Chapter 6 Chapter 6: The State of Jin

In the history of the struggle for hegemony in the Central Plains during the Spring and Autumn Period, if it is said that Chu was the most persistent powerhouse in the south, then Chu’s opponent for a long time was not Qi, which first created hegemony, but Jin, which had been confronting Chu for a long time. . Compared with Qi State, which is located in the east, Jin State's geographical location seems to be more favorable among the northern Central Plains vassal states.The "Three Jin Lands" it occupies include today's Shanxi, Henan, and parts of Hebei. Geographically speaking, it has a natural advantage of "sitting north and facing south" to the princes of the Central Plains.The land in Jin State is fertile, the production is developed, and there are also mountains and rivers. Relying on the Taihang Mountains, it can be attacked and defended.Compared with Qi, the natural advantage is obvious.

However, the state of Jin also has its own problems. One is that the Huaxia and barbarians live together in their territory. The main ethnic group is the Huaxia, but it also includes tribes such as Shanrong and Quanrong. They have long been the main targets of barbarian intrusion, especially Jin. The northern region is a place where nomads gather.In fighting against the barbarians all the year round, the people of the state of Jin developed a character of martial arts, and the soldiers of the state of Jin were famous for their bravery and tenacity in battle among the princes of the Spring and Autumn Period.But the more important issue is that in the early Spring and Autumn Period, the king of Jin State did not count on what he said.

The lineage of the monarch of the Jin Kingdom is also the Zhou royal family whose roots are Zheng Miaohong.The first monarch of the Jin Kingdom was Shuyu, the younger brother of King Zhou Cheng. However, in the early Spring and Autumn Period, the power of the Jin Kingdom’s monarch was very weak, because after the founding of the Jin Kingdom, they generously rewarded the brothers of their own clan, which led to the fact that the power of the relatives could not be lost.When Duke Huan of Qi ruled the hegemony, civil strife broke out in the state of Jin. The brother of the Jin state, Quwo Wugong, overthrew the Marquis of Jin and established himself as the king of the state of Jin. The emperor of Zhou had no choice but to admit this established fact. Duke Wu of Jin Dynasty in Chinese history.Unexpectedly, after Duke Wu of Jin won the kingdom, he was not greedy enough, so he followed Zheng Zhuanggong's example and attacked Zhou Tianzi with great fanfare, scaring Zhou Tianzi away from Luoyi for a time.Fortunately, this Duke Wu of Jin passed away within two years of his reign, and his son Duke Xian of Jin came to the throne. The sixteen years of this monarch’s reign was a critical period for the rise of the Jin Kingdom. During these sixteen years, the Jin Kingdom successively annexed In the small countries such as Guo and Wei in the northern part of the Central Plains, the idiom of "falsely attacking Guo" comes from this period.In the later years of Jin Xiangong's reign, Jin's western territory bordered Qin State, and its eastern territory also bordered Qi State, just like another big country among the princes of the Central Plains.

But during Jin Xiangong's period, the national strength of Jin State was still far below that of Qi State, and Jin Xiangong himself was not a hero who could assume hegemony.In fact, his most important influence on the state of Jin is: In order to avoid a repeat of his father's seizure of the throne, he killed the clan of the state of Jin wantonly, carried out all-round reforms, and ensured that power was concentrated in the hands of the monarch.This not only laid the foundation for Jin's subsequent hegemony, but also "digged a hole" for the subsequent division of Jin into the three families.In his later years, Duke Xian of Jin doted on Li Ji, a beauty. Under Li Ji's instigation, he drove away the prince Shen Sheng and his second son Chong Er, and made his youngest son Xi Qi the crown prince.Civil strife broke out in the state of Jin. After the death of Duke Xiangong of Jin in 651 BC, Prince Xiqi ascended the throne, but the civil strife continued.But after the chaos, there will be great chaos. When the princes are fighting for the throne, a down and out prince who is in exile is destined to assume the hegemony-Chong Er.

The hegemony of the Jin State began with Jin Wengong Chonger. The story of this man is an "inspirational story" that has been passed down for a long time in Chinese history.From a bitter child to a bully, he has experienced an extraordinary life. During the civil strife in the last years of Jin Xiangong, Chonger also embarked on the road of exile. His mother was a daughter of the Di family in the north. Therefore, after the civil strife broke out, he first fled to Di State and lived there for 12 years.As early as when he was a prince in the state of Jin, he was a very famous person, and he was famous for being good at courteous corporals. Therefore, a group of officials who were loyal to him voluntarily followed him into exile, including Jie Zitui, Hu Yan, and Xian Zhen. Waiting for the famous ministers, if it is said that Qi Huangong was able to dominate with the help of Guan Zhong, then Chong Er had a team of good ministers who were the strongest in the spring and Autumn period at that time.

But in exile in the early years, these seemed meaningless, but Chonger became a person that everyone didn't like to see.During the civil turmoil in Jin, Chonger's brother Yiwu was able to ascend the throne. He was afraid that Chonger would return to the country and compete with him for the throne, so he sent someone to Di to assassinate him.The assassination failed, and he put pressure on Di Guo through diplomatic means, asking Di Guo to hand over Chong Er. Seeing that Di Guo could not stay any longer, Chong Er had to continue his exile.At this time, although Chong'er was a prince, he was already in his fifties.Needless to say, he was hard-working all the way, and even the farmers on the side of the road didn't like him. Once when he prayed to the farmers for food, he was even mocked by the farmers throwing mud.But Chong'er was very good at laughing at himself, instead he said the mud was land, and happily accepted it.This simple little thing highlights a key quality of Chong Er, this is a person who can bear any crime.Such people are usually amazing.

Chong Er, who can suffer any crime, finally came to Qi State after suffering a lot of crimes, and wanted to ask Duke Huan of Qi, who was the overlord at that time, to uphold justice for him.But at this time, Duke Huan of Qi had already reached the twilight years of his life, and his health was deteriorating, not to mention that he was no longer full of ambition.But he was very interested in Chong'er. He gave Chong'er a house, chariots and horses, and gave him a rich life, intending to raise him in Qi State.In this way, Chong'er's life has temporarily settled down.But the good times didn't last long. Only two years later, Duke Huan of Qi passed away. Afterwards, turmoil broke out in Qi State, and several princes attacked and killed each other, which was exactly the same as the turmoil in Jin State.At this time, Chong'er had already married Qi's daughter Jiang, and the turmoil in Qi would not hurt him for the time being.After suffering so much, he really wanted to enjoy two days of happiness.But at the critical moment, his courtiers still had an idea.Hu Yan, Zhao Shuan and others conspired to take Chong'er away, and got the support of Chong'er's wife, Jiang Shi.As a result, after Chong Er was drunk by his wife, he was put into a carriage by Hu Yan and the others, and secretly transported out of Qi State.After waking up, Chong Er found out that he had been fooled, so he had no choice but to do so.The ambition to restore the throne is so firm in the hearts of the courtiers, what else can I say, continue to suffer!

Afterwards, Chonger and his party went into exile in Cao State, Song State and other countries, and then suffered a lot of crimes. For example, the monarch of Cao State was a snob.Song Xianggong was a kind person, but at that time, Song Xianggong failed in the struggle for hegemony in the Central Plains and was injured himself. Although he warmly received Chonger, he was powerless to help him restore the country.Although Song Xianggong was fighting for hegemony, he was ridiculed by later generations because of his stupid military command, but he had a good eye for people. Before he died, he told his son: "Jin's son Chong'er is a great man. , if you encounter something in the future, you will definitely find him." The matter was soon confirmed by him in the battle of Chengpu.

After being in exile all the way, Chong Er came to Chu State after countless blue eyes and cold eyes.At this time, the state of Chu was during the reign of King Chu Cheng. King Chu Cheng was very enthusiastic about Chong'er's arrival and received them with the grand etiquette of a monarch.Of course, behind this "enthusiasm" is also a calculation. Chu, which has been trying to go north to seek hegemony, is still in a diplomatically isolated stage at this time, and is regarded as a barbarian by the princes of the Central Plains. , of course a puppet would be even better.So King Chu Cheng once asked Chong Er jokingly, I have treated you so well, how will you repay me in the future?Chong'er's answer was: "If our two countries go to war, I am willing to retreat ninety miles as a reward for you." These words are neither humble nor overbearing, but they cannot conceal the ambition of this troubled prince.Although he is down and out, although he is poor, he still has a great dream in his heart all the time, not to restore the throne, but to dominate the princes.

Although King Chu Cheng didn't care about it, this conversation almost changed Chong'er's life.The original plan of King Cheng of Chu was to help Chong Er restore the country by force, but after several conversations, he found that this down-and-out prince was not something in the pool.But it is obviously unwise to get rid of him at this point, judging from the current national policy of Chu State hoping to change its image, so how to deal with this prince is a difficult problem for King Chu Cheng at this time. In addition to warm hospitality every day, There seems to be no good way either.But at this time, the intervention of another country, Qin State, gave him a reason to push the boat along.

At that time, Qin State, like Chu State, was regarded as a "barbarian" by the princes of the Central Plains, but in terms of connection with the Central Plains countries, Qin State went further than Chu State at this time.Before Chong'er, Qin Mugong had intervened in the affairs of the Jin State many times, directing the internal turmoil of the Jin State, in an attempt to enter the Central Plains.But with his help, the kings of the Jin Kingdom all turned their faces and refused to recognize anyone immediately after they took the position, but since this move is gone, it must go to the end.If the last one is disobedient, another one will be established. At this time, the clansmen who are qualified to inherit the throne of the state of Jin will run away to death, and Chonger will be the only one left. In 636 BC, Duke Mu of Qin sent envoys to the state of Chu to take Chong'er back home. With the help of Duke Mu of Qin, Chong'er finally returned to the motherland where he had been away for nearly 20 years. At this time, he was already 63 years old.Later, he became Duke Wen of Jin, one of the Five Overlords in the Spring and Autumn Period. Like all Ming emperors who struggle for hegemony, the first step in the struggle for hegemony is to reform the internal affairs, and Jin Wengong is the same.His father, Jin Xiangong, left him a relatively rich legacy. During Jin Xiangong's reign, through the brutal suppression of the clan and the reform of the political system, the centralization of power has been greatly enhanced.After that, Chong'er went into exile in other countries, and he was deeply influenced by the political systems of the princes and countries.Especially the two years of living in Qi State gave him a deep understanding of the reasons for Qi State's hegemony. After becoming the king, he also followed suit.There are three famous policies of Jin Wengong: one is to imitate the Qi State, implement the policy of "putting troops in agriculture", set up three armies, and establish the monarch's absolute command over the army; the other is to reward all the close officials who followed him in exile , to establish their hereditary status as ministers in the Jin State for generations, and to grant farmland and privileges; the third is to imitate the Chu State, rewarding land reclamation, and encouraging people to migrate to northern Shanxi.Expand the area of ​​cultivated land.These three items had a profound impact on the later fate of the Jin State and even China. The area where the Jin State encouraged the people to reclaim wasteland is mainly the northern part of Shanxi today. The local area was originally dominated by nomadic peoples. At this time, the nomadic peoples and Huaxia people started fusion.Rewarding ministers and granting hereditary power, even though the Jin State at that time had an elite team, which became an important capital for its later supremacy, it also caused the power of the Jin State’s scholar-bureaucrats to become increasingly overwhelming, and the authority of the Jin royal family declined day by day. Actually related to this. Like Duke Huan of Qi back then, Duke Wen of Jin's main opponent in his struggle for hegemony was the State of Chu, which was even more powerful than that of Duke Huan of Qi back then. Jin Wengong Chonger returned to China in 636 BC. He had a showdown with Chu State in 632 BC. Objectively speaking, he was a little anxious. At this time, the gap and contrast between the strengths of Jin and Chu were obvious. After years of recuperation, Chu had become the most powerful country at that time. Especially after the demonstrations of Qi, Chu seemed to be dominating. King Chu Cheng, who had worked so hard for many years, moved his heart to compete in the Central Plains again.In the years since Duke Wen of Jin returned to the country, the state of Chu has not stopped mobilizing troops. Many small countries surnamed Ji in the Han River Basin have been wiped out by the state of Chu one after another.Chen and Cai, which were originally the barriers of the Central Plains, also formed a military alliance with Chu.Song Xianggong, who wanted to fight for the hegemony, was also defeated by Chu State. Lu, Wei, Cao and other countries also directly or indirectly expressed their intention to submit to Chu State.Among the northern states during this period, the only one capable of resisting Chu was Jin. Of course, its strength was far from enough. Before confronting Chu State, Jin Wengong also did another thing-to stabilize Zhou Tianzi.Compared with Chu State's practice of directly tearing faces with the Zhou royal family, Jin Wengong took over the banner of Qi Huangong's "respecting the king and fighting the barbarians".At this time, the Kingdom of Di invaded the Central Plains and captured Luoyi, the capital of the royal family of Zhou.At the critical moment, Jin Wengong gave a helping hand out of righteousness and sent troops to drive away the Di people.This battle is relatively simple, but its significance is extraordinary.Through this move, Duke Wen of Jin has officially inherited Duke Huan of Qi's status of "respecting the king and fighting against barbarians", appearing as the leader of the vassal state.Of course, the lord has to go through a test—the test of Chu State. The reason why Duke Wen of Jin made such a quick move was because the situation was pressing. At this time, Chu State had already assumed the posture of attacking the Central Plains in an all-round way. If it was allowed to expand in the Yellow River Basin, the entire Central Plains would probably be merged into Chu. At the hands of the country, the lonely Jin country will naturally be unable to protect itself.Another reason is that he has passed his sixtieth year at this time, and he was 63 years old when he returned to China. Today he will retire and go home to have a grandson, but his life has just begun. People in the Spring and Autumn Period don’t live long. 70 years old is considered a long life, Jin Wengong can't wait, and can't afford to wait.So no matter whether the conditions are sufficient or not, we must do it. In 632 BC, Duke Wen of Jin and the State of Chu finally had a "showdown". The fuse of the incident was that the State of Chu joined forces with the four kingdoms of Chen, Cai, Zheng, and Xu to attack the State of Song, and the State of Song asked the State of Jin for help.The fact is just as Song Xianggong expected before he died, it is right to find Chong'er when encountering things.Although many ministers of the state of Jin opposed the rash use of troops, Duke Wen of Jin still decided to send troops to fight against the state of Chu.The decision to send troops was decisive, but the action was not blind. With his own limited strength, Duke Wen of Jin made every effort. First, he sent envoys to Qi and Qin to win the support of these two great countries. The connections accumulated over the years in exile The relationship finally came in handy at this time, and Qi and Qin finally agreed to send troops to help.At the same time, Duke Wen of Jin played the banner of "defending the emperor of Zhou" again, exaggerated the offense of the state of Chu to the emperor of Zhou, and won moral support.However, the military situation at this time was very unfavorable to the Jin State. The central army of the Chu State approached the Song State, and the Right Route Army had already occupied the fief of Guan Zhong, the former prime minister of the Qi State. Potential. Under the unfavorable situation, Jin Wengong decided to take the persimmons and pick the weak ones. The Chu State has a great momentum this time, but the fatal problem is that there are too many allies. Chen Caicao and other countries are forced to depend on the Chu State, and their combat effectiveness is not strong. .The first target of Jin Wengong was Cao Guo, who acted as the vanguard of Chu State. Now Cao Guo suffered the retribution of neglecting Jin Wengong back then, and was beaten up.Then Weiguo was defeated like a mountain, and the two small countries were quickly determined by Jin Wengong.The state of Chu was furious after hearing the news. Although King Cheng of Chu ordered the withdrawal of the troops of the state of Chu and not to conflict with Duke Wen of Jin, the leading general in the front line, Cheng Dechen, the famous general of the state of Chu, still led the army aggressively. They did not stop until the Chengpu area. The Chu State was determined to completely defeat the Jin army, and the war was inevitable. Judging from the comparison of the military strength of the two sides at that time, the Chu State still had capital. Although Cheng Dechen got rid of the two wings of the Chu State and led the army to advance alone, his current military strength at this time was more than 1,400 chariots alone.The state of Jin was much more shabby. For this battle, Duke Wen of Jin mobilized all his capital and mobilized the most elite three armies in the country, plus the armies of Qi and Qin. The total sum was only 700 chariots.This is like in modern warfare, if you have half as many tanks as others, it is basically impossible to fight on the plains. Therefore, Chu general Cheng Dechen is very confident. With Chu's elite troops at this time and the absolute superiority in military strength, if he can defeat Jin in one fell swoop, then the entire Central Plains will become Chu's pocket.In the early summer of 632 BC, the battle officially started. Chu State took the lead in attacking, trying to eat the Jin army with its superior force. However, things backfired. After the attack was frustrated, the Jin army quickly launched a counterattack. Putting on the tiger skin, he launched a counterattack against the Chu army. The Chu army collapsed immediately. The Chu army scrambled for their lives and was chased by the Jin army all the way. The rout of disadvantage. Almost all of the 1,400 Chu chariots were scrapped. Either they were smashed or they became trophies of the Jin army.Jin Wengong's hegemony was achieved through this battle. Speaking of the reasons for the success or failure of this battle, the mainstream theory is that the Chu State was proud and underestimated the enemy, and the Jin State adopted the correct countermeasures. While isolating and disintegrating the Chu army, while waiting for work, luring the enemy to go deep, and finally counterattacked.But the most critical factor that determines success or failure is that at this time, the Chu army has already penetrated into the Chengpu area alone, far away from the rear. The Chu general Cheng Dechen even aroused the dissatisfaction of Chu Chengwang. Regardless of victory or defeat, it is not good to go back. confessed.As for the lonely Chu army, after many days of pursuit, the supply of supplies has long been poor, and the troops are even more fatigued, and they are already at the end of their strength.Under the absolute advantage of the people of Chu, Duke Wen of Jin endured it before attacking, and finally gave the people of Chu a fatal counterattack. The significance of the Battle of Chengpu, the mainstream view is that it achieved the hegemony of the Jin State, and the more important significance is that it temporarily stopped the northward march of the Chu people.Before the Battle of Chengpu, Chu State had already formed an absolute advantage over the princes of the Central Plains. If no one could stand up to stop Chu State at this time, he could even annex the entire Central Plains dynasty in one go. Hundreds of years in advance.After the Battle of Chengpu, although the strength of the Chu State was severely injured, its strength still remained. Although the Jin State established its hegemony, it was unable to take advantage of the victory and pursue it. In this way, the two sides formed a balance of power between the north and the south.Throughout the Spring and Autumn Period, the north-south confrontation between Chu State and the princes of the Central Plains was actually a constant strategic balance. Jin Wengong's hegemony lasted only 5 years, and he passed away in 631 BC. However, unlike Qi State's weakening after the death of Qi Huangong, Jin State's strong position in the Central Plains still continued.The key to the problem is that the centralization reform of the Jin State was more thorough, and a clear monarch inheritance system was formed, with ministers assisting the monarch to ensure the stability of the transfer of power.Another point is that the Jin State has been fighting against the northern barbarians for a long time, and the army has always maintained a strong combat effectiveness and fighting spirit. This is completely opposite to the Qi State, which is located in the east and has a long history of peace in the country.As we all know, if there is no strict military management and training system, the military of a country will degenerate in combat effectiveness due to the continuation of peaceful life.The three major military powers in the Spring and Autumn Period——Jin, Chu, and Qin—maintained their military power for a long time because they were in a state of war for a long time.Therefore, after the death of Jin Wengong, the strong expansion of Jin State continued. After the death of Duke Wen of Jin, the strategic focus of the Jin State has shifted from the south to the west. After experiencing the blow of the Battle of Chengpu in the south, the Chu State in the south temporarily stopped its expansion to the north, and the Jin State was unable to go south to destroy Chu.Therefore, there was a temporary "harmony" situation between Jin and Chu.However, Qin State in the west has gradually become the enemy of Jin State.Qin Mugong himself is a person who thinks about the Central Plains. He is the benefactor of Jin Wengong who can ascend to the throne. In the early days of Jin Wengong's return to the country, the relationship between the two families has indeed gone through a period of honeymoon.Qin Mugong's wife is Chong'er's eldest sister.After Chong'er returned to the country, Qin Mugong married his youngest daughter to him, and the two families can be said to be closer.When Chonger fought for hegemony in the Central Plains, Qin Mugong once sent troops to help Chonger defeat Chu State in the Battle of Chengpu, but after repelling the common enemy of Chu State, the contradictions between the two families began to surface.After the Battle of Chengpu, Duke Wen of Jin joined forces with Duke Mu of Qin to attack the State of Zheng, but the minister Zhu Zhiwu of Zheng State persuaded Duke Mu of Qin to conclude a contract with the State of Zheng alone, and the relationship between Qin and Jin became rift.But the deep-seated reason is that Qin Mugong, who is also ambitious, is not reconciled to seeing Jin Wengong's family dominate. Not much action. The real hostility between Qin and Jin began when Jin Xianggong was in power.Jin Xianggong's name is Huan, he is the son of Jin Wengong's wife. Compared with his talented father, Jin Xianggong has a generous personality and does not have the strength of his father. His father's various policies are mostly "Xiao Gui Cao Sui" , is a good conservative master.Although Duke Wen of Jin passed away, most of the civil servants and military generals who assisted him in achieving hegemony were still alive. Therefore, the national power of Jin State was also thriving during this period.But Qin Mugong obviously didn't think so. At this time, the strength of Chu State was far shrunk to the Yangtze River Basin. Among the countries in the Central Plains, Qin State's power was already second only to Jin State. The opportunity has come.As for Jin Xianggong, in the eyes of Qin Mugong, he is just a little boy, how can he compare with himself. So in 628 B.C., Duke Wen of Jin died. Only one year later, Duke Mu of Qin launched an attack on Jin. At that time, they were deceived by the people of Zheng Guo with an empty city strategy, mistakenly thinking that Zheng Guo was ready and withdrew his troops hastily. On the way back, the battle of Xiaoshan happened with Jin Guo.In this battle, the State of Jin set up an ambush on Mount Xiao early and launched a surprise attack when the State of Qin was not ready, and fought a beautiful battle of annihilation. The entire Qin army was wiped out. The three leading generals Meng Mingshi, Bai Yibing, Xiqishu was all captured.Later, although Jin Xianggong's mother (Qin Mugong's daughter) interceded, Jin Xianggong released the three captured Qin generals back.However, Qin was unable to confront Jin for the time being because of the severe loss of vitality in this battle. Qin Mugong is also a tough person, and also has great talent and general strategy. After the three generals were captured, he did not punish them and continued to trust them to lead the army. As a result, after a bloody battle, Qin defeated the Jin army at Xiaoshan and succeeded in revenge, but the Jin army adopted the tactics of fortifying the wall and clearing the field to prevent Qin's attack.The grim situation also made Qin Mugong give up the idea of ​​going east.In the end of Jin Xianggong's lifetime, Qin was unable to advance eastward. The reason why Qin State is at a disadvantage in the battle with Jin State is mainly because Jin State at this time is far stronger than Qin State in terms of national power, and has a geographical advantage. As long as the mountains and rivers between Qin State and Qin State are guarded, Qin State will not be able to advance eastward. , even if Jin State is defeated by Qin State in the field, it will not hinder the overall battle situation of the two countries.But the situation is different for Qin Mugong. The Jin State is the only obstacle for them to go east to fight for hegemony, and there is no other way but to attack.But defense is easy, but offense is difficult. In such a situation, it is an impossible task for Qin to compete with Jin. So even though Jin Xianggong died after only 7 years in power, Qin was still defeated by Jin general Zhao Dun in the Battle of Linghu in 602 BC.After this battle, Qin has hardly become a threat to Jin's hegemony. While at war with Qin, Duke Xiang of Jin also won successive battles on other fronts.One is to completely destroy the Baidi Kingdom.Bai Di, the "Baidi Tribe" that existed around the state of Jin, has always been the enemy of the state of Jin. During the period of Duke Wen of Jin, although he attacked Bai Di several times, he did not completely eliminate this threat. Duke Xiang of Jin resolved this threat. question.With the famous general Xian Zhen as his commander, he completely pacified the Baidi tribe, but the loss of the Jin State in this battle was also huge, and Marshal Xian Zhen also died in this battle.Afterwards, Duke Jin Xiang turned his guns and launched another round of attack on Chu State. At this time, the situation of Chu State was similar to that of Jin State. King Cheng of Chu, who was fighting for hegemony with Duke Wen of Jin back then, had no ambitions. He desperately wants to take advantage of Chong Er's death to avenge his shame.Just after the Battle of Xiaoshan, the State of Chu launched another attack on the State of Chen, a vassal of the State of Jin. Seeing the soldiers of the Jin army approaching, they deliberately retreated in an attempt to lure the Jin army to encircle and wipe them out.But Chufu Yang saw through Chu's plan at a glance, and instead used his plan. Seeing Chu's retreat, he ordered the whole army to shout "Chu is defeated".As a result, the Chu army who didn't know the truth fled one after another, and the false retreat turned into a real retreat. Chu's counterattack against Jin was repressed by Duke Jinxiang. During the 7 years of Jin Xianggong's reign, he achieved major victories in the battles against the three powerful enemies of Chu, Qin, and Baidi. Jin Wengong's hegemony was continued by him. The pinnacle of their hegemony was reached, but the crisis of Jin State also came because of it. Duke Xiang of Jin is an outstanding successor and a continuator of Jin's hegemony, but he is also an important figure in Jin's transition from prosperity to decline. The difference between the state of Jin and the state of Qi is that after the return of Chong’er, the state of Jin defended the monarch’s family and maintained the balance of government by elevating the power of ministers. However, the result of this became a new problem when Duke Jinxiang was in power ——There are many factions in the DPRK and China.Its ruling core is divided into "veteran faction" and "hero faction".The Veteran Faction includes the nobles of the Jin Kingdom who made great contributions in the era of Jin Xiangong, such as Zheng Yu, Liang Yier, Xiandu, Xun Linfu, etc. These people have backgrounds and qualifications. The "Sect of Heroes" includes the heroes who followed Chong'er in exile, as well as their descendants, including Xian Zhen, Xian Ke, and Zhao Dun.In the era of Jin Xianggong, the contradictions between the two factions had already surfaced, and the battles between them continued.Jin Xianggong's earliest policy was to use the Veteran Sect to suppress the Heroic Faction, but as the power of the Heroic Faction grew stronger, he himself was powerless.In 621 B.C., Duke Xiang of Jin paraded his troops in Mian, and re-divided the composition of high-level personnel. The descendants of heroes such as Zhao Dun, Hushe, and Xianke all got important positions. The incident laid the groundwork. Duke Xiang of Jin's decision is just a political balance. He thinks that with his own political skills, he can completely suppress the officials under him, and he can use his strength to rule.This plan was originally correct, but there was a premise - he must be physically strong.In this personnel adjustment in 621 BC, a new political star appeared——Zhao Dun.He was the son of Zhao Shuai, a famous general who followed Chong'er back then. At this time, Duke Xiang of Jin gave him an absolutely lofty position-General of the Central Army.This is a well-deserved leader in the Jin army, and he has all the power of the imperial army.The original intention of having this position held by a junior high-ranking cadre is also obvious, which is to be easy to control.However, Duke Jinxiang missed one thing after all his calculations, that is, after a hundred days of this adjustment, Duke Jinxiang was seriously ill and left him alone to Zhao Dun before his death.But this entrustment put Jin on the road of chaos. After Duke Xiang of Jin passed away, his son Yigao came to the throne, Duke Ling of Jin.Zhao Dun, as the minister of Tuogu, gradually eliminated the forces of various factions and monopolized the power of Jin.The state of Jin returned to the situation where the monarch's power was weakened in the early Spring and Autumn Period. Worse than last time, the power of the country did not fall into the hands of the clan with the same surname, but was controlled by foreign ministers.At this time, Zhao Dun had all the power, and Duke Ling of Jin became a puppet, obedient to Zhao Dun in everything.During the 20 years that Zhao Dun was in power, he vigorously cleaned up all kinds of nobles who were loyal to the Jin royal family, whether it was the "hero faction" or the "veteran faction", and killed all those who stood in the way.Launched wars abroad and defeated Qin and Chu countries in succession.During this period, in 607 BC, he killed Jin Linggong again, and established Jin Linggong's uncle, Jin Chenggong, and completely took the king of Jin into his hands. In the late period of Zhao Dun, he was facing another turning point in the Jin-Chu struggle for hegemony.After two generations of King Chu Cheng and King Chu Mu, the power of Chu State increased again and began to infiltrate the Central Plains.Zhao Dun fought or pulled, playing the banner of "respecting the king and fighting the barbarians" to win over the princes of the Central Plains, but Chu's strong position was already unstoppable.In his later years, Zhao Dun pressed the "spring" of Chu's rebound to the end. In 602 BC, he won over Lu and Wei, who were originally Chu's allies, and shattered the Northern Alliance carefully laid out by King Mu of Chu. He organized a large-scale alliance, and he resolutely suppressed Chu's expansion momentum.In 601 BC, Zhao Dun, a power minister of a generation, passed away. Four years after his death, the Battle of Bi broke out between Jin and Chu. The history of Zhao Dun's rule of Jin has a profound impact on Jin.Although his power disappeared with his death, the general trend of the decline of Jin's position as the monarch has not changed because of this.Behind Zhao Dun, Jin Jinggong defeated Qi and Qin successively after being defeated by King Zhuang of Chu. Although he was unable to shake Chu's dominance, he still maintained Jin's strongest position in the north.The following generations of Jin monarchs saw each other with Chu, but no one could break the strategic pattern of Jin-Chu confrontation.However, the power of the scholar-bureaucrats in the Jin State was expanding day by day, but it became more and more intense.Afterwards, Xiang Rong eliminated soldiers and the three families were divided into Jin Dynasty, which is another story.