small, cannot be moved; if the son of heaven is morally corrupt, even if the ding is large, it is easy to move. Of course, there is also a time limit for Heaven to bless the Holy Lord. In the past, King Cheng of Zhou placed Jiuding in Yuyun, and divination said that it could be passed down for 30 generations and established for 700 years, which was the will of heaven. Although the Zhou royal family is now in decline, the time has not yet come, and it is difficult to change the will of heaven. The king asked about the weight of Ding, and indeed it should not be! ”

King Zhuang of Chu considered that the Zhou royal family still had a certain degree of influence among the princes, and that he did not have the strength to destroy the Zhou Dynasty at this time. Therefore, he showed off his strength and then left Zhoudi.