Duke Huan of Qi conquered the princes in the Central Plains and prepared to deal with the Chu State. Just as he was planning to send troops, the State of Yan sent people to ask for help, so Duke Huan of Qi had to take care of the important end first.
The State of Yan was located in today's Daxing County, Hebei Province, bordering the State of Qi. It was the territory granted by King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty to Duke Zhao (Ji Shi). Zhao Gong was the official name of the Western Zhou Dynasty. After Ji Shi's death, his son became the leader of the State of Yan.
The first generation of monarchs.
There are some nomadic tribes living in the northeast of Yan State. The Central Plains people collectively call them Shanrong. Every time when autumn is high and the horses are fat, the northern land is covered with grass and grass. The Shanrong tribe drives their cattle and sheep to the south. Sometimes they
They would gather together and go to the cities and villages of the farming people to rob.
This time, the Yan State encountered a large-scale attack and robbery by Shanrong. The Yan envoy cried to Qi Huangong: "The Yan State has been defeated several times in a row, and the people were massacred. It seems that it can no longer hold up. Please send troops to rescue Qi Hou as soon as possible.
Yan State."
Guan Zhong said: "My lord, if you want to deal with the Chu State, you must stabilize the north. Only when the north is at peace can you go to the south. Therefore, the trouble of mountain rong must be solved."
Duke Huan of Qi then agreed to send troops to rescue Yan.
In 663 BC, the 23rd year of Duke Huan of Qi, the 31st year of Duke Zhuang of Lu, and the 28th year of Duke Zhuang of Yan, the Qi army marched northward in mighty force.
A few days later, the Qi army arrived at Jishui at the junction of Qi and Lu. Duke Zhuang of Lu was waiting there. He said to Duke Huan of Qi: "Unless the mountain rong are eliminated, there will never be peace in the north. The Marquis of Qi personally led the expedition, not only to
It is good for Yan and Qi, and it is also good for Lu. I am willing to send a troop of troops to join the war with the Marquis of Qi."
Duke Huan of Qi did not take Shanrong seriously, and wanted to build his own merits, so he said: "The road to the north is far and difficult, so I dare not trouble you. If I need your support, I will ask you to send troops again."
"
After saying this, Duke Zhuang of Lu sent some grain and grass to the Qi army, and then returned to Lu with his own troops and horses.
When the troops from Qi State arrived at Yan State, the mountain soldiers had already fled. Duke Yan Zhuang, the seventeenth generation monarch of Yan State, led a defeated army and several disgraced ministers, and went five miles out of the city to meet Duke Huan of Qi.
.Looking very embarrassed.
That night, Duke Huan of Yan held a banquet in honor of Duke Huan of Qi. The banquet was mostly made of large pieces of mutton, which looked very simple. Duke Zhuang of Yan said: "The land of Yan is desolate and bitterly cold, and it has been plundered by mountain troops many times. The Marquis of Qi came from afar to save Yan from fire and water.
The State of Yan is extremely grateful. I wanted to treat you hospitably, but now, I am really overwhelmed but unable to do so. I have been neglectful. Please forgive me, Marquis Qi."
Duke Huan of Qi gave in humbly and said: "Marquis Yan, there is no need to be polite. We have all seen the difficulties of the Yan country."
Guan Zhong said: "As soon as we came, the mountain soldiers ran away. As soon as we left, the mountain soldiers came again. To eradicate this problem, we can't just defeat or drive them away as usual. This time we have to hit them harder and beat them hard."
I don’t dare to come again and I don’t have the strength to come again.”
Duke Huan of Qi said: "The Prime Minister is right. What I mean is that we continue to pursue them until we catch them and defeat them."
Duke Yanzhuang said gratefully: "I am willing to devote all the strength of the whole country to the front line of Qi's troops and to open the way for the Marquis of Qi."
Duke Huan of Qi said: "Your troops are exhausted, so you should stop playing in the vanguard and stay in the rear."
Duke Zhuang of Yan said: "Eighty miles away from here, there is a small country called Wu Ending Country, which has some friendship with us. I will send people to ask them to send troops, so that someone can lead the way."
Guan Zhong said: "It will be easy to find Shanrong with the help of the state of Zhong."
The Wujing Kingdom was often plundered by the Shanrong, so when the monarch of the Wujing Kingdom heard that the Yan Kingdom was going to attack the Shanrong, he immediately sent a troop of troops to help.
Duke Huan of Qi received the cooperation of Yan State and Wu Zhong State, so he confidently and boldly advanced northward. The guides of Wu Zhong State were familiar with the local situation. Under their guidance, a few days later, the Qi State army found the gathering of Shanrong.
land.
Duke Huan of Qi adopted hunting tactics. He deployed the armies of Qi, Yan, and Wu Zhong in the west, south, and southeast respectively. Because most of Qi's troops were chariots, they chose to attack from the west, where the terrain was flat.
The Wuzhong Kingdom mostly had cavalry, so they were asked to attack from the south and southeast. After the soldiers and horses were in place, a drum sounded, and the soldiers and horses of the three countries launched a charge at the same time. The sound of killing was loud, and the tanks and horses of the Central Plains were
Soldiers wearing armor and holding long swords swept past like an iron stream.
Have the mountain soldiers ever seen such a formation? The leader Milu quickly asked someone to blow the horn and assemble the team. The mountain soldiers prepare their own horses and weapons. They graze in peacetime and concentrate during war. In panic, small groups of cavalry rushed toward them.
Milu's tents came flying towards them. But as soon as they gathered, Milu gave the order to retreat. But it was too late. The chariots of the Central Plains and the cavalry of the Yan and Wu Ending Kingdoms had already reached them. The Shanrong reluctantly fought.
Where is the opponent? In less than a stick of incense, the Shanrong cavalry was beaten and fled in all directions, and then people all over the mountains and plains were running for their lives.
Milu left behind his wife, children, and children, and fled northward with dozens of defeated soldiers.
The army of Yan State surrounded the settlement of Shanrong. The soldiers drove out the men, women, old and children hiding in the tents from house to house. These nomads with long hair, animal skins, and clothes that opened to the left cried for father and mother.
They were huddled together. In their hearts, nine out of ten prisoners would die. The prisoners were trembling like sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
The young men and women who had been snatched by the Shanrong were released. These people were humiliated and all shouted for revenge. Some picked up sticks on the ground and rushed into the crowd of Shanrong desperately, beating them up and down. Yan soldiers
He didn't stop him at all, but instead clapped his hands and cheered.
Duke Zhuang of Yan organized people to collect all the food items that the Shan Rong had snatched from the State of Yan, as well as the horses, cattle, and sheep left behind by the Shan Rong. They even tore down the tents one by one. Among the things seized, there was a kind of soybean.
The soldiers did not have any in the Central Plains, and all the soldiers were loaded on the vehicles.
Duke Huan of Qi ordered that the people were not allowed to be massacred. The Shanrong people never dreamed that they could survive as prisoners. They were all moved and kowtowed on the ground, and for a while they began to cry again.
Guan Zhong asked the soldiers of Wu Zhongguo to pick out a few people in charge and interrogate them.
"Where has your leader gone?"
"Milu is friends with the king of Guzhu Country. He probably went to Guzhu Country. He must have gone to borrow troops."
"How far is Guzhu Country from here? How to get there?"
An old man with a beard among the mountain soldiers said: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for not killing us. I am willing to lead you."
Guan Zhong reported the information obtained to Duke Huan of Qi. Duke Huan of Qi felt that this battle did not eliminate the main force of Shanrong. More importantly, Milu escaped, so he decided to continue the pursuit and attack Guzhu Kingdom.
The Shanrong guide led the large groups of people from Qi, Yan, and Wu Zhong Kingdoms and walked for two days in the barren mountains and ridges, and finally arrived at the border of Lone Bamboo Kingdom. That night, the people from Qi, Yan, and Wu Zhong Kingdoms camped on the spot and prepared.
After dawn, they fought towards the capital of Guzhu Kingdom.
The news has already reached Lone Bamboo Country.
On the second day, the sky was bright. The desolate scenery of the North came into view. The flat Gobi Desert stretched as far as the eye could see. Among the exposed loess and sand belts, shrubs and weeds were sparsely scattered. They were all low and withered. It looked desolate.
elephant.
A large group of cavalry came from the north. There were no flags, and they could only see the horses' hooves stepping on them, the billowing yellow dust rising up, and the occasional flying long hair, and the white light of the scimitar reflected from time to time on the long hair.
These are soldiers and horses from the Guzhu Kingdom, who have been ordered to come to fight. The two leaders are Huang Hua, the general of the Guzhu Kingdom, and Milu, the leader of the Shanrong.
Duke Huan of Qi immediately ordered a battle. The two armies took up positions in a wilderness. The chariots of the Central Plains attacked first, followed closely by the cavalry of the Yan State and the Wuzhong State. The war drums were thundering, and the sound of killing was loud. The cavalry of the Guzhu State attacked.
Wen Feng was frightened. They had never seen such a group charge, so when they saw Qi's chariots coming like a tide, they all turned their horses and ran back. Those who ran slowly were not shot.
To kill means to be beheaded. Huanghua and Milu were unwilling to fight and ran away with the defeated soldiers.
Duke Huan of Qi sent troops to pursue him and advanced fifty miles. At this time, the sun was in the west and the soldiers and horses were tired. They happened to encounter a small river with lush water and grass. Duke Huan of Qi ordered to set up camp and prepare to continue the pursuit the next day.
At midnight that night, soldiers brought a general and asked to see Duke Huan of Qi. Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong were sitting together in the tent. The person who came was none other than Huang Hua, the general of the Guzhu Kingdom who had fought with them during the day.
Huanghua saluted, took out a human head from the bag, held it in both hands, and said: "I am Huanghua, the general of Guzhu Kingdom. I fought with the king during the day. This is the head of Milu, the leader of Shanrong. I will kill him."
Now, take his head and offer it to the king."
Duke Huan of Qi asked: "Why did you kill him for no reason?"
Huang Hua said: "When Shanrong Milu came to our Guzhu Kingdom, I told our king Dalia not to take him in. But our king and Milu were friends, and if he didn't listen to me, he had to
Help the Shan Rong. Now we are defeated. Dalia fled with the people. He said he was going to the desert to ask for reinforcements. I killed the leader of the Shan Rong and surrendered. I am willing to contribute to the king of the Central Plains. Your Majesty,
If you go after Dalia, I can help you lead the way."
Duke Huan of Qi asked the soldiers to bring up the head. He and Guan Zhong looked at it carefully and were not sure. He also called people from the Guzhu Kingdom to identify it. Everyone said, yes, this is the head of Milu. Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong both
He thought that Huanghua and Milu must be fighting each other, so Huanghua killed Milu to surrender. So Qi Huangong accepted Huanghua.
Early the next morning, Huang Hua acted as a guide and led the soldiers and horses of Qi, Yan and Wu Zhong Kingdom towards the capital of Guzhu Kingdom.
After marching for half a day, we arrived outside the capital of Lone Bamboo Kingdom. The city gate was wide open and there was not a single soldier on top of the city. When we entered the city and took a look, we found that it was indeed an empty city.
Duke Huan of Qi thought that the people from the Guzhu Kingdom must have escaped temporarily and would definitely come back when the troops from the Central Plains withdrew. So he asked Duke Yanzhuang to garrison the city with his own troops and those from the Wujing Kingdom. He himself would lead
The soldiers and horses of the State of Qi went to chase Dali'a, still using the yellow flower as a guide.
Huang Hua carries a scimitar and rides a fat yellow horse to lead the way in front of the army. He occasionally gallops and stands on a hill, looking up into the distance. After a while, he turns the horse's head and runs back to lead the army forward. It is as if he is a hero.
The deputy looked loyal and loyal. The sergeants gradually became less wary of him.
The army passed through the wasteland Gobi and entered a barbaric land covered with yellow sand and gravel. In the evening, they came to a bare rocky mountain. This place is called "Misery Valley", also known as "Dry Sea". In addition to the rocky mountain, there are
It is an endless expanse of yellow sand. Not to mention that the sky is already dark, even in the daytime it is difficult to distinguish the southeast from the northwest.
Where had the people of the Central Plains ever been to such a place? They all lost their way. When they looked for Huang Hua again, they found that Huang Hua had already disappeared without a trace. Only then did Duke Huan of Qi know that he had fallen into Huang Hua's "fraudulent surrender plan."
The Qi army immediately turned around, the front team changed to the rear team, and the rear team changed to the front team, and hurriedly walked back. After walking for a long time, they suddenly found that they were back to the same place. Everyone was in a panic. Some people suggested setting up camp temporarily.
, wait until daybreak before leaving. Duke Huan of Qi said: "The wind and sand here are howling like ghosts, we can't stay, we have to leave quickly."
However, no one can figure out the direction, where to go?
Guan Zhong thought for a moment and said to Duke Huan: "When we came out of the capital of Guzhu Kingdom, we collected dozens of horses, mostly old and weak horses, and they were all used for driving and carrying things. The animals are very good at identifying directions. Those who fly far away
Birds that run far away, dogs that run far away, and cows and horses that go to graze in the mountains and forests can all run back by themselves. I think we might as well untie a few old horses and follow them, maybe we can get out."
Duke Huan of Qi said: "You might as well give it a try."
The sergeants immediately untied several old horses from the Lone Bamboo Kingdom. The horses took off their reins, shook their bodies, and looked relaxed. Seeing that no one was restraining them, they wagged their tails and walked freely.
Walking back, the Qi army followed at a distance. In the middle of the night, the army walked out of the Lost Valley and returned to the way they came.
This is where the idiom "The old horse knows the way" comes from.
Duke Huan of Qi didn't want to look for anything anymore, so he ordered the army to return to the capital of Guzhu Kingdom along the original road, preparing to join the Yanzhuang Guild. Halfway through, they met a group of people. These people were driving cattle and sheep, pulling
The carriages, carrying luggage and supporting the elderly and the young, were moving in the direction of the capital of the Guzhu Kingdom. Guan Zhong sent soldiers from the Wu Zhong Kingdom to inquire about it, and the people said: "Our great king Dalli'a
After defeating the soldiers and horses of Yan State, we were ordered to go back."
Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong suddenly realized that Huanghua's false surrender and Dalihe leaving an empty city were all planned in advance.
Guan Zhong saw that there were many people in the country, so he came up with a plan. He asked some soldiers to dress up as people from the Guzhu Kingdom and follow the people into the capital of the Guzhu Kingdom. He also ordered the army to follow up at a distance of five miles.
That night, the Qi army quietly surrounded the capital city of Guzhu. As the war drums sounded and countless torches were lit, the Qi army launched simultaneous attacks from the four city gates in the southeast, northwest and northwest. The sergeants who sneaked into the city first rushed to the top of the city, seized the gates, and released
The Qi army came in. Large groups of people and horses poured in like a tide. The small army of Guzhu Kingdom could not stop it. After a short battle, all the soldiers and horses of Guzhu Kingdom had been killed.
The king of Guzhu Kingdom, Da Lihe, and the general Huang Hua both died in the rebellion. Several Qi army generals excitedly carried the heads of Da Lihe and Huang Hua to report their merits to Duke Huan of Qi. The Guzhu Kingdom was thus destroyed.
Duke Yanzhuang ate Lihe's carbine and abandoned the city. At this time, he came back and joined the Qi army.
The Qi and Yan armies searched the city for a while and quickly eliminated the remaining enemies.
Duke Huan of Qi said to Duke Zhuang of Yan: "The Shanrong have been defeated. It is estimated that they will not come to invade Yan again in a year or two. The Guzhu Kingdom has also been destroyed. This land with a radius of 500 miles will belong to Yan. You can
You must guard it well. You cannot let foreigners take it away."
Duke Zhuang of Yan said: "How can this be done? Thanks to your blessing, we have helped us repel the mountain soldiers and saved the Yan State. The Yan State has nothing to repay. How can I dare to accept the land I got? This land should be
Return to the Qi Kingdom. I absolutely dare not accept it."
Duke Huan of Qi said: "The State of Qi is too far away, and I can't control it even if I hold it. The State of Yan is the barrier to the north of the Central Plains. By guarding this land, you are guarding the northern gate of the Central Plains. It is a great achievement. Don't refuse, just take it.
.”
Duke Zhuang of Yan could not say anything more, so he thanked Duke Huan of Qi and accepted. The territory of Yan was increased by 500 miles, and it became a big northern country.
In 662 BC, the Qi army set out to return home. Duke Yanzhuang was grateful and sent him one journey after another. Before he set off, he sent a group of soldiers to drive cattle and sheep to accompany him. Whenever the Qi army was stationed, he would
They killed cattle and sheep to reward the soldiers. Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong drank drunkenly every day.
Unknowingly, Duke Zhuang of Yan sent him across the border of Yan State and arrived at Changlu of Qi State.
When we parted ways, Duke Huan of Qi suddenly remembered something. He said: "According to the rules established by our Zhou Dynasty, princes cannot send princes out of the country when sending them off. Now you have left the country of Yan for fifty miles and arrived on the ground of our country of Qi.
.I can’t let you have the reputation of breaking the rules. Let’s do this, I will give you these fifty miles of land.”
How could Duke Yanzhuang be willing to accept it? He repeatedly refused. But Duke Huan of Qi wanted to feel like an overlord, so he insisted on giving it away, and Duke Yanzhuang had no choice but to accept it. At this point, Duke Yanzhuang was so impressed that Duke Huan of Qi was so impressed.