King Zhuang of Chu
In 611 BC, King Zhuang of Chu conquered the state of Yong. In 606 B.C., King Zhuang defeated Lu Hun's Army (now Yichuan, Henan Province), and Chen Bing won the title in the suburbs of Zhou Dynasty to show his intention of swallowing Zhou Dynasty. Then he broke through Chen Wei and Zheng. When Jin sent troops to save Zheng, the two armies fought in Ying (now North of Zhengzhou, Henan Province), and Jin army lost. Since then, Lu, Zheng, Chen, song and other Central Plains countries have been attached to Chu, Chu Zhuang king then dominated the Central Plains.
King Zhuang of Chu dominates the Central Plains, which not only makes Chu powerful and famous, but also plays an important role in the unification of China and the formation of national spirit.
In 591 BC, King Zhuang of Chu died of illness and was buried in the suburb of Ji Nan. In the northwest of Jiangling City, there are the tombs of the king of Chu and the imperial concubine fan.
Shortly after the defeat of the state of Chu in Chengpu to the state of Jin, King Cheng of Chu was killed by his son Shang Chen. The Minister of Shang became the king. It was King Mu of Chu. King Mu of Chu was not reconciled to the failure, so he paid close attention to training his troops and vowed to fight against Jin. He first merged several small countries nearby, and then pulled Chen, Zheng and other countries in the Central Plains to the past. In the sixth year of King zhouqing (613 BC), King Mu of Chu was about to be ambitious and angry when he suddenly fell ill and died. His son Lu ascended the throne and was the famous King of Chu Zhuang.
When the state of Jin saw that the state of Chu was busy with funerals, the state of Jin reunited with the princes and made an alliance, and then brought the states of Chen and Zheng back to their sphere of influence. This time, the ministers of Chu state were all in a hurry to fight with Jin State. However, King Zhuang of Chu remained indifferent. For nearly three years since he ascended the throne, he has been hunting and drinking all day, neglecting political affairs. He has also put up a big sign at the gate of the palace, which says: "those who admonish will not be forgiven for killing!" On this day, Doctor Wu Ju (Shen Wuwei) came to see the king of Chu. King Zhuang of Chu, with a wine cup in his hand and deer meat in his mouth, was drunk watching the song and dance. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "do you want to drink, or do you want to watch song and dance?" Wu Ju said: "someone asked me to guess a riddle, but I can't guess it. I'm here to ask you for advice." While drinking, King Zhuang of Chu asked, "what riddle is so hard to guess? Tell me about it Wu Ju said: "the riddle is" there are big birds in Chu capital. They live in the court hall for three years. They neither sing nor fly. It's hard to understand. What's the reason? " Please guess, it's neither singing nor flying. What kind of bird is this King Zhuang of Chu understood Wu Ju's meaning and said with a smile, "I guess. It's not an ordinary bird. This bird, if it doesn't fly for three years, it will soar to the sky; if it doesn't sing for three years, it will make a big splash. You'll see. " Wu Ju understood the meaning of King Zhuang of Chu and withdrew happily.
After a few months, the big bird of King Zhuang of Chu remained the same, neither "singing" nor "flying", hunting as usual. Drink and enjoy singing and dancing. Doctor Su never could bear it, so he came to see King Zhuang. When he entered the palace, he burst into tears. King Zhuang of Chu said, "sir. Why is it so sad? " Su Cong replied, "I'm sad that I'm going to die. He is also sad that the state of Chu will soon perish. " King Zhuang of Chu was surprised and asked, "how can you die? How could Chu perish? " Su Cong said, "I want to advise you that if you don't listen to me, you must kill me. You watch songs and dances all day, play hunting, regardless of the government, is not the demise of Chu in front of you After hearing this, King Zhuang of Chu angrily rebuked Su Cong: "do you want to die? I have already said that I will kill whoever comes to advise. It's stupid of you to make a mistake now Su Cong said bitterly, "I am stupid, but you are more stupid than me. If you kill me, I will have a good reputation as a loyal minister after I die. If you go on like this, the state of Chu will perish sooner or later. You will be the king of subjugation. Aren't you more stupid than me? That's all I have to say. You can kill me if you want. " King Zhuang of Chu suddenly stood up. He said passionately, "the doctor's words are all loyal advice. I will do as you say." Immediately, he ordered the dissolution of the band, sent the dancers, determined to do a lot of business. King Zhuang of Chu first straightened out his internal affairs and employed talented people to promote Wu Ju and Su to key positions. At that time, Yin Dou, the commander of the state of Chu, was ambitious and wanted to usurp the throne. King Zhuang of Chu appointed three ministers to share the work of Ling Yin, which weakened his power and prevented Dou Yuejiao from making trouble.
On the one hand, King Zhuang of Chu reformed politics, on the other hand, he expanded the army, strengthened the training of soldiers, and prepared for a decisive battle with the state of Jin and the battle of Pucheng. In the third year of his accession to the throne, he led his troops to destroy the state of Yong (now Zhushan County in Hubei); in the sixth year, he defeated the state of song; in the eighth year, he defeated the Rong people in Luhun (now the northern part of Song County in Henan). Meanwhile, the story of "questioning the Central Plains" took place. The power and power of Chu were greatly boosted, but it was unexpected that there was a rebellion in Chu.
In the second year of King Ding of Zhou Dynasty (605 BC), King Zhuang of Chu attacked the Rong people of Luhun. On the way back to China, he suddenly found a group of people blocking the way. In the absence of King Zhuang of Chu, dou Yuejiao rebelled. He occupied the capital of Ying, and quickly sent troops to stop the king of Chu Zhuang, trying to destroy the king of Chu Zhuang outside Ying City. The king of Chuzhuang was at ease when he saw Yuejiao fighting. His soldiers had just returned home from the war and were very tired. Knowing that it was against him to fight hard, he said, "the Doushi family has made great contributions to the state of Chu. They would rather make Yuejiao lose me than Yuejiao." He sent Su Cong to make peace. Dou Yuejiao thought that the king of Chu Zhuang was already in his bag. When he reached for him, where would he stop? He said to Su Cong, "go back and tell xionglu (the name of the king of Chu Zhuang) that you have the courage to fight to the death, or you will surrender as soon as possible!" the king of Chu Zhuang pretended to retreat and arrived at night. However, they ambushed their troops on the East Bank of zhangshui River, sent a group of soldiers to move on the bank, lured Dou Yuejiao to cross the river, and led a few soldiers to hide under the bridge. The next morning, dou Yuejiao saw Chu soldiers on the other side of the river. As expected, they chased across the river. To be found in the plot, want to retreat back, the bridge has been demolished. Dou Yuejiao was terrified and ordered the soldiers to wade across the river. When the soldiers were about to enter the water, they saw a member of the Chu general on the other side yelling: "general Le Bo is here, fight Yue Jiao and surrender quickly!" after that, they ordered the soldiers to shoot hard. Douyuejiao also urgently ordered the soldiers to shoot arrows on the other side. In the confrontation between the two sides. Le Bo's Archer Yang Youji killed Dou Yuejiao with an arrow. Seeing that the general was killed, the fighters fled everywhere. The Chu army divided its forces to pursue the enemy and won a great victory. King Zhuang has won all the victories. He orders his head to be beheaded in front of the army. Kaige also decapitated the Dou clan in Yingdu, regardless of size. Only the son of Douban, named kehuang, was an official worshipper. At that time, King Zhuang sent envoys to Qi and Qin. Doukehuang sent an envoy to Qi and returned to the state of song. When he heard about Yuejiao's disturbance, he told him: "you can't go in!" Ke Huang said, "you are just like heaven. Can heaven disobey you?" He ordered the troops to rush into Yingdu. When they had recovered their orders, they turned themselves in to Sikou and said, "my grandfather and son Wen once said," if there is a contradiction in Yuejiao, you will destroy the clan. " On his deathbed he told my father to escape from other countries. My father inherited the kindness of Chu from generation to generation. He didn't have the heart to go to other countries and was killed by Yue Jiao. Now my grandfather's words have come true! Now that he has unfortunately become a rebellious member of the clan and has unfortunately violated the lessons of his ancestors, it is right to die. How dare he escape punishment? " After hearing this, King Zhuang sighed and said, "Ziwen is really a man of God. What's more, he has made great contributions to governing the state of Chu. How can he have the heart to let him die? " So he pardoned Ke Huang's punishment and said, "Ke Huang does not escape the death penalty. He is a loyal minister." He was ordered to resume his official post and was renamed Dou Sheng, saying that he should live from death.
After years of careful preparation, King Zhuang of Chu decided to move his army northward to fight for hegemony with Jin. In the ninth year of King Ding of Zhou Dynasty (598 BC), King Zhuang of Chu took advantage of the chaos in Chen and sent troops to subdue Chen. The next year, King Zhuang of Chu led the army to attack Zheng. Chen and Zheng were all protectors of Jin. Chu's sending troops to Chen and Zheng challenged Jin and did not recognize Jin's hegemony.
The state of Jin is not willing to be outdone. In the summer of that year, Duke Jing of Jin ordered Xun Lin's father to be a general, and Xiangu, the grandson of Xianfu, to be an assistant general, commanding 600 chariots to rescue Zheng. A large group of people came to the edge of the Yellow River. Spies came to report that Zheng had surrendered and Chu was withdrawing. Xunlin's father was not willing to fight when he came. After hearing the news, he immediately decided to withdraw. Xiangu was determined not to. He cried out: "it's a shame to retreat from the enemy! If you are afraid of Chu army, I will go alone! " Xiangu had made great contributions to the construction of his ancestors, and he was also the son of the general. He didn't pay any attention to xunlin's father at all. Then he led his troops across the Yellow River to catch up with the Chu army. Zhao Tong and Zhao Kuo (both the sons of Zhao Shuai and the younger brother of Zhao Dun, the former ruler of the state) also felt that their father and brother had made great contributions, so they did not listen to xunlin's father's orders and took the team to cross the river with Xiangu. Xun Linfu had no choice but to order the whole army to cross the river. Xiangu said to Zhao Tong and Zhao Kuo triumphantly, "I knew the general had to listen to us!" when King Zhuang of Chu heard that Jin soldiers had crossed the Yellow River, he called the generals to discuss countermeasures. Sun shuao, Lingyin, advocated that the Jin army should make peace and then withdraw its troops. However, a group of young officers and men all advocated fighting, which made King Zhuang of Chu uncertain for a moment. A little minister named Wu Shen said: "the chief General of Jin army, xunlin Fu, has just been in charge of military power, but he still has no prestige. The deputy general, Xiangu, relies on the credit of his father's generation. Although the generals of the three armed forces want to take the initiative, they have no power to make decisions. The soldiers don't know who to listen to. The Jin army is not united, so it has little combat effectiveness. In the face of such an enemy, but not to attack it, I'm afraid it's harmful to the dignity of the state of Chu? " After listening to Wu Shen's analysis, King Zhuang of Chu ordered Chu's troops to set up their positions and turn their chariots to the north, ready to fight. When sun shuao saw that there were 600 chariots coming from the Jin army with strong military strength, he was always worried. He and King Zhuang of Chu said, "I think it's better to send someone to negotiate peace first. If they don't want to fight, it's not too late for us to fight again. By that time, the reason will be on our side. " King Zhuang of Chu agreed to this proposal and sent Cai Jiuju to the Jin army. Xunlin's father made Cai Jiuju welcome, agreed to negotiate peace, and suggested that both sides withdraw at the same time. Cai Jiuju finished his task and was ready to return to Chu camp. But Xiangu was waiting outside the tent. He saw Cai Jiuju come out of the tent. He stopped and said, "the person who received you just now has not made it clear. Go back and tell your king: we will not kill you when we come back. Vow not to stop the army! Even if our Lord general wishes to make peace, I will not agree with Xiangu! "Cai Jiuju was very angry and did not pay attention to Xiangu, so he continued to go out. When I got to the gate of the barracks, I met Zhao Tong and Zhao Kuo. The two men pointed a bow at Cai Jiuju's head and said, "watch your head! Go back and tell you that barbarian head, be careful to touch our hands! "
Cai Jiuju returned to Chu camp. He told King Zhuang of Chu about his insults. The king of Zhuang was very angry and said, "who dares to rush into the battle? Let the Jin army have a look!" General Le Bo came forward. Jump into the chariot and run to the Jin army camp. Not far away, he ran into ten jin soldiers on patrol. Lebo didn't say a word. He shot one arrow at a time, shot down three in succession, and got off to catch one alive. Then he jumped into the chariot. Go back. The Jin army saw that there were Chu generals killing people, and they pursued them in three ways. Le Bo yelled: "Jin Jun, be careful. I shoot people on the left and horses on the right. Shoot the arrow With that, he shot a left arrow and a right arrow. Sure enough, the left side shot down three or four people, and the right side shot three or four horses, which made Jin soldiers dare not chase any more, and watched Lebo return to Chu army camp. Seeing that Chu soldiers came to challenge him, Xun Lin's father quickly sent Wei Kai to negotiate peace. Wei Yi is the son of Wei Yi who fled with Chonger, Duke Wen of Jin Dynasty. Wei Kai wanted to be a doctor, but he didn't succeed. He was always dissatisfied and wanted to be defeated by the Jin army. Xunlin's father was punished, and he was easy to take. Xunlin's father ordered him to talk about peace. He went back to the Warring States and said to xunlin's father, "the king of Chu doesn't agree to talk about peace. It's a fight. " Jin General Zhao Zhan thinks he is strong and always wants to show his hand to the general. In the evening, he took advantage of the night to lead the troops to attack the Chu camp, and was accidentally discovered by the Chu soldiers. Chu soldiers issued a loud alarm. He got on the bus and ran. After the king of Chu Zhuang found out the situation, he drove to catch up. The generals of Chu army, seeing that the king of Zhuang came out in person, followed up one after another. Sun shuao and King Zhuang said, "the art of war says," I'd rather chase people than let them chase me. " The soldiers of Jin Dynasty deceived people too much! Since all the generals followed, why don't we take advantage of it and rush to kill them! "At this time, before dawn, King Zhuang of Chu ordered to attack. At that moment, the drums sounded like thunder, and the chariots sped. The soldiers of Chu army rushed to the barracks of Jin State. The soldiers of Jin army are sleeping soundly. There was no preparation at all; Xun Lin's father heard the sound of drums and ordered to resist. The soldiers and horses of the two countries fought in the suburbs of Yingcheng (zhengdi, now east of Zhengzhou, Henan Province). The soldiers of Jin Dynasty woke up from their dreams in disorder. The lineup is not complete, the command is out of order, and the resistance is weak. However, the Chu army had a high fighting spirit and fought back and forth. It was like entering a no man's land. It didn't take long to defeat the Jin army. Xun Lin's father led the defeated general and ran away in a panic. The first grain came up from behind. He was hit by an arrow on his head and his face was covered with blood. Xun Lin's father said angrily, "did the fierce general end up like this?" Just as he was talking, the remnant soldiers of the state of Jin came up with him. Xunlin's father ordered him to cross the river quickly. But there are few boats and many people. You fight for me and trample on yourself. The boat was full of people, but later people held on and pushed the boat over a lot. Xiangu stood at the bow of the boat and cried, "who will hold on to the boat and chop his hand with a knife?" So the soldiers who got on the boat raised their knives and cut the soldiers who were climbing the boat. I saw the knife rise and fall. It's terrible. The soldiers who lost their hands fell into the river and were washed away by the water, which made the river red. King Zhuang of Chu led Chu soldiers into Hancheng. Some people advised him to take advantage of the victory. King Zhuang of Chu said: "since the battle of Chengpu was lost to the Jin army, the state of Chu did not dare to fight with the state of Jin. This victory is enough to wash away shame. The state of Jin and the state of Chu are both big countries. Sooner or later, they have to make peace. Why kill more people? "So they ordered the Chu army to stop chasing and let the Jin soldiers cross the river to return home. At the end of the Third World War, King Zhuang of Chu, who was famous at the end of the third year, finally made a great success. Later, King Zhuang of Chu successively made Lu, song, Zheng, Chen and other countries submit to the rule. He became the overlord after Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Wen of Jin, and Duke mu of Qin. He ruled the state of Chu for 23 years, which made the state of Chu strong for a time.
