Chapter 4 Survival skills of wall grass

As mentioned earlier, when Jin and Chu struggled for hegemony, all the princes suffered, and the most suffering was Zheng Guo.Zheng Guo suffers because of its special geographical location. It is not only the heart of the Central Plains, but also at the foot of the emperor. Whoever controls the Zheng country can coerce the emperor to command the princes and gain a strategic advantage in international competition.Therefore, Zheng Guo has become the focus of contention between the two countries. It is not good for both sides, neither is it good to be a human being, nor is it good to be a ghost.

In June 563 BC, Yin Gongzizhen of Chu State and Gongsun Zhe of Zheng State jointly sent troops to crusade against Song State, and they fought all the way to the north gate of Shangqiu. At this time, the main force of the Jin army, led by Xun Yu, was attacking Qin in retaliation for Qin's invasion last year.Duke Mourning of Jin had no time to look east, so he sent envoys to the state of Wei to ask the state of Wei to send troops to rescue the state of Song.Duke Xian of Wei did not dare to be negligent, and personally led his troops to station in Xiangniu (a place name in Weiguo), assuming he was going abroad to fight.

When Gong Zizhen got the news, he sent an envoy to Xinzheng, ordering Zheng Guo to take the initiative to attack Wei Guo.This is an unreasonable order, because Zheng Guo has already sent troops to follow the Chu army to attack the Song State, and sending troops to attack the Wei State is equivalent to fighting on two fronts, and the country's financial and manpower cannot afford it.The officials of the State of Zheng held a state affairs meeting. Gongsun Shezhi said: "Let's crusade against the State of Wei, otherwise the State of Chu will be unhappy. We have offended the State of Jin, and now we have offended the State of Chu. Where will the country go?" Woolen cloth?"

The young master said, "Alas, our country is too difficult and exhausted." Gongsun Shezhi said: "Offending two great powers will lead to death. Difficulties and exhaustion are better than perishing, right?" After all the doctors came together, they had no choice but to do so, so they sent Huang Er to lead troops to invade Weiguo. As a result, they were ambushed by Weiguo people in Quanqiu (place name), and Huang Er was captured. In July of the same year, Gong Zizhen and Gongsun Zhe moved eastward from Song State and invaded the western border of Lu State.When returning, he conquered Xiaocheng in Song State.

In September of the same year, Gongsun Zhe sent his troops to the north and swept across the northern part of the Song Dynasty, beating the people of the Song Dynasty behind closed doors.It can be seen from this that although Zheng Guo is difficult and exhausted, it is more than enough to deal with Song Guo, and the combat effectiveness of Zheng Jun is indeed extraordinary. However, Zhongsun Mie of Lu State was very disapproving of Zheng State's efforts to fight for Chu State. He said: "Zheng State has resorted to military force, and I am afraid that there will be disasters. Before the world is in chaos, the royal family can't bear to use troops repeatedly, let alone Zheng State. ? If there is a catastrophe, its three rulers will not escape."

Zheng Jiangong was young, and the so-called "three rulers" refer to the sons, the sons, and the grandsons. In the autumn of the same year, Duke Dao of Jin summoned the princes to crusade against the state of Zheng, and the coalition troops stationed in Niu Shou (place name) of the state of Zheng.Under the strong military pressure, the internal contradictions of Zheng State came to the fore.The son and the doctor Weizhi have always been at odds. When dispatching troops to resist the invasion of the coalition forces, the son deliberately reduced the number of soldiers under Weizhi.Wei Zhi took the initiative to attack and captured some allied soldiers, but the son-in-law did not reward him, and said: "The chariot you are riding is beyond the specification!" For this reason, Wei Zhi was not allowed to go to the ancestral temple to offer prisoners.

Judging from the historical performance of Gong Ziyu, he is a very capable person. He has made great military exploits for Zheng Guo, and he can also fight for reason on major diplomatic occasions to safeguard the dignity of the country.However, this person who is unequivocal in big matters is extremely confused in small matters, and offended many people because of his domineering style.According to "Zuo Zhuan", when the son was responsible for the construction of water conservancy projects, in the name of rectifying the field boundaries, he forcibly confiscated the fields of the Dafu Si, Du, Hou, and Zishi families and brought them into his pocket.These families dared to be angry but did not dare to speak out, and now they are secretly communicating with the Wei family, preparing to unite to cause chaos.

In the early morning of October 563 BC, Weizhi, Sichen, Hou Jin, father Du, and son's servants suddenly launched an attack and led hundreds of warriors into the palace, killing the sons, sons, and grandsons. , kidnapped Zheng Jiangong to the North Palace.Young Master Jia had a premonition in advance and found an excuse to hide at home and not go to court, so he escaped. Gongsun Xia, the son of Gongzi Liu, got the news, so he didn't bother to set up guards. He ran out of the house with a group of people, rushed to the palace, packed up the dead body of Gongzi Liu, and then went after the traitors.At this time, Weizhi and others had already arranged defenses in the Beigong, and they were ready.Gongsun Xia didn't dare to attack by force, so he went back home, ready to open the arsenal and distribute weapons and armor to his retainers and servants, but he found that more than half of the male and female slaves in the house had fled in the chaos, and most of the weapons in the arsenal had been stolen.

In contrast, Zichan, son of Gongzifa, was much calmer.When Zichan learned that his father had been killed, the first thing he did was to set up guards at the door of the house, strictly prohibiting the entry and exit of idlers, and then called a meeting of retainers, closed the arsenal and money warehouse, and sent additional staff to strictly guard against it.After completing these tasks, he distributed weapons and armor to everyone. Seventeen chariots and more than 1,200 infantry came out in a neat line.He brought this team to the Duke's palace, first properly cleaned up the bones of the young master, and then attacked the Beigong.With the help of Gongsun Pun and the residents of the capital, Zichan successfully entered the North Palace and killed Weizhi and Zishifu.Hou Jin fled to the state of Jin, and Du's father-in-law, ministers and others fled to the state of Song.

After the rebellion was wiped out, Gong Zijia became the chief executive of Zheng State. He ordered people to make a letter of alliance pledging allegiance to him, and ordered all civil and military officials to stick to their posts, stop handling all government affairs, and wait for the introduction of new policies. In troubled times, heavy codes should be used, and it was not a big problem for Gong Zijia to do so.However, the prestige of the young master Jia Sulai was not high, and many officials and nobles expressed disgust at his arbitrariness and openly confronted him.Young Master Jia wanted to kill a few people to establish his prestige, but Zichan objected.

Zichan said: "Unfortunately, the country has suffered such a catastrophe, and many people have died. You continue to kill people as soon as you come to power. This is not to gain prestige, but to make enemies." Prince Jia said, "Then do you have a better way?" Zichan said, "Yes. Please burn the alliance book, and the people's hearts will be at ease." The eldest son Jia was not happy, and said: "I want these people to sign the alliance, not for myself, but for the stability of the country. If someone is not willing to burn the agreement, it is like handing over the power to those people. What do I do? Govern the country?" Zichan said, "It's hard to commit public anger, and it's hard to achieve dictatorship. You want to be dictatorship now, and you have already committed public anger. You think that you can stabilize the country with a few books of alliance, and you are asking yourself for disaster. In my opinion, it is better to burn the alliance." This book shows your trust in everyone. In this way, you can govern the country with peace of mind, and the people can also be stable, isn’t it good?” Young Master Jia couldn't help but look at this young man a few more times, only to see that he was still wearing sackcloth and filial piety, his face showed the sadness of having just lost his father, but there was a kind of peace and firmness in his eyes.Compared with his father, Zifa, Zichan seems to have more natural leadership skills. A few words, neither fast nor slow, neither light nor heavy, made the elder, Gongzijia, have to think seriously. "You're right." Gongzi Jia finally accepted Zichan's suggestion and publicly burned the alliance book outside the southeast gate of Xinzheng. As the pile of bamboo slips was reduced to ashes in the raging fire, the dissatisfaction in Xinzheng City gradually subsided, the state institutions began to operate again, and the lives of the people returned to a normal track. However, the crisis in Zheng State has not been resolved, and the multinational forces headed by Jin State are still stationed on the land of Zheng State, posing a strong threat to Xinzheng.In order to force Zheng Guo to submit, the Jin people repeated their old tricks, increasing the garrison at Hulao Pass, and sent Shi Biao and Wei Jiang to build two small cities near Hulao Pass, Wuhe Zhi, to stockpile military rations and weapons. It looks like a protracted war. For the Zheng people who have suffered from the war, it has become commonplace to change their families.Prince Jia sent an envoy to Hulao to request peace talks with the coalition forces.Moreover, Jin State signed a peace treaty with Zheng State without too difficult negotiations.The significance of such a treaty is estimated to be beyond the reach of the people of Zheng, and the people of Jin also don't know much, because there is information that the army led by Yin Gongzizhen, the Minister of Chu, is already on the road, and is rushing to Xinzheng day and night. In November of the same year, the allied forces of the princes bypassed Xinzheng and marched southward, arriving at Yangling (the place name of Zheng State).Since the Battle of Yanling, Jin and Chu have met several times, but they have always missed each other, not even a small-scale encounter. It is like two people quarreling fiercely, but neither of them took the lead. Finally let it go.This time, the Chu army put on a tough posture, and Xun Yu, the marshal of the Jin army, wanted to retreat again, saying: "Today we hide from the Chu army, the Chu army must be proud, and then we will fight a decisive battle with them at that time." The princes of all countries who participated in the Jin army had the intention to retreat, but Luan Yan objected: "If you don't fight or run away, it is a disgrace to the Jin country. We summoned the princes to come here and suffer humiliation in front of so many people. It is better to die! Even if You want to withdraw, I will not retreat, I will lead my own troops to advance alone!" These words sound very familiar. In the Battle of Bi, Xiangu ignored the order of the commander Xun Linfu and led the army across the Yellow River alone. As a result, all the three armies of the Jin State were dragged into the war.Xun Yu's memory of this is still fresh, because it was in that war that he was captured by the Chu army, and he was released as a prisoner of Chu for nine years. Since Duke Mourning of Jin came to the throne, the state of Jin has made great efforts to govern and the country has been thriving, which is obvious to all.However, Jin Daogong is a man with more generosity than strategy. He always emphasizes convincing others with virtue to the ministers of the court and lacks necessary restraints, so that some people have no organization and discipline, and their free and undisciplined style rises.As far as the dispute that happened in Yangling at that time was concerned, no matter whether Xun Yu's decision was correct or not, Luan Yan's attitude of disobedience to discipline had actually exposed this problem. Xun Yan thought about it again and again, and Luan Yan said that he could do it. If Luan Yan was alone in danger and then led the whole army to rescue him, it would be like repeating the mistakes of the Battle of Bi, so it is better to simply agree with him.The coalition army then advanced and confronted the Chu army across the river at Yingshui. The differences of opinion within the coalition forces regarding war and retreat were noticed by Zheng Guo's Gongsun Fan.He said to his colleagues: "The troops of the princes have packed up their gear, and this battle will definitely not start. Whether we surrender to Jin or not, they will retreat, and the Chu army will definitely besiege Xinzheng. Since this is the case, we still plan ahead. Get ready for peace talks with Chu." So he crossed Yingshui at night, contacted the people of Chu, and signed an alliance treaty. When the news reached the coalition camp, there was not much shock.The feudal lords and the officials of the Jin State were already numb to the tricks of the Zheng State people. Only Luan Yan showed a look of fury and demanded to crusade against the State of Zheng.Xun Yu said: "We are indeed not sure of defeating the Chu army, and we cannot protect Zheng State. What crimes does Zheng State have? Now that we are attacking Zheng State, Chu State will definitely rescue it, which is tantamount to pushing Zheng State to Chu State. If you fail to win, you will be ridiculed by the princes. Since there is no full chance of winning, it is better to go back!" Hearing this sentence, the princes present were all relieved.Honestly, who wants to fight?Even if this battle is won, it will not change the overall situation of the balance of power between Jin and Chu. What's the point? In late November 563 BC, the allied forces of the princes withdrew from the north bank of Yingshui, passed through the northern part of Zheng State on the way, and plundered several cities as a reward for this dispatch.Immediately afterwards, the Chu army also withdrew to the country.Thanks to Xun Yu's blessing, tens of thousands of families in more than a dozen countries have had a rare and stable year. In 562 BC, when the spring was cold, the officials of Zheng State held a New Year retreat in Xinzheng. The theme was: how to be a happy bellows rat. As we all know, Zheng Guo became the mouse in the bellows, not at all out of volition, but due to geographical location.Regardless of whether it is the Qi-Chu struggle for hegemony, the Qin-Jin struggle for hegemony, or the Jin-Chu struggle for hegemony, Zheng Guo is the focus of contention.Especially since the struggle for hegemony between Jin and Chu, the state of Zheng has repeatedly been turned into a battlefield, and the people are devastated and riddled with holes.Under such circumstances, the people of Zheng Guo still maintained a sufficient sense of reality, and it was not easy to deal with the great powers and maintain the independence of the country.However, the international situation is getting more and more dangerous. Jin and Chu are fighting each other more and more frequently, and Zheng Guo's life is getting more and more difficult. At the retreat meeting, all the ministers expressed emotion: "Because they did not listen to the words of Jin, Zheng almost perished. It is an indisputable fact that Chu is weaker than Jin, but Jin is not in a hurry to bring Zheng under its command. This is the biggest problem. If Jin State really cares about Zheng State, Chu State will definitely avoid it, then Zheng State at least has a clear direction, and there is no need to be angry at both ends. How can Jin State be eager to get Zheng State? , Chu does not dare to fight, how can we form a firm alliance with Jin?" Gongsun Shezhi came up with an idea: "Attack the Song Dynasty, the princes will definitely come to rescue, we will not fight against the princes, admit defeat, and form an alliance with them. If the Chu people come to fight, we will form an alliance with the Chu people, and the Jin people will surely He was furious and sent troops to attack us again. At that time, the people of Chu State will be exhausted and can only stand by and watch, and we will get close and attached to Jin State." From Gongsun Shezhi's words, it can be seen that the Jin army will come as soon as it is said. The army is exhausted. Two years ago, Xun Yu proposed the wheel tactics of "dividing into three and four armies", and it has now achieved results. All the doctors felt that Gongsun Shezhi's idea was good, so they sent border guards to challenge Song.Song Guo sent Xiang Xu to invade Zheng Guo.As a counterattack, Zheng Guo sent Gongsun Shezhi to invade Song State.In April of the same year, Duke Dao of Jin mobilized the princes to crusade against Zheng Guo. The war initiated by the people of Zheng Guo was basically carried out according to Gongsun Shezhi's plan. On April 19th, Da Ziguang of Qi State and Xiang Xu of Song State led the Qi and Song armies to Xinzheng first and stationed outside the east gate.At dusk that day, the Jin army under the command of Xun Yu entered the western suburbs of Xinzheng, and the guards led by Sun Linfu invaded the northern part of Zheng State, forming a three-sided siege on Xinzheng. The allied forces of the princes besieged but did not attack.In June of the same year, troops from various countries joined forces in Beilin (place name of Zheng State), stationed in Xiangdi (place name of Zheng State), then marched northwest, stayed in Suodi (place name of Zheng State) for a few days, and then returned to Xinzheng to complete the battle. Xinzheng is surrounded on all sides.Duke Mourning of Jin held a grand military parade at the south gate of Xinzheng, while reinforcements from various countries continued to cross the Ji Tunnel (the name of the river) and set out for Xinzheng.Although all of this was expected, Zheng Guoren was still frightened by the momentum of the coalition forces, and hurriedly sent people out of the city to request peace talks. In July of the same year, Duke Dao of Jin summoned the princes of the twelve countries to hold an alliance in Bo (bo) city of Song State.The battle between Jin and Chu for hegemony not only suffers from the state of Zheng, but also the vassal states allied with the state of Jin. The alliance, the burden is quite heavy, and it is also full of opinions on the state of Jin.Even the ministers of the state of Jin realized this.Shigai once said: "If we are a little careless, we will lose the support of the princes. The princes are rushing on the road all day long, but we have nothing to do. Who can have two hearts?" Under such worries, the city of Bocheng The meeting will mainly reach a consensus on the unity and cooperation among the princes: "All countries that are allies should not hoard, monopolize interests, shelter sinners, and take in bad guys. We must relieve famines, quell disasters, unify thinking, and assist the royal family. If someone If you dare to violate these orders, let the gods of heaven, the gods of famous mountains and great rivers, the ancestors of the ancestors of the seven surnames and twelve kingdoms, let him be clearly punished, make him lose his people, lose his clan, and destroy the country!" Duke Mourning of Jin holds the alliance at this time, in addition to strengthening the unity among the allied countries, there is another important purpose—to wait for others.As mentioned before, it is not easy for the princes to come here once. If the coalition forces are disbanded so quickly, the Chu people will definitely take advantage of the vacancy and force Zheng Guo to surrender.In this case, Jin Guo has done another useless effort.Therefore, he had to wait, wait for the Chu people to appear, and then act accordingly.In all fairness, it was not easy for him to be the overlord. Chu State is indeed actively preparing.This time, the Chu people also made new moves.Ling Yin Gong Zizhen visited Qin State in person and asked Qin State to send troops to support him.At the end of July, Qin State sent a right doctor with an army to attack Zheng State with the Chu army.However, according to Gongsun Shezhi's plan, Zheng State did not carry out any resistance to the Chu army. Zheng Jiangong personally went to the border to meet the Chu army, and led the Chu army to invade the western border of Song State. In September of the same year, all the coalition forces of the princes were dispatched to invade the state of Zheng again.At this time, the Chu army had already withdrawn to the country. Zheng Guo sent a senior official, Liang Xiao, to the Chu State to inform the Chu State that Zheng Guo would submit to the Jin State, and in the name of Zheng Jiangong, he said to the King of the Communist Party of Chu: "Because of the community, I don't want to leave the country." I can appreciate the kindness of the king, unless the king can use silk to appease the state of Jin, or use force to frighten the state of Jin." This is the skill of the people of Zheng State, who even said the words of breaking up diplomatic relations so gracefully, and completely shifted the responsibility to the other party.The King of the Communist Party of Chu was furious and ordered Liang Xiao to be imprisoned. At the same time, another envoy of Zheng Guo, Wang Zi Bo Pian, came to the camp of the coalition army and asked Duke Jin for peace talks.This time, Zheng Guoren was serious.Jin Daogong also understood that Zheng Guo could no longer be used as a pawn, so he sent Zhao Wu into Xinzheng and held a meeting with Zheng Jiangong.In October of the same year, Gongsun Shezhi went out of the city to pay homage to Jin Gonggong.In December of the same year, the princes of the thirteen countries, including Zheng Jiangong, held an alliance in Xiaoyu (place name) in Zheng State.In order to express the sincerity of the state of Jin, Duke Dao of Jin took a series of extraordinary measures, including releasing the soldiers of the Zheng army who were captured in the war, and sending them off with gifts; taking back the reconnaissance troops patrolling all over the state of Zheng; prohibiting any troops from looting the state of Zheng. cities and countryside.The people of Zheng Guo also returned Jin Daogong with generous gifts, including three first-class musicians Shi Kui, Shi Touch, and Shi Juan (juan); The matching weapons and armor; one hundred other chariots; two sets of singing bells and accessories, and sixteen female musicians. Among the gifts that Zheng Guoren gave to Duke Jin, it is worth mentioning the "two sets of singing clocks".After Jin Daogong returned to his country, he gave one of the sets and eight female musicians to Wei Jiang, saying: "You taught me to make peace with the Rong and Di tribes, so as to unite the countries in the Central Plains. In eight years, I will Nine princes, like the harmony of music, there is no incongruity, please enjoy these instruments with me!" Wei Jiang replied: "It is a blessing for the country to make peace with Rong and Di. In eight years, nine princes have joined forces, and the princes have no disagreements. This is due to your prestige and the hard work of several other colleagues. What credit do I have?" What about it?" At this point, Wei Jiang changed the subject, "However, I hope that you will not only be content to enjoy the happiness brought by this music, but also think that it will have an end after all. It is said in the poem, 'Music is only for gentlemen, and the son of heaven The country. The happy gentleman, all blessings are the same. Even the left and the right are also obedient. (A happy gentleman, the country that governs the emperor. A happy gentleman, his blessings are shared with others. Govern the small countries around, let They scrambled to obey.)'Music is used to strengthen virtue, treat it with morality, promote it with etiquette, preserve it with honesty, encourage it with benevolence, and then appease the country, share blessings, and obey people from afar. This is happiness! The book says, be prepared for danger in times of peace, and be prepared when you think of it. If you are prepared, there will be no disaster. I would like to advise you with this.” Duke Mourning of Jin listened with a dignified expression, saluted Wei Jiang and said, "How dare you not listen to your teachings! Besides, without you, I would not be able to treat the Rong people correctly, and would not be able to cross the Yellow River. It is the state's responsibility to reward meritorious deeds." The rules cannot be abolished, please accept them!" According to the stipulations of Zhou Li, the joy of gold and stone is reserved for the feudal lords, and the royal class cannot enjoy it unless they have special credit.From this time on, Wei Jiang could enjoy the joy of gold and stone.More than a thousand years later, Su Dongpo, a great writer in the Song Dynasty, wrote a well-known "The Story of Shizhong Mountain". Song Zhongye." The Wei Zhuangzi here is Wei Jiang, who was called Wei Zhuangzi because he was posthumously named "Zhuang" after his death.The set of singing clocks bestowed on Wei Jiang by Duke Mourning of Jin passed through the barriers of time and resounded in Su Dongpo's ears, becoming a beautiful story in the history of Chinese literature. The alliance of Xiao Yu means Zheng Guo's complete surrender to Jin State, and it is also a sign of the establishment of Jin Daogong's hegemony.It is interesting to compare Jin Daogong with his ancestor Jin Wengong.At the time of Jin Wengong, Chu State was rampant in the Central Plains, and Jin Wengong became the overlord of the world with only one battle in Chengpu; and when Jin Mourning took over Jin State, Jin State was already the leader of the Central Plains countries, but it took him eight years. At that time, the Jiuhe princes finally determined their dominance.Why is Jin Gonggong so slow?A man named Gu Donggao in the Qing Dynasty analyzed that the external cause was Zheng Guo’s capriciousness, coupled with Chu’s Ling Yin Gongzi Zhen, who was cunning, persevering and prudent, and never rushed; , Wei Jiang and other counselors advocated surrendering soldiers without fighting.To put it bluntly, when I met a group of slow-moving people about a tangled and difficult matter, I couldn't get up quickly.If one considers that the Xiao Yu Alliance is actually the final result of a series of actions planned by Zheng Guoren, what people should really admire is probably the one who came up with the idea, Gongsun Shezhi.