Chapter 19 Taking advantage of the victory and pursuing, Chu State invaded the countries of the Central Plains

The victory in the Battle of Bi consolidated the hegemony of King Zhuang of Chu.Soon after the war, Zheng Xianggong and Xu Zhaogong came to Yingdu to pay homage to King Zhuang of Chu and congratulate him.In the era when you attacked me, the strong turned their hands into clouds, covered their hands as rain, and placed the weak on the palm of their hands; while the weak survived in the cracks, and the wind blows on both sides, and whoever's fist is hard will listen to whoever Yes, it is also reasonable for the dynasty to Jin and the late Chu. According to "Zuo Zhuan", before the Battle of Bi, the army of Chu State besieged Zheng State. Shi Zhi, the doctor of Zheng State, had secretly contacted Chuzhuang King and offered to be the internal support of Chuzhuang King to help Chu army capture Zheng State.The condition is to divide the state of Zheng into two, with the state of Chu occupying half, and the other half being ruled by the son of Zheng state, Yuchen.Less than ten days after the end of the Battle of Bi, Duke Xiang of Zheng uncovered the conspiracy and sent his sons Yuchen and Shi Zhi to be killed.

How did the stone conspiracy come to light? "Zuo Zhuan" did not state it clearly, and no one in history has deliberated about it.But judging from Zheng Xianggong's performance, it is very likely that the king of Chuzhuang himself revealed it to him. Zheng Xianggong was grateful for his gratitude, so he traveled thousands of miles to Yingdu to pay his respects. "The chaos is gone, it's the right place to go (the turmoil and separation are so painful, where is your home)?" Zuo Qiuming used such lines to criticize Shi Zhi and the son Yuchen.Regardless of whether the world is peaceful or the rituals are broken, those who seek their own self-interest by selling out the interests of the country will not get any sympathy.

The Chu army returned home and rested for half a year.In the winter of 597 B.C., King Zhuang of Chu sent his army north again to attack Xiao, a vassal of Song.The people of Xiao State imprisoned Xiong Xiangyiliao and Prince Bing, and sent someone to say to King Zhuang of Chu, "If your country must fight, kill them." Since Xiong Xiangyi took "Xiong Xiang" as his surname, he must be a branch of the Chu State's office. He has lived in Xiao State for a long time, and he is equivalent to an expatriate from Chu State in Xiao State.King Zhuang of Chu was a man with a strong sense of clan, so he replied to the people of Xiao Guo on the spot, "Don't kill them, I am willing to retreat!" Rescue, I felt that there was something to rely on, and it was a cold winter, with heavy snow, I guessed that the Chu people would not stay for long, so I killed Xiong Xiangyi and Young Master Bing.

King Zhuang of Chu was furious and ordered his troops to surround Xiaocheng.The weather was extremely cold that year, and there were several consecutive heavy snowfalls in the Central Plains. It was so cold that dripping water turned into ice.The soldiers of Chu State came from the south. Although they had also made preparations to keep out the cold, they still showed serious discomfort in the face of such icy and snowy weather: some soldiers had frostbite hands and feet, and some soldiers had typhoid fever. Their morale was quite low and their combat effectiveness Big discount.The sorcerer reported the situation to King Zhuang of Chu, and King Zhuang of Chu personally inspected the three armies and went to all the camps. Wherever he went, he had a heart-to-heart talk with the soldiers and patted the soldiers on the shoulders to encourage their fighting spirit.It is said that not only the energy of the soldiers photographed by him doubled, but even the whole army felt the warm current passing through them, as if they were covered with thick and soft silk quilts, and they did not feel cold at all.

Inspired by this kind of spiritual power, the Chu army withstood the severe cold and surrounded Xiaocheng like an iron barrel, so that the people inside could not get out, and the reinforcements outside could not enter.As the food in the city decreased day by day, the fighting spirit of the people of Xiao Guo was also worn down day by day, and the situation became less and less optimistic. One morning, Sima Mao, a general of the Chu Army, was patrolling the camp. He heard someone greet him on the city wall. When he looked up, he saw a man dressed as an aristocrat. "General, general, please ask Shen Shuzhan to come and talk to me." The man shouted at the top of his voice.

"Do you recognize Dr. Shen?" Sima Mao asked. "I know it, I know it! You tell him that the old man has not shot here, and he will definitely come." Said the city. Sima Mao sent his own soldiers to Shen Shuzhan's camp. Not long after, Shen Shuzhan arrived in a carriage.As soon as he saw the man in the city, Shen Shuzhan became excited: "I haven't shot yet, it really is you!" "That's right, Shu Zhan is here all right?" Huan Wushe waved again and again. "Hey, don't be polite at this time. Do you have wheat music?" Shen Shuzhan asked.

"Nope." "Is there Shanju poor?" "nor." "Then what should I do if the fish in the river have a stomach ache?" "If you see a dry well, you will be saved!" "Oh, you put a straw rope at the mouth of the well, if you hear someone crying on the well, that person is me!" Maiqu is distiller's yeast, which is the product of wine making; Shanjuqiong is a kind of herbal medicine.Sima Mao listened to the conversation between the two men, and Zhanger King Kong couldn't figure it out. The next day, the Chu army launched a general attack and entered Xiaocheng.Because of Xiong Xiangyiliao and Young Master Bing, the people of Xiao Guo were afraid that the Chu army would massacre the city, and fled in all directions.Uncle Shen looked around, and finally found a well with a straw rope hanging from it, so he burst into tears.Huan Wushe heard Shen Shuzhan's voice in the well, and climbed up along the rope.In the flames of war, two old friends hug each other tightly.

It is said that this dry well is located in Xiaoxian County, Anhui Province, and it was still seen until the Tang Dynasty.In all fairness, Wushe's practice of seeking a way out for himself by relying on his friendship with the generals of the enemy country is really hard to agree with.However, people in troubled times can still have such precious friendship, which is enough to move those of us who live in peaceful times. Feeling the pressure brought by the expansion of Chu State, in the winter of 597 BC, just after the fall of Xiao State, Xiangu of Jin State, Huajiao of Song State, Kongda of Wei State and a doctor of Cao State were in Wei State. Qingqiu (place name) of the country held an alliance, the alliance is: "comfort the sick, fight against the second." That is to rescue countries in difficulties and crusade against countries with two hearts.

After the alliance ended, Song State immediately launched an attack on Chen State.Because Chen State had already surrendered to Chu State, this action of Song State can be said to be an indirect challenge to Chu State, and it is also a positive manifestation of fulfilling the Qingqiu Covenant.However, the Song people used too much force.Among the allied countries, Jin and Cao both took a wait-and-see attitude towards this operation, while Wei unexpectedly sent troops to rescue Chen, openly confronting Song. In this regard, Kong Da, a doctor of the Wei State, said: Wei State and Chen State have been friendly for generations, and the former monarch Wei Chenggong and Chen Gonggong have a deep friendship, and they once agreed to help each other.Now that the state of Song is attacking the state of Chen for no reason, the state of Wei must not stand idly by.If the state of Jin punishes the state of Wei for this, he, Kongda, is willing to take all the responsibilities and apologize with death.

"Zuo Zhuan" commented on the alliance of Qingqiu: "Only the State of Song can be exempted from condemnation." It means that only the State of Song has faithfully fulfilled the covenant, and the other three countries have not fulfilled their responsibilities, especially the State of Wei. A flagrant betrayal of the covenant. Are things really supposed to look this way?actually not.My opinion is that although the other three countries are not kind, the state of Song is not necessarily noble. First of all, the Qingqiu Alliance has the most practical significance for the Song Dynasty.Among the four allied countries, Jin State is Chu State's deadly enemy and the only country that can contend with Chu State. Wei State and Cao State are following Jin State's wink and acting, but these three countries are far away from Chu State. Far, out of the range of King Zhuang of Chu's firepower.But Song State was relatively close to Chu State, and had just confronted Chu State in the battle of Xiaocheng, offended Chu State, and might be retaliated by Chu State at any time, so it urgently needed a powerful ally to protect itself.In fact, it is very likely that the Qingqiu Alliance was held at this time, which was proposed by the Song State, and the Jin State only followed the trend and echoed the Song State's proposal out of strategic considerations.

Secondly, after the Qingqiu Alliance, Song State immediately attacked Chen State, and the troops were unknown, harming innocent people. Their intentions were obvious, that is, they hoped that through the war against Chen State, Jin State would be dragged into the water again, and the Jin State and Chu State would be formed. Military confrontation, so as to prevent Song and Chu from going it alone.This is the same set of punches that Saddam Hussein used in the Gulf War in 1990, in order to draw Arab countries over to deal with the United States, and kept firing Scud missiles at Israel. It's a pity that Jin people are not fools, how could they be led by the nose by Song people? In the summer of 596 BC, King Zhuang of Chu sent troops to the north again to attack Song State.The state of Jin remained silent and did not send a single soldier to rescue.The agreement of the Qingqiu Alliance to "comfort the sick and discuss the second" has completely become a bad check that cannot be cashed. In fact, Jin has its own reasons for doing so.In the Battle of Bi a year ago, the central and lower armies of the Jin State basically collapsed, and their vitality was severely injured, and they have not yet recovered.Even if Jin Jinggong wanted to help the Song State, he must be powerless, and there was nothing he could do to help. But a covenant is a covenant, not a child's game.Now that you have signed and stamped, and drank blood wine, you should fulfill your responsibilities.The international community scoffed at Jin's treacherous behavior, and Jin fell into a passive position in diplomacy. The more Jin Jinggong thought about it, the more annoyed he became, and he took all his anger on Xiangu who signed the Qingqiu alliance on behalf of Jin.In the autumn of that year, the Chidi tribe in the northwest invaded the state of Jin and reached Qingyuan.Jin Jinggong found an excuse, saying that Chidi's invasion of Jin was caused by Xiangu's secret collusion with the enemy. In addition, the failure of the Battle of Bi last year also had a lot to do with Xiangu. The crime of punishing the nine clans. Xian Gu's great-grandfather, Xian Zhen, was an important minister in the time of Duke Wen of Jin and Duke Xiang of Jin. He used to command the Battle of Chengpu and the Battle of Confucianism as the Marshal of the Chinese Army. Inheriting his father's career, he also served as the Marshal of the Central Army of Jin during the reign of Duke Xiang of Jin; when Zhao Dun was in power, Xiangu's father Xianke served as the deputy commander of the Central Army and was Zhao Dun's assistant; Deputy Marshal.The Xian family held important military and political positions in the past, four generations and four ministers. They can be called nobles. They were very prosperous for a while, but they were finally destroyed by Xian Gu. "Zuo Zhuan" commented on this: "When evil comes, one will take it." It is believed that Xiangu is to blame.Judging from Xiangu's performance in the Battle of Bi, this did not wrong him. In order to restore the international influence, and to give an explanation to the Song people who are fighting alone, Jin Jinggong sent envoys to Weiguo, condemning Weiguo's betrayal of the Qingqiu Alliance to rescue Chen Guo, and threatened: "If you don't see the culprit When the culprit is punished, send troops to attack." Kong Da resigned himself to fate, and said to Wei Mugong: "If this is beneficial to the country, all the crimes will be placed on me alone. Please kill me for relief. As an important minister of the country, I face the blame of the big country. , Can I still pass the responsibility to others? I am ready to die." In the spring of 595 BC, Konda hanged himself.Wei Mugong sent people to tell the news to all the princes, saying: "You have bad ministers who provoke the relationship between our country and the big powers. Now they have been convicted. I would like to inform you!" Since ancient times, weak countries have no diplomacy. Forced to do so.In order to appease the anger of the people, Duke Mu of Wei married his daughter to Kong Da's son and let him inherit Kong Da's official position. After recuperating for two years, Jin seems to have regained its vitality.In the summer of 595 BC, Duke Jing of Jin personally led an army to crusade against the state of Zheng, and informed the princes of the news in advance.But this expedition was just a bluff. After Jin Jinggong inspected the troops at the border, the whole army went home.According to Xun Lin's father, on the one hand, this was done to show the strength of the state of Jin to the princes, and on the other hand, it was to put pressure on the state of Zheng, so that the people of the state of Zheng would take the initiative to confess their crimes. Zheng Xianggong was indeed quite frightened, but he didn't throw himself into the arms of the state of Jin, and he didn't even flirt with the state of Jin. Instead, he ran to the state of Chu with ease, and went to cry with King Zhuang of Chu. King Zhuang of Chu comforted Zheng Xianggong with kind words, telling him not to worry about the Jin army's overthrow, because as long as he stood firm, Chu would be Zheng's strong backing, and he would never betray his promise like Jin did to Song. Zheng Xianggong was grateful, and proposed to King Zhuang of Chu that he wanted to send Gongsun Heigong to replace the son Quji who had entered Chu as a hostage two years ago.King Zhuang of Chu readily agreed to Zheng Xianggong's request.In the turbulent international game, King Zhuang of Chu is like a magnanimous banker, always understanding the small requests made by the players, and not hesitating to lend usury to those in urgent need.However, for those who dare to fight against him, he will definitely pursue and beat them until they beg for mercy.If you want to have an intuitive understanding of King Chuzhuang's personal temperament, you can look at Don Corleone played by Marlon Brando in Hollywood movies. While cheering up Zheng Guo, King Zhuang of Chu planned a diplomatic activity.He sent two groups of envoys, one led by his son Feng, passing through the state of Zheng, and visiting the state of Jin; the other headed by Wen Zhiwuwei, passing through the state of Song, and visiting the state of Qi. He issued a domineering order to his son Feng and Wen Zhiwuwei at the same time: "You pass through the Zheng State and the Song State respectively, but you must not ask the governments of the two countries for excuses." The implication is that you treat these two countries as your own. Territories, just swagger across the border and ignore their rulers. This order is nothing to Young Master Feng. With Zheng Xianggong's current attitude, Zheng State is almost a part of Chu State. Young Master Feng can come and go freely, and will be treated as a guest of honor.But for Wen Zhiwuwei, this order is no different from a reminder - not to mention that only a year ago, Chu State had a war with Song State, and the two sides were in a state of hostility; Previously, Wen Zhiwuwei himself had deeply hurt the feelings of the Song people because he was too tough. In the winter of 617 B.C., King Mu of Chu and Duke Zhao of Song met for hunting in Mengzhu Lake, and Wen Zhiwuwei, then Duke of Shen County, served as Sima.Because Song Zhaogong did not carry the fire starter according to King Chu Mu's order, Wen Zhiwu was held accountable, and dragged Song Zhaogong's military chariot driver down in front of everyone and beat him up. .Now, King Zhuang of Chu wants Wen Zhi Wuwei to go to Song State again, not as an envoy to repair it, but to deliberately arouse the anger of the people of Song State. Isn't this asking him to die? Of course Wen Zhiwuwei knew what this order meant. He said to King Zhuang of Chu, "The people of Zheng State are clear-sighted; the people of Song State are incompetent. Young Master Feng is not in any danger, but I will definitely die!" "Really?" King Zhuang of Chu said lightly, "If the people of Song Dynasty dare to kill you, I will lead my troops to attack Song Dynasty, and I will avenge you." As soon as King Zhuang of Chu said this, Wen Zhiwuwei knew his fate.He is like a chess piece in Go, which was placed in the opponent's territory by King Zhuang of Chu to cause a "robbery".For the Song people, this "tribulation" is a dilemma: if Wenzhi Wuwei is allowed to pass through the border, it is tantamount to acquiescing Chu's suzerainty and giving up the country's sovereignty and independence; Using an excuse for war, King Zhuang of Chu will invade Song State again under the banner of avenging Wen Zhiwuwei. Wen Zhiwuwei introduced his son Shen Xi to Queen Chu Zhuang and set off.The meaning of this is obvious-Wen Zhiwuwei can sacrifice his life for the country, but please King Zhuang of Chu to take care of his son and maintain his family business for the sake of his loyalty to the country. When Wen Zhiwu arrived in the State of Song, Hua Yuan, the right teacher of the State of Song, really remembered the humiliation of Meng Zhuhu back then, and said to Song Wengong: "The envoys sent by the State of Chu passed through the State of Song without any excuse, and they regarded the State of Song as the State of Chu. If the envoy of Chu State is killed, Chu State will definitely crusade against our country, and the worst consequence will be the subjugation of the country." So Wen Zhi Wuwei was ordered to be arrested and killed. According to the etiquette of the Zhou Dynasty, even if the envoy of the emperor passes through the border, he must borrow a way from the country, which means that a strong dragon will not suppress a snake.It was taken for granted by the people at the time that Song Guo treated Wen Zhiwuwei like this. However, when the news reached Yingdu, King Chuzhuang's reaction could only be described as "furious".He flicked his sleeves, stood up against the desk, and walked out barefoot, shouting as he walked, "Assembly the army immediately, and set off to attack Song!" Only then did he put on his shoes, and only when he reached the gate did he put on his sword.King Zhuang of Chu walked all the way to the streets of Yingdu, and the guards from Guangdong and Guangxi hurriedly followed up and let him sit in a military chariot. Wang's hot-tempered temper was tempered. In September of the same year, the army of Chu State approached the city of Shangqiu, the capital of Song State.Although the Song people were prepared, they couldn't resist the Chu army, so they had to defend the city and send the doctor Le Yingqi as an envoy to Jin for help. Song State is located in today's Henan, and Jin State is located in today's Shanxi. When Le Yingqi went through many risks and passed through the defense line of Chu Army, and then came to Jiangdu through the border of Zheng State, an ally of Chu State, it was already the first time. It's the spring of the second year.Whether it was out of sympathy or obligations to the allies, Jin Jinggong decided not to stand by this time. He ordered a military meeting to discuss sending troops to rescue Song.However, at this meeting, the doctor Bozong poured cold water on Jin Jinggong, extinguishing his enthusiasm.Bo Zong advised Jin Jinggong like this: "The ancients once said that the whip is too long. God is looking after Chu. Even if Jin is now very powerful, can it go against the destiny and compete with Chu? There is a proverb that says high-profile and low-key are just a thought. In between. Rivers and lakes contain filth, mountains, forests and swamps contain poison, beautiful jade inevitably has flaws, and monarchs often have to endure shame. This is the way of heaven! Please be patient and wait for the time." The state of Jin and the state of Song are far apart, and there is a state of Zheng in the middle that is fighting fiercely with the state of Chu.But more importantly, "God is looking after Chu State", the people of Chu State are now strong and strong, Zheng State, Chen State, and Xu State are all vying to flatter Chu State, even Lu Xuangong who is far away in Shandong is not far behind. Gongsun Guifu went to Song State to extend his most sincere greetings to King Zhuang of Chu who was on an expedition to Song State.If Jin State sends troops to rescue Song State at this time, it may be difficult to take advantage of it. Jin Jinggong considered again and again, followed Bozong's suggestion, and gave up the idea of ​​sending troops.He thought in his heart that since he couldn't give any real help, he should at least give the Song people some spiritual comfort!Ever since, he sent a doctor named Xie Yang to the Song State to cheer up, that is to say, Xie Yang ran to the people of the Song State to brag and said: "The army of the Jin State has come out in full force and will soon arrive in the State of Song. Hold on a little longer!" , don't surrender!" With Jin Jinggong's bad check in his arms, Xie Yang set off.When passing through the state of Zheng, Duke Zheng Xiang sent someone to capture him and sent him to the camp of the Chu army on the front line of the state of Song. The people of Chu State praised at first sight, oh, acquaintance!Isn't this the doctor of Jin State who was captured in the Battle of Beilin more than ten years ago?It was just released a few years ago, why is it back now? King Zhuang of Chu was also very interested when he heard about this. He sent someone to say to Xie Yang: "If you turn back what the Marquis of Jin wants you to say to the people of Song, I will not only spare your life, but also promise you prosperity and wealth." At the beginning, Xie Yang was not tempted by the people of Chu, unable to withstand repeated persuasion, and his stand was not firm enough, so he agreed after a few rounds. So Xie Yang was taken to the city of Shangqiu, boarded the siege car and shouted to the Song people, he shouted into the city with a loud voice: "The army of the Marquis of Jin is coming to rescue the Song State, don't give in, the reinforcements will come soon! It's coming!" When the Chu people heard this, they quickly tied Xie Yang up again, covered his mouth with smelly socks, and sent him to the King of Chu Zhuang.King Zhuang of Chu was very angry and said: "Since you promised me, why did you not keep your promise? It's not because I broke my promise, but because you broke your promise. Hurry up and receive the punishment!" Xie Yang's task of passing on the message was also completed, and he didn't have to struggle if he was tied up. After the Chu people took off the smelly socks, he replied calmly: "I heard that it is the king's responsibility to formulate and issue orders." A matter is called righteousness; carrying out the orders of the monarch is the job of the ministers, which is called faith; accepting morality with credit and putting it into practice is called benefit. It is the duty of the minister to plan great events without losing their benefits, and to protect the country. I If you are sent on an envoy by the king's order, you would rather die than disgrace your mission, can you betray because of coercion? The reason why I agreed to you is to complete my mission." Perhaps it was because Xie Yang established friendship with the people of Chu during the years when he was a captive in Chu, and all the generals of Chu, including the younger brothers of King Zhuang of Chu, pleaded for him.King Zhuang of Chu also sighed: "What's wrong with a person who fulfills his mission seriously?" So he released Xie Yang. After receiving the bad check from Jin Jinggong, the morale in Shangqiu City increased significantly, and it actually lasted for a few more months.King Chuzhuang originally wanted to fight a war of annihilation, but it turned into a protracted war.Counting by pinching fingers, it has been more than half a year since the Chu army went abroad to fight, but Shangqiu City is still standing.Coupled with the expedition of labor teachers, logistical supplies are quite difficult, and the situation is extremely unfavorable to the Chu army. King Zhuang of Chu summoned several major generals for a meeting. Everyone believed that it would not make much sense to continue the fight, and that it might be an opportunity for Jin to withdraw its troops and return home. The King of Chuzhuang then ordered to pack up his belongings and prepare to set up camp. Wen Zhiwuwei's son Shen Xi stopped in front of the king's car, fell to his knees with a plop, and said solemnly, "Although my father knew that he would die, he didn't dare Giving up on the king's order, on the contrary, the king has not kept his promise!" Hearing these words, all the generals of the Chu State were overwhelmed, and King Zhuang of Chu was also silent.As a feudal monarch, he can cruelly order Wen Zhiwuwei to die for him, but he cannot break his promise to Wen Zhiwuwei. At that time, Uncle Shen, a doctor, was driving the king of Chuzhuang. Seeing this situation, he suggested to the king of Chuzhuang: "Let's build a house here, cultivate farmland, and pretend to be fighting a protracted war. We are not afraid that the people of Song will not give in." .” King Zhuang of Chu happened to find a step to go down, and immediately followed Uncle Shen’s suggestion. Facts have proved that Uncle Shen's suggestion is correct.Shangqiu City was besieged for nine months, and the food and various supplies had been exhausted. It was only because of a bad check from Jin Jinggong that the Song people established the confidence that "perseverance is victory", and they have been stubbornly resisting until now. .Now the people of Chu State began to farm and build houses under the city of Shangqiu, but Jin Jinggong's promise was still out of reach. The confidence of the people of Song State was greatly hit, and even the staunchest resisters began to waver. Song Wen judged the situation and decided to send his right teacher, Hua Yuan, to negotiate with the people of Chu.This arrangement is a bit like "whoever provokes it will be responsible", because last year's Shawenzhi Wuwei acted entirely according to Hua Yuan's opinion.If Wen Zhiwuwei was not killed, even if the people of Chu State attacked Song State, they would not be so persevering, going back and returning. Hua Yuan knew that at this time, when negotiating with the Chu people, all the bargaining chips were in the hands of the Chu people. He was just going to sign the surrender agreement, but he was not willing to surrender like this. In "A Chinese Journey to the West", Zhou Xingchi is so handsome even when he escapes, why can't Hua Yuan make the surrender matter so impressive? As mentioned earlier, in the Battle of the Thorns in 607 BC, Hua Yuan was captured by Zheng Guoren, and after he escaped, he was ridiculed by the migrant workers who built the city.Maybe it was the experience of fleeing that time that gave him the experience of crossing the enemy camp. This time, he sneaked into the Chu camp by himself in the twilight, and accurately entered the camp next to the son of the general of the Chu army. "Hey, wake up!" He pinched the young master's nose and said. The young master was woken up, and in the dark, he saw only a gleaming dagger pressed against his throat, and he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. "I'm Hua Yuan, the right master of the Song Dynasty." The visitor said every word in an extremely calm tone. "You...what's the matter with you?" Young Master tried his best to stabilize his emotions and asked. "Your Majesty sent me to tell you about the difficult situation - the city of Shangqiu has already changed its sons to eat, and broken bones to cook. Even so, we cannot accept the alliance under the city, even if the country is subjugated." Hua Yuan said As he spoke, his voice choked with sobs. "Since you can't accept the alliance under the city, let's fight and accept the outcome of failure." The young master paused and said, "Even if you kill me now, this outcome will not change." "What the widow means is that if your army retreats thirty miles, our country will obey." The young master was stunned for a moment, and immediately understood the meaning of these words: it turned out that the Song people did not intend to fight to the death, but they were also unwilling to be humiliated by the alliance under the city.In other words, even if you surrender, you must surrender with dignity.After careful consideration, he said to Hua Yuan, "I can promise you." "Swear an oath," Hua Yuan said. "Swear to be an alliance." The young master said solemnly. Early the next morning, the young master came to King Chuzhuang's camp and reported to King Chuzhuang what happened last night. King Zhuang of Chu smiled slightly and said, "Here's an order to set up camp thirty miles back." After the Chu army retreated 30 miles, Song Wengong went out of the city in person, imitating the appearance of Zheng Xianggong, naked from the upper body, leading a sheep, and came to the Chu army camp to express his surrender to King Chuzhuang.As far as this set of ceremonies is concerned, he should be more beautiful than Zheng Xianggong, because the inventor of this set of ceremonies, Wei Zi, is the first monarch of the Song Dynasty, who is also the ancestor of Song Wengong. No kidding. As a hostage of Song State, Hua Yuan was sent to Chu State.According to "Zuo Zhuan", the covenant between Chu and Song was just eight words: "I will not lie to you, and you will have no danger to me." It means that I will not deceive you, and you don't have to worry about me. As an idiom, "intrigue" should have originated from this allusion at the earliest.To make a digression, in the international situation at that time, it was normal to cheat, but it was abnormal not to cheat.