Chapter 28 The performance of Confucius' disciples in various countries

Looking back at the history of the Spring and Autumn Period, at the beginning, the royal family declined, and all the heroes rose together. Zheng Zhuanggong ruled across the river and became the hegemony; then Qi Huangong, Chu Chengwang, and Jin Wengong rose one after another. Controlling the Central Plains, Chu State dominates the south, and Jin and Chu struggle for hegemony become the theme. The princes of the world either follow Jin, or follow Chu, or fluctuate. Although wars continue, they maintain relative stability for a long time; later, Jin State declined, Chu State lost power, The Qi State revived briefly, the Wu State was short-lived, and the Yue State suddenly emerged, and the order of the world was disrupted again. It seemed that the cycle had returned to the original state of chaos.

In the spring of 488 BC, a year after Qi Jinggong died, Song State invaded Zheng State on the grounds that Zheng State had betrayed Jin State.This excuse is very far-fetched. You know, back then when Duke Jing of Qi was fighting for hegemony with the State of Jin, both the States of Song and the State of Zheng joined Qi’s camp. Why did Song State punish Zheng State?Obviously, the state of song didn't want to please the state of jin, but wanted to take advantage of the chaos and stand alone. In the autumn of the same year, Song State invaded Cao State again. Cao Guo was invaded, and it was completely self-inflicted.Cao Bo and Ji Yang loved bird hunting, and a country nobleman named Gongsun Qiang fell in love with him, and he brought a white goose to him as a gift, and told him the skills of bird hunting very well.As soon as Ji Yang was happy, he made Gongsun Qiang the Secretary City.Gongsun Qiang probably lost his mind. After becoming the boss of the city, he gave advice and suggestions to Ji Yang all day long, encouraging him to be the overlord of the Central Plains!Ji Yang actually believed it too, so he stopped going to the Jin country for pilgrimage, and he didn't pay the bills of the surrounding countries.Song Jinggong seized this excuse and sent troops to invade Cao State to punish him for his disrespect.

In the winter of the same year, Zheng Guo sent troops to invade Song State in order to rescue Cao State.This containment strategy was very effective, and Song Jinggong had to return to defend Shangqiu.When Gongsun Qiang saw the Song army retreating, he suddenly committed a crime. Instead of secretly congratulating himself, he ordered the soldiers to insult wantonly on the city wall.Song Jinggong was furious, and ordered the troops to turn around and attack fiercely, and quickly broke through the city, captured Ji Yang and Gongsun Qiang, and Cao State perished. In the spring of 486 BC, the State of Zheng sent troops to attack Yongqiu of the State of Song (in today’s Qi County, Henan Province). The State of Song sent troops to counterattack and wiped out the Zheng army. territory.

Song Guo's actions finally aroused the vigilance of Jin State.In the autumn of the same year, Zhao Yang prepared to send troops to rescue Zheng Guo, and ordered Yang Hu to make a fortune, but the result was unlucky, so he gave up. Song Jinggong became more and more courageous, and sent troops to invade Zheng State in 485 BC.In the winter of 483 B.C., another doctor was sent to attack Zheng Chao. Handa led the army to counterattack and surrounded Xiang Chao in Yandi (in today's Henan Province). In the spring of 482 BC, the State of Song sent Huan Yu (that is, the man who cut down the tree to threaten Confucius) to reinforce the nest. As a result, before the battle, Handa only passed on an order-"Whoever captures Huan Yu alive will be rewarded." ", Huan Yu fled, and Xiangchao was wiped out by Zheng Jun.

As mentioned earlier, Huan Yu was very much loved by Song Jinggong.However, when the love reaches a certain level, it is easy to turn love into hatred.When Song Jinggong was ambitious and wanted to dominate the Central Plains, Huan's timid performance made him very angry.What annoyed him even more was that after returning home, Huan Yu didn't feel guilty at all, even Song Jinggong's criticism could not be accepted.Under such circumstances, Song Jinggong made up his mind to get rid of Huan Yu. In the summer of 481 B.C., Song Jinggong arranged a dinner and asked his mother, the Queen Mother of Song, to invite Huan Qu to dinner.I don't know how this matter got out of the wind, and Huan Yu knew about it, so he decided to turn against the guest and invite Song Jinggong to come to his house as a guest.Song Jinggong was not a fool either. He summoned Sima Huangye and said, "I brought up Huanyu since I was a child, but now he is trying to harm me in reverse. Please save me." Huangye said, "It's okay, but this matter Master Zuo must help, please find him first."

Master Zuo is Xiangchao, who is Huan's elder brother.Xiang Chao has a habit of ringing the bell before eating.Song Jinggong heard the bell in the palace, and said to Huangye: "The old man is going to eat, please wait first, don't disturb him." After half an hour, he heard music coming from Xiangchao's house again. Song Jinggong said: " He's finished eating, you can go." So Huangye drove to Xiangchao's house and said, "Today, the Jiren (officials in charge of the mountains and forests) came to report that a wild deer was found in Fengze (in today's Shangqiu, Henan Province) The monarch wants to invite Mr. Zuo to go hunting together, but he is afraid that Mr. Zuo will not have time, so he sent me to visit in private and ask what you like. If you want to go, please hurry up, because the monarch is ready to go, Please go with me in my car."

Xiang Chao was flattered and happily went with him.When Song Jinggong saw Xiang Chao, he told him about Huan Pi's plan to rebel. When Xiang Chao heard about it, he immediately knelt down on the ground and refused to get up.Huang Ye said: "Don't be nervous. The king invited you to discuss this matter because he trusts you. On such a big issue of right and wrong, please be sure to recognize the situation and stand on the side of justice." Song Jinggong also said: "I know that Master Zuo must be in a difficult situation, but there is the emperor above, and there are ancestors and clans below, so I have to deal with Huanyu as a last resort." Then Xiang Chao said in a trembling voice: "Huanyu didn't obey the emperor's order, for the sake of it." Damn the Song Dynasty, how dare I disobey the king's order?" Huang Ye waited for this sentence, and immediately said: "Then please stay in the palace to protect the king, and give me your soldier talisman, and I will handle the rest. thing."

The so-called soldier talisman is the certificate for dispatching troops.Officer Xiang Chao lives in the left division and does not hold military power, so this soldier talisman is used to mobilize Xiang clan soldiers.Huang Ye came to Xiang Mansion with a soldier talisman and ordered Xiang Chao's retainers to assemble a team and prepare to attack Huan Yu.Xiang Chao's old retainers disagreed, but the young retainers all said: "We obey the king's orders." Finally, the young men gained the upper hand, so they issued weapons and armor to equip the clan soldiers, and marched towards Huanyu's mansion.

Huan's younger brother Ziqi got the news and hurriedly informed Huan.Huan Kui immediately ordered the troops to be assembled, and wanted to attack the palace directly, but Song Jinggong was caught off guard.His other younger brother, Zi Che, persuaded him: "You can't serve the king, but attack him instead. The people of the country will not agree, so don't seek death." Huan then fled to Caodi (the original Cao State). In June of the same year, Song Jinggong sent Xiangchao to attack Caodi.Xiang Chao was unable to attack for a long time, fearing that Song Jinggong would suspect him, so he fled to the state of Lu.Later, the people of Cao land rebelled, and Huan Yu fled to the state of Wei.It is said that Song Jinggong once sent someone to keep Xiang Chao, and said to Chao: "The crime is extremely heinous, and it is not an exaggeration to exterminate the family. If you see that for the sake of the ancestors, the Xiang family will continue to be sacrificed, I will be very grateful. As for the subordinates I don’t have to think about it anymore.”

It is worth mentioning that Huan Yu also has a younger brother named Sima Niu.It is generally believed in history that Sima Niu was also a student of Confucius.After the defeat of the Huanyu incident, Zhao Guo and Qi Guo both called him to be an official, but he finally fled to Lu State, and later died in Lu State.According to records, Sima Niu once lamented: "Everyone has brothers, but I don't." His brother Bu Shang replied with a popular saying: "In the four seas, everyone is brothers!" In 481 BC, a major event also occurred in Qi State, and the matter was also involved with Confucian disciples.

As mentioned earlier, when Duke Jian of Qi was in the State of Lu, he was called Gongsun Ren.His father Qi Daogong was called Gongzi Yangsheng at that time.In 489 B.C., Yang Sheng should be recalled to the state of Qi and entrusted Gongsun Ren to the care of Zai Yu, a student of Confucius.Because of this relationship, Zaiyu became Gongsun Ren's most trusted person.When Duke Jian of Qi came to the throne, Zaiyu was entrusted with a heavy responsibility, became the mayor of Linzi, and became a man of the political circle in Qi State. Zaiyu is good at eloquence.Confucianism pays attention to filial piety. After the death of parents, they must observe filial piety for three years, do not eat meat, do not drink alcohol, do not sing, do not dance, do not work, and do not have sex.Zaiyu expressed doubts about this: "If a gentleman does not practice Zhou Gong's etiquette for three years, isn't this ceremony broken? If he does not have fun for three years, isn't this fun broken? The old valley is eaten up, and the new valley is on the market. There is nothing wrong with it, right? !" Kong Qiu heard this, and asked, "Then do you feel at ease?" Zai Yu said, "Ah!" I can’t even enjoy music, so I don’t want those things at all, it’s meaningless.” Turning his head, Kong Qiu said to others: “Zaiyu is a heartless guy. After the child is born, he spends the first three years in the arms of his parents. Spent it. Three years of filial piety is a common law in the world." It can be seen from this that Zaiyu was not appreciated by Confucius, and his habit of sleeping during the day annoyed Confucius even more. When asked solemnly about the moral character of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors in ancient times, Confucius said disdainfully, "You are not the one who should know such knowledge." Having said that, Zaiyu was listed within the gate wall of Confucius after all, and his reputation was outside.At that time, Chen Qi had passed away, and his style name Chen Heng (also known as Chen Chang or Tian Chang) inherited the family business.Chen Heng was very afraid of the celebrities in front of Zaiyu, the monarch, and often went to the court with nothing to do. It was called a visit, but it was actually a surveillance.Seeing this situation, the doctor Zhu Yuyang often said to Qi Jiangong: "Chen Heng and Zaiyu cannot coexist. Either you rely on Chen Heng or Zaiyu, and don't waver." Qi Jiangong refused to listen. . One night, when Zaiyu was going to the palace to do business, he met Chen Ni who was murdering someone on the way, so he was arrested and brought into the palace.Chen Ni is also a member of the Chen clan, and he is Chen Heng's confidant.After he was arrested, Chen Heng was very nervous, and tried every means to send people to sneak into the palace, knocked down the guards, and rescued Chen Ni. After this incident, the conflict between Chen Heng and Jae Yu became increasingly prominent.Chen Heng had an uncle named Chen Bao, who was frustrated in the Chen family, so he entrusted someone to find Zai Yu and asked him to join him.Zaiyu met with him and talked about some political issues. Chen Bao did what he liked and said what Zaiyu liked to hear, and he quickly gained trust.One day, Zaiyu half-jokingly and half-seriously said to Chen Bao: "How about I drive out all the Chen clan and make you the suzerain of the Chen clan?" Chen Bao replied: "I am not a descendant of the Chen clan, so I dare not I have such an extravagant hope. Besides, there are only a few Chen family members who don’t listen to you, so why drive them all away?” After Chen Bao came out, he immediately ran to tell Chen Heng.Chen Heng called a meeting of the tribe to study countermeasures. Chen Ni said: "Zaiyu has the support of the monarch. If you don't fight first, I'm afraid you won't be able to defeat him." Chen Heng said, "Then what suggestion do you have?" Chen Ni said: "I have the experience of escaping from the palace, and I am willing to bring a few people back to the palace to lurk and be your internal support." Chen Heng agreed.On May 13th, Chen Heng and his four brothers went to court together in a carriage.Zaiyu was working in the hearing office outside the court hall, and when he heard the sound, he came out to greet him.The Chen brothers pushed him out of the door, quickly entered the door, and then closed the door, shutting Zaiyu out.The guards guarding the gate wanted to stop them, but they were all killed by Chen Ni who had been ambushing there a long time ago and led several warriors. At that time, Qi Jiangong and several concubines were drinking in the back garden, and ordered Dashi Ziyu to sing to cheer for the fun.Chen Heng and others rushed in and asked Qi Jiangong to move to the palace as soon as possible.Duke Jian of Qi picked up a long spear and wanted to hit Chen Heng, but Ziyu quickly stopped him and said, "Xiangguo is not here to harm you, but to eliminate harm for you." Chen Heng also quickly knelt down and said: "Zaiyu is plotting to cause trouble, and my servants have come into the palace to protect you. There is no other meaning." Yan Bi led people out of the back garden, and said as he walked, "It seems that the monarch is very fond of me. I’m so angry, I have to run away quickly, it’s good to flee to the Kingdom of Lu and the Kingdom of Jin, the world is so big, why don’t you have a king?” When Chen Ni heard this, he immediately drew out his sword and stopped in front of him, saying: "How can you be so indecisive, how can you achieve great things? Who is here who is not a descendant of the Chen family? If you want to escape, I will kill you right now. Is there no one to lead us?" Chen Heng stared at Chen Ni for a long time, and said: "I understand, you put your sword away, and immediately gather the soldiers of the Chen clan and prepare for battle." Chen Heng issued this order very timely.It didn't take long before there was a killing sound outside the palace wall. It was the troops summoned by Zaiyu who were preparing to attack the palace and take back the monarch.Chen Heng led the guards in the palace to climb the wall to resist.Zai Yu first attacked the gate, and then attacked the side gate, but returned without success.Zai Yu was about to pile up firewood to attack, when Chen Ni arrived with his clan soldiers, and the two sides fought a battle.The residents of Linzi had been bought by the Chen family long ago, and they were naturally disgusted with Zaiyu, a foreign monk, so they all ran out to help Chen Ni.Seeing that the situation was not good, Zaiyu fled in despair.Unexpectedly, in a hurry, he lost his way as soon as he left the city, and ran headlong into Fengqiu, the feudal town of the Chen family. He was captured by Fengqiu's soldiers and people, and sent back to Linzi. Chen Heng ordered Zai Yu to be executed outside the city, and Qi Jiangong was arrested and imprisoned in Shuzhou. "Zuo Zhuan" records that in June of the same year, "Chen Heng killed his lord Ren in Shuzhou." It is said that Qi Jiangong only said one sentence before his death: "If I had listened to the words of Zhu Yuyang, I would not be where I am today." It's over." Chen Heng made Jiang Ao, the younger brother of Duke Jian of Qi, the Duke of Qi, also known as Duke Ping of Qi.Chen Heng proclaimed himself the prime minister, bought people's hearts and appeased the people internally, and took the initiative to build good relations with the princes externally, and soon settled down the state of Qi.Chen Heng said to Ping Gong: "Practice benevolence, justice and morality, and benefit the people. This is what everyone is willing to do. Please do it; talk about the rule of law and punish sinners. This is what everyone hates to do. Please let your servants do it." Go and execute it." Taking the power in his own hands, he became the actual controller of Qi State.After that, Chen Heng spent five years to wipe out all the major families such as the Bao family and the Yan family.In 476 BC, he assigned all the land of Qi State to the east from Ping'an (in today's Zibo, Shandong Province) to himself, and he owned more land than the public office.The Chen family has actually controlled Qi, and the "Chen family replaces Qi" is only a step away. In 481 BC, a major event also occurred in the State of Lu.Zhongsun Heji, the patriarch of the Meng family, died, and his son Zhongsun Zhi inherited the family business.A few years ago, Zhongsun Zhi wanted to raise horses in Chengyi, the fief of the Meng family, but was opposed by the local governor Gongsunsu.After Zhongsun Heji's death, Gongsun Su came to attend the funeral, but was turned away by Zhongsun Zhi.Gongsun Su exposed his upper body, took off his hat, knelt at the door and cried loudly, but Zhongsun Zhi still refused to accept it.Gongsun Su was frightened, took Chengyi as a favor, and defected to the state of Qi.The relationship between Qilu and Shandong had already deteriorated because of the Fucha war, and it became more rigid after this incident. In the autumn of 480 BC, Chen Heng sent his senior official Chen Guan to visit Chu, passing through the state of Wei.At that time, Duke Wei was still in power, and Zhong You was not dead.Zhong You said to Chen Guan: "Maybe God is using the Chen family as an ax to cut down the Qi State government! Although the future cannot be predicted, it is not impossible for the Chen family to eventually occupy the Qi State. For future considerations, Why not end the confrontation with Lu and treat each other kindly?" Chen Guan is Chen Heng's elder brother. He was very happy to hear Confucius' students say such words, and said, "Your words are right. I will tell my brother." In the winter of the same year, the states of Lu and Qi achieved peace through negotiations.The State of Lu sent Zifu He and Duanmu Ci to visit the State of Qi and met Gongsun Su.Duan Muci said: "You are a descendant of Duke Zhou, and the State of Lu treats you well. Why do you want to betray the motherland?" Gongsun Su said: "I am willing to listen to your teaching." Chen Heng went to the hotel to meet with the envoy of the Lu State, and said: "The widow sent me to tell you that he is willing to serve the Marquis of Lu as he serves the Marquis of Wei." Chen Heng said this. Duan Muci said: "That's exactly what I want. When the Jin State attacked the Wei State, the Qi State attacked the Jin State (referring to the Battle of Yiyi) in order to rescue the Wei State. They lost 500 chariots and compensated the Wei State. The land is indeed not treated lightly! As for the State of Lu, when the State of Wu sent troops to threaten the State of Lu and forced us to form an alliance with it, the State of Qi took advantage of the fire and seized two cities of the State of Lu, which made the widow feel chilled. If we can To be able to enjoy the treatment of the Marquis of Wei, I wish for it!" These words were neither arrogant nor humble, and Duanmuci was indeed the most outstanding diplomat of that era. After hearing this, Chen Heng was very embarrassed, and took the initiative to return Chengyi to the State of Lu.Since then, the relationship between Qilu and Shandong has gradually warmed up.In 478 BC, Duke Ai of Lu visited the State of Qi accompanied by Sun Zhong, and met with Duke Ping of Qi in Mengcheng (now in Mengyin, Shandong Province). Duke Ping of Qi may have been a puppet for a long time, and he didn't even understand basic diplomatic etiquette, so he bowed down to Duke Ai of Lu.Duke Ai of Lu just bowed in return.The Qi officials present were very angry, thinking that Duke Ai of Lu had slighted Duke Ping of Qi.Zhongsun Zhi came out and explained: "If you are not the emperor, you can't bow down!" This sentence made the people of Qi speechless. In 474 BC, Duke Ai of Lu met Duke Ping of Qi again.The people of Qi State were still brooding about what happened a few years ago, so they made up a song and sang like this: "The people of Lu State made mistakes, and they didn't realize it after a few years. It is the book that caused the distress of the two countries (Gao, a Lu man, did not realize it for several years, which made me go downhill. Because of his Confucian books, he thought the two countries were worried)." The implication is that the people of Lu are too rigid about Zhou. Li didn't know how to be flexible, so that he neglected the Marquis of Qi, which caused a rift in the relationship between the two countries. Duke Ai of Lu didn't say anything, but he felt very displeased with Qi people's unreasonable words.Three years later, in 472 BC, Jin State sent troops to attack Qi State and asked Lu State to send troops to help.Duke Ai of Lu sent Zang Shi, a doctor, to lead troops to join the Jin army, and captured Qiqiu in one fell swoop. In the autumn of the same year, Duke Ai of Lu appointed Jing, the concubine's son, as the eldest son.According to "Zuo Zhuan", the son Jing's mother had a low status, but was favored by Duke Ai of Lu.Duke Ai of Lu wanted to make her his wife, so he ordered the sacrificial officials to prepare the ceremony for canonization.The sacrificial officer replied: "There is no such etiquette." Duke Ai of Lu was furious, and said: "Madam Li is a great gift of the country, how could there be no such thing?" The wife is a princess of the Song Dynasty. Since Duke Huan of Lu, the wives of the monarchs have all been princesses of the Qi State. This kind of etiquette exists. If you make a concubine a wife, there is really no such thing." Lu Ai Gong refused to listen, and made her his wife , And made son Jing the eldest son.Because of this incident, the people of the country became disgusted with Duke Ai of Lu. But Lu Aigong didn't care whether the people of the country liked it or not, he had his own calculations.In October of the same year, he traveled thousands of miles to visit the country of Yue, where he had a heated fight with Goujian's eldest son, Shiying.Shiying also planned to marry his daughter to Duke Ai of Lu and give a large piece of land as a dowry. Ji Sunfei was terrified when he heard the news.At that time, the State of Yue ruled the world. If Duke Ai of Lu was involved in this marriage, even if the three Huan joined forces, they would have nothing to do with him.Ji Sunfei hurriedly sent someone to work in Yue State with gifts, and tried every means to destroy the marriage. In June of the following year, Duke Ai of Lu returned from Yue.Ji Sunfei and Zhongsun Yi went out of the city to meet them.Guo Zhong, the doctor, was driving for Duke Ai of Lu. When he saw Ji Sunfei and Zhongsun Yi, he came back and said, "These two are muttering and full of complaints. You have to guard against them." How could Duke Ai of Lu know Ji Sunfei? He ruined his good deeds and said, "I know it well." Duke Ai of Lu hosted a banquet in Wuwu (the place name of the south gate of Qufu).Zhongsun Zhi came forward to toast, and when he saw Guo Zhong, he joked, "Hey, why are you so fat?" Ji Sunfei joked on the side: "Punish Zhong Sunzhi for drinking quickly. We have government affairs, and we can't travel with the monarch, so we have to let Guo Zhong work hard. How can he be said to be fat?" Duke Ai of Lu said coldly: "If you break your promise too much, can you not get fat?" Later generations speculated that Sanhuan probably made promises to Duke Ai of Lu many times but failed to keep the promise, so Duke Ai of Lu took this opportunity to criticize Sang Huai. A good banquet broke up unhappy, and the relationship between Duke Ai of Lu and Sanhuan further deteriorated. In the spring of 468 BC, Goujian sent a senior official, Tongyong, to the state of Lu to demand an oath of alliance with Duke Ai of Lu.Although Yue is the overlord, it is obviously inappropriate to send a doctor to form an alliance with the princes.Duke Ai of Lu went happily, and asked Sanhuan to join him.Duke Ai of Lu's intention was obvious, he wanted to use the power of Yue to suppress Sanhuan, and he did not hesitate to be inferior to others. Ji Sunfei felt ashamed, and said to the other two: "If Duanmu was here, things wouldn't be like this." Zhongsun Zhi said, "Yes, why don't you invite him now?" Qiu's son) said: "Let's talk about it later!" In April of the same year, Ji Sunfei passed away.Duke Ai of Lu went to offer his condolences, but left without completing the ceremony as prescribed.This incident made the conflict between Duke Ai of Lu and Sanhuan more acute.In August of the same year, Duke Ai of Lu wanted to ask Gou Jian to send troops to crusade against the State of Lu and expel Sanhuan.Sanhuan got the information and joined forces to attack Duke Ai of Lu.Duke Ai of Lu first ran to hide in the house of the doctor Gongsun Youshan, then fled to the country of Zhu, and finally came to the country of Yue. A year later, Duke Ai of Lu died.Before and after the death of Duke Ai of Lu, the Chen family of Qi State was scrambling to seize power, Zhi, Zhao, Wei, and Han Siqing of Jin State were fighting openly and secretly, and the princes of the world were all restless because of the collapse of internal and external order.The turbulent Spring and Autumn Period came to an end in turmoil. (End of Spring and Autumn Roll)