Chapter 39 Chapter Thirty-eight

Song Xianggong wanted to avenge Chu State, but felt that Chu State could not be defeated, so he vented his anger on Zheng State.In the summer of 638 BC, Duke Xiang of Song personally led an army to attack Zheng State in the name of Zheng State's betrayal of the Central Plains. In fact, judging from past experience, if Zheng Guo let go and fight Song Guo, he might not be defeated.But Zheng Wengong has been dealing with big countries such as Qi and Chu for so many years, and he has long since become an old fritter, so he doesn't want to go head-to-head with Song.Since I recognize Chu State as the boss, then Chu State has to cover me.

Of course, King Chu Cheng also thought so.The state of Song sent troops to attack Zheng, and King Cheng of Chu sent troops to attack Song.This tactic of besieging Wei and saving Zhao was very common in the Spring and Autumn Period. Song Xianggong learned that Chu State sent troops to attack Song Dynasty, so he wanted to return to the army and fight against Chu State.Prince Mu Yi said: "Chu's troops were sent out only to rescue Zheng. We might as well withdraw our troops from Zheng and go back and stand firm without fighting, and the Chu soldiers will naturally retreat." Song Xianggong said: "Back then when Duke Huan of Qi attacked Chu, he became the overlord. Now that we face Chu without fighting, how can we become the overlord of the world?" Overlord thing?They were all detained once, but they didn't learn any lesson.Mu Yi once again persuaded Song Xianggong, saying: "God has abandoned our Shang clan for a long time. You always want to revive. This is against the sky. How can you win?" fight.Mu Yi secretly groaned, but he served as the great Sima of Song State, so he had to fight with Song Xianggong.The armies of Chu and Song were in Hongshui (an ancient water name, 30 miles north of Zhecheng County, Henan Province today)

side meet. Looking at the posture of the Chu army, Mu Yi knew that the battle was going to be fierce.There are few villains in the Song Kingdom, and an army of more than 10,000 people is the limit.However, there are many adults in the state of Chu, and there are tens of thousands of them at any rate.The comparison of strength is seriously asymmetric. Although there are many famous examples in Chinese history of winning more with less, readers must know that it is normal to win more with less.If there are insufficient troops, the battle will not be very easy to fight, and more efforts will be required from the commander.

So, let's take a look at how Song Xianggong, the commander, did it.Since Hongshui is in the territory of Song State, Song State's army first came to the bank of Hongshui and formed a formation.The Chu army was crossing the river, and the team was in disarray.Mu Yi suggested to Song Xianggong: "The enemy is outnumbered, we can attack while they are crossing the river, and we can defeat the Chu army in one fell swoop." Song Xianggong said: "We want the princes of the world to set an example. What kind of hero is it to attack without defense?" When the Chu army had completely crossed the Hongshui, they lined up opposite the Song army.Mu Yi said: "Now is the time to attack. Let's attack when the opponent's formation is not complete. There is still a possibility of victory. Monarch, don't hesitate any longer!"

Song Xianggong was also anxious: "Ziyu, are you going to injure others into injustice? Zhou Ri stipulates that you must 'formation and then fight', that is to say, you must form a formation before fighting. Now that the Chu State has not formed a formation, we will Launching an attack, isn't this bullying others?" Song Xianggong's stubbornness made Mu Yi speechless, so he could only watch Chu state line up, and the great opportunity to attack was gone.Song Xianggong saw that the Chu army's formation was also lined up, so he gave an order: "Okay, the opponent is also ready, we can fight. Send the order, and march forward with drums!" March on the drums.For a while, the drums rang loudly, and the armies of both sides came together.The state of Chu has a large number of people, but after the formation of the formation, it is even more overwhelming and innumerable.Song Jun saw it, and felt a sense of oppression psychologically.When the two sides fought, the Chu army displayed the bravery and ruthlessness of the Southern Barbarian land, making it difficult for the Song army to parry.Song Xianggong also broke into the Chu army's formation to fight, but seeing that the surrounding Chu army was encircling more and more, while his own army was killing less and less, he couldn't help feeling anxious.

The Chu army formed an overwhelming advantage over the Song army, and the Song army finally couldn't hold on, and the formation was overwhelmed by the Chu army.The guards around Song Xianggong were all wiped out by the Chu army.Song Xianggong had no choice but to drive back.On the way to retreat, a stray arrow flew over from nowhere and hit Song Xianggong's thigh.Song Xianggong couldn't stand upright, and fell into the car all at once. Seeing the leader of the Song army fall, the morale of the Chu army was greatly boosted, while the Song army was downcast, and the defeat could not be stopped.Mu Yi desperately escorted Song Xianggong out of the siege, and returned to Suiyang, the capital.

Back in the capital, Mu Yi hurried to find a doctor to treat Duke Xiang of Song.It is said that the thigh was injured, and it is not a fatal injury, and it should recover soon.However, the medical conditions were not so developed at that time, Song Xianggong's injury has not healed, it may be caused by wound infection. Song Xianggong was miserable, and so was the Song army. The weapons and supplies were all discarded, and almost everyone who survived was injured.After the battle became such a tragedy, the people of the country complained that Song Xianggong did not follow Mu Yi's advice, which led to the failure of the battle.

Song Xianggong was very wronged, and said to Mu Yi on the sick bed: "Ziyu, I also know that if you follow your advice, maybe we can really win. I also know that our Song Mingong fought with the Lu State, and the Lu State took advantage of it. We were beaten when we attacked while we were in formation (see Chapter 21 of this book). But I don't think it's right to do that!" "A gentleman should be gracious in battle. If the enemy has already been injured and fell to the ground, we can't hurt him anymore. When we meet an enemy with gray hair, we can't capture him. And I heard that the ancients did not fight in dangerous terrain when they fought. Enemies all set up their formations and engage in decisive battles in an upright manner. Therefore, even though you are a descendant of the subjugation of the Yin and Shang Dynasties, you must follow the rituals of Zhou, and you must not attack enemies who are not in formation."

We introduced the famous "Cao GUI Controversy" earlier, so the above passage can be titled "Song Xianggong Controversy". Up to now, Mu Yi didn't want to coax Duke Xiang of Song any more, so he said: "You, you don't know how to fight at all. The enemy is outnumbered, and when the enemy's formation is not established, it is our favorable opportunity to fight, but you I don't know how to be sure, so I want to talk about the way of a gentleman. The purpose of fighting is to defeat the enemy, of course it is beneficial. If, as you said, you don't fight when you encounter a wounded enemy, then it's better not to hurt him in the first place ;If the enemy is not arrested because of his old age, then it is better to surrender directly. Back then you convened a meeting and used such cruel methods to treat the monarchs of the two countries, but now you are talking about the way of a gentleman to Chu , Do you think people in the world will believe your story? My little brother of the monarch, you have been in such a miserable situation, you should wake up!" Song Xianggong was speechless, and only then did he know that he should reflect on what he had done.Unfortunately, history will not give him a chance to correct.

Due to the lack of quick-acting antibiotics, Song Xianggong's wound was infected and his condition became more and more serious.In the spring of the second year (637 BC), Duke Xiao of Qi sent troops to attack the State of Song taking advantage of the defeat of the State of Song.All this made Song Xianggong more and more disappointed with the future of his country. Finally, in the summer of this year, Song Xianggong died of illness.The supremacy in Song Xianggong's fantasy has also become a fantasy forever with his death.His wishful thinking of a gentleman has become a typical example of self-righteousness and self-righteousness, leaving a laughingstock for thousands of years.

Song Xianggong's way of being a gentleman was said to be "benevolence and righteousness" by later generations. Some novels even said that he made a big banner with the word "benevolence and righteousness" written on it. This is actually a misunderstanding.At that time, the two characters "benevolence" and "righteousness" had not been combined to form a word, so it was impossible for Song Xianggong to have the concept of "benevolence and righteousness".What he abides by is only an ancient etiquette tradition that has almost disappeared. Later generations mostly ridiculed Song Xianggong, but rarely understood him.For example, our founding leader satirized Song Xianggong as "stupid pig-like benevolence and morality".Chairman Mao is a master in the military. Starting from his own struggle experience, he certainly despises Song Xianggong's stupidity.But if we look at the background of the times, Song Xianggong's performance in the Battle of Hongshui cannot be simply described by the word "stupid". As I said before, under the influence of Zhou Li, the wars in the Spring and Autumn Period were still bound by some rules.Fighting a war is a bit like a sports game, you can't get rid of nonsense.These rules include, "fight after the battle", "no drums, no ranks" and so on.Later, due to the intensification and frequency of wars, the combat style also underwent earth-shaking changes.Those regulations of Zhou Ritual became more and more outdated, so they were gradually forgotten by people. Song Xianggong, on the other hand, is sticking to these traditions and implementing them as a kind of belief.Although he failed, we should have some tolerance for him when we saw his modest and gentlemanly demeanor in the war. Song Xianggong's tragedy fully shows that in the face of changing times, sticking to tradition is unfeasible.Only by advancing with the times can we achieve success.Countries such as Qi, Jin, Qin, and Chu, which were less constrained by tradition, all rose to become great powers, while those countries that were closer to the emperor of Zhou and more constrained by tradition gradually declined in the struggle for hegemony. Of course, the disappearance of Zhou ritual tradition is a gradual process, not overnight.Although Song Xianggong failed to stick to the Zhou rituals in the end, in future stories, we will see the Zhou ritual traditions appear from time to time. It is somewhat puzzling that Song Xianggong can occupy a seat among the five overlords in the Spring and Autumn Period.From his deeds, all we see is the word "failure".I think this is probably because Song Xianggong did organize several alliances, and his way of being a gentleman has also won some sympathy from later generations. However, even if the performance in the battle of Hongshui is not considered, Song Xianggong is really not brilliant.Compared with Duke Huan of Qi, his political skills are indeed worlds apart.Moreover, as Mu Yi said, Song Xianggong taught the way of a gentleman to the Chu army, but he killed and killed the monarchs of Teng State and Mao State, who were both princes of the Central Plains.Therefore, the author's evaluation of Song Xianggong is ultimately lacking in brains and cruel. In the final analysis, Song Xianggong was a loser, he failed to become the real princes and overlords.It is precisely because there is Song Xianggong who is purely making up numbers, so people generally have two opinions about the so-called "Spring and Autumn Five Hegemons": one refers to Qi Huan Gong, Jin Wengong, Chuzhuang King, Qin Mugong, and Song Xianggong; Refers to Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Wen of Jin, King Zhuang of Chu, King Helu of Wu, and King Goujian of Yue.Which statement is more reasonable? After we finish telling the stories of these people, readers will have their own judgment. Song Xianggong's struggle for hegemony not only did not weaken the momentum of Chu's northward march, but made Chu see clearly the weak nature of the Central Plains countries, and inspired the ambition to continue northward.Chu State, which was suppressed in the era of Duke Huan of Qi, is appearing in a more powerful posture in the battles of the Central Plains countries. At this time, the state of Chu has already surpassed the realm of general princes and powerful countries in the Central Plains, and has become a superpower.Qi State has declined since Huan Gong, unable to undertake the task of competing with Chu State, so who will be the other superpower that can rival Chu State?