Chapter 10 4. Hegemony without a fight

Two or three months after Zheng Guo was attacked by Chu, Duke Huan of Qi took action. King Cheng of Chu attacked Zheng in the winter of the third year of Duke Xi of Lu (657 BC).In the first month of the second year, Duke Huan of Qi joined forces with Lu, Song, Chen, Wei, Zheng, Xu, and Cao to form the Eight-Nation Allied Forces and killed them in mighty force.Their approach is still to "eat persimmons and pick the soft ones", and first take Cai Guo who surrendered to the Chu people.Poor Cai, it was originally a small country, so of course it was vulnerable.The coalition forces that defeated Cai State took advantage of the victory and advanced, preparing to attack Chu State.

Upon hearing the news, King Cheng of Chu sent an ambassador to negotiate. Cheng Wang’s note is very famous, it says so—— The king is in the North Sea, and the widow is in the South Sea, but the wind, the horse, and the ox are not in touch with each other, so I don't worry about the king's involvement in my land, why? This is very polite, very tactful, very elegant, and very tough.The so-called "wind" means that male and female attract each other.When an animal is in estrus, the female will emit a special smell, like the wind, and the male will run over when he smells it.So the translation of the note from the state of Chu is: You live in the old north, my lord, and I live in the old south.Your country and our country are thousands of miles apart, even if a cow and a horse fall in love, they can't run that far!I didn't expect you, Your Majesty, to come here and come to our country. May I ask why?

Obviously, this is condemning Qi Guoshi for being unknown.On the Qi side, Guan Zhong replied on behalf of Duke Huan that we were authorized to send troops.The thatch that you should pay tribute is not in place, which affects the sacrifice of the royal family, so the widows have to come to collect it.King Zhao did not go back when he visited Hanshui in the south, so the widow came to ask. Guan Zhong's answer seems reasonable, but it is not.Authorized?May I ask who gave it?Guan Zhong said that it was Zhao Gongshi (calling reads like Shao, and Xun reads like this).Who is authorized?Guan Zhong said it was Taigong Wang, that is, Jiang Taigong.When are they from?early week.What time is it now?spring and autumn.Is this authorization too long?What's more, is there any authorization from today's emperor?No.

The two reasons for attacking Chu State are also untenable.That's right, at that time, all the princes and states were obligated to the Emperor Zhou in name.The obligation of the state of Chu is to pay tribute to a kind of thatch, which can be used to filter wine during sacrifices.This kind of thatch has not been paid tribute for a long time, and it is probably possible.But in the Spring and Autumn Period, many princes didn't take the emperor seriously, and there were many such things, so why should they focus on Chu?As for King Zhou Zhao, he was the fourth emperor of the Western Zhou Dynasty.When he came to Hanshui on his southern tour, the people of Hanshui hated him so much that they gave him a leaky boat when crossing the river.It has been more than 300 years since this happened, so what is the Qi State going to settle now?

Obviously, the so-called "Ergong Baomao can't enter" and "King Zhao went south and never returned" are all excuses.But on a diplomatic occasion, you can't put your words to the test.So the Chu envoy said: "I forgot to send the filter paper. This is the fault of the virtuous king of our country. How dare I not send it in the future?"As for why King Zhao didn't go back, I would like to ask the bank of the Han River. There is no agreement on this.They can only go back separately and prepare to fight. The preparations for the war took two or three months.The coalition army of Qi State continued to advance, and the commander of the Chu army also came to the front and went to meet Duke Huan of Qi.In order to show courtesy, Duke Huan ordered the coalition forces to retreat from Beisaixing (read like punishment, whose location is unknown) in the state of Chu to Zhaoling (the location is also unknown), and suggested that a military parade be held first.

So the two sat in the same chariot to inspect the troops. Retirement and military parade are both gestures.Huan Gong's meaning is very clear: as long as Qi is recognized as the boss, everything is easy to discuss.Therefore, from the beginning, he sang high-profile, saying that this time the army was only for the eternal friendship between the two countries.Chu Shuai also lowered his figure, saying that it was exactly the widow's wish.However, when Duke Huan flaunted his power and claimed that "with this kind of battle, who can resist it; if this way is used to attack the city, any city will not be able to overcome it", Chu Shuai did not give an inch.

Chu Shuai's answer was neither humble nor overbearing: If your majesty convinces others with virtue, who would dare to disobey?If you must use force, then this commander can also tell your lord that our Chu State uses Fangcheng Mountain as its city wall and the Han River as its moat.Although your army has a large number of people, I am afraid that it will be useless. Speaking of this, we can only settle accounts separately. Qi State is very clear that Chu State is not easy to mess with.If you insist on going to war, you can kill at most 1,000 enemies and lose 800, and maybe both sides will suffer.Chu State is also very clear that Qi State cannot stop it from seeking hegemony.In the end, the two countries signed an alliance and each withdrew their troops.

The content of the covenant has not been recorded in the annals of history and cannot be tested.But the people of Chu admitted that they had an obligation to the emperor of Zhou, and admitted that "if the tribute is not paid, it is the crime of the widowed king, who dare not share (supply)", and the purpose of respecting the king has been achieved.The Chu people stopped stalking Zheng Guo for the time being, and slowed down the pace of invading the Central Plains, and the goal of expelling the barbarians was achieved.All aspects can be explained, Qi Huangong will accept it as soon as he sees it.

However, the foundation of Duke Huan's hegemony was laid here.Five years later, Duke Huan of Qi formed an alliance with the six states of Song, Lu, Wei, Zheng, Xu, and Cao in Kuiqiu (which should be located in today's Lankao County, Henan Province). King Xiang of Zhou sent people to congratulate him. It is a symbol of Qi's hegemony. Obviously, without the previous Zhaoling League, there would be no later Kuiqiu Meeting, so the former has always been regarded as the proud work of Duke Huan, and also regarded as a classic case of dominating the Central Plains.One hundred and sixteen years later, King Ling of Chu obtained the consent of the State of Jin and held a meeting of princes to seek hegemony. He still expressed that he would follow the example of the Zhaoling Alliance.

Unfortunately, this example does not stand up to scrutiny. The most notable thing is that neither Qin nor Jin participated in this league meeting.In the absence of these two superpowers, the status of the overlord and the value of the covenant will be greatly reduced.To put it bluntly, Duke Huan of Qi was no more than the overlord of half the country.There are too many chances and coincidences in his achievements.As Sima Qian said, at that time the royal family was in decline and the Jin Dynasty was in turmoil. Qin Mugong kept him at a respectful distance, and Chu Chengwang gave another step.Therefore, Qi Huan's struggle for hegemony is actually "the undisputed hegemony".The real struggle for hegemony was the later Jin and Chu countries.That is the main theme of a Spring and Autumn History.In the meantime, including Song Xianggong's Tubaye and Qin Mugong's Baxirong, they were just episodes.

Then look at the dispute between Jin and Chu.

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