In order to marry into the increasingly powerful Qi State, Cai Muhou married his sister to Qi Huangong. In Qi State, people called her Cai Ji. Not Cai Wenji. Cai Ji was lively, bold, charming and cute. She quickly won the favor of Duke Huan of Qi, and he often took her boating on the lake in the garden.
One day, Duke Huan of Qi took Cai Ji on a boat to play on the lake. Seeing that the weather was fine and the waves were shining, Cai Ji was very happy, so she playfully rocked the boat from side to side, joking with Duke Huan of Qi. Unexpectedly, Duke Huan of Qi didn't know the nature of water. When he saw the boat rocking violently, he turned pale with fright and shouted at Cai Ji repeatedly. But when Cai Ji saw that the usually dignified and serious Duke Huan of Qi had such a embarrassed side, she found it very amusing. Instead of stopping, she rocked the boat even harder.
Cai Ji overestimated her status in the mind of Duke Huan of Qi. Duke Huan of Qi was angered by her dangerous game and sent someone to send her back to Cai Guo's natal family. Seeing that his sister was sent back, Cai Muhou understood that she had lost the favor of Duke Huan of Qi and would not have a good future even if she returned to Qi. At this time, under the leadership of King Cheng, the state of Chu was becoming increasingly powerful. It was also fighting in the north and south, and there was a faint tendency to compete with the state of Qi. The state of Cai was very close to the state of Chu, and was also under pressure from the state of Chu, so Cai state Mu Hou simply married his sister to King Chu Cheng to show his goodwill to the Chu State.
However, although Duke Huan of Qi sent Cai Ji back to her natal family, he did not divorce Cai Ji and severed the marriage relationship between the two countries. At this time, he heard that Cai Ji, who was still his wife in name, was remarried by his brother to King Chu Cheng. Suddenly he was furious and determined to retaliate against Chu and Cai.
Later, the State of Chu sent troops to attack the State of Zheng many times on the grounds that the State of Zheng had abandoned its alliance with the State of Chu and defected to the State of Qi. On the surface, it was to attack the State of Zheng, but in fact it was also a challenge to the state of Qi's alliance leader. So Zheng Wengong sent People asked Qi for help. Duke Huan of Qi had an old grudge against Chu. When he saw Chu making such provocative behavior, he wanted to immediately send troops to rescue Zheng.
But Guan Zhong saw that the key to this war was not Zheng, so he advised Qi Huan Gong: "It is better to attack Chu than to save Zheng. Please unite all the princes to send troops together." Although Qi Huan Gong agreed with Guan Zhong's opinion, he also had his own It is good to form an alliance with the princes, but it is hard to avoid alerting the enemy if the momentum is so great. So Guan Zhong gave Duke Huan of Qi an idea. The State of Cai was very close to the State of Chu. He might as well summon the princes under the pretext of attacking the State of Cai, and then send a large force southward to catch the State of Chu by surprise.
In the fourth year of Duke Xi of Lu (656 BC), Duke Huan of Qi summoned the divisions of Qi, Song, Chen, Wei, Zheng, Xu, and Cao to attack Cai. How could the small Cai withstand the attack of the eight-nation coalition? The collapse soon followed. Then he sent his troops southward, preparing to continue to attack Chu. When King Chu Cheng heard that Qi had led the Eight-Nation Alliance to raid the country, he quickly sent his commander Yin Quwan to negotiate with the coalition.
After meeting Duke Huan of Qi, Qu Wan asked bluntly: "You live in the North Sea, and I live in the South China Sea. They are just incompatible with each other. You came to our country of Chu today and didn't say hello in advance. What's the reason?" ?" People in the Spring and Autumn Period continued the old rituals of the Western Zhou Dynasty and paid attention to having a good reputation. If the name is not correct, the words will not go smoothly, and if the words are not right, the things will not be accomplished.
In the face of Qu Wan's questioning, if the Qi side could not give a decent reason, the coalition forces would be out of nowhere. Not only would Duke Huan of Qi's reputation be damaged, but the morale of the army would also be severely hit.
So Guan Zhong, who had the same status as Qu Wan, took a step forward and said loudly: "In the past, Duke Kang ordered my ancestor, Grand Duke, to conquer the five princes and nine uncles, women, to assist the Zhou Dynasty!" To the sea, to the river in the west, to Muling in the south, and to Wudi in the north. The Chu State was supposed to pay tribute to Emperor Zhou of the Mao Mao used to filter wine on time. As a result, the sacrifices of Emperor Zhou could not be held on time, so our king came to conquer . At that time, King Zhao of Zhou went south to conquer Chu and never came back. Therefore, our king came to ask for an explanation."
More than three hundred years ago, King Zhao of Zhou personally led an army to conquer the Chu Kingdom in the south. As a result, the entire army was wiped out, and King Zhao himself died on the bank of the Han River. When questioning Qu Wan about events that happened more than 300 years ago, Guan Zhong was very unreasonable, and it was even more deliberately difficult to say that because Chu State did not pay tribute to Baomao, Emperor Zhou could not hold a sacrificial ceremony. So Qu Wan said coldly: "There is no tribute to Baomao. It belongs to our country. I will definitely pay tribute on time in the future. However, the matter of King Zhao's failure to return from the southern expedition has nothing to do with Chu. If you want to ask, you should go to the bank of Han River to ask." Bar."
In this verbal dispute, Qu Wan failed to shake the morale of the coalition forces, and Guan Zhong did not find any clues, so the coalition forces continued to attack and stationed themselves at Xing (near today's Lincheng, Henan) in the state of Chu. A few months later, the state of Chu could no longer resist, so it sent Qu Wan to negotiate for peace. Duke Huan of Qi temporarily withdrew his troops to Zhaoling. In order to show his military power, Duke Huan of Qi ordered the coalition forces to set up a formation and summoned Qu Wan to ride in a car with him for the military parade.
Duke Huan of Qi first tested Qu Wan's attitude: "What happened now was not my intention. Our two countries have been on good terms since the time of our ancestors. Why not renew our friendship and reestablish diplomatic relations now?" Qu Wan replied without hesitation or hardness: " If your Majesty brings blessings to our country, our country will naturally be very willing to do so."
Duke Huan of Qi was speechless for a long time, then pointed to the heavily arrayed coalition troops and showed him to Qu Wan: "Look, I am fighting with this huge army, who can resist it? If I attack the city with this, which city can't be conquered?" "Qu Wan said without being humble or arrogant: "If your Majesty appeases all countries with your virtues, no one will dare to disobey. But if you use force to coerce, then Chu State has Fangcheng Mountain and natural dangers as the city wall, and the Tangtang Han River as the moat. Although your army is large in number, It is useless against the forces of nature.”
Duke Huan of Qi saw that Qu Wan was unwilling to accept the offer, and what he said was reasonable. The Chu State was not easy to conquer, so he made an alliance with the Chu State in Zhaoling and ceased war with the Chu State. Since Guan Zhong used Chu State's failure to pay tribute to Baomao as the reason for Qi's expedition to Chu, and Chu State also promised to pay tribute on time, King Chu Cheng sent Qu Wan to visit King Zhou Hui afterwards with Baomao who paid tribute. It can be regarded as fulfilling the promise and saving the face of both countries.
King Hui of Zhou Dynasty was very happy when he saw that Chu State, which had become arrogant after becoming powerful and had not paid tribute for a long time, came to express its goodwill. He rewarded Chu State with sacrificial meat, comforted Qu Wanhaosheng for a while, and greatly praised Duke Huan of Qi. Fan.
After solving the problem of Chu State, internal strife broke out in the Eight-Nation Allied Forces led by Duke Huan of Qi. Duke Huan of Qi wanted to return to Qi State, and the shortest way was through the territories of Chen State and Zheng State. However, the coalition forces were so large that having to pass through Chen State's territory made Chen State's official Yuan Taotu very uneasy. Moreover, this expedition His goal had been achieved, and he was unwilling to supply the food and supplies needed by the army.
Therefore, Yuan Taotu went to the doctor Zheng Shenhou to discuss: "If the army comes between Chen and Zheng, the country will be very ill. It would be better to go eastward, go to Dongyi's place to show military power, and then go back along the seaside." "?" Marquis Zheng Shen thought for a while and replied readily: "Good!" Seeing that Dr. Zheng also said so, Yuan Taotu felt that he had a greater chance of success when he went to discuss the matter with Duke Huan of Qi, so he went happily. He met with Duke Huan of Qi and asked him to approve a new route for returning troops. Duke Huan of Qi thought about it and didn't think that the new route would be harmful, so he agreed to Yuan Taotu's request.
When Marquis Zheng Shen saw that Yuan Tao Tu had really accomplished this, he went to see Duke Huan of Qi and said to him: "The army is tired and old. If it encounters an enemy from the east, it will be useless. If we return from Chen and Zheng, Wouldn't it be nice not to encounter an enemy, but also to have both countries jointly fund grain and grass supplies?" Duke Huan of Qi thought that this was indeed the case, and also understood Yuan Taotu's intention of crossing the river and demolishing the bridge, and angrily ordered Yuan Taotu's arrest. At the same time, he was also very satisfied with Marquis Zheng Shen's loyalty to him, and rewarded Hulao Pass (now east of Gongyi, Henan) to Zheng Guo. In this way, Zheng Shenhou not only gained Hulao Pass with a single move, but also strengthened the relationship between Qi and Zheng.
Yuan Taotu and Chen Guo, who were tricked by Zheng Shenhou, were not so lucky. After Yuan Taotu was captured, Duke Huan of Qi became more and more angry, so he led the coalition of princes to attack Chen Guo, crusade against its insufficiency in the alliance of nations. The crime of loyalty. Chen Guo was just a small country following Qi State in an attempt to get a share of the pie. It could not withstand the pressure of the army, so it quickly petitioned Qi Huan for peace. After all, Chen State was an ally of Qi State, and it did not make much of a mistake. Duke Huan of Qi led the army to attack, just to show his power. Seeing that Chen State was so respectful, he withdrew his army and magnanimously returned Yuan Tao. Gave it to Chen Guo.
In the farce of the crusade against Chen Guo, the person who benefited the most was an unexpected person. The State of Xu and the State of Qi were both vassal states with the surname Jiang. During this expedition, Duke Mugong Xu also personally led the army to join the coalition. However, this old man who had been the king for thirty-eight years could not bear the long journey and the fatigue of the journey, and he died unexpectedly. In the army.
Originally, the so-called Xu Mugong was nothing more than an honorific title, and Xu's title was actually just a baron. However, according to Zhou etiquette, if a prince dies while attending a court meeting, the funeral ceremony can be given a first-class title, and those who die in royal affairs can be given a second-class title. In order to show that he respected the king and resisted the barbarians, and acted according to the Zhou rites, Duke Huan of Qi also wanted to show that his expedition to the Chu State and the Chen State was not to vent his anger for himself, but to fight against the ministers for the Emperor of Zhou and for the sake of all the people. The vassal states suppressed the disloyalty, so they promoted Xu Mugong to the second level and buried him according to the etiquette of a marquis.
After showing his majesty in front of the various vassal states, Duke Huan of Qi was not satisfied and further extended his hand to the major matter of abolishing and establishing the royal family. The reigning Emperor of Zhou at that time was King Hui of Zhou Ji Lang, and his crown prince Zheng was born to the former queen. After the death of the first queen, King Zhou Hui established another queen. The situation has been like this for a long time. The new queen has always wanted to conspire with King Zhou Hui to depose the crown prince Zheng and make his own son Wang Zidai the crown prince. King Zhou Hui is naturally unwilling to go against the wishes of his beloved wife, but it is necessary to abolish the eldest son and establish a young son. It violated the taboo of etiquette and could not be carried out with great fanfare, so the matter was delayed.
After Duke Huan of Qi found out, he felt that as the overlord of the world, he ordered all the vassal states to interfere with the Zhou royal family's unruly behavior, so he sent someone to summon Guan Zhong for discussion. Guan Zhong said: "This matter is easy to handle. Please convene the princes, and then invite Prince Zheng to attend, and make Prince Zheng known to the world. By then, the Emperor of Zhou will not be able to secretly change the crown prince."
In the fifth year of Duke Xi of Lu (655 BC), Duke Huan of Qi convened a meeting of Lu, Qi, Song, Chen, Wei, Zheng, Xu, and Cao in the first place in the name of visiting the crown prince of Zhou, and asked King Hui of Zhou to send the crown prince Zheng Come to the assembly and meet all the princes. King Zhou Hui was caught off guard and could not suddenly change the crown prince, so he had to send Prince Zheng to attend the meeting. After this opportunity, Prince Zheng established good relations with the princes of various countries and his status was consolidated. Therefore, he was very grateful to Duke Huan of Qi. However, King Hui of Zhou was extremely angry with Duke Huan. The majestic Emperor Zhou was actually plotted against by his ministers. He was even complained by the queen when he returned to the harem, so he sent Duke Zhou to summon Duke Zheng Wen. Originally, Zheng was an ally of Qi, but there were cracks in the alliance between the two countries, and King Hui of Zhou planned to take revenge on Duke Huan of Qi.
At the beginning, Zheng Shenhou, the official of Zheng Wengong, betrayed Chen Guo's official Yuan Taotu and obtained Hulao Pass from Qi Huangong. As a result, Chen Guo not only did not get any benefits from the joint conquest of Chu, but was also attacked by allied forces from various countries. The crusade, and Yuan Taotu lost face even more. However, Yuan Taotu is a very smart person. After being framed once, he learned to retaliate in kind.
After Yuan Taotu regained his freedom, he first went to Zheng Shenhou and persuaded him to build a city wall for the newly acquired city of Hulao Pass. He also said sincerely: "Build the city to be stronger and more gorgeous, so that your name can be known far and near. , and pass it on to our descendants." Zheng Shenhou hesitated and said, "You are right, but I don't have that much money to build the city, what should I do?" Yuan Tao Tu smiled and said, "What's the problem? I'll do it. Help you raise funds.”
Yuan Tao kept his word and indeed raised funds from the princes for Zheng Shenhou. With support from all directions, the city wall of Hulao Pass was quickly built. Seeing that the time had come, Yuan Tao Tu went to see Zheng Wengong and said, "Zheng Shenhou has built the city of Hulaoguan in the newly enfeoffed city very solidly. Does the prince know about this?" Zheng Wengong felt puzzled. It was very difficult to repair the city in the newly enfeoffed city. It was a normal matter, why did Yuan Taotu ask in such a mysterious way? So Zheng Wengong said: "I know it."
Yuan Taotu asked again: "Do you know who gave the Hulao Pass fiefdom to Zheng Shenhou?" Zheng Wengong said: "Yes, it is Qi Huangong." Yuan Taotu said: "How could Qi Huangong do it for no reason? What about the land that rewards the officials of other countries with fiefs? And Zheng Shenhou reinforced the city wall as soon as he got Hulao Pass. This clearly means that Zheng Shenhou has taken refuge with Duke Huan of Qi and is about to betray you!" Zheng Wengong broke out in a cold sweat and not only caught After Zheng Shenhou was punished, he became wary of Qi Huangong and planned to rebel against the alliance.
King Hui of Zhou knew that Duke Wen of Zheng and Duke Huan of Qi were at odds with each other, so he said to Duke Wen of Zheng: "Qi and Chu have been fighting for many years, and your country of Zheng has not been at peace. Now I will protect you from Chu, and then support you with Jin, so that you can have less peace." "King Zhou Hui's words entered Zheng Wengong's heart. Zheng Wengong thought that with the support of King Zhou Hui and the protection of the two great powers of Chu and Jin, Zheng could rest easy, so he stopped participating in the Qi Dynasty. Duke Huan convened a gathering of princes.
Seeing that Zheng Guo did not come to the alliance meeting for no reason, Duke Huan of Qi would not tolerate such behavior that provoked the majesty of the alliance leader, so he summoned allied forces from various countries to attack Zheng Guo. As expected, Chu State came to rescue several times, but Duke Huan of Qi came to attack repeatedly. Unable to bear the disturbance, Duke Wen had no choice but to kill Marquis Zheng Shen to seek peace with Qi. Zheng Shenhou was originally the favored concubine of King Chu Wen. After the death of King Chu Wen, he fled to Zheng State and served for Zheng State. Zheng Wengong's killing of him was regarded as a sign of alienating Chu State and returning to Qi State. Later, Duke Wen of Zheng asked Qi for an alliance again. After Guan Zhong's persuasion, Duke Huan of Qi graciously accepted it.
After this incident, not only the State of Zheng, but also all the princes in the world understood that the Emperor of Zhou was unreliable and had to closely follow the State of Qi to protect himself. Therefore, Duke Huan of Qi's hegemonic position became even stronger. Soon after, King Hui of Zhou passed away. Prince Zheng was worried that his brother and uncle would lead him into rebellion, so he kept the funeral secret and sent people to Qi State to ask for assistance. Duke Huan of Qi gathered the princes in Tao (now east of Lankao, Henan) and jointly supported Prince Zheng to ascend the throne. This was King Xiang of Zhou. After receiving the recognition and support of the princes and consolidating the throne, King Xiang dared to mourn his father, King Hui of Zhou.
After several battles and political maneuvers, Duke Huan of Qi not only frightened the princes and consolidated his status as the leader of the alliance, but also suppressed the glory of Emperor Zhou, making the princes dare not rebel. In addition, he also easily influenced the dethronement and establishment of Emperor Zhou. Qi's hegemony has reached its peak.
