Chapter 20 Jin Kingdom's hegemony on the decline

In the summer of 544 BC, the famine in the Central Plains was not yet over. Xun Ying of Jin State, Gao Zhi of Qi State, Zhongsunjie of Lu State, Huading of Song State, Shi Shuyi of Wei State, Zi Dashu of Zheng State, Gongsun Duan, Cao, Ju, Teng, Xue, Xiaozhu and other officials from eleven countries each brought craftsmen to today's Anqiu County, Shandong Province to build a city wall for Qi. Qi Guosi's surname is said to be a descendant of Dayu. Because he has lived with the ethnic minorities in the Dongyi area for a long time, he has been contaminated with Dongyi customs, and is gradually rejected by the countries in the Central Plains.Judging from historical records, the people of the state of Lu looked down on the people of the state of Qi. For example, in the spring of 633 BC, Duke Huan of Qi came to Qufu to pay homage to Duke Xi of Lu, and unconsciously used the etiquette of the barbarians. Duke Huan of Qi.The Lu State's history book "Spring and Autumn" recorded this incident, and also took the initiative to lower Qi Huan's title by one level, calling it "Qizi" to punish him for using barbarian etiquette.

The doctors of the Eleven Kingdoms built the city for Qi, of course not to learn from Lei Feng. "Zuo Zhuan" explained very clearly: "Jin Pinggong, Qi Chu also." That is to say, the mother of the overlord Jin Pinggong at that time was the princess of Qi State.Because of this relationship, Duke Ping of Jin wanted to treat his grandfather's family better, so he sent Xun Ying to summon officials from various countries to build a city for Qi State.When doctors from various countries get together, it is inevitable to complain.When Shi Shuyi of Wei State saw Uncle Zi of Zheng State, he complained: "It is too much to mobilize the princes to build the city for the grandfather's family!" Uncle Zi smiled bitterly: "What can I do? The Marquis of Jin is not worried about Zhou It is conceivable that sooner or later he will abandon the kingdoms of the surname Ji. I heard that disregarding the same surname and getting close to different surnames is called Lide. He even The relatives surnamed Ji have all abandoned, who else will come to join Jin?"

Complaints are complaints, work still has to be done.With the efforts of the princes of the eleven countries, the city wall of Qi State was quickly repaired.Duke Ping of Jin was very happy, and sent Shi Yang to the state of Lu to express his gratitude. At the same time, he also sent Sima Nv Qi to negotiate with the state of Lu, demanding that the state of Lu return the land of the state of Qi that it had occupied.It can be imagined that Nvqi's errand was very difficult to handle, and the Lu people returned part of the land symbolically, and sent Nvqi back. Jin Pinggong's mother was very dissatisfied, and said to Jin Pinggong: "Nv Qi is not effective in doing things. If the first king knew about it, he would definitely not agree with his approach!"

Jin Pinggong told Nv Qi about it.Nv Qi said: "If she said that, I would be completely speechless! Small countries such as Yu, Guo, Jiao, Hua, Huo, Yang, Han, and Wei all have the surname Ji, and they belong to the same clan as Jin, and we have annexed them. Only by acquiring them can the state of Jin be strong. If a big country does not invade a small country, where else can it obtain land? Since Jin Wugong and Jin Xiangong, Jin has annexed many countries. Who do we have to return them to? Qi State is a descendant of the Xia Dynasty, and its customs are similar to those of Dongyi; Lu State is a descendant of Zhou Gong, and has long been in harmony with Jin State. Let me tell you, even if Qi State is entrusted to Lu State, there is nothing wrong with it! The State of Lu never lacked tributes to the State of Jin, and the treasures were delivered on time. The ministers and ministers came to make pilgrimage one after another. Historians never stopped recording, and the state treasury did not receive tributes from the State of Lu for a month. They have done enough, so why bother The benefit of the state of Lu to enrich the state of Qi? If the first king knows, he would rather send his wife to take care of this errand, so why would I need me, an old minister!"

In ancient times, women stayed at home, let alone doing diplomacy.As for the meaning of Nu Qi's last sentence, the first king would probably not agree with Madam's actions. In June of the same year, Qi Wengong came to Qufu to thank Lu Xianggong. "Spring and Autumn" records: "The wolfberry comes to the alliance." This is also the spiritual victory method used by the Lu people: he is obviously an earl, but he deliberately writes it as a viscount, which is considered a breath of anger. In February 543 BC, Jin Pinggong's mother received the migrant workers who built the city of Qi State in Xintian and entertained them for dinner.The majestic mother condescended to meet the servants, not for the sake of being close to the people, but to continue to raise the value of her mother's Qi country.At this banquet with the people, an interesting thing happened.

There was an old man from Jiang County who participated in the city building, his hair and beard were all white.According to the tradition of the Zhou Dynasty, urban residents who were over sixty and rural residents who were over sixty-five were no longer obliged to perform corvee.The old man looked really old. Some people suspected that he had already overdue service, so they asked his age.The old man replied: "I am a villain. I don't know how to record my age. I just remember that when I was born, it was the first day of the first lunar month. It has been four hundred and forty-five Jiazi days, and the last Jiazi day is today. Exactly twenty days."

The officials present counted with their fingers for a long time, but they couldn't figure out how old the old man was.At that time, mathematics was a very advanced knowledge. For ordinary people, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division were probably more difficult than the theory of relativity.The officials had no choice but to go to the palace to ask for advice.The blind Shi Kuang, the musician of Duke Ping of Jin, was silent for a moment, and said: "This is the year when Uncle Zhong Huibo of the State of Lu met with our country in Chengcang but was missing. The land defeated the Junmo army, captured and killed the chieftain of the Di tribe, Qiaoru, and named his son after Qiaoru. In this way, the old man is already seventy-three years old."

Zhao Wu asked the old man who the doctor in the county was, and it turned out that he was his own retainer.He hurriedly ordered someone to invite the old man over, and apologized to the old man, saying: "Zhao Wu is not talented, and he has taken up an important position in the country. Due to the many worries in the state of Jin, I didn't find you as soon as possible, so you worked hard for too long. My sin." Yan bowed respectfully to the old man and said, "I apologize for the mistake I made because of my incompetence!" When he found out that the old man had no son, he asked the old man to become an official.

The old man was also taken aback by his age, he thought to himself, seventy-three, eighty-four, if Hades doesn't invite him to go, what kind of official will he be at this age?So he kowtowed to Zhao Wu and said that he was too old to be an official.Zhao Wu didn't force it, and rewarded the old man with some land, and appointed him on the spot as the "county teacher" of Jiang County, who was responsible for handling the exemption from corvee, and removed the local officials who conscripted the old man to serve. At that time, the envoy of the State of Lu happened to be in Xintian. He witnessed this incident, and when he returned home, he told the officials.

Because of the construction of Qicheng and the return of the land of Qi State, the people of Lu State have already developed strong dissatisfaction with Jin State.After listening to the envoy's report, Ji Sunsu sighed: "The state of Jin should not be underestimated! There is Zhao Wu who presides over the state affairs, Shi Gai as assistants, Shi Zhao and Shi Kuang who can consult, and Shu Xiang and Nv Qi as advisors to the monarch. .There are quite a few capable people and gentlemen in their court, so where can we underestimate them, let’s serve them with all our heart!” In May of the same year, a fire broke out in Shangqiu, the capital of the Song Dynasty, and the temple and the palace were burned down.For Song Guo, which was already suffering from famine, this fire undoubtedly added fuel to the fire and made the situation worse.

Speaking of which, the fire was foreshadowed.A few days before the fire broke out, strange shouts suddenly came from the ancestral temple of Song Dynasty: "Hehe, come out." The guards searched the ancestral temple, but found no one.Then there was a strange call of a bird coming from Boshe (the temple of Sheji in the Song Dynasty), and if you listen carefully, it seems to be "hee hee".On the fifth day of May, the fire broke out. The most distinguished person who died in the fire was Song Gonggong's wife Bo Ji.This princess from Lu State married to Song State in 582 BC, and became a widow six years later. It has been thirty-four years since then.When the fire broke out, Birgit had every chance to escape, but in order to wait for her nanny, she insisted on staying in the room and was burned alive. The so-called nanny is not a servant who washes and cooks, but a nanny who helps noble women "do their own thing and defend themselves".About this matter, "Guliang Zhuan", "Gongyang Zhuan" and "Zuo Zhuan" have similar opinions - Boji's room caught fire, and everyone from the left and right advised her to escape quickly. , don't go out at night!" He ordered the nanny to come over.Before the nanny arrived, the fire destroyed the house and Birgit died.What an old-fashioned and stubborn woman! "Zuo Zhuan" commented on this matter and wrote in a mocking tone: "Bo Ji follows the rules of the eldest daughter, not the woman. The eldest daughter should wait for the nanny, and the woman can act cheaply according to the actual situation!" However, "Biography of Gu Liang", "Biography of Gongyang" and Bo Ji are highly evaluated, and she is regarded as a representative of giving up her life for righteousness, which means "burning to death is a small matter, but injustice is a big matter".It's also really funny.Think about it, Bo Ji has been a widow for thirty-four years, at least an old lady in her fifties or sixties, how can she be like a little girl who can't go out without a nanny? The fire in the Song Dynasty has attracted the attention of the international community.In October of the same year, Zhao Wu of Jin, Gongsun Xi of Qi, Shusun Bao of Lu, Xiang Xu of Song, Beigong Tuo of Wei, Han Hu of Zheng, Cao, Ju, Zhu, Teng, Xue Doctors from the states, Qi, Xiaozhu and other states held a meeting in Chanyuan to discuss matters related to helping the Song State in its post-disaster reconstruction.Under Zhao Wu's call, everyone expressed their willingness to pay for the fire in Song State and donate money to Song State.This is a great thing, but in the "Spring and Autumn" records, none of the above-mentioned people left their names, only "Jin people, Qi people, Song people..." instead. "Zuo Zhuan" explained that they did have a meeting, and the meeting was very lively and successful. The country donated a copper coin, so I don't write their names to show my disdain. The anticlimax of the Chanyuan meeting shows that Jin's influence is declining.The Allied Elimination Alliance made the pressure of the Jin-Chu struggle for hegemony disappear suddenly, and the whole Jin country was in a comfortable mood. It had long since lost the power of vigorous and decisive actions, and it was not so serious about the management of international affairs. Returning from Chanyuan, Uncle Sunbao said to Zhongsunjie: "I don't think Zhao Wu's life is long, and he speaks very short-sightedness, and he doesn't seem to be the master of the people. And he is less than fifty years old, but It’s hard to keep chattering like an old man in his 80s or 90s! If Zhao Wu dies, Han Qi will probably succeed him. Why don’t you discuss it with Ji Sunsu and establish a friendly relationship with Han Qi as soon as possible? This A man is a gentleman, and after he takes power, he will never forget the benefits of Lu." Zhongsunjie frowned: "Is this necessary?" "Of course!" Shu Sunbao said, "according to my observation, the king of Jin is about to lose power. If we don't establish friendly relations in time and let Han Qi do some work for Lu earlier, the power will soon fall to those greedy people." In the hands of Doctor Qing, even if Han Qi wants to help, he will not be able to help us. At that time, Qi and Chu will not be enough to rely on, and Lu will not be able to meet the insatiable needs of Jin, what a terrible thing!" Zhongsun Jie said impatiently: "How long can a person live in this life? Just muddle along. If you go out in the morning and don't know if you can come back in the evening, why bother to establish any friendly relationship?" After Shusun Bao came out, he said to others: "Zhongsun Jie is dying! I told him that Zhao Wu is just passing by, but his level of muddling is far more than Zhao Wu's!" He simply went directly to Ji Sunsu and said this. Even Ji Sunsu didn't take his suggestion.Judging from what happened later, Shu Sunbao did have the foresight, so I won't mention it here. In June of the same year, Duke Xiang of Lu, who had reigned for thirty-one years, passed away. "Spring and Autumn" records like this: "The public died in the palace of Chu." Why did the monarch of Lu State die in the palace of Chu State?Don't get me wrong, this Chu Palace is just a palace built according to the style of Chu State, and its location is still in Qufu, not really a palace of Chu State.As mentioned earlier, between 545 BC and 544 BC, Duke Xiang of Lu stayed in Chu State for more than half a year because he attended the funeral of King Chukang.The half-year living as a guest made him have a strong interest in the palace architecture of Chu State. After returning to Qufu, he ordered people to build a palace in Qufu in the style of Chu State, and moved to live in it.Shusun Bao criticized this very much, saying: "What the people want, Heaven will follow. Our monarch seems to miss Chu, so he built such a palace. If he doesn't go to Chu again, he must He will die in this palace." Shu Sunbao dared to say with a crow's mouth, saying that Zhao Wu was going to die, and Zhongsunjie was going to die, and even Lu Xianggong would not let him go. Well! Duke Xiang of Lu did not have a wife, but he doted on a concubine named Jinggui during his lifetime.After his death, the ministers unanimously decided to make Jinggui's son Ziye the new king.But Ziye had no luck, and died of grief before Duke Xiang of Lu was buried. Only six days after Ziye's death, Zhongsunjie really fulfilled Uncle Sunbao's prophecy and died without a problem in his own home. Later, Ji Sunsu suggested that the son of Jinggui's younger sister Qigui be made king.Shu Sunbao objected to this. He said: "When the eldest son dies, if there is a brother, he should be appointed; if there is no brother, he should be established; Just choose through divination. This is the rule set by the ancestors. The one who died now is not a legitimate son, so why must he choose the son of his mother’s sister? Besides, I observed this man, and his father’s death was not sad, but joyful. , This is unfilial. Unfilial people rarely cause trouble. If he is appointed, I am afraid that he will become a worry for Ji Sun's family in the future." Ji Sunsu refused to listen to the opinion, so he still made his son Cheng the king. Duke Lu Zhao.This year, Lu Zhaogong was already nineteen years old. He was already an adult at that time, but his behavior was still as frivolous as a child.Even at Lu Xianggong's funeral, he performed unsatisfactorily. He changed the mourning clothes three times and soiled the mourning clothes three times, which surprised all the guests. According to the tradition of "the princes are buried in May", Duke Xiang of Lu was buried in October 542 BC.In the same month, Zichan accompanied Zheng Jiangong to visit the state of Jin. If it was before the alliance of soldiers, Jin Pinggong would definitely extend a warm welcome to Zheng Jiangong's visit.But now it’s different. The whole state of Jin is in a state of laziness, and Jin Pinggong is no longer keen on international affairs. He doesn’t even bother to meet Zheng Jiangong. For funerals, no one can be interviewed." What kind of excuse is this?Zheng Jiangong was so stunned that he couldn't believe his ears.Zichan also froze for a moment, and soon returned to normal. "Since this is the case, we can only respect the feelings of the Marquis of Jin. If you don't see it, don't see it!" He said kindly, then waved his hand, and changed a serious look, "Come on, do it right away, and get me the hotel." The wall of the house has been demolished, so that the chariots and horses can be placed!" "What?" Before the envoy sent by Jin Pinggong had time to respond, dozens of Zheng Guo warriors had rushed to the yard, wielding picks and shovels, and began to work hard. "You are, you are..." He glanced at Zichan, and seeing Zichan's awe-inspiring expression, he couldn't help but take back the words on his lips, left the hotel quickly, and left the hotel. The demolition efficiency of Henan people is very high. Half an hour later, Shi Gai hurried to the hotel, and the four walls were basically demolished. Zichan received him with an expression that nothing happened. Shi Gai pointed to the broken wall outside the gate: "What are you doing? Due to the poor management of our country, thieves are rampant, so we sent people to repair the buildings and halls, purposely built the gate very high, and built the wall very thick. It is to prevent the distinguished guests from being harassed. Now that you have demolished the wall, although your warriors can guard against thieves, what can you do with the guests from other countries? Your Majesty specially sent me to ask the reason for demolishing the wall!" After asking this sentence, Shi Gai subconsciously straightened his body, calmed down his dantian, and waited for the battle.Zichan's eloquence is eloquent, he has been taught before, and he dare not neglect in the slightest. "About your question," Zichan cleared his throat, "please allow me to explain——Zheng Guo is a small country, and unfortunately it is located among big countries. Big countries always ask us a lot, and they don't trust us, so we The ruler of the country did not dare to live in peace, so he dug three feet to collect the wealth of the whole country, and came to your country for pilgrimage. (Shi Gai felt a wave of resentment) Unfortunately, the officials in your country are busy with business and have no time to meet us, and they have no time to meet us. Tell us when we can receive it. In this case, we dare not offer gifts, nor do we dare to expose them to the sun and night, for fear that sometimes dry and sometimes wet will cause the goods to rot. If you want to send these gifts to the treasury of your country In the middle, you must go through the ceremony of displaying in the courtyard, and your country has no arrangements, so you have to make your own decision and tear down the wall to display the gifts. (Shi Gai gasped) I heard that Jin Wengong was the leader of the alliance At that time, the palace was built very low and there was no high platform that could overlook the distance, but the hotel for receiving the princes was built tall and large, just like the palace of the princes and princes today. Roads were repaired, and masons painted walls regularly. Guests from all over the world came, Dian people (official names) lit torches, servants inspected the palace, horses and chariots were arranged, and guests' entourages were replaced. Vehicle administrators refueled the wheels. Each has his own responsibility. No matter how busy Jin Pinggong is, he never lets the guests wait, and it is never heard that he neglects government affairs because of this. He cares about the sorrows and joys of the guests, and comforts them from time to time. Teach them, and give generously to what is lacking. When guests come here, they feel at ease as if they are at home. Where is there any worry? They are not afraid of robbery and theft, and they are not afraid of dryness and humidity! Well, the Tongda Palace (the name of the palace) of the Marquis of Jin stretches for several miles, and the houses of the princes who come to the pilgrimage are like slave quarters. The door cannot enter the car, and they cannot climb over the wall to enter. Thieves are openly rampant, and infectious diseases are also common. Taking advantage of the opportunity to wreak havoc. The guests don’t know when they will be received. If the wall is not demolished, there will be no place to store the gift, and the crime will be even more serious. (Another old punch!) Let me ask you carefully, is it possible to come here? What instructions? I heard that the Marquis of Jin was sad because of the funeral of the Lu State, and we are also very sad about it! If you can introduce us and offer us a gift, we will repair the wall and go back immediately, and we will remember your kindness. Don’t dare to complain at all!” As Zichan said, Chao Shigai made a deep bow.Shi Gai seemed to have just come to his senses, and quickly returned the salute, saying: "You are too serious, I will go back and convey your opinion immediately." After finishing speaking, he straightened his hat and left in a hurry. Shi Gai returned to the palace and reported the situation to Jin Pinggong truthfully, but Jin Pinggong was speechless.Zhao Wu said: "What you said is right! We really did a poor job. It is our fault to let the princes live in such a dilapidated courtyard!" Ask the scholar to go back and apologize to Zheng Guojun and his ministers. Early the next morning, Duke Ping of Jin received Duke Jiang of Zheng. Not only was he more ceremonial, but he also held a grand banquet to comfort him.When Zheng Jiangong was about to return to China, Jin Pinggong gave him a large sum of money in return, and sent people to rebuild the hotel for receiving the princes.Uncle Xiang saw it, and said to his retainers with emotion: "Look, you now know the importance of eloquence! Zichan is good at eloquence, and all the princes benefit from him. It is said in the poem that the eloquence is harmonious, and the people are united; It sounds good, and the people are stable. Zichan is well versed in this way!"