Chapter 11 5. Jin Wen, the True Overlord

It was Wen Gong who created the hegemony of Jin. If it is said that Duke Huan of Qi was "hegemony without fighting", then Duke Wen of Jin was "hegemony after one battle".This battle is the Battle of Chengpu.This was certainly not the first war in the Spring and Autumn Period, but it was the first war.But the start of the war and the ending seemed to be unplanned. The cause of the war was Song State. Song also once wanted to dominate.Eleven years before the Battle of Chengpu, Duke Huan of Qi passed away, and his five sons fought for the throne and fought for the throne. Qi State and Zhuxia lost their focus at the same time.Song Xianggong dreamed that he wanted to eat swan meat, and he laid out the score of the overlord talking to himself.As a result, he was captured by the Chu army in the league, and later died of injuries in the battle of Hong, leaving only a false name in history as one of the five tyrants.Song, who failed to become a hegemon, had no choice but to submit to Chu.

However, at the same time when Song Chenggong went to the court of Chu to meet King Chu Cheng, King Zhou Xiang's younger brother, the prince, led a rebellion and hired Di Jun to attack Zhou.The capital of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty was captured by the Di army and the rebels, and King Xiang of Zhou, who had taken refuge in the State of Zheng, asked Qin and Jin for help.At this time, although Jin Wengong had just ascended the throne for more than a year, he immediately took responsibility for the rise and fall of the world.He resigned from the Qin army stationed by the Yellow River, led the troops down the river, defeated the Di army in one fell swoop, wiped out the rebels, and sent King Zhou Xiang back to the royal city in a short period of time.

Respecting the king, fighting barbarians, and suppressing rebellion in this way are things that only the overlord can do, and the Song people must be impressed.So the Song State only attached to the King of Chu for two or three years before changing its mind and becoming an ally of the Jin State.Of course, the arrogant Chu people cannot tolerate such traitors.King Cheng immediately ordered his Ling Yin and Sima to send out troops, and in the second year he went out in person to encircle the Song Dynasty with the armies of Chen, Cai, Zheng, and Xu. Song Guo was in a hurry. Jin Wengong, who received the request for help, took the case.In fact, Song was beaten because they "rebelled against Chu and then Jin", which is reasonable; back then, Duke Wen was in exile abroad as a troubled son. Along the way, Duke Wen of Wei was rude, Duke Cao was rude, and Duke Wen of Zheng was also rude. But Duke Xiang gave him twenty chariots and horses (read like scales), which is love.Therefore, when the Song Dynasty was in great trouble, Duke Wen of Jin, Chong Er, could not sit idly by regardless of emotion and reason.

A group of civil and military veterans who followed Wen Gong to wander around also thought so.They even believe that making a name for themselves and achieving dominance is all about doing this.Because repaying kindness and saving disasters win people's hearts.As for the strategy, it is to crusade against Cao and Wei.The state of Cao had just attached itself to the state of Chu, and the state of Wei married the people of Chu.The two younger brothers were beaten, and the older brother from Chu must save them, and Song immediately rescued them.What's more, both Cao and Wei were rude, if you don't beat them, who will you beat?

Wen blatantly planned.For this reason, he expanded the upper and lower second armies established by his father Jin Xiangong into the upper, middle and lower armies.In the spring of the twenty-eighth year of Duke Xi of Lu (632 BC), Duke Wen of Jin invaded Cao Fawei.The terrified Wei Chenggong asked for an alliance, but the Jin State did not agree; he wanted to please the Chu people, but his own country did not agree.The Wei people even expelled their monarch to please Jin.Cao Gonggong was even worse, and was captured alive by the Jin army who invaded Caodu.Even Duke Xi of Lu was terrified, and even killed the doctor who was sent to defend the country, in order to flatter the state of Jin.

However, the Chu army did not withdraw from Song State. Song Guo was in a hurry again. Jin Wen judged the situation and tried to get Qi and Qin to join the war.King Cheng of Chu also judged the situation and decided to withdraw.He said to Ling Yin Ziyu, the Marquis of Jin has been wandering abroad for nineteen years, what hardships have he suffered, what things have he not seen?God gave him a long life, and also gave him the state of Jin.A gift from God, can I take it away?forget it!Leaving the state of Song, don't go after the Jin army. It's a pity that Ziyu is a "rigid and rude" guy.He called for battle again and again, and he was determined to fight the Jin people.

The Jin army retreated. There are reasons and justification for retreating.Because when Jin Wengong Chonger was in exile, he not only received the grace of Song Xianggong, but also received the hospitality of Chu Chengwang.At that time, King Cheng asked Chong'er: If the son returns to the country and becomes the king, what will he do in return (the king of Chu claimed to be)?Chong'er said that servants, concubines, sacrifices, jade and silk are abundant in your king; jadeite, yak, ivory, and rhinoceros skin are all produced in your country.What Chong'er can repay is probably to retreat when the two armies meet in the future.If after retreating for ninety miles, the emperor still refuses to forgive Chonger, he can only hold the horsewhip in his left hand and bend the bow, and the bow bag and quiver in the right hand, and deal with the emperor.

At this moment, Duke Wen of Jin is fulfilling his promise. If you keep your word, you will be confident; if you take a step back, you will have a brighter future.Before the two armies fought, the Jin people had already gained the upper hand.However, Ziyu did not understand this truth.Regardless of everyone's opposition, he chased all the way to Chengpu (Weidi, in today's Fan County, Shandong Province), and confronted the coalition forces of Jin, Qi, Qin, and Song. On April 2, the Battle of Chengpu broke out.The time was one day, and the result was that the Chu army was defeated.When King Cheng of Chu heard the news, he sent someone to send a message to Ziyu, saying: If you return to the country, doctor, how will you explain to your parents?

So Ziyu committed suicide. Duke Wen of Jin, who had won a great victory, came to Jiantu in Zhengdi (between Yuanyang County and Wushe County in Henan Province today), and made an alliance with the monarchs of Qi, Song, Lu, Cai, Zheng, Wei, and Chen. "The alliance of practicing the soil".Back then, when Qi Huan dominated the Kuiqiu meeting, King Xiang of Zhou just sent people to give him meat (胙 read like doing, meat sacrificed to ancestors).In the Alliance of Practicing the Land, not only King Xiang was present in person, but Duke Wen of Jin was also canonized as "Hou Bo", that is, the leader of the princes.This is both documented and evidenced by cultural relics.

The stars are all over the moon, and they have a certificate to work, and Jinwen can be called the "true overlord". However, history still left a foreshadowing here, that is, Qin did not make an alliance.We know that in the battle of Chengpu, Qin was an allied army.Why didn't Qin, who was also a victorious country, participate in the Alliance of Jiantu one and a half months later?Could it be that Qin Mugong also wanted to fight for hegemony?Could it be that Qin and Jin will turn against each other sooner or later? Exactly.

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