In August of the ninth year of King Jian of Zhou Dynasty (577 BC), in order to punish the neighboring country Xu for sheltering and supporting the rebel Gongzi Ban when he returned to the country to fight for power and cause rebellion, and before that, he privately accepted the fiefdom of another rebel Gongsun Shen from the Zheng Kingdom and gave it to Gongzi Ban. Zheng Guo caused losses to its territory. The king of Zheng, Zheng Chenggong, ignored the agreement in the "Annihilation Covenant" that had been implemented by the overlords (Jin and Chu) before, and insisted on sending Zheng Guo's ruling son Xi (Zihan) to lead an army to attack Xu. , to vent the private anger in my heart.
After Zihan led his army into the territory of Xu State, he proudly sent an envoy to deliver a letter to Duke Xu Linggong, the king of Xu State. In the letter, Zihan said boldly:
"In this battle of Jin against Qin (i.e., the Battle of Ma Tun), not only did we, the State of Zheng, actively participate, but even small states such as Cao, Zhu, and Teng took the initiative to send troops to participate in the battle. However, you did not listen to the orders of the Marquis of Jin and refused. If you do not send troops to join the attack on Qin, you are despising the authority of Hou Bo (i.e. the overlord of the princes)! Therefore, we, the prince, specially ordered me to lead the army to attack Xu State for the crime of 'disrespecting the overlord'."
Faced with the provocation of the arrogant kings and ministers of Zheng State, Xu Linggong, the king of Xu State, replied to Zihan who came to conquer with neither humility nor arrogance:
"Our Xu State has always been a vassal state of the Chu State, and the Jin State recognized this before; now, even the overlord Jin State has not sent troops to attack because we did not participate in the campaign to conquer Qin, so your Zheng State is even more helpless. Quan has sent troops to attack our country!"
Zihan was so angry that he wrote to Xu Linggong again:
"The two countries Jin and Chu have signed the 'Anti-Army Alliance'. Don't you know? The covenant states that if something harms the Jin State, the Chu State can also attack it on the Jin State's behalf. Xu Guo Since it is a vassal state of Chu, and you do not send troops to join in the attack on Qin, it is harming the interests of Jin; we, Zheng, are allies of Jin, and of course we have the right to attack those who have committed wrongdoings on behalf of Jin."
Now that the conversation has come to this point, if there is anything left to talk about between Zheng and Xu, let’s just fight. So Zihan led the Zheng army to launch an attack on the Xu state; and Xu Linggong also resisted the Zheng army tenaciously. , hurriedly sent people to Chu State to ask for help from the King of the Chu Communist Party, and asked the Chu army to go north to rescue Xu immediately.
Unexpectedly - before the Chu army came, the (first) military attack of the Zheng army led by Zihan failed disgracefully. Xu Linggong relied on the strong city and the high morale of the Xu people, and finally After defeating the menacing Zheng army, Zihan had no choice but to lead his army and fled back to Xinzheng in embarrassment.
After learning that Zihan had returned in defeat, Zheng Chenggong could not bear to lose his face. Therefore, on August 23 of that year, Zheng Chenggong personally went out and led the Zheng army to attack Xu for the second time. This time, Zheng army's dispatch went smoothly. In August On the 25th, Zheng's army captured the outer city of Xu's capital and besieged the inner city. The proud Zheng Chenggong sent a letter of persuasion to surrender to Xu Linggong who was trapped in the inner city:
"If you are stubborn and refuse to give up, then I will definitely destroy this city. If you are willing to consider the people in the city, I will reconcile with you."
At this time, the reinforcements from Chu State had not arrived, and the situation in the inner city of Xu Capital was becoming more and more critical. Xu Linggong was worried that the inner city could not hold out for long. To avoid the loss of life, Xu Linggong wrote back to Zheng Chenggong saying:
"I hope you can keep your promise. I am willing to hand over the land and restore friendship between the two countries."
What Xu Linggong said about "delivering land" was actually to return the land of Zheng Guozi, which was previously occupied by Gongzi Ban and Gongsun Shen's original fiefdom, to Zheng Guo in exchange for Zheng Chenggong's withdrawal.
Although Zidi originally belonged to the State of Zheng, it was not directly owned by Zheng Guogong before this (it had always been occupied by Gongsun Shen and Gongziban). Now that it can be owned by him, Zheng Chenggong thinks it is okay; and Zheng Guo re- After occupying Zidi, Xu State's living space was greatly compressed by Zheng Guo. Zheng Guo could enter Xu State again at any time in the future, so it would be good to get Zidi as a trophy.
In addition, the most important thing is that Zheng Chenggong has learned that after receiving the letter of help from Xu State, Chu State is planning to send troops to attack Zheng to rescue Xu State. If he is not ready, he will retreat and quickly withdraw his troops from Xu State and return. , I am afraid that the Chu army will repeat the old routine of going north again: besieging Xinzheng.
Therefore, Zheng Chenggong ordered to stop attacking Xu, and happily agreed to Xu Linggong's request for peace. After successfully taking back the fiefdom and Zi land that had been occupied by Gongsun Shen and Gongziban for many years, he quickly withdrew his troops and returned to the country; after the Zheng army retreated, Xu Linggong The country's ancestral temple and the country were finally temporarily preserved, and the Zhengxu War came to an end.
The War between Zheng and Xu was a very common war between vassal states during the Spring and Autumn Period. Its scale was small, let alone its influence. Under normal circumstances, such a war would have no effect from beginning to end. Too many people are paying attention, and once the fight is over, it will be over.
But this time it was different. Under the inexplicable and unexpected circumstances, the battle of Zheng Guo against Xu had a profound impact on the political situation of the Jin State, the overlord of the princes. The conflicts between them intensified, and the result was that Bo Zong, a wise minister of the Jin Dynasty, was slandered and framed by the Que family, and eventually died. So what is the specific situation? Let me continue to tell you -
Although Zheng Guo's Xu Zhibao gained some insignificant benefits and showed Zheng Guo's "deterrence" to the outside world, the negative impact of this battle on Zheng Guo was not small - although Xu Guo was small and weak, But it is not without a backing. It has always been protected by the Chu State and is one of the few allies (little brothers) of the Chu State. After the Zheng State abandoned its alliance with the Chu State and defected to the Jin State, it brazenly invaded the Xu State. , This was a blatant violation of the 'Annihilation Meeting' covenant that Jin and Chu had just reached, and it was also a deliberate slap in the face of Chu.
Therefore, soon after the Zheng army retreated from Xu State, Sima Zifan of Chu State, who learned the news, wanted to incite the Chu Communist King to use troops against Zheng State in an unjust move to attack Zheng State (actually, he was looking for an excuse to attack Zheng State). , it’s not like Chu State has never done this before).
Zi Fan wanted to send troops to attack Zheng, but the Chu Communist King's younger brother and Chu official Zi Nang (Gong Zizhen) felt that this was not the best choice at the moment, so he persuaded the Chu Communist King in the court meeting not to listen to Zi Fan's instigation and attack without reason. He launched a war against Zheng; Zi Nang further advised the King of the Communist Party of Chu:
"We just signed a truce treaty with the Jin State not long ago. The Chu State is also a big country that keeps its word. It shouldn't break the treaty so quickly. Please don't order the army to attack Zheng."
However, the King of the Communist Party of Chu himself had not yet made a decision on whether to send troops. Sima Zifan, who was also participating in the court meeting, could no longer sit still. He retorted disapprovingly to Zi Nang:
"The current enemy situation is in our favor. Of course we have to march to attack Zheng State, so why do we care about alliances or not?"
Ascus continued to explain:
"The ink on the Jin-Chu alliance has not yet dried, and we have done something unjust and betrayed the alliance. This is absolutely unacceptable."
Zifan retorted again:
"Before, when the envoys of the State of Qin visited our country, they said that after signing the Linghu Alliance with the State of Jin, they were attacked by the State of Jin. Alliance) betrayed the alliance first, why can’t we follow suit?”
The ascus is further distinguished and said:
"It was the State of Zheng that attacked Xu, not the State of Jin. And I don't know how credible the words of the envoy of the Qin State are, so you can't be easily deceived by them."
Zi Fei couldn't hold himself back anymore, stood up on his knees and said loudly:
"The hegemony of the ancestral kings of Cheng, Mu, and Zhuang must not be abolished. The State of Xu is our loyal ally of the State of Chu. Now the ally of the State of Jin, the State of Zheng, is brazenly attacking Xu. As the leader of the State of Zheng, the State of Jin, why not stop the State of Zheng?" The Jin State's act of 'breaking the alliance'? Where did the Jin State put the 'Annihilation Covenant' by indulging the Zheng State? Our army must send troops to attack Zheng State to punish Zheng State's unjust act of breaking the alliance!"
Zifan's confident words won the approval of most of Chu's ministers and officials (when they first formed an alliance with Jin, the Chu monarchs and ministers basically did not take this alliance seriously; but when they received the visit, the Chu Communist King and Zifan Attitude, which illustrates this problem very well), I think Sima's words are very reasonable. When will Chu State have to look at other people's faces and take into account the constraints of the covenant.
The hegemony created and established by the three generations of Chu kings, King Cheng of Chu, King Mu of Chu, and King Zhuang of Chu, was the natural mission that the King of the Communist Party of Chu must spare no effort to safeguard and even carry forward. The Zheng State (and the Xu State) in the hinterland of the Central Plains, It is an important part of the puzzle of hegemony. Even if Zheng State does not attack Zheng State, Chu State will send troops to attack Zheng State sooner or later. Otherwise, wouldn’t the hegemony left by the Chu State’s ancestors slowly shrink or even disappear? .
Therefore, despite hearing the voices of opposition, the King of the Chu Communist Party still decided to send troops to attack Zheng and consolidate Chu's hegemony; he finally overcame all opinions and issued an order in the name of "Zheng Guo attacked Xu without reason":
"Defend Chu's allies and annihilate Chu's enemies; send troops to defeat Zheng!"
In the 10th year of King Jian of Zhou Dynasty (576 BC), Sima Zifan of the Chu State obeyed the order of the Chu Communist King and led his army north to attack Zheng. On the way, Zifan passed by Shenyi (a county in the Chu State) because he needed to replenish military supplies for the army. There was no need for food, so Zifan temporarily stopped in Shenyi, and paid a visit to Uncle Shen, an old minister of the Chu State who was retiring in the fiefdom of Shenyi, to pay him respects.
Uncle Shen had retired at that time and was retiring in his fiefdom, Shendi, so he did not attend the previous court meeting to discuss the attack on Zheng. However, he was very worried when he heard that Zifan persuaded the king of Chu to send troops to attack Zheng. , then he advised Zifan who came to visit him:
"Covenants are made with good faith, and good faith is used to abide by etiquette and laws. Our Chu State is a big country. If you take the lead in not abiding by etiquette and laws, you will not be benevolent and righteous. This time the doctor is going to Xu State. Yes, but if we want to attack Zheng Guo, we must betray our alliance first."
Of course, Zifan would not directly contradict a senior minister like Uncle Shen, so he politely replied:
"Uncle Shen, what you said makes sense, but the army has already set off to the north. If we want to stop action at this time, I'm afraid it won't be possible."
Seeing that Zi Fan did not listen to the advice, Shen Shushi did not show off his seniority too much, so he stopped mentioning the matter and chatted with Zi Fan about other insignificant things.
Because the military situation was urgent and time was tight, Zifan's visit to Shen Shushi in Shenyi was only a courtesy visit. After the military supplies were replenished, Zifan did not stay too long and immediately said goodbye to Shen Shushi, and then continued to lead his army northward.
After Zifan left, Shen Shushi said sadly to the people around him:
"I'm afraid this kid Zifan is going to cause great trouble to the Chu State - Integrity is the foundation of one's life and is used to protect etiquette and justice; etiquette and justice are the foundation of treating others and is used to protect survival; these two are excellent His moral character has been abandoned by Zifan. If he wants to avoid disaster, can he still do it? Zifan's own disaster will probably come soon!"
Zifan, who left Shenyi, also said to his subordinates:
"Uncle Shen is old and doesn't understand military strategy, so that's why he said this; but no matter what, he is still an amiable, respectable and loyal old minister."
After leaving Shenyi, Zifan continued to lead his army northward, chasing the main force of Zheng's army that had withdrawn from Xu State, and directly entered Zheng State; in Zhengguo, Zifan besieged Baotun (Yuanyang, Henan), attacking Zheng's army. Arrogant and arrogant; then, Zifan continued to march, changed his route and invaded Weiguo, and then reached the first stop (Suixian County, Henan).
This time Chu sent troops to expand its sphere of influence and surrender Zheng, Wei and other allies of Jin. However, Kezi led the main force of the Chu army on an expedition far away from the mainland, leaving Chu's border defenses very empty. Therefore, while Zheng Chenggong desperately resisted the Chu army's attack, he also sent the ruler of Zheng State Zihan (Gongzi Xi, one of the seven Mu of Zheng State) to secretly lead his army south, attack the border areas of Chu State, and take advantage of the opportunity to capture the northern part of Chu State. New stone for the city.
When Chu and Zheng were fighting in a melee and no one could suppress the other, Jin also wanted to seize this opportunity and send troops to attack the Chu army in retaliation for Chu's attack on Zheng. Therefore, Luan Shu, the ruler of Jin State, suggested to Duke Li of Jin:
"The Chu people broke their faith and betrayed their alliance. This must not be condoned. We must send troops to attack them to punish the Chu people for their mistakes."
With Luan Shu's advice, Duke Li of Jin also wanted to lead his army out, choose a venue with the Chu army, have a hearty fight, and let the princes in the world know who is the real overlord of the princes. Therefore, Duke Li of Jin convened a court meeting and invited the ministers and officials to discuss how to deal with Chu's provocative attack.
But in the court meeting, the general Han Jue persuaded Duke Li of Jin:
"Your Majesty, you still have to wait a moment. This time the Chu State attacked Zheng, it is true that they first broke the agreement of the 'Annihilation Covenant', and then the kings and ministers of the Chu State drove the common people in the country to carry out this unjust war. Such monarchs and officials who are in charge of government affairs who do not care about the people and do not cherish the power of the country and the people will definitely be abandoned by their people. There is no need for us to send troops to resist, Chu State itself will increase its sins, and the people of Chu State will also Abandon their monarch; and once the hearts of the people are lost, who will be willing to fight for him again? After the monarchs and ministers of Chu continue to make mistakes, it will not be too late for us to start another conquest."
Han Jue objected to sending troops to aid Zheng and attack Chu. The underlying meaning was that Jin had experienced many consecutive wars at this time. Although they had won all the battles, the soldiers were exhausted and the country's treasury was also exhausted. It has been exhausted due to years of war, and it is really difficult to forcefully send troops to fight.
Therefore, Han Jue used the reason that "the people of Chu have no need to raise troops, their crimes will be aggravated, and their people will rebel", and asked Duke Li of Jin to wait for a while, so that the people of Jin could have a good rest and recovery, which had been delayed for several days. Years of farming, this can also allow the country's products, grain, and military supplies to be accumulated, and the country can recover its strength; after the people breathe a sigh of relief and are ready for the next war with the Chu State, they can then send troops , It is not too late to start a battle for hegemony with Chu State.
At that time, Shi Xie, who participated in the court meeting, also expressed his opposition to sending troops to fight the Chu State immediately, but agreed with Han Jue's opinion of temporarily recovering and recuperating for the future.
However, the Que family, which also participated in the court meeting, actively supported Luan Shu's opinions and requested that troops be sent to fight the Chu State.
The new general Que Ji was the first to speak, saying:
"The Chu State's attack on Zheng and Wei this time has actually betrayed the Jin-Chu alliance. Since the Chu State has betrayed the alliance, we must decisively send troops to attack the opponent's arrogance; otherwise, not only will it be delayed If we lose fighter planes, we may lose control of Zheng Guo (which is actually true).”
General Que Qi then added:
"The State of Zheng went back and forth between Jin and Chu. In fact, the State of Zheng was afraid of the State of Chu. If we don't drive away the Chu army and rescue the State of Zheng this time, then the State of Zheng will definitely be frightened by the pressure of the Chu army and surrender to the State of Chu again. . Therefore, we must send troops to rescue Zheng."
The reason why the members of the Que family want to persuade Duke Li of Jin to launch a war against Chu is because the war can strengthen the Que family's current power and status in the Jin State; for a long time, the Que family has relied on their military exploits on the battlefield. Rather than using one's own knowledge and wisdom to gain interests and power, the family uses tactics and diplomacy to conduct political activities. That is not the strong point of the Que family. When the war broke out, the Que family's combat talents came in handy. They can also use victory in the war to expand the power in their hands (such as Queque, Queke, and even Queqi). Therefore, compared with other Jin noble families, the Que family loves the coming of war even more.
However, Bo Zong, a veteran of the Jin State who also attended the court meeting, agreed with Han Jue and Shi Xie's opinion of a "temporary truce", but firmly opposed the Que family's proposal of "sending troops to attack Chu"; Duke Li of Jin suggested:
"The State of Xu has been a long-standing ally of the State of Chu, and the last time Zheng State sent troops to attack Xu, it was actually the same as attacking Chu State; therefore, the State of Chu, which was offended by the State of Zheng, would inevitably send troops to counterattack and attack the State of Zheng; the State of Zheng Although they are our allies, the Chu State has a reputation for attacking the Zheng Division. This is not rude to our Jin State. Therefore, we can send envoys to visit the Chu State to negotiate with its monarchs and ministers without having to fight on the battlefield; the Jin State He is a dignified overlord of the princes, and he cannot be coerced or influenced by the selfish interests of Zheng’s monarchs and ministers.”
As a mature monarch, Duke Li of Jin naturally made his own decisions regarding the differences between the main peace and the main war faction; and after he considered the advice of Han Jue, Shi Xie and Bo Zong, he also After analyzing his request for war, he quickly understood the true intentions behind the two factions' requests for war and peace.
After careful consideration and comparison, Duke Li of Jin felt that the action of sending troops to confront the Chu army and rescue Zheng at this time was indeed of no help to the country's recovery and accumulation of strength, and might also delay important farming matters; therefore, Jin Li The Duke made a decision at the court meeting - temporarily shelving the discussion on sending troops to aid Zheng and attack Chu, and instead dismissed the four standing soldiers to prepare for this year's farming matters, so that ordinary people could take a break and save food. Carry out farming; after the country has recovered its vitality and the people have nourished their energy, we can then discuss the plan for the next military action.
In addition, in order to express his "concern" attitude, Duke Li of Jin also specially sent his subordinate Xun Feng to the Chu State to "request" the Chu Communist King to abide by the covenant and withdraw his troops from Zheng State immediately.
In this way, Chu and Zheng, who were still fighting desperately, could not wait for the reinforcements sent by Jin to support (referring to Zheng), and their logistical supply lines were constantly harassed and cut off by their opponents. The border cities was also captured (referring to Chu State), and the combat situation of both sides was in a very unfavorable situation; therefore, the Chu Communist King and Zheng Chenggong unanimously chose to withdraw troops from each other's country and readjust their response methods; the latest conflict between Chu and Zheng This confrontation ended in a hurry and in a boring way.
However, Bo Zong, who opposed the Que family's opinion in the court discussion on whether to send troops to aid Zheng and advised Duke Li of Jin not to send troops, offended the Que family who wanted to use military operations to expand family interests. He will soon face the Que family's counterattack and 'frame', which leads to a tragic life ending. In August of the ninth year of King Jian of Zhou Dynasty (577 BC), in order to punish the neighboring country Xu for taking in and supporting the rebel son Ban, he returned to the country to fight for power and rebel. Previously, he secretly accepted the fiefdom of Gongsun Shen, another rebel minister of Zheng State, and gave it to Gongziban, which caused the loss of Zheng State's territory. Zheng Chenggong, the king of Zheng State, ignored the 'Annihilation Covenant' that the overlords (Jin and Chu) had previously implemented. According to the agreement, he insisted on sending Xi (Zihan), the ruling prince of Zheng State, to lead an army to attack Xu to vent his private anger.
After Zihan led his army into the territory of Xu State, he proudly sent an envoy to deliver a letter to Duke Xu Linggong, the king of Xu State. In the letter, Zihan said boldly:
"In this battle of Jin against Qin (i.e., the Battle of Ma Tun), not only did we, the State of Zheng, actively participate, but even small states such as Cao, Zhu, and Teng took the initiative to send troops to participate in the battle. However, you did not listen to the orders of the Marquis of Jin and refused. If you do not send troops to join the attack on Qin, you are despising the authority of Hou Bo (i.e. the overlord of the princes)! Therefore, we, the prince, specially ordered me to lead the army to attack Xu State for the crime of 'disrespecting the overlord'."
Faced with the provocation of the arrogant kings and ministers of Zheng State, Xu Linggong, the king of Xu State, replied to Zihan who came to conquer with neither humility nor arrogance:
"Our Xu State has always been a vassal state of the Chu State, and the Jin State recognized this before; now, even the overlord Jin State has not sent troops to attack because we did not participate in the campaign to conquer Qin, so your Zheng State is even more helpless. Quan has sent troops to attack our country!"
Zihan was so angry that he wrote to Xu Linggong again:
"The two countries Jin and Chu have signed the 'Anti-Army Alliance'. Don't you know? The covenant states that if something harms the Jin State, the Chu State can also attack it on the Jin State's behalf. Xu Guo Since it is a vassal state of Chu, and you do not send troops to join in the attack on Qin, it is harming the interests of Jin; we, Zheng, are allies of Jin, and of course we have the right to attack those who have committed wrongdoings on behalf of Jin."
Now that the conversation has come to this point, if there is anything left to talk about between Zheng and Xu, let’s just fight. So Zihan led the Zheng army to launch an attack on the Xu state; and Xu Linggong also resisted the Zheng army tenaciously. , hurriedly sent people to Chu State to ask for help from the King of the Chu Communist Party, and asked the Chu army to go north to rescue Xu immediately.
Unexpectedly - before the Chu army came, the (first) military attack of the Zheng army led by Zihan failed disgracefully. Xu Linggong relied on the strong city and the high morale of the Xu people, and finally After defeating the menacing Zheng army, Zihan had no choice but to lead his army and fled back to Xinzheng in embarrassment.
After learning that Zihan had returned in defeat, Zheng Chenggong could not bear to lose his face. Therefore, on August 23 of that year, Zheng Chenggong personally went out and led the Zheng army to attack Xu for the second time. This time, Zheng army's dispatch went smoothly. In August On the 25th, Zheng's army captured the outer city of Xu's capital and besieged the inner city. The proud Zheng Chenggong sent a letter of persuasion to surrender to Xu Linggong who was trapped in the inner city:
"If you are stubborn and refuse to give up, then I will definitely destroy this city. If you are willing to consider the people in the city, I will reconcile with you."
At this time, the reinforcements from Chu State had not arrived, and the situation in the inner city of Xu Capital was becoming more and more critical. Xu Linggong was worried that the inner city could not hold out for long. To avoid the loss of life, Xu Linggong wrote back to Zheng Chenggong saying:
"I hope you can keep your promise. I am willing to hand over the land and restore friendship between the two countries."
What Xu Linggong said about "delivering land" was actually to return the land of Zheng Guozi, which was previously occupied by Gongzi Ban and Gongsun Shen's original fiefdom, to Zheng Guo in exchange for Zheng Chenggong's withdrawal.
Although Zidi originally belonged to the State of Zheng, it was not directly owned by Zheng Guogong before this (it had always been occupied by Gongsun Shen and Gongziban). Now that it can be owned by him, Zheng Chenggong thinks it is okay; and Zheng Guo re- After occupying Zidi, Xu State's living space was greatly compressed by Zheng Guo. Zheng Guo could enter Xu State again at any time in the future, so it would be good to get Zidi as a trophy.
In addition, the most important thing is that Zheng Chenggong has learned that after receiving the letter of help from Xu State, Chu State is planning to send troops to attack Zheng to rescue Xu State. If he is not ready, he will retreat and quickly withdraw his troops from Xu State and return. , I am afraid that the Chu army will repeat the old routine of going north again: besieging Xinzheng.
Therefore, Zheng Chenggong ordered to stop attacking Xu, and happily agreed to Xu Linggong's request for peace. After successfully taking back the fiefdom and Zi land that had been occupied by Gongsun Shen and Gongziban for many years, he quickly withdrew his troops and returned to the country; after the Zheng army retreated, Xu Linggong The country's ancestral temple and the country were finally temporarily preserved, and the Zhengxu War came to an end.
The War between Zheng and Xu was a very common war between vassal states during the Spring and Autumn Period. Its scale was small, let alone its influence. Under normal circumstances, such a war would have no effect from beginning to end. Too many people are paying attention, and once the fight is over, it will be over.
But this time it was different. Under the inexplicable and unexpected circumstances, the battle of Zheng Guo against Xu had a profound impact on the political situation of the Jin State, the overlord of the princes. The conflicts between them intensified, and the result was that Bo Zong, a wise minister of the Jin Dynasty, was slandered and framed by the Que family, and eventually died. So what is the specific situation? Let me continue to tell you -
Although Zheng Guo's Xu Zhibao gained some insignificant benefits and showed Zheng Guo's "deterrence" to the outside world, the negative impact of this battle on Zheng Guo was not small - although Xu Guo was small and weak, But it is not without a backing. It has always been protected by the Chu State and is one of the few allies (little brothers) of the Chu State. After the Zheng State abandoned its alliance with the Chu State and defected to the Jin State, it brazenly invaded the Xu State. , This was a blatant violation of the 'Annihilation Meeting' covenant that Jin and Chu had just reached, and it was also a deliberate slap in the face of Chu.
Therefore, soon after the Zheng army retreated from Xu State, Sima Zifan of Chu State, who learned the news, wanted to incite the Chu Communist King to use troops against Zheng State as an unjust act to attack Zheng State (actually, he was looking for an excuse to attack Zheng State). , it’s not like Chu State has never done this before).
Zi Fan wanted to send troops to attack Zheng, but the Chu Communist King's younger brother and Chu official Zi Nang (Gong Zizhen) felt that this was not the best choice at the moment, so he persuaded the Chu Communist King in the court meeting not to listen to Zi Fan's instigation and attack without reason. He launched a war against Zheng; Zi Nang further advised the King of the Communist Party of Chu:
"We just signed a truce treaty with the Jin State not long ago. The Chu State is also a big country that keeps its word. It shouldn't break the treaty so quickly. Please don't order the army to attack Zheng."
However, the King of the Communist Party of Chu himself had not yet made a decision on whether to send troops. Sima Zifan, who was also participating in the court meeting, could no longer sit still. He retorted disapprovingly to Zi Nang:
"The current enemy situation is in our favor. Of course we have to march to attack Zheng State, so why do we care about alliances or not?"
Ascus continued to explain:
"The ink on the Jin-Chu alliance has not yet dried, and we have done something unjust and betrayed the alliance. This is absolutely unacceptable."
Zifan retorted again:
"Before, when the envoys of the State of Qin visited our country, they said that after signing the Linghu Alliance with the State of Jin, they were attacked by the State of Jin. Alliance) betrayed the alliance first, why can’t we follow suit?”
The ascus is further distinguished and said:
"It was the State of Zheng that attacked Xu, not the State of Jin. And I don't know how credible the words of the envoy of the Qin State are, so you can't be easily deceived by them."
Zi Fei couldn't hold himself back anymore, stood up on his knees and said loudly:
"The hegemony of the ancestral kings of Cheng, Mu, and Zhuang must not be abolished. The State of Xu is our loyal ally of the State of Chu. Now the ally of the State of Jin, the State of Zheng, is brazenly attacking Xu. As the leader of the State of Zheng, the State of Jin, why not stop the State of Zheng?" The Jin State's act of 'breaking the alliance'? Where did the Jin State put the 'Annihilation Covenant' by indulging the Zheng State? Our army must send troops to attack Zheng State to punish Zheng State's unjust act of breaking the alliance!"
Zifan's confident words won the approval of most of Chu's ministers and officials (when they first formed an alliance with Jin, the Chu monarchs and ministers basically did not take this alliance seriously; but when they received the visit, the Chu Communist King and Zifan Attitude, which illustrates this problem very well), I think Sima's words are very reasonable. When will Chu State have to look at other people's faces and take into account the constraints of the covenant.
The hegemony created and established by the three generations of Chu kings, King Cheng of Chu, King Mu of Chu, and King Zhuang of Chu, was the natural mission that the King of the Communist Party of Chu must spare no effort to safeguard and even carry forward. The Zheng State (and the Xu State) in the hinterland of the Central Plains, It is an important part of the puzzle of hegemony. Even if Zheng State does not attack Zheng State, Chu State will send troops to attack Zheng State sooner or later. Otherwise, wouldn’t the hegemony left by the Chu State’s ancestors slowly shrink or even disappear? .
Therefore, despite hearing the voices of opposition, the King of the Chu Communist Party still decided to send troops to attack Zheng and consolidate Chu's hegemony; he finally overcame all opinions and issued an order in the name of "Zheng Guo attacked Xu without reason":
"Defend Chu's allies and annihilate Chu's enemies; send troops to defeat Zheng!"
In the 10th year of King Jian of Zhou Dynasty (576 BC), Sima Zifan of the Chu State obeyed the order of the Chu Communist King and led his army north to attack Zheng. On the way, Zifan passed by Shenyi (a county in the Chu State) because he needed to replenish military supplies for the army. There was no need for food, so Zifan temporarily stopped in Shenyi, and paid a visit to Uncle Shen, an old minister of the Chu State who was retiring in the fiefdom of Shenyi, to pay him respects.
Uncle Shen had retired at that time and was retiring in his own fiefdom, Shendi, so he did not attend the previous court meeting to discuss the attack on Zheng. However, he was very worried when he heard that Zifan persuaded the king of the Chu Communist Party to send troops to attack Zheng. , then he advised Zifan who came to visit him:
"Covenants are made with good faith, and good faith is used to abide by etiquette and laws. Our Chu State is a big country. If you take the lead in not abiding by etiquette and laws, you are not benevolent and righteous. This time the doctor is going to Xu State. Yes, but if we want to attack Zheng Guo, we must betray our alliance first."
Of course, Zifan would not directly contradict a senior minister like Uncle Shen, so he politely replied:
"Uncle Shen, what you said makes sense, but the army has already set off to the north. If we want to stop action at this time, I'm afraid it won't be possible."
Seeing that Zi Fan did not listen to the advice, Shen Shushi did not show off his seniority too much, so he stopped mentioning the matter and chatted with Zi Fan about other insignificant things.
Because the military situation was urgent and time was tight, Zifan's visit to Shen Shushi in Shenyi was only a courtesy visit. After the military supplies were replenished, Zifan did not stay too long and immediately said goodbye to Shen Shushi, and then continued to lead his army northward.
After Zifan left, Shen Shushi said sadly to the people around him:
"I'm afraid this kid Zifan is going to cause great trouble to the Chu State - Integrity is the foundation of one's life and is used to protect etiquette and justice; etiquette and justice are the foundation of treating others and is used to protect survival; these two are excellent His moral character has been abandoned by Zifan. If he wants to avoid disaster, can he still do it? Zifan's own disaster will probably come soon!"
Zifan, who left Shenyi, also said to his subordinates:
"Uncle Shen is old and doesn't understand military strategy, so that's why he said this; but no matter what, he is still an amiable and respectable loyal minister."
After leaving Shenyi, Zifan continued to lead his army northward, pursuing the main force of the Zheng army that had withdrawn from Xu State, and directly entered the Zheng State; in the Zheng State, Zifan besieged Baotun (Yuanyang, Henan), attacking Zheng's army. Arrogant and arrogant; then, Zifan continued to march, changed his route and invaded Weiguo, and then reached the first stop (Suixian County, Henan).
This time Chu sent troops to expand its sphere of influence and surrender Zheng, Wei and other allies of Jin. However, Kezi led the main force of the Chu army on an expedition far away from the mainland, leaving Chu's border defenses very empty. Therefore, while Zheng Chenggong desperately resisted the Chu army's attack, he also sent the ruler of Zheng State Zihan (Gongzi Xi, one of the seven Mu of Zheng State) to secretly lead his army south, attack the border areas of Chu State, and take advantage of the opportunity to capture the northern part of Chu State. New stone for the city.
When Chu and Zheng were fighting in a melee and no one could suppress the other, Jin also wanted to seize this opportunity and send troops to attack the Chu army in retaliation for Chu's attack on Zheng. Therefore, Luan Shu, the ruler of Jin State, suggested to Duke Li of Jin:
"The Chu people broke faith and blatantly betrayed their alliance. This must not be condoned. We must send troops to attack them to punish the Chu people for their mistakes."
With Luan Shu's advice, Duke Li of Jin also wanted to lead his army to an expedition, choose a venue with the Chu army, have a hearty fight, and let the princes in the world know who is the real overlord of the princes. Therefore, Duke Li of Jin convened a court meeting and invited the ministers and officials to discuss how to deal with Chu's provocative attack.
But in the court meeting, the general Han Jue persuaded Duke Li of Jin:
"Your Majesty, you still have to wait a moment. This time the Chu State attacked Zheng, it is true that they first broke the agreement of the 'Annihilation Covenant', and then the kings and ministers of the Chu State drove the common people in the country to carry out this unjust war. Such monarchs and officials who are in charge of government affairs who do not care about the people and do not cherish the power of the country and the people will definitely be abandoned by their people. There is no need for us to send troops to resist, Chu State itself will increase its sins, and the people of Chu State will also Abandon their monarch; and once the hearts of the people are lost, who will be willing to fight for him again? After the monarchs and ministers of Chu continue to make mistakes, it will not be too late for us to start another conquest."
Han Jue objected to sending troops to aid Zheng and attack Chu. The underlying meaning was that Jin had experienced many consecutive wars at this time. Although they had won all the battles, the soldiers were exhausted and the country's treasury was also exhausted. It has been exhausted due to years of war, and it is really difficult to forcefully send troops to fight again.
Therefore, Han Jue used the reason that "the people of Chu have no need to raise troops, their crimes will be aggravated, and their people will rebel." Years of farming, this can also allow the country's products, grain, and military supplies to be accumulated, and the country can recover its strength; after the people breathe a sigh of relief and are ready for the next war with the Chu State, they can then send troops , It is not too late to start a battle for hegemony with Chu State.
At that time, Shi Xie, who participated in the court meeting, also expressed his opposition to sending troops to fight the Chu State immediately, but agreed with Han Jue's opinion of temporarily recovering and recuperating for the future.
However, the Que family, which also participated in the court meeting, actively supported Luan Shu's opinions and requested that troops be sent to fight the Chu State.
The new general Que Ji was the first to speak, saying:
"The Chu State's attack on Zheng and Wei this time has actually betrayed the Jin-Chu alliance. Since the Chu State has betrayed the alliance, we must decisively send troops to attack the opponent's arrogance; otherwise, not only will it be delayed If we lose fighter planes, we may lose control of Zheng Guo (which is actually true).”
General Que Qi then added:
"The State of Zheng went back and forth between Jin and Chu. In fact, the State of Zheng was afraid of the State of Chu. If we don't drive away the Chu army and rescue the State of Zheng this time, then the State of Zheng will definitely be frightened by the pressure of the Chu army and surrender to the State of Chu again. . Therefore, we must send troops to rescue Zheng."
The reason why the members of the Que family want to persuade Duke Li of Jin to launch a war against Chu is because the war can strengthen the Que family's current power and status in the Jin State; for a long time, the Que family has relied on their military exploits on the battlefield. Not to obtain interests and power families with their own insights and wisdom, and conduct political activities with power and diplomatic means. Can also expand their power in their hands with the victory of the war (such as lack of, but gram, and even crickets). Therefore, compared with the other Jin Guo Mi -Qi Qing family, they love the coming of war.
But also attended Bo Zong, the old minister of the Kingdom of the DPRK, agreed with Han Jue and Shi Xun's "temporary escape" opinion, and resolutely opposed the "soldiers who attacked Chu" by the family; Jin Ligong suggested:
"Xu Guo is the long -lasting allies of Chu State, and Zheng Guo's previous soldiers were not the same as being in Chu. Although it is our ally, the Chu State's Division Zheng Shi is famous. This is not the rudeness to our Jin Dynasty. Therefore, we can send me to visit Chu State and negotiate with their monarchs and ministers. It is the vassal hegemony, but you cannot be stabbed and controlled by Zheng Guojun's selfish interest. "
For the differences between the Lord and the Lord, Jin Ligong, as a mature monarch, naturally has his own decision; he thought of thinking about Han Jue and Shi Shi and Bo Zong After analyzing the request of the invitation, the two factions quickly understood the hidden real intentions behind the two factions.
Under the comparison of careful thinking, Jin Ligong felt that at this time, the actions that sent troops to fight against the Chu army and rescued Zheng Guo did not help the country's restoration and accumulation power, and it may delay important farming. The public made a decision at the meeting -the actions of the troops to assist Zheng and attacked Chu temporarily set aside discussions, and changed to the fourth soldiers who were dismissed and prepared to prepare this year's farming matters, so that ordinary people can recuperate slightly to accumulate food, and to accumulate food. Perform cultivation; after the state restores vitality and the Chinese people have sufficient energy, we will talk about the plan of military operations in the next step.
In addition, in order to show his "concern" attitude, Jin Ligong also sent the army to make the Chu Kingdom, and the 'Chu Communist King obeyed the contract and immediately withdrew from Zheng Guo.
In this way, Chu and Zheng Guo, who are still fighting for the fight, can not wait for the reinforcements sent by the Jin State to support (referring to Zheng Guo). It was also captured (referring to the Chu Kingdom), and the combat conditions of both sides were in a very unfavorable situation; therefore, the King of Chu and Zheng Chenggong chose to retreat from the other party's domestic to re -adjust the response method; This time, it was over in Suo Ran's tasteless.
However, in the discussion of the troops to assist Zheng, he opposed his opinion and persuaded Jin Li Gong to not send troops. His attitude offended his dedication to expand the interests of family interests with the help of military operations. The counterattack 'framed' will be faced immediately, so a tragic ending of life
