Chapter 26 short-lived supremacy
In the spring of 585 BC, Duke Zheng Mourning, accompanied by his son Yan, went to the state of Jin to make a pilgrimage to Jin Jinggong in order to thank him for the alliance of Chonglao last year.Jin Jinggong was very happy, and held a "granting jade" ceremony for Zheng Yugong according to the treatment given to Qi Qinggong.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, there were two big pillars in the court halls of various countries, which were called Dongying and Xiying respectively, and the open space between the two pillars was called "Zhongtang".When holding the jade ceremony, the host enters the court hall from the east chamber, and the guests enter the court hall from the west chamber.Here is a lesson:
First, if the status of the guest and the host is equal, both parties will walk to the middle of the two couplets, and the guest will accept the jade jade presented by the host;
Second, if the status of the guest is lower than that of the host, the guest should walk a little faster, take two more steps, and give jade between the middle hall and the east couplet to show respect to the host.
Jin Jinggong and Zheng Yugong are both kings of a country with equal status. They belong to the first situation and should be awarded jade in the middle of the two couplets.But that day, Duke Zheng Mourning walked so fast that Duke Jin Jing had just walked two steps, and before he had passed Dongying, Duke Mourning Zheng had already walked in front of him, so the third situation appeared—"Professor Jade is in the east of Dongying."
Seeing this scene, Shi Zhenbo shook his head secretly.In his opinion, even if Duke Zheng Mourning thought that Duke Jing of Jin was the overlord, he would not dare to sit on an equal footing with him, and just take two more steps.But this person flinched and moved too quickly, even trotting across Dongying to meet his master, this is really rare. "As the king of a country, but he is uneasy about his position, I am afraid that he will die soon!" Shi Zhenbo said to people secretly.Sure enough, a few months later, Duke Zheng Mourning, who had only been in power for two years, died without a problem.
After Zheng Yugong died, his son Zheng Chenggong came to the throne.In the autumn of the same year, the king of the Communist Party of Chu sent his son Yingqi to lead troops to invade the state of Zheng.Jin Jinggong sent Luan Shu to lead troops to rescue Zheng Guo, and the two armies met at Raojiao (place name) in Cai Guo.The Chu army lost the first battle and fled overnight.The Jin army took advantage of the situation to invade Cai State, an ally of Chu State, and confronted the local troops in Shen and Xi counties led by Chu generals Shen and Cheng.
Judging from the battle situation at that time, the situation was favorable to the Jin army.Luan Shu wanted to take the initiative to attack, but was opposed by Xun Shou, Shi Xie, and Han Jue.Xun Shou said: "The king ordered us to rescue the state of Zheng. The Chu army fled overnight. Our mission has been completed. Taking advantage of the situation to attack the state of Cai is to expand the scope of the war without authorization, so it arouses the anger of the people of the state of Chu. If we continue to fight, It is bound to be detrimental to our army. Taking ten thousand steps back, even if we win this battle, it is not an honorable thing - what glory is there for us to fight with the whole army and defeat the local troops in the two counties of Chu State? If If you can't win, the shame will be doubled, why not go back."
However, among the chief and deputy commanders of the Sixth Army of the Jin State at that time, those who wanted to fight this battle accounted for the majority.Someone also said to Luan Shu: "A sage is always on the same side as everyone else, so he can accomplish great things. Now you are the chief executive officer of Jin, and you have the right to act according to everyone's opinions. Why don't you listen to everyone's opinions? Besides, you There are eleven commanders under him, and only three of them don't want to fight."
Luan Shu pondered for a while, and replied: "Indeed, when dealing with controversial issues, the principle of the minority submitting to the majority is generally adopted. But the so-called three people are the majority, and now there are three commanders who think that this battle cannot be fought, and they are no longer considered a minority. I decided to follow their advice." So the army was withdrawn to the country.
In the autumn of 584 BC, the king of the Communist Party of Chu, who was unwilling to fail, sent his son Yingqi to attack Zheng again.Jin Jinggong mobilized the princes of Qi, Lu, Song, Wei, Cao, Zhu, Ju, Qi and other countries to rescue Zheng Guo.The people of Zheng Guo are full of confidence, and the energy they burst out is often eye-catching.Zheng Chenggong sent senior officials Gong Zhong and Hou Yu to take the initiative to attack, and captured Zhongyi, the county magistrate of Yunxian County in the state of Chu, and presented Zhongyi to the Jin army and brought him back to the state of Jin. prisoners of war).In August of the same year, princes from all walks of life held an alliance in Maling to renew the oath of the alliance of worms.
The Ma Ling alliance is a symbol of the maturity of Jin Jinggong's hegemony, and it is also a turning point from prosperity to decline.After the Ma Ling alliance, Jin Jinggong made a major decision that made people laugh and cry. He sent the newly appointed deputy commander of the upper army Han Chuan as an envoy to the State of Lu, demanding that the State of Lu return Wenyang (place name) to the State of Qi.
Wenyang has been the territory of the State of Lu since ancient times.Seven years ago, that is, in 589 BC, Qi Qinggong led troops to invade Lu State and occupied Wenyang.Later, the Battle of the Saddle occurred, the Qi army was defeated, and Qi Qinggong was forced to surrender to the Jin State.Under the auspices of Choke, the State of Qi returned Wenyang to the State of Lu.For this matter, the whole state of Lu is grateful to Jin Jinggong.Lu Chenggong first went to the Jin army to express his gratitude, and also held a "fate-giving" ceremony for Chaike and others, and then made a special trip to Jin to thank Jin Jinggong.Unexpectedly, after seven years, without any justifiable reason, Jin Jinggong suddenly proposed that the State of Lu should "return" Wenyang to the State of Qi. It was very difficult for the people of Lu to accept it both emotionally and in terms of interests. ——Wenyang was originally the land of the State of Lu, so why "return" it?
Jin Jinggong did this, of course, he also had his considerations.According to the "Gongyang Biography", in the battle of the saddle, the Qi army was defeated. After Qi Qinggong returned home, he mourned the dead and condoled the living. He did not drink alcohol or eat meat for seven years.After hearing this, Jin Jinggong sighed and said: "How can the majestic king of a country not drink alcohol or eat meat for seven years? Let him return all the places he has occupied!"
The records in "Gongyang Biography" are unconvincing.Let us boldly assume that the real situation may be like this - after the Battle of the Saddle, Qi Qinggong has undergone a radical change. In many international actions led by the state of Jin, he insisted on the correct position, so he was trusted by Jin Jinggong.In order to encourage Duke Qing of Qi to serve the state of Jin better, Duke Jing of Jin felt that it was necessary to give him some sweetness and give him appropriate material rewards, but he did not want to pay the price. Return" to Qi State.
Of course Lu Chenggong was not happy, but he had no choice but to agree to Jin's request.The ruling and opposition parties of the State of Lu felt sad about this incident.When Han Chuan completed his mission and was about to return home, Jisun Xingfu, the power minister of the State of Lu, hosted a farewell banquet for him, and said to him privately: "The great country upholds justice, so he became the leader of the alliance; the princes are grateful for his kindness and fear his force, so there is no Two Hearts. Wenyang was originally the territory of Lu State. Seven years ago, your country defeated Qi State and returned Wenyang to Lu State; seven years later, you ordered us to hand it over and dedicate it to Qi State. What do you do? Is there such a capricious? If the state of Jin continues like this, it will soon lose the support of the princes."
Han Chuan smiled wryly, and waved his hand at Ji Sun Xingfu, meaning don't talk about it, I also know that this matter is unreliable, but what can I do?
This incident had a huge impact internationally, especially among the allies of Jin, and a feeling of uneasiness spread rapidly.Jin Jinggong soon realized that he had done an absurd thing. In order to restore the influence, he convened a meeting of princes in Pudi in the spring of 582 BC. international relations.
There are still as many princes participating in the Pudi League as Qi, Lu, Song, Wei, Zheng, Cao, Ju, and Qi, but the atmosphere is not as enthusiastic as the Maling League.Ji Sun Xingfu accompanied Lu Chenggong to attend the meeting and met Shi Xie, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Jin State. Ji Sun Xingfu said bluntly to Shi Xie: "If your country doesn't cultivate benevolence, what's the point of forming an alliance?"
Shi Xie replied: "If the overlord cannot use benevolence to unite the allies, then he should appease them with hospitality, treat them with generosity, control them with power and force, restrain them with sacred oaths, and punish half-hearted This is a second-class virtue.” Shi Xie reacted quickly, but in the end he lacked confidence, so he reluctantly defended Jin Jinggong.Hearing this, Ji Sunxing's father could only give a wry smile, expressing his understanding of Shi Xie's position.
The Pudi alliance did not achieve the desired effect of Jin Jinggong, and even backfired.When Zheng Chenggong returned to Xinzheng from Pudi, he immediately received an unexpected guest——the representative son Cheng sent by the king of the Communist Party of Chu.
The two sides did not reach any substantive agreement.For the King of the Communist Party of Chu, being able to conduct normal diplomatic contacts with Jin's allies (especially an important ally like Zheng) would have achieved his goal.From now on, he just needs to sit quietly and watch the fun with his fan.
Jin Jinggong was really furious when he learned that Zheng Guo was in private contact with Chu State.In the autumn of the same year, Zheng Chenggong went to Xintian to make a pilgrimage to Jin Jinggong with a double-sided mentality. As a result, he was arrested and imprisoned in the other palace of Tongti (a place name in Jin State) without even seeing Jin Jinggong. .At the same time, Jin Jinggong also took advantage of the fact that Zheng Guo was leaderless, and sent Luan Shu as a general to lead troops to crusade against Zheng Guo.This approach is naturally unkind.What's even more unkind is that when the people of Zheng Guo sent the doctor Bo Juan (juan) to Jin to plead for peace, Jin Jinggong even ordered Juan to be killed. "Zuo Zhuan" criticizes this as usual, saying that it is indecent to do so, and the two countries are fighting each other, and if they don't kill each other, it mainly reflects the idea that peace is the most important and they are not good at starting wars.
It was a mistake for Jin Jinggong to imprison Zheng Chenggong; sending troops to attack Zheng State was to further expand this mistake; killing Bo Juan completely pushed Zheng State into the arms of Chu State.Under such circumstances, the King of the Communist Party of Chu took action logically.He sent his son Yingqi to lead the army, stationed the troops in Chen State, and formed a rescue force for Zheng State.In November of the same year, Prince Yingqi unexpectedly played a curveball—starting from the state of Chen and marching eastward, suddenly attacked the state of Ju, which was allied with the state of Jin, and completely defeated the state of Ju, occupying Jucheng, Quqiu, Yuncheng.
In retrospect, in the autumn of a year ago, Jin Jinggong sent his shamans to the state of Wu for the second time. When passing through Ju, the shamans met with the king of Ju, Duke Quqiu.The shaman reminded Duke Quqiu: "The walls of Jucheng are too weak, so it needs to be repaired!" Duke Quqiu replied disapprovingly, "Ju is located in the land of the Eastern Barbarians. The country is weak and the output is not abundant. Who would value this piece of land?" The implication is that there is a dilapidated house in the wild mountains and ridges, and there are only four walls, so why worry about thieves?
Confucius was deeply touched by the defeat of the State of Ju, and said: "It is a big mistake to be unguarded because of poverty. It is correct to be vigilant at all times to prevent foreign enemies from invading. The State of Ju relies on its simplicity and is too lazy to repair Within 12 days, the state of Chu occupied three of its cities. Isn’t this the result of being unprepared? The ancients said that even if you have good materials such as silk and hemp, don’t abandon such inferior materials as Jian Kuai. Material; although there are stunning beauties surnamed Ji and Jiang, you can’t abandon those mediocre women with haggard faces. But every gentleman is always prepared and safe from danger!” Confucius’ words are interesting, and after careful consideration, they should be regarded as The ancient version of "colorful flags are fluttering outside, but the red flag at home will not fall down".
Young Master Yingqi's arc shot was quite beautiful. Although it didn't hit Jin directly, it hit the weak point of the international alliance established by Jin, which made Jin Jinggong who was far away in Xintian really uncomfortable.Immediately afterwards, another disturbing news came. The Qin State in the west and the Baidi tribe invaded the western border of the Jin State, causing heavy losses.
What made him even more uneasy was that after receiving the indirect support from Chu State, Zheng Guoren's waist became obviously stiffer.The doctor Gongsun Shen suggested: "We sent troops to surround Xu, and pretended to establish a new king, Jin will naturally return our king."
Pretending to establish another new monarch is to cut off the Jin people's idea of holding Zheng Chenggong as a threat to Zheng Guo.And sending troops to encircle Xu State is to demonstrate to the people of Jin State—even if the army of Jin State suppresses the border, Zheng State still has enough power to deal with Xu State with nothing to spare.
In this situation, Jin Jinggong had to reflect on his own policies.He remembered that Zhong Yi, the general of Chu State captured by Zheng State two years ago, was still imprisoned in the military mansion, so he went to the military mansion to visit Zhong Yi himself.
Although imprisoned for two years, Zhong Yi still wears the hat of Chu State, maintaining the unique temperament of the southern nobles.When Jin Jinggong saw it, he deliberately asked loudly: "Who is that imprisoned man wearing a southern hat?"
The jailer replied, "That is the prisoner of Chu State offered by the people of Zheng State."
Jin Jinggong ordered people to open the shackles, let Zhong Yi sit in front of him, and asked him a few words about his living conditions in prison, which was regarded as a condolence.Zhong Yi thanked Jin Jinggong Jishou.Jin Jinggong then asked: "What hereditary position does the doctor's family hold in the state of Chu?"
As mentioned earlier, Zhong Yi is the magistrate of Yun County.However, the county magistrate of Yunxian County is only Zhong Yi's personal position, and it may change at any time, and it is not a hereditary position.Zhong Yi told the truth: "We have been the music officials of Chu State since ancient times."
Jin Jinggong was very interested and asked: "Then can you play an instrument?"
Zhong Yi replied honestly: "This is the duty of the ancestors, how dare I abandon it?"
So Jin Jinggong asked someone to fetch a piano, and Zhong Yi immediately played a piece of Chudi music.
After playing, Jin Jinggong deliberately asked Zhong Yi: "What kind of person is the monarch of your country?"
Zhong Yi said in embarrassment: "This... is beyond the judgment of villains like me."
Jin Jinggong insisted on asking Zhong Yi to speak.Zhong Yi was overwhelmed, so he could only answer: "When he was the eldest son, the late kings chose his master and considered the teaching content. Young Master, listen to the instruction. I really don’t know about other things.”
Jin Jinggong was silent after hearing this, and came back to tell Shi Xie.Shi Xie said: "The captive of the Chu State is a gentleman! He must speak of the duties of his ancestors, but he will not forget his roots; he will not forget the past when he plays local music; when it comes to his monarch, he will only talk about his own When I was the eldest son, I was doing it to avoid suspicion. I was afraid that people would say that he flattered the current monarch. When it came to the two important ministers of the Chu State, he called them by their first names. He respected your status. It is benevolence to not forget your roots. Performance; not forgetting the past is a sign of faith; avoiding suspicion is a sign of loyalty; respecting you is a sign of wisdom. Such a person, no matter what he is assigned to do, there is nothing he can’t do. Why don’t you let him go back and ask him to facilitate Peace between Jin and Chu."
Shi Xie's words gave Jin Jinggong a lot of inspiration: Yes, why should we blindly compete with Chu, why can't we realize the peaceful coexistence of the two powerful countries?
In the winter of 582 BC, Zhong Yi was released and returned to China.Soon after, the King of the Communist Party of Chu sent his son Chen to the state of Jin, expressing his willingness to make peace with the state of Jin.Half a century after the Battle of Chengpu in 632 BC, Jin and Chu sat at the negotiating table for the first time.
In the spring of 581 B.C., Duke Jing of Jin sent his senior official Di (di) to the state of Chu as a return visit to Prince Chen's visit to the state of Jin.
Although the tension between Jin and Chu has eased, Jin's hostility towards Zheng has not disappeared.In February of the same year, the State of Jin ordered the State of Wei to send troops to attack the State of Zheng.At the same time, Zheng Chenggong was still imprisoned in Jin State, as a bargaining chip to threaten Zheng State to submit.
A country cannot live without a king for a day.As Zheng Chenggong was imprisoned for a long time, problems also appeared in Zheng State.In March of the same year, the doctor's son-in-law class made decisions without discussing with others, and made Zheng Chenggong's half-brother Gongzi Suan king.Only one month later, Prince Su was kicked out by Zheng Guoren, and Prince Ban fled to Xu State alone, and Zheng Guoren made Zheng Chenggong's eldest son, Kun Jian, king instead.
Luan Shu said to Jin Jinggong: "The people of the state of Zheng have embraced the new king, so what's the use of holding on to that person? Why don't we let him go back to facilitate the reconciliation between the two countries."
This year is already the nineteenth year of Jin Jinggong's reign.As early as two years ago, he felt unwell, and now his condition has worsened significantly, and he can feel that the end is approaching.Probably because a person is about to die, many things can be seen. Jin Jinggong agreed to Luan Shu's suggestion and sent Zheng Chenggong back to Zheng State.
In May of the same year, Jin Jinggong basically lost the ability to manage the government, and handed over the power to his eldest son Zhoupu, who was also the historical Duke Jin Li, while he retired to the harem and became the Supreme Lord.
After Jin Jinggong retired to the second line, he had a dream. He dreamed of an evil spirit with long hair reaching the ground, beating his chest, jumping and walking (like a zombie in a Hong Kong movie), chasing Jin Jing Gong said: "You killed my descendants, you are unkind and unrighteous. I have already asked the heavens to punish you!" Jin Jinggong hid behind the door of the palace, and the evil ghost pushed it with his hand, and the heavy palace door responded. fall.Jin Jinggong was shocked and fled to the inner palace again. The evil spirit destroyed the gate of the inner palace again, and it was unstoppable.
Jin Jinggong woke up sweating, and his condition worsened.Obviously, this disease is beyond the power of manpower to cure, so the wizard from Sangtian (place name) was called into the palace to practice magic to eliminate the demon.The sorcerer set up a formation in the palace, burned incense and bathed, and performed a ritual with disheveled hair, as if his soul had come out of his body, and was intoxicated. He knocked over dozens of bronze vessels, and then said in an inhuman voice: "This There are evil spirits in the palace."
"What's it like?" Jin Jinggong asked quickly.
"Head as big as a bucket, long hair reaching the ground, beating his chest and stamping his feet..." The wizard's description was exactly the same as what Jin Jinggong saw in his dream.The wizard also said that if the guess is correct, this evil spirit must be the ancestor of the Zhao family. Because of the massacre of killing the family two years ago, it is now seeking revenge from the monarch.
"Then what should we do?" Jin Jinggong asked in horror.
The wizard shook his head and said, "I'm afraid you won't be able to taste the new wheat this year."
Autumn wheat is ripe.If you can't taste the meaning of new wheat, you will naturally not survive autumn.Jin Jinggong was not reconciled, and found out that there was a doctor named Yixu in the state of Qin who was very skilled in medical treatment and specialized in treating difficult and miscellaneous diseases. .
Qin people have been kind since ancient times, and they don't like to take advantage of others' dangers.Although the two countries were still at war, Duke Huan of Qin sent a doctor to set off for Jin immediately.The doctor was still on the way, and Jin Jinggong had another dream. He dreamed of two children, and one of them said, "Oh, that doctor is a genius doctor. When he comes, he will definitely hurt us. Where should we escape?" ?” The other said, “We hid between the immortals, what can he do to us?”
These two children are the viruses we see in pharmaceutical advertisements.The ancients called the fat in the heart part "blind", and the area between the heart and the diaphragm called "ointment". These two parts cannot be reached by acupuncture and moxibustion, and the medicine is also difficult to reach. Therefore, later generations use "disease to death" as an idiom, representing an incurable terminal illness .
The doctor arrived in the state of Jin, saw Duke Jing’s condition, and said, “There is no cure, your disease is already at the terminal stage, you can’t get an injection, you can’t use medicine, there’s no cure.”
After hearing this, Jin Jinggong was silent, and after a long while, he said word by word: "You are really a genius doctor." So he ordered people to treat the doctor kindly and send him back to the country respectfully.
In June of the same year, the wheat was ripe.According to the tradition, the administrators of the public land will send the new wheat of the year to the monarch.Jin Jinggong suddenly remembered the words of the wizard Sangtian, and felt furious. He ordered the wizard to be arrested, showed him the new wheat, and said, "Look, what is this?"
"This is... this year's new wheat."
"Didn't you say that I won't be able to taste this year's new wheat?" Jin Jinggong said viciously, gestured to the guards with his eyes, and slowly closed his eyes.The guards around him picked up the wizard like a chicken, dragged him outside the palace gate, and beheaded him for public display.
At noon that day, the kitchen cooked a pot of porridge with new wheat for Jin Jinggong to drink.Strange to say, when Jin Jinggong raised his chopsticks and was about to start, he suddenly felt his stomach swell, and asked someone to carry him to the toilet.As soon as he squatted down, the whole person fell down with a crash, fell into the cesspit, and drowned.As a digression, if someone had invented the toilet back then, Jin Jinggong would not have died so ugly.
The most wronged person was the one who carried him to the toilet.That morning, he had a dream in which he ascended to the sky with Jin Jinggong on his back.Out of a sense of pride, he told the dream to the people next to him after he woke up.After Jin Jinggong drowned, people remembered his dream and asked him to be buried with Jin Jinggong. This story tells people that misfortune comes from the mouth. Take it to heart, don't tell people easily.
Throughout the history of the mid-Spring and Autumn period, the struggle for hegemony between Jin and Chu was undoubtedly the theme of international relations in those years, just as the struggle for hegemony between the United States and the Soviet Union was the theme of the Cold War.The hegemony of Chu State began with King Wu of Chu and King Wen of Chu, became established in King Cheng of Chu, and was further developed in the hands of King Zhuang of Chu; the hegemony of Jin State began with Duke Wen of Jin, succeeded in Duke Xiang of Jin, During Cheng Gong's reign, it was silent for a while, but in the hands of Jin Jinggong, it was greatly improved.In all fairness, Jin Jinggong is not a talented and generous monarch, nor does he have the personality charm to overturn all living beings, but he is down-to-earth and willing to work, does not like to mess around, and basically does not make any mistakes in employing people. He leads a group of courtiers in the Jin Kingdom, He conscientiously guarded the foundation left by his ancestors and realized the revival of Jin's hegemony.
After Jin Jinggong died, Lu Chenggong felt that this was an opportunity to flatter the overlord, so he went from Qufu to Xintian to attend Jin Jinggong's funeral.According to the regulations of Zhou Li, the princes are not obliged to attend each other's funerals, but can only present corresponding condolences.Lu Chenggong did this, naturally he used too much force, and the result was another flattery on the horse's hoof. The people of the Jin country used Lu Chenggong's secret relationship with the Chu country seven years ago and attempted to betray the Jin country. Detained, he was not released until March of the following year, 580 BC.Regarding this matter, the official historian of Lu State also felt very ashamed, and did not even record when Jin Jinggong's funeral was held according to the usual practice.