In the eleventh year of King Zhouzhuang (686 BC), the State of Ning surrendered under the attack of the coalition forces of Qi and Lu. At this point, Qi Xianggong's hegemony has reached a new height. As long as he can ally with the princes, he will be called the overlord. However, Qi Xianggong did not take another step forward after all. A sudden civil strife not only cost him his life, but also temporarily interrupted Qi's path to hegemony.
The incident originated from a renegade by Qi Xianggong. Previously, Duke Xiang of Qi had sent two officials, Lian Cheng and Guan Zhifu, to lead troops to guard Kuiqiu (southwest of today's Linzi, Shandong), and told them: "When melons go, they will take their place." That is to say, the garrison lasted for one year. A year later, Lian Cheng and Guan Zhifu did not wait for the Qi army to change defenses. The confused two asked Qi Xianggong to return to Linzi, but Qi Xianggong seemed to have forgotten his original promise and flatly refused them. people's requirements. Being guarded outside and sleeping in the open, life is naturally not as comfortable as in the capital. Seeing that there was no hope of changing the defense, Lian Cheng and Guan Zhifu became resentful and wanted to rebel.
To overthrow Qi Xianggong, one must first find someone qualified to succeed him. Lian Cheng and Guan Zhifu thought of Qi Xianggong's cousin Gongsun Wuwu. Gongsun Wuzhi was the son of Yi Zhongnian, the younger brother of Duke Xi of Qi. When Duke Xi of Qi was still alive, he loved his nephew very much. His living and dietary standards were the same as those of the princes Zhuer, who later became Duke Xiang of Qi. This naturally made his descendants Very uncomfortable.
As soon as Qi Xianggong succeeded to the throne, he lowered Gongsun Wuzhi's treatment standards, and Gongsun Wuzhi became dissatisfied with Qi Xianggong. Lian Cheng and Guan Zhifu approached Gongsun Wuwu for discussion. The two parties hit it off immediately and started planning intensively. In order to ensure the success of the rebellion, Lian Cheng also found an internal agent in Qi Xianggong's palace. Lian Cheng had a cousin who was the concubine of Duke Xiang of Qi, but she was not favored. Lian Cheng took the opportunity to persuade her to join the rebellion, and reported to him the movements of Duke Xiang of Qi at any time, and promised to betroth her to Gongsun Wuzhi and make her his wife after success.
A major rebellion was about to break out, but Qi Xianggong was at a loss. Perhaps it was Qi's expanding power that made him more arrogant and extravagant. In the winter of this year, Qi Xianggong went out to Gufen to play. While hunting in the shell fields, he encountered an unusually large wild boar. It is not uncommon to encounter wild boars while hunting, but people in the early Spring and Autumn Period were very afraid of ghosts and gods. When Qi Xianggong's attendants saw this strange wild boar, they thought it was the deceased prince Peng Sheng who had transformed and came to seek revenge, and they screamed in surprise .
In order to be able to live forever with his sister Wen Jiang, Duke Xiang of Qi sent his uncle Peng Sheng to kill Duke Huan of Lu while he was drunk. Later, in order to appease Duke Zhuang of Lu, he framed his uncle Peng Sheng and executed him. Peng Sheng was very angry at Qi Xianggong's betrayal. Before being punished, he once shouted that he would turn into a ghost and come to seek revenge. When Duke Xiang of Qi learned about this, he was naturally afraid and hated Peng Sheng. Now seeing this incredibly big wild boar and seeing the attendants on the left and right in such a panic, he couldn't help but become furious, bent his bow and shot it with an arrow.
After all, Qi Xianggong had done something wrong, and he was inevitably lacking in confidence. Although the arrow hit, it did not kill the wild boar. The injured wild boar was in unbearable pain. It flew up with its front legs and roared loudly. However, the suspicious Qi Xianggong was so frightened that he fell down from the chariot. Fortunately, the attendants on the left and right had quick hands and quick eyes, and managed to rescue Qi Xianggong back.
After this commotion, Qi Xianggong naturally felt an unknown fire in his heart with nowhere to vent. When he returned to the palace that night, he found that he had injured his foot and had lost his shoes and socks. He could not find them, so he beat the attendant who was responsible for the shoes and socks with three hundred lashes to vent his anger. When Fei left the palace, he found that there was a lot of people outside the palace, the lights were bright, and there were sounds of fighting. He was immediately arrested by the soldiers. Lian Cheng, Guan Zhifu and Gongsun Wuzhi, who had planned for a long time, heard that Qi Xianggong was injured and had difficulty moving, so they took the opportunity to launch a rebellion and led their men to attack the palace. When Fei saw them, he claimed that he had been mistreated by Qi Xianggong and was willing to cooperate with them. He hoped that the rebels would not act rashly, otherwise the palace would be alarmed. Once Qi Xianggong escaped, all previous achievements would be in vain.
Gongsun Wuwu and others saw that Fei was badly injured, so they naturally believed his words and released him. Unexpectedly, Fei was a loyal man. After escaping, he immediately returned to the palace, told Qi Xianggong about the rebellion, and hid him behind the door. When Gongsun Wuwu saw that Fei had not come out for a long time, he realized that he had been deceived, so he led his troops to attack the palace. Fei fought fiercely with the rebels for a while, but was eventually outnumbered and killed at the gate of the palace.
Facing the well-prepared rebels, Qi Xianggong's attendants were no match at all. Gongsun Wuwu and others successfully broke into the inner room and killed Meng Yang on the bed pretending to be Qi Xianggong. The rebels looked around, and finally saw Qi Xianggong's exposed feet behind the door, so they swarmed up and raised their swords. Duke Xiang of Qi died in the hands of his cousin. This was retribution. If you don't treat others with kindness, others won't treat you with kindness. Immediately, Gongsun Wuwu was elected as the king of Qi.
However, Gongsun Wuzhi did not sit on the throne for long. He himself was not a wise and wise king. When he was still a prince, he once abused the people of Yonglin. The locals held a grudge against him. After Gongsun Wuzhi came to the throne, they launched a surprise attack and killed Wuzhi when he was out in Yonglin. Even the fathers of Zhi and Guan were not spared.
Qi State now fell into a leaderless situation. As the saying goes, a country cannot live without a king for a day. Duke Xianggong of Qi has no sons, and besides Duke Xiang of Qi, his sons include Prince Jiu and Prince Xiaobai. The new king will naturally be born between these two people. However, at this critical moment, these two young masters were not in Qi. Because Qi Xianggong killed the young master Peng Sheng in his early years, his outrageous behavior has aroused the dissatisfaction and fear of the ministers. For his own selfish interests, he even killed his own uncle. Who knows which day the butcher's knife will fall on him? On your head? Especially Young Master Jiu and Young Master Xiaobai were even more frightened.
Since Duke Xianggang of Qi had no sons, according to the inheritance system of "the father dies, the son succeeds, the elder brother succeeds the younger brother", both of them are legal heirs to the throne. If Qi Xianggong one day uses their intention to usurp the throne as an excuse, he will really have no excuse. So the two men ran away to their mothers' homes one after another. Young Master Jiu's mother was from the State of Lu, so she fled to the State of Lu; while Young Master Xiaobai fled to the State of Ju.
Although the two were abroad, they were always paying attention to domestic news. Civil strife broke out in Qi State, and when the news that Qi Xianggong and Gongsun Wuwu died one after another reached their ears, the exiled princes Jiu and Xiaobai immediately understood this. Returning to China is a good time to succeed to the throne. However, there are no two days in the sky, no two kings among the people, and only one king. Whoever returns to Qi first will have the upper hand. The future of Qi is still uncertain.
One day in the twelfth year of King Zhouzhuang (685 BC), smoke and dust billowed on the road from Ju State (today's Ju County, Shandong Province) to Linzi, the capital of Qi State (today's Zibo, Shandong Province), and dozens of rumbling military chariots were rapidly approaching. Speeding away northwest. On a military vehicle in the middle of the team, a young man in a white robe stood on the left, holding on to the armrest and looking forward, with an anxious look on his face, as if he was expecting something; on his right was a middle-aged man with a loyal face. , holding a long sword, seemed to be the chariot of a young man in white robe. This man looked around with a nervous look on his face. The young man in the white robe is the young master Xiaobai, and the middle-aged man is called Bao Shuya. He is a senior official in the state of Qi and is also the aide of the young master Xiaobai. The purpose of this group of people is to become the king of Qi.
After civil strife broke out in Qi, Duke Xianggang of Qi died at the hands of his cousin Gongsun Wuwu, who was immediately attacked and killed by people from Yonglin. Gongsun Wuzhi killed the king and usurped the throne, but he was not officially the king, and the Yonglin people only wanted revenge, not another coup. They told the officials of Qi that this operation was to kill the rebels, and they hoped that the officials could establish a new emperor and determine the state of the country as soon as possible.
At that time, the Guo family and the Gao family were the two largest aristocratic forces in Qi. Among them, the ancestor of the Gao family was the sixth-generation grandson of Jiang Taigong. Because he was sealed in the highlands, he was called Gongzi Gao, and later generations took Gao as his surname. Gao Xi, the grandson of Gongzi Gao, once served as Qi Xianggong's chief minister, and originally had a close relationship with Gongzi Xiaobai. So he secretly contacted Xiaobai, the young master in Ju State, and asked him to return to the country as soon as possible to succeed him.
Young Master Xiaobai is the youngest son of Duke Xi of Qi, and his mother is the daughter of the monarch of Ju State. His early deeds are unclear, and it seems that he was not favored by people at the time. At the beginning, Duke Xi of Qi ordered the doctor Bao Shuya to serve as a companion to assist the young master Xiaobai. Bao Shuya was very disappointed with this appointment and believed that this was a sign that Duke Xi of Qi did not recognize his talents, so he stayed behind closed doors. After the persuasion of his friends Guan Zhong and Zhao Hu, he changed his mind and accepted the appointment.
Guan Zhong, also known as Guan Yiwu, is said to be a descendant of King Mu of Zhou Dynasty. However, by his generation, his family had already fallen into decline. In the Spring and Autumn Period, when etiquette was broken and music and music were broken, it was common for princes and grandsons to live on the streets. . When he was young, Guan Zhong's family was very poor, so he had to partner with Bao Shuya to do business.
Guan Zhong must take an extra share when he distributes dividends. The guys were indignant, but Bao Shuya didn't take it seriously. He felt that Guan Zhong's family was not well off, so it was understandable to take more money. Later, Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya participated in the war between Qi and Wei. During the war, Bao Shuya was a fierce general with countless meritorious deeds; but Guan Zhong was greedy for life and afraid of death on the battlefield. His comrades could not see it and blamed Guan Zhong one after another. It was Bao Shuya who came forward to explain to him that it turned out that Guan Zhong still had an old mother in his family who needed to be taken care of. As the saying goes, Loyalty and filial piety cannot have both ends. Because Bao Shuya was loyal and upright by nature, Guan Zhong always lived well, and later became a doctor of Qi State.
Although Guan Zhong seems to be greedy for money and afraid of death, he is not an ordinary person. Unlike the loyal and honest Bao Shuya, Guan Zhong has a smart mind and a flexible mind. He clearly saw the chaotic dynasty during the reign of Duke Xiang of Qi, and he also had his own unique views on the succession of the monarch.
After receiving the secret report, the young master Xiaobai quickly borrowed a military chariot from the State of Ju and set out for the State of Qi at starry night. However, Xiaobai's ambition did not come true so smoothly: just as Ju State's military chariots were galloping towards Linzi, a group of troops shot out from behind and blocked their way. In the leader's chariot stood a general. When Bao Shuya saw this person, his expression changed drastically, and he quickly ordered the driver to stop the car, while Hengge stopped in front of Xiaobai. The person who came was none other than Guan Zhong.
Although Gongzi Xiaobai learned about the current situation of Qi State first, Gongzi Jiu also learned about Gongsun Wuwu's death soon after. The resourceful Guan Zhong immediately judged the situation. He believed that Young Master Xiaobai must have left early. At this time, it was too late to escort Young Master Jiu directly back to Qi State, so he could only send troops to intercept Young Master Xiaobai on the road.
Bao Shuya knew that Guan Zhong was resourceful and came here to prevent Xiaobai from returning home, so he acted as if he was facing a formidable enemy. Unexpectedly, Guan Zhong didn't take it seriously at all, but he raised his hand to Xiaobai and asked with a charming smile. "I wonder where you are going, young master?" Before Xiaobai could reply, Bao Shuya sternly scolded: "Young Master Yi, please talk more! I don't want you to worry about my lord's affairs!" As soon as these words came out, the soldiers of Ju State suddenly became angry. They started to make a noise and glared at Guan Zhong and his party, with the intention of taking action if they disagreed.
Unexpectedly, Guan Zhong didn't feel dissatisfied, and still said with a smile on his face: "In that case, Guan Zhong resigned first." After saying that, he turned the chariot and was about to leave. Suddenly he turned around, bent his bow and arrow, and looked at Xiaobai with real eyes. Shoot away. It was too late, but soon, Xiaobai screamed, fell to the ground, vomited blood, and passed out. Bao Shuya and others were shocked, and immediately became confused. They all jumped out of the chariot to save Xiaobai, ignoring Guan Zhong and others. Guan Zhong laughed loudly, threw away his bow, and led the chariot away.
Guan Zhongman, who thought he had succeeded, thought that this way, Gongzijiu would have no worries. Who knows that as the saying goes, a wise man will make a mistake after thinking a lot. It turns out that the arrow happened to hit Xiaobai's belt hook. Xiaobai was so anxious that he bit his own tongue, creating the illusion that he was dead, and successfully deceived everyone. As soon as Guan Zhong left, he quickly got up and took a small road with Bao Shuya back to Qi State. When the Lu army pressed heavily on the border and escorted the young master Jiu Zai back to Linzi, Xiaobai had already successfully ascended the throne with the support of the Gao family and the Guo family. He became the famous Duke Huan of Qi.
Prince Jiu, who was tricked by Prince Xiaobai, had no choice but to return to the state of Lu and ask Duke Zhuang of Lu for help. The furious Duke Zhuang of Lu immediately decided to send troops to attack Qi. In the autumn of that year, the Lu army invaded the state of Qi. The newly enthroned Duke Huan of Qi led his troops to fight with the Lu army in Qianshi, which was known as the "Battle of Qianshi" in history. As a result, the Lu army was severely defeated. Duke Zhuang of Lu even abandoned the chariot he was riding in, sent his charioteers Qin Zi and He to confuse the Qi army, and fled back to Lu in embarrassment.
The Battle of Qianshi marked the end of Qi's civil strife, and Qi Huangong established his throne. However, his career of domination has not yet begun, because the other protagonist Guan Zhong is still in the state of Lu.
