As the saying goes, "A strong dragon has regrets, but its prosperity cannot last long." Under the leadership of Jin Xianggong, the Jin army defeated the princes from the southeast, northwest and northwest one by one. However, no matter how strong the Jin Dynasty was, it could not remain invincible forever. In the third year of Lu Wengong's reign (624 BC), Jin Xianggong once again united with Song, Chen, Wei, Zheng and other allies to defeat Chu's ally Shen. In order to retaliate, Chu State immediately sent troops to surround Jiang State, Jin's ally. Although Jin Xianggong sent troops to rescue Jiang State, they returned without success. In the end, Jiang State, Liao State and others were attacked and destroyed by Chu State.
The expansion of Chu's power sounded an alarm to Jin, reminding them that although the powerful country in the south was temporarily dormant, it had never surrendered to Jin. If Jin relaxed a little, the hegemony might change hands. At this time, the Jin State suffered another serious blow. Zhao Shuai, Luan Zhi, Xian Qieju, and Xu Chen, the veteran ministers who had followed Jin Wengong to lay the foundation for Jin State's hegemony, died one after another.
The serious consequences of the fall of the stars to the Jin State were not only the self-reduction of military strength, but more importantly, the sudden emergence of a large political vacuum quickly caused a struggle for power among the Jin State's top brass. In particular, the struggle for power between the Zhao family of Zhao Shei and the Hu family of Hu Yan, two veterans who followed Jin Wengong into exile, laid hidden dangers for future chaos and even the decline of Jin's hegemony.
Due to the lack of outstanding generals, Duke Xiang of Jin had to reduce the mighty Five Armed Forces to the Second Army and restore it to the Third Army. Then he selected outstanding talents from among the nobles to serve as generals of the Three Armies. Among the official positions of the three armies, the position of General of the Central Army, that is, the marshal of the Central Army, is not only a military position, but also similar to that of a prime minister. He is also in charge of national affairs and holds military and political power in one hand. Therefore, it is the most important official position in the Jin Kingdom. It can be imagined that the competition for it is also extremely fierce. The two key figures competing for the position of general are Zhao Dun from the Zhao family and Hu She from the Hu family. Aunt.
Zhao Dun is the eldest son of Zhao Shui. He was not born and raised in the Jin Kingdom, and his life experience is also very twists and turns. When Li Ji conquered the Jin Dynasty, several sons of Duke Xian of Jin fled to death. Prince Chong'er also avoided his father's pursuit and took advantage of the chaos to escape from the Jin Kingdom and came to his mother's motherland Di Kingdom. The king of Di State was very kind to Chong'er and gave to Chong'er the two captured daughters of the leader of the Red Di tribe, Shu Wei and Ji Wei. In order to win over the ministers who followed him, Chong'er only kept his sister Ji Wei, but gave his sister Shu Wei to Zhao Shuai. After Shu Wei married Zhao Shuai, he gave birth to his son Zhao Dun.
After Chong'er returned to the country and ascended the throne, all the ministers who followed him in exile also received rewards. At this time, the king of Di State heard that Chong'er had ascended the throne, so he sent his wife Ji Wei, who had stayed in Di State for seven years, to Jin State, but Zhao Shui His wife, Shukai, was not sent together. At this time, Duke Wen of Jin had already married his daughter to Zhao Shuai, and the two gave birth to three sons. Seeing Ji Wei being sent back to Jin, Zhao Shuai also remembered the man who accompanied him through the difficult times. Shu Wei, a woman from those difficult years, wanted to take her back, but was afraid that the current wife, the princess of Jin, would not agree, so he had to drag her away.
After the princess learned about this, she said very openly: "Please send someone to bring Shu Wei back, otherwise others will think you are a person who likes the new and hates the old." Seeing that the princess agreed, Zhao Shuai sent someone to pick him up. Shu Wei and Zhao Dun returned to the country, and later the princess gave up her position as the legitimate wife to Shu Wei, and made Zhao Dun the heir to Zhao Shui as the eldest son.
Although Zhao Shuai, as a hero who followed and supported Duke Wen of Jin, achieved a high status in the era of Duke Wen of Jin, the Zhao family's foundation in the Jin Kingdom was still shallow and could not compete with many old nobles. The Hu family that Hu Shegu belongs to is different. The Hu family was originally a large family with the surname Ji, the same surname as the king of the Jin Dynasty. Later, because his ancestors were granted the title of Hu's Dajong, the surname was gradually changed from Ji to Hu.
By the time of Hu Tu, Hu Shegu's grandfather, the Hu family was even more prominent. Hu Tu's two daughters, Dayong Huji and Xiaorongzi, were both married to Duke Xiang of Jin. Later, Yi Wu, the son of Duke Hui of Jin, and Jin Duke Wen and Chong'er were both the grandsons of Hutu. Later, Hu Tu's two sons, Hu Mao and Hu Yan, followed Chong'er in exile for many years. Hu Tu himself was brutally killed because he defended Chong'er and refused to recall his two sons as ordered by Duke Huai of Jin. It can be said that the Hu family not only has deep roots in the Jin Kingdom, but also has the trust of Duke Wen of Jin. This trust and attention was also inherited by Duke Xianggong of Jin after the death of Jin Wen Gong.
Therefore, in the process of selecting senior officers this time, Duke Xianggang of Jin held a military parade in Yidi, and without hesitation appointed Hu Shegu, the son of Hu Yan, as the general of the central army, and Zhao Dun as the assistant of the central army. However, this time This appointment is not the end of the battle, but just the beginning. Yang Chufu, the teacher of Duke Xianggang of Jin, had always supported the Zhao family. This time he heard that Zhao Dun had not been awarded the position of general in the central army, so he rushed back from Wendi and tried his best to remonstrate with Duke Xiang of Jin that Zhao Dun was a capable minister, " Enablement is the benefit of the country."
Since Yang Chufu was the teacher of Jin Xianggong, Jin Xianggong valued his opinions, so he held another military parade in Dongdi and appointed Zhao Dun as the central military general and Hu Shegu as the central military assistant. Hu Shegu was deprived of her position as a general by a few words from Yang Chufu for no reason, and she hated him to the bone. Moreover, he lost to Zhao Dun again in the struggle to establish a new king later, so he became hot-headed and He sent someone to stab Yang Chufu to death to vent his anger. In this way, the innocent Yang Chufu became the victim of Zhao Hu's struggle for power. The murder case was quickly solved, and the killer sent by Hu Shegu was also executed. Seeing that the matter would soon be found on her, Hu Shegu had no choice but to escape from the Jin State and go to the Di State.
Zhao Dun saw that Hu Shegu had left the Jin State on his own initiative. He was very happy to have eliminated a powerful enemy, and no longer pursued the assassination of Yang Chufu, so he sent people to bring Hu Shegu's wife, children, children and all the utensils and belongings to Di State. Go and give it to him, let him live in Di country with peace of mind, and never return to Jin country in his life. This time Zhao Hu's struggle for power ended with the Zhao family, who seemed to be at a disadvantage, completely victorious, and the Hu family, who seemed to be in an advantage, completely defeated. Later, someone asked Hu Shegu whether Zhao Shui or Zhao Dun was the more virtuous father and son. Hu Shegu still said with lingering fear: "Zhao Shuai is like the sun in winter, shining on everything and making people feel warm; while Zhao Dun Like the summer sun, the heat is unbearable and inescapable.”
After Zhao Dun took control of the Jin Dynasty, he worked hard to govern and introduced a series of measures from administrative, legal, social and other aspects, including formulating rules and regulations, revising criminal laws, managing the backlog of criminal cases, hunting down escaped slaves, and stipulating the use of drugs in economic activities. Contract account books, improving people's livelihood, cleaning up the hierarchy, selecting talents, etc. Since then, Jin's national political system has been improved and has become a fixed practice for Jin's national economy and people's livelihood.
In the sixth year of Duke Wen of Lu (621 BC), Duke Xianggong of Jin, the overlord of the princes, died of illness. At this time, Duke Xianggong of Jin's legitimate son and crown prince Yigao was still very young and unable to preside over state affairs. When Duke Wen of Jin died that day, Duke Xiang of Jin was already an adult and had the ability to control the political situation and even lead an army on an expedition. This prevented a tragedy similar to the five sons of Qi competing for the throne. However, Duke Xianggang of Jin himself died young, leaving a situation in which the young country was under suspicion, laying hidden dangers for the civil strife of Jin. The once-prominent hegemony of Wenxiang could only come to an end.
When Duke Xianggang of Jin was on his deathbed, he was extremely worried about his young prince, so he summoned Zhao Dun to his sickbed and told him earnestly: "This son is gifted to me by his talent. I resent your son." In other words, if Zhao Dun can teach Prince Yigao to become a talent, then Zhao Dun is benevolent to Duke Xianggang of Jin; if Prince Yigao cannot become a talent, then Duke Xianggang of Jin will also resent Zhao Dun's teaching under Jiuquan Ineffective.
However, Zhao Dun did not take Jin Xianggong's last words to heart. After Jin Xianggong passed away, Zhao Dun, as the highest actual person in power in Jin at this time, discussed the matter of the new king. Zhao Dun spoke first, believing that the country was in troubled times such as Lai Changjun and Prince Yigao were too young to take on the important responsibilities of the Jin State. Moreover, the young ruler of the country was likely to cause civil strife. The State of Jin is located in the Central Plains. The State of Qin to the west and the State of Chu to the south are both watching, and the Di people in the north are always watching for opportunities to attack. Once civil strife breaks out in the State of Jin, it will definitely lead to foreign invasion. The hegemony of the Jin Kingdom that all the ministers present have worked so hard to build will be in vain.
Zhao Dun's words touched the hearts of all the ministers present. They were either meritorious ministers who had followed Jin Wen Gong's misguided and bleak management and opened up the hegemony of the Jin Kingdom. They were also the old nobles who had served the Jin Kingdom in the past dynasties. No one wanted to see the Jin Dynasty. The country fell into chaos and suffered the scourge of war. So all the ministers discussed it one after another, nodded in agreement, and agreed to abolish the young orphan prince Yigao of Jin Xianggong and replace him with a eldest prince.
Since the father cannot be succeeded by the son, only the elder brother can succeed. The candidates for the change are concentrated on the two younger brothers of Jin Xianggong and the two younger sons of Jin Wengong, Gongzi Yong and Gongzi Le. The mother of Gongzi Yong was Du Qi, a woman from the state of Du. She originally had a higher status among the wives and concubines of Duke Wen of Jin. However, because Duke Wen of Jin doted on Duke Xianggang's biological mother, he took the initiative to ask to be placed under him. Later, Duke Wen of Jin was in Di His wife Ji Wei was sent back to Jin State because Di State was a strong rival of Jin State in the north and a benevolent country that supported Duke Wen of Jin in exile. In order not to wrong Ji Wei, Du Qi had to give in again. , agreed to let Ji Kui's status be above his own.
Because Du Qi was so considerate and considerate, Duke Wen of Jin always felt guilty towards her, so he loved her son Gongzi Yong very much. When he came of age, he recommended him to be an official in the friendly state of Qin, and Gongzi Yong lived up to his expectations. As expected, he was favored by Duke Mu of Qin in the State of Qin and gained the high position of Yaqing.
The origin of Gongzi Le is not simple. He is the grandson of Duke Mu of Qin, and his mother is Huaiying, the daughter of Duke Mu of Qin. When Duke Huai of Jin was a hostage in Qin, Duke Mu of Qin married his daughter Huaiying to him. Later, Duke Huai of Jin broke off diplomatic relations with Qin, and Duke Mu of Qin remarried Huaiying to Chong'er, who came to Qin for help. Chong'er originally disliked Huaiying for marrying his nephew and was unwilling to marry her. However, because he wanted to ask for help from the state of Qin, he had no choice but to obey his orders and was later called Chen Ying. Because the mother was not favored by her father, her son Gongzi Le did not receive much love from his father. When he became an adult, he went to serve as an official in the weak vassal state of Chen.
Therefore, when choosing a person to support, Zhao Dun chose Gongzi Yong, who had the support of Qin. He said to the ministers: "We should make Gongzi Yong our king. He is willing to do good, is older, and is very talented. The favor of the late emperor, and he had a close relationship with the state of Qin. The state of Qin and the state of Jin have been friendly neighbors for many years. As the saying goes, 'If you do good, you will be strong, if things go well, you will be obedient, if you establish love, you will be filial, and if you keep old, you will be safe.' Now, We want to elect an older king because the country is in danger. As long as we act in accordance with these four virtues, make Prince Yong the king, and maintain good relations with Qin, Jin's crisis will surely be alleviated."
The Zhao family and the Hu family are fighting for power at this time. Hu Shegu lost to Zhao Dun last time in the competition for the position of general in the army. If Zhao Dun is allowed to welcome the king according to his own wishes this time, then how can the Jin Kingdom survive? Is there a place for the Fox family to gain a foothold? So Hu Shegu stood up and sang the opposite tune: "In my opinion, it would be better to establish a son. Huaiying was once favored by two monarchs. If she establishes her son, the people will obey with peace of mind."
Before Zhao Dun could say anything, Zhao Meng of the Zhao family stood up and retorted: "Chen Ying has a low status and has been married to two monarchs. What dignity does the son of such a lewd person have? And as the son of the previous monarch, Gongzi Le is not He goes to a big country to seek a position but settles down in the small country of Chen. This is a despicable person without great ambitions. His mother is a promiscuous man and his son is a despicable son. How can such a person be a king? Moreover, the Chen country is weak and far away, and Jin can't do anything if it happens. It is of no use to Jin to come to the rescue. Young Master Yong’s mother is virtuous and has the support of the State of Qin, so of course he should be crowned Young Master Yong!”
After some arguments, neither the Zhao family nor the Hu family could convince the other, so Zhao Dun angrily ignored Hu Shegu's opinion and sent Xian Mian and Shi Hui to the Qin State to welcome Prince Yong back to the country. Hu Shegu was unwilling to do so. Showing weakness, he immediately sent people to the state of Chen to invite Gongzi Le back to his country. But after all, it was Zhao Dun who was the better at chess. He not only sent people to greet Gongzi Yong, but also sent assassins to assassinate Gongzi Le. On his way back from Chen to Jin, Gongzi Le was killed in Piyi (now west of Jiyuan, Henan Province). ) was stabbed to death by a killer. Hu Shegu saw that Gongzi Le was dead and she was defeated by Zhao Dun again. She was so angry that she sent people to kill Zhao Dun's party member Yu Yang Chufu, and then she fled to the Di Kingdom. The Hu family withdrew from the Jin Kingdom. political arena.
Seeing that the young prince Yigao was about to lose his rightful position as king, Mu Ying, the wife of Duke Xianggang of Jin, was very anxious. She held the prince in her arms every day and cried in front of the court: "What has the late prince done to you? What has the prince done to you?" You actually abandoned your legitimate son and went abroad to look for the king. Where will you leave the prince?" Seeing that his crying in the previous court was ineffective, Mu Ying carried the prince to Zhao Dun's home and cried: "When the king entrusted the prince to you, he said: "I accept the gift of this son; if he is not talented, I blame him." Now that the late king has passed away, and the words are still in my ears, you abandon the prince. Aren't you afraid of retribution?"
Zhao Dun and other officials were disturbed by Mu Ying, and people in the Spring and Autumn Period also believed in ghosts and gods. They were very worried that Duke Xianggang of Jin would retaliate against him because his soul was restless under Jiuquan, so they decided to betray Prince Yong or support Prince Yi. Gao, this is Jin Linggong. Then Zhao Dun personally led his army to defend the Qin army who was sending Prince Yong back to Jin, and defeated the Qin army at Linghu.
After Jin Linggong ascended the throne, Zhao Dun completely took control of the political power of the Jin state, and even convened the Qi, Song, Wei, Chen, Zheng, Xu, and Cao kingdoms as a doctor to form a national alliance, marking the beginning of the Jin doctor-led alliance. At the same time, civil strife broke out in the country due to the interest disputes among the officials. From then on, the Jin Kingdom no longer had the power to dominate the world, and fell into the dilemma of being a small country, with dictatorial powers, and constant civil strife.
