Chapter 29 The Third Jin-Chu War: The Battle of Yanling

In May 575 B.C., one army of Jin and Chu went south and the other went north, approaching each other, and the war was about to break out. After the Jin army crossed the Yellow River, they stationed by the Yellow River to rest.Hearing the news that the Chu army was approaching, Shi Xie once again suggested to Luan Shu to avoid fighting. In his view, the state of Jin had already declined, and the most urgent task at the moment was to rectify its internal affairs and strive for governance, rather than go abroad to fight for hegemony. "The matter of leading the group is no longer something that our Jin country can do. Why not leave it to a more capable country? With our current situation, it is already very easy to achieve harmony between the monarch and the ministers without any trouble. Not bad, where do you have the energy to take care of the world's major affairs?"

Luan Shu was too lazy to talk to him, and simply replied: "No." Then he closed his eyes and calmed down, and stopped talking to him. At the end of May, the two armies met in Yanling (place name).Shi Xie still insisted on his point of view, and suggested negotiating with the Chu people to turn hostility into friendship. "It's still too late to withdraw troops. I, Shi Xie, am willing to go as an envoy to negotiate with the people of Chu." Shi Xie said at the pre-war military meeting. "What a joke!" Quezhi jumped up, pointing at Shi Xie's nose and scolding, "It's a coward's act to retreat before the battle! In the Battle of Hanyuan, the former king Huigong was captured by the Qin people; in the Battle of Bi, the three armies were defeated The army was defeated; in the Battle of Ji, the commander Xian Zhen died in battle. These are the three major shames of the Jin army, which cannot be forgotten to this day. Now instead of washing the shame, we are avoiding the war. Are we trying to add another shame?"

"Whether I am a coward or not, the world has its own opinion, and it is not up to you alone." Shi Xie said coldly, "There are many ways to wash away shame. It is the most stupid thing to be brave for a while and try to be quick for a while." method. The three major disgraces of the Jin army are not due to lack of courage, but precisely because of the abuse of courage. Now we are fighting for external hegemony regardless of internal turmoil. Add another shame?" As a result of the debate, the main combatants had an absolute upper hand.On May 30th, the famous Battle of Yanling in history broke out.

Just after dawn, the Chu army took the lead in attacking.The Chu people still used Sun Shu'ao's tactics in the Battle of Bi. The whole army was mobilized and quickly pushed into the Jin army's camp. At that time, chariots were still the main force of the armies of various countries.However, large-scale chariot movement is unimaginable without formations. Not only cannot the power of chariots be exerted, but it is easy to cause chaos in itself and create opportunities for the enemy.The tactics of the Chu army did cause chaos to a certain extent in the Jin army.Shi Xie's son, Shi Gai (gai), was a young man at the time. Seeing this situation, he quickly suggested to Jin Ligong: "Please order the wells to be filled and the military stoves to be leveled, so that we can deploy troops in the military camp." .God favors both Chu and Jin, and will not treat one more favorably than another, so we don’t need to be afraid of them!”

Shi Xie was furious, picked up a long spear and drove him out, cursing: "There is a way to the rise and fall of a country, only God knows, where is it your turn to make irresponsible remarks!" Shi Gai's opinion is feasible.Shi Xie overreacted, but it was another prudent move to protect his son-the military and the country are no small matter, and one must be cautious in offering advice.If you donate poorly, you will lose troops and generals, and the responsibility is heavy;Shigai is young, and if he is not in his position, he will not seek his own affairs. Why should he express his opinion at this time and go to this muddy water?

Luan Shu saw it, smiled slightly, and said, "Filling wells and destroying stoves is naturally a good plan. However, according to my observation, the Chu army behaves frivolously and full of arrogance. We can strengthen our walls and take strict precautions. As long as our army If we don't get confused, within three days, the Chu army will definitely retreat. At that time, our army will take the initiative to attack from behind, and we will surely win a big victory." "I don't agree!" As soon as Luan Shu finished speaking, he stood up and said, "Don't look at the aggressiveness and aggressiveness of the Chu army, there are actually six flaws. First, Young Master Fang and Young Master Ying Qi have always had a grudge against each other. Disunity is a big taboo for military strategists; second, the soldiers of the king of Chu are all descendants of the family, blindly emphasizing blood, never recruiting outstanding talents from outside, and standing still; timidity; fourth, the barbarian troops in the Chu State Army are even more chaotic and disorganized; fifth, today is a dark day (the end of the month is a dark day, the ancients were superstitious, thinking that a dark day is not suitable for deploying troops), the Chu army today Sixth, the soldiers who have already set up the formation are lazy and noisy, completely ignoring our army. Based on these six points, our army can take the initiative to attack and make a quick decision. To defeat the Chu army, why do we need to wait three days?"

Is Quezhi's analysis reasonable?Of course there is.And it is not difficult to see that he dared to say this after in-depth investigation, which is very convincing.Duke Li of Jin thought over and over again, accepted Que Zhi's opinion, and Shi Gai's opinion at the same time, ordered the whole army to have a full meal, then filled the well and barged the stove, and prepared to fight to the death with the Chu army. Luan Shu glanced at him coldly, and a fierce light flashed in his eyes. Duke Li of Jin boarded the carriage and watched the Chu army's actions from a distance.Luan Shu ordered the doctor Miao Benhuang to follow Jin Ligong to board the car and provide him with advice.

Miao Benhuang is the son of Yin Douyuejiao, the original order of the Chu State. He grew up in a family of military aristocrats in the Chu State since he was a child, and he knows the details of the Chu army. "There," he pointed with his hand, "there is where the king of Chu is, guarded by the king's pawns, and it is the center of the Chu army." Duke Li of Jin looked in the direction of his finger, and sure enough, he found that the banners and banners of the soldiers and generals were all different. The messengers came in and out in light vehicles, and they were sending the military orders of the King of Chu to all the ministries.

"The elite of the Chu army is all in the king's pawn. Please send troops to attract the attention of the king's pawn, lure him to divide his troops to pursue, and then concentrate on defeating his left and right flanks. Finally, the four armies will launch together to encircle and wipe out his king's pawn, and he will surely win!" Miao Ben Huang suggested again. "Oh?" Jin Ligong felt that this plan was very good, but he was not at ease, so he called the fortune teller accompanying the army and asked him to calculate Miao Benhuang's plan.As a result, a "Fu" hexagram was obtained, and the lines read: "Qi of the Southern Kingdom, shoot at the king of Yuan, and Zhongjuemu." his eyes."

"Congratulations, my lord!" the fortuneteller said loudly, "This is the hexagram of great auspiciousness. The enemy's territory is shrinking, and the king is injured. If we don't fight now, when will we wait?" Coincidentally, Duke Li of Jin used Chu people to analyze the actions of the Chu army, and the King of the Communist Party of Chu also used Jin people to analyze the formation of the Jin army. The son of Bozong, a doctor of Jin State. "Jin's chariots are galloping to the left and right, what's going on?" "That's calling the commanders of the teams." Bo Zhouli replied.

"Oh, then they have all gone to the Chinese Army now." "That's a meeting to discuss countermeasures." "The tent is opened, what is it for?" "It's a sincere divination in front of the tablet of the first king to see who is suitable to be the king's chariot driver and right guard." "It's closed again now." "That's when the order will be issued." "Noisy, dusty, what's going on?" Bozhouli looked at it carefully for a while, and said: "The Jin army is going to fill up the wells, level the army stoves, and deploy the formation!" "Ah! They have all boarded the chariot, but the soldiers on the left and right get out of the chariot with weapons in hand. What are they trying to do?" "Listen to the commander's pre-battle speech." "Then are they ready to fight?" "I can't tell yet." "I saw them get on the chariot again, but the general and the left and right got off again." "Oh, that was praying before the battle." Bozhouli said, pointing at the Jin army, "Over there, there are the soldiers of the Marquis of Jin, the elite troops of the Jin army, please pay special attention, Your Majesty." At this time, a drum sound was heard in the Jin camp, and the gate of the camp was opened wide. The Jin army chariots were in front, and the infantry were behind, lining up in a neat formation and filing out.The King of the Communist Party of Chu quickly ordered: "Beat the drum and move forward. In today's battle, all armies are only allowed to move forward and not to retreat!" At that time, the driver of the military chariot of the King of the Communist Party of Chu was Peng Ming, and the guard on the right was Pan Dang; the driver of Duke Zheng Cheng was Shishou, and the guard on the right was Tang Gou; Zhi's younger brother, Que Yi, and Luan Shu's son, Luan Zhen, were the guards on the right side of the army. Luan Shu and Shi Xie led their clan soldiers to escort Duke Li of Jin. Duke Li of Jin had a bad start. Just after leaving the gate of the camp, his military chariot accidentally fell into a small swamp, unable to advance or retreat. When Luan Shu saw it, he jumped out of the car and trotted all the way over to invite Duke Jin Li to take his military chariot.Suddenly a big hand came across and pushed him back a bit. When he took a closer look, it turned out to be his son Luan Zhen. "Luan Shu, what do you want to do? Hurry up and step down!" Luan Zhen's eyes widened angrily, "Could it be possible for you to take care of the important affairs of the country alone? It is my duty to protect the monarch, are you here to steal my job? The king sits in your car, how can you command the battle? If the generals abandon their subordinates casually like you, is it still not messed up? Go back to your car, do your own business, and take care of yourself Don't meddle in my work!" He summoned up his strength, shouted, lifted Duke Jin Li's army chariot from one side, but resolutely rode his horse forward, and the army chariot left amidst the cheers of the crowd. swamp. Luan Shu was scolded so disheartened that he didn't dare to answer a word. He ran back to his car with his head down, and said viciously after a long time: "This little bastard, being a little guard will make you shy, look How will I deal with you when I go back!" The two armies faced each other, arrows flew horizontally, swords and swords intersected, and the screams of killing shook the sky.According to Miao Benhuang's strategy, the Jin army sent dozens of chariots to rush in front of the Chu army's pawns. After a short battle, they shot a feint and retreated with a roar.Sure enough, the Chu army was fooled, leaving only fifteen Zuoguang chariots to protect the Chu Communist king, and the rest of the king's soldiers rushed out to pursue the Jin army. The king of the Communist Party of Chu also boarded the military chariot and beat the drums himself to boost morale.Suddenly, a Jin army crossed over, and the leading general saw the King of Chu from a distance, so he opened his bow and shot.At the sound of the bowstring, the long arrow has arrived, and it hits the left eye of King Gong of Chu.Everyone exclaimed in unison, and the king of the Communist Party of Chu yelled, and the drumstick in his hand fell to the ground, almost fainting from the pain. "Yang Youji, Yang Youji, call Yang Youji here!" He supported Che Shi with one hand, and couldn't see anything, so he just yelled loudly. Not long after, Yang Youji came.The King of the Communist Party of Chu endured the pain and drew two arrows from the quiver: "Kill the man who shot me!" Without saying a word, Yang Youji jumped into the chariot, galloped on the horse, and chased after the Jin general. That Jin general was Wei Kai who had been in the limelight in the Battle of Bi.It is also a strange thing to say, Wei Qi had a dream before the battle, dreaming that he bent his bow to shoot the moon, and he shot, but he sat down in the mud.He asked someone to do a fortune-telling, and the fortune-teller said: "The sun symbolizes Ji's surname, and the moon symbolizes a different surname, which is the king of Chu. You shot the king of Chu, but you retreated into the mud, which means that you will surely die too." Yang Youji is the archer of Chu State.The day before the battle, he and Pan Dang had an archery competition in the camp.Pan Dang thought to himself that it would be difficult to match him, so he came up with a new trick—not to shoot at the target, but to shoot at the leather armor instead.At that time, someone hung ten layers of leather armor stacked together under the tree, and the two men stood a hundred steps away and opened their bows.Pan Dang was so powerful that he shot an arrow, piercing through seven layers of leather armor.Yang Youji made a trick, he raised the arrow and sent out Pan Dang's arrow again.All the soldiers of the Chu army clapped their hands and applauded.Both of them felt very proud, and took their leather armors to show off to the King of the Communist Party of Chu, saying: "You have subjects like me, why are you worried about war?" The King of the Communist Party of Chu cursed: "Two big fools, tomorrow During the war, if you still show off your skills like this, you will die on your own skills!" On the battlefield the next day, the King of the Communist Party of Chu was shot blind in one eye by Wei Qi. He had long forgotten what he said yesterday, and the first thing he thought of was Yang Youji.Yang Youji got the two arrows, chased them for a while, held one of them in his mouth, and put the other on the string, secretly screaming "Zhu", the arrow flew out like a meteor, and hit Wei Qi's head. neck. Wei Qi didn't even have time to scream, lying on his bow sheath and died. The accidental injury of the king of the Communist Party of Chu greatly affected the morale of the Chu army, and the Jin army quickly gained an advantage on the battlefield. But Zhi led his troops to rush back and forth on the battlefield, fighting bravely, and rushed into the king's stroke three times.Every time he saw the flag of the Communist King of Chu from a distance, he took off his helmet, jumped off the chariot, and walked briskly forward to show respect. The King of the Communist Party of Chu thought it was very strange, so he sent his worker Yin (official name) Xiang to ask Hou Quezhi, and gave Quezhi a bow. "The battle is raging. There is a general in fiery red war robe. He is a gentleman! He walked quickly when he saw the widow. May I ask where he was injured?" Gong Yinxiang conveyed the message of the King of the Communist Party of Chu to Quezhi. regards. "Thank you for your greetings, King." Quezhi took off his helmet and replied, "I am Quezhi, and I am honored to be able to fight against the King with the widow. Now that the two countries are fighting, I dare not accept your gift, and I cannot meet you face to face. Thank you, I can only thank the envoy!" I saluted the worker Yin Xiang three times, then got into the car and continued to fight. Respect is respect, but he is merciless in killing people.But wherever it goes, it is like a raging fire rushing left and right, invincible. The Chu army was suppressed by the Jin army, and Zheng Guo's troops also fell into a hard fight.Han Jue pursued Zheng Chenggong with his elite troops. His coachman Du Hun Luo asked, "Shall we speed up? Zheng Bo's coachman always looks back at us, not paying attention to the horses. Surely we can." Catch up." Han Jue recalled the old story of chasing Duke Qing of Qi in the Battle of the Saddle more than ten years ago, and said, "Forget it, I can't humiliate the king again and again." So he ordered The troops stopped the pursuit. Zheng Chenggong escaped Han Jue's pursuit by chance, but unfortunately he was caught again.Fu Hanhu, the guard on the right side of Quezhi, suggested: "Please send light vehicles to intercept him from the small path, and we will follow from behind, so I can jump on Zheng Bo's chariot and capture him alive!" But Zhi shook his head: " If you hurt the king, you will be punished yourself." He also stopped attacking. After two false alarms, Shi Shou, the driver of Zheng Chenggong's military chariot, said to Zheng Chenggong: "Back then, Wei Yigong refused to remove the banner on the military chariot, so he was killed by the Di people." So he pulled down the banner and put it in the bow bag among.Seeing that the situation was getting more and more urgent, Rong You's guard Tang Gou said to Shi Shou: "Please stay by the king's side and do your best to protect him from danger. I am not as capable as you, so let me resist the enemy for a while." No waiting for Shi Shou Answered, jumped out of the car, faced the pursuers, and finally died in battle. Less than an hour after the start of the battle, the victory or defeat has actually been decided.The Chu army began to shrink the front line, focusing on protecting the Chu Communist King from the battlefield. Yang Youji and Shu Shanran followed him closely, one on the left and the other on the right.All the ministries of the Jin army followed closely behind. "Yang Youji!" Seeing the Jin army getting closer and closer, Shu Shanran shouted, "Although the king told you not to show off your skills, now for the sake of the country, please do your best!" Yang Youji responded with practical actions, "Shushua" shot two arrows, and killed two small leaders of the Jin army.Shu Shanran shouted happily, seeing a Jin army chariot catching up, he relaxed his arms, grabbed a soldier in the chariot, and threw it at the Jin army chariot behind him, hitting the chariot just in time, throwing the chariot in front of him. The crossbar was broken.Seeing that the two were so brave, the Jin army did not dare to get too close, so the king of Chu was able to escape the danger. The people of Jin, who were sure of winning, deliberately showed their gentlemanly demeanor.Luan Zhen saw the battle flag of Prince Yingqi from a distance, and said to Duke Li of Jin, "That is the battle flag of Ling Yin of the Chu State. The flag must belong to him. When I was an envoy to Chu State, he once asked me, what is the flag of the people of Jin State?" What is the performance of Wu Yong? I replied that the Jin people like to be orderly (so that they can be organized by the crowd). He asked me what else, and I said that they like to be calm (so that they can be leisurely). Now that the two countries are at war, if you don’t send someone to greet , can’t be said to be orderly; it can’t be said to be calm and unhurried when we meet on the battlefield. Please send someone to toast him on my behalf.” Later generations used "to take care of yourself" as an idiom, which should have originated from here.The Chinese in the Spring and Autumn Period were so naive and romantic in their pursuit of elegance.At that time, Duke Li of Jin listened to Luan Zhen's words and nodded his approval, so he sent an envoy with a full bottle of wine, ran to Prince Yingqi's car, and said: "The widow ordered Luan Zhen to hold a spear and serve as Guard, I can't come to reward you, so send me to toast for you." Young Master Yingqi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, and said with a smile: "I remember, he once said to me in Chu State that it is the style of Jin people to take time out, so he sent you here, right? His memory is really good. Ah!" Drank the wine in one gulp, ordered his subordinates to send the messenger out safely, and continued to beat the drums to direct the battle. This battle started in the early morning, and some battles continued until dusk, which can be called a fierce battle.It is commendable that although the Chu army was at a disadvantage from the beginning, under the command of the son Yingqi and others, they maintained a tenacious fighting spirit and were defeated without being defeated. Another main general of the Chu army, Gong Zifang, also fully embodies the demeanor of a famous general.He ordered his subordinates to check the injuries of the wounded, add second-line personnel to the infantry and chariot soldiers, seize the time to repair armor and weapons, and always pay attention to maintaining a strict formation.The soldiers obeyed him. Although they lost the battle, their hearts were not scattered. At night, the fighting was finally over. Luan Shu and others were shocked by the fighting power of the Chu army, and decided to accept it as soon as it was good, but they were afraid that the Chu army would see the clues and launch a counterattack, so they sent Miao Benhuang to issue orders loudly in the camp: "Gather the chariots, replenish the infantry, Feed the horses, sharpen the weapons, rectify the formation, consolidate the ranks, fill the stomach, and fight again tomorrow!" And deliberately let go of several prisoners of the Chu army. When the king of the Communist Party of Chu heard the news of the captives' report, he didn't care about the pain in his eyes, so he quickly ordered someone to call the prince to discuss countermeasures.Unexpectedly, the young master fought fiercely all day, and after returning to the camp, the retainer Gu Yang felt sorry for the master, and offered a jar of good wine.The king of the Communist Party of Chu waited for a long time, but the prince still hadn't come, and he lamented: "God wants Chu to fail! I'd better give up." He ordered the Chu army to retreat overnight. The Battle of Yanling ended with the complete victory of the Jin army.On the second day after the end of the battle, the allied forces of the Jin State—the Qi State troops led by Guozuo and Gao Wujiu arrived at the battlefield; the Wei State troops led by Wei Xiangong had just crossed the border; the Lu State troops led by Lu Chenggong Still lingering in bad 隤 (tui, place name) near Qufu (fu). Looking back at the history of Jin State, there have been five large-scale wars since Jin Wengong became the hegemony: the Battle of Chengpu in 632 BC, defeating Chu State; the Battle of Confucianism in 627 BC, defeating Qin State; In the Battle of Bi in 597 BC, Chu State was defeated; in the Battle of An'an in 589 BC, Qi State was defeated; in the Battle of Yanling this time, the coalition forces of Chu State and Zheng State were defeated again.The record of four victories and one defeat firmly established the status of the number one military power in the Spring and Autumn Period. After the Battle of Yanling, the Jin army entered the camp of the Chu army and ate and drank the food left by the Chu army for three full days.Everyone celebrated the victory to their heart's content, only Shi Xie maintained his usual melancholy. He stood in front of Duke Jin Li's military chariot and said: "The king is young and the ministers are not talented. Why can we win? Please keep it Be vigilant. "Book of Zhou" says, 'The fate of heaven is impermanent', only those who are virtuous can maintain the favor of heaven!" These words were obviously very unpleasant, especially under the circumstances at that time, Duke Li of Jin couldn't listen to them even more. When the Chu army went all the way south, when they passed through the flawed land of Suiguo, the king of the Communist Party of Chu sent an envoy to look for the son, and said to him: "In the battle of Chengpu, the ministers of Chengde lost their teachers and humiliated the country, and the former king became king. He is not in the army, so Cheng Dechen should bear the responsibility. Today we lost the battle in Yanling, don't think it is your fault, I will bear all the responsibilities." The king of the Communist Party of Chu expressed his good intentions, fearing that the young master would go the same way as Cheng Dechen.But to the young master, this comforting words were more uncomfortable than condemnation. He said to the messenger: "The king wants his ministers to die, and death is immortal. My soldiers did escape on the battlefield, and I was drunk at a critical moment. , and missed the king's important matter, that is my crime." Before the battle, he analyzed the flaws of the Chu army, saying that the son side and the son Yingqi were not united, and there was always a feud, and now it is reflected.Not long after the envoy of the Communist King of Chu left, Prince Yingqi also sent someone to the prince's side tent and said to him: "You have heard about the fate of those who lost their teachers and humiliated the country back then, right? Why don't you tell him Learn?" The young master replied calmly: "Even if there is no lesson learned from Cheng Dechen, as long as you want me to die, how dare I commit myself to injustice? I am responsible for this failure, how dare I not die?" The implication is that you also There is no need to send someone to remind me, I am a person with a sense of shame, how can I be irresponsible, greedy for life and afraid of death? This was heard by the retainer Gu Yangshu, who wanted to persuade him but dared not persuade him, so he hurried to report to the king of the Communist Party of Chu.As soon as the king of the Communist Party of Chu heard this, he immediately sent another envoy: "Quickly, pass on the order of the widow, that he is not allowed to commit suicide, and must give the widow a good life!" The messenger rushed away and directly broke into the young master's side tent.It was still a step too late, the young master had already committed suicide by committing suicide.