Song Xianggong wanted to help Prince Zhao regain the throne. But he also knew that with the strength of Song State, how could he dare to take action against Qi State? So he sent people to lobby other countries. As a result, his envoys ran around and came down.
Some of the vassal states ignored him. In the end, only three small vassal states, Wei, Cao, and Zhu, sent some troops and horses. Song Xianggong roughly ordered, and found that Wei had 100 chariots, and Cao and Zhu had five each.
Ten vehicles. Song Xianggong thought, it was better than nothing. After thinking this way, he didn't care anymore, so he led the soldiers and horses of the four countries, mainly from Song State, to attack Qi State.
At this time, Qi State was in a state of chaos that was too busy to take care of itself.
After Gongzi Wukui came to power, the situation has been unstable. In the court, Gongzi Wukui's faction and the opposition forces represented by Gongzi Pan and Kaifang, including several ministers and princes, are still fighting. People in the court are panicked.
The situation is precarious. Since the two sides in the fight are evenly matched, Gao Hu and Guo Yizhong have become the fulcrum that both sides need to rely on.
These two veterans were old and timid, and had no fighting spirit at all. Therefore, when Song Xianggong's soldiers and horses from the four countries invaded Qi, Gao Hu and Guo Yizhong advocated making peace.
Naturally, Gongzi Wukui's faction did not agree to make peace. But Gongzi Pan and Kaifang's faction wanted to win in chaos, so they strongly supported the ideas of Gao Hu and Guo Yizhong. The two sides were in a stalemate. In the end, the peace faction was defeated by Gao Hu and Guo Yizhong.
With support, he killed Young Master Wu Kui and Shu Diao. Yi Ya escaped and disappeared.
Gao Hu led the officials to welcome Song Xianggong and Gongzi Zhao into the city. Gongzi Zhao successfully ascended the throne as the prince and became Duke Xiao of Qi.
Song Xianggong put an end to the civil strife in Qi and established a king, who was famous all over the world for a while. He was a little too arrogant. People's ambitions are often activated by the environment and their income. Song Xianggong was also like this. He was originally ambitious.
With such a good reputation, he felt that he could go one step further and even become the overlord.
He thought: As long as he imitates Duke Huan of Qi and does a few things that make the princes of the world admire him, he can establish his prestige. As long as the princes of the world admire him and obey him, he can win over the world. Once that happens, isn't he a new generation?
Overlord? This idea inspired him, and he decided to follow this idea.
The last time he contacted the princes, none of the big countries came. He learned this lesson and decided to start with the small countries first. After some diplomatic strategies, the four small countries of Cao, Zhu, Teng, and Zu agreed to come to the meeting.
alliance.
On the day of the meeting, the kings of Cao and Zhu arrived on time. Tenghou Yingqi was one day late, but Zuozi of Zhu did not show up at all. Song Xianggong was very angry, and he imprisoned Tenghou Yingqi.
After hearing the news, Fuzi was afraid that the Song Kingdom would come to trouble him, so he hurried to the venue. But when he arrived, he was three days late. Fuzi trembled and apologized to Song Xianggong. Seeing that Song Xianggong was afraid, Song Xianggong suddenly felt like an overlord.
From above, he ordered his men to tie him up.
The prime minister of the Song Dynasty, Prince Mu Yi (ziyu), persuaded Duke Xiang of Song Dynasty to be tolerant of the son. Song Xianggong said: "A little brother dares to be so negligent. If I don't cure him, how will I order the princes in the future? Don't talk too much. I have it all.
reason."
Four minor princes came, and two were imprisoned. Song Xianggong decided to postpone the meeting for two days to straighten out the discipline first. Between Tenghou and Suozi, Suozi naturally became his target because his fault was more serious.
On the second day, Song Xianggong invited Cao and Zhu to the Sui River and told them that they would hold a sacrificial ceremony. Cao and Zhu, including Ziyu, were surprised because they did not see any sacrifices.
livestock used.
Duke Gong of Cao muttered to the king of Zhu: "If Duke Song doesn't bring 'sacrifice', what will he use to offer sacrifices?"
Zhuzi said: "No need to say more, let's see how he handles it."
Ziyu knew that his dear friend often had sudden ideas, so he didn't say much, just wanted to see what new tricks Song Xianggong would come up with.
After Song Xianggong burned incense and worshiped his son for the Eight Sutras, he then ordered the warriors around him: "Bring him out."
I saw the warriors of the Song Dynasty pushing out a caravan and pulling out a man who had been gagged and tied with five flowers. When everyone looked at it, wasn't this Zhu Zi? By this time, the monarchs of Cao and Zhu and Ziyu all understood.
Duke Xianggang of the Song Dynasty wanted to sacrifice a pig. Is this okay? Not to mention that the etiquette of human sacrifice had been abolished as early as the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Now the princes use horses, cattle, sheep and other livestock to sacrifice, and Duke Xiang of the Song Dynasty
To actually sacrifice a king is simply unbelievable.
Ziyu stepped forward quickly and asked, "Does the lord want to sacrifice Ziyu?"
Song Xianggong said: "Yes, it's him."
Cao and Zhu both stepped forward, grabbed Song Xianggong's sleeve and shouted, "Song Gong, this is impossible."
Ziyu stopped him and said, "How can my lord sacrifice human beings? This etiquette has long been abolished by the imperial court."
Song Xianggong said: "The state has national laws and families have family rules. Meeting alliances is not a joke and there should be rules. If you don't abide by the rules, you should be punished."
Ziyu said: "Then the crime will not lead to death."
Song Xianggong didn't want to hear it, and he was too lazy to talk to them. He raised a hand and shouted towards the river: "Open the sacrifice..."
The four warriors heard the sound and moved. They raised the zizi tied up like rice dumplings high, flew towards the river, and threw them into the river with a bang. Water splashed everywhere, and in an instant, the zizi was gone.
It sank to the bottom of the water like a stone.
The two monarchs Cao and Zhu were stunned. Ziyu opened his mouth half-open, as if he wanted to shout, but couldn't. Song Xianggong smiled slightly.
Zuozi was killed, and Tenghou Yingqi was greatly panicked. This time he really saw Song Xianggong's "two-handed" temper. He quickly sent people to send gifts to Song Xianggong and beg for mercy. Song Xianggong finally let him go.
As a result, Duke Xianggong of Song Dynasty became more majestic and dignified. When the monarch of Zhu State saw him, he behaved as if he were the emperor. Not to mention Marquis Teng Yingqi.
But Gonggong Cao didn't accept this. The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became. He only held the meeting for one day and left that night.
Of the four minor princes, one was killed and the other escaped, leaving only two obedient little princes. The meeting could not be held. Song Xianggong had no choice but to give up.
However, Song Xianggong did not give up. After returning to China, he summed up his experience. He believed that the reason for the failure was that there were no major powers involved. So he called Ziyu to discuss a solution.
Song Xianggong said: "There are four great countries in the world, Qi, Jin, Qin, and Chu. Qin is too far away and may not come; Jin has not had much contact with the Central Plains for a long time, and may not come. Only Qi can, because the Marquis of Qi
I established Gongzizhao; the Chu State in the south is not sure, but it might as well give it a try.
Ziyu said: "The Chu State is a southern barbarian and has never kept its word. The princes of the Central Plains are unwilling to deal with the Chu State. It is better not to consider the Chu State."
Song Xianggong said: "There are four big countries in the southeast, northwest and northwest. It is obviously not enough for us to only bring Qi to our side. We must have at least two big countries to support us. So we must bring Chu to our side."
Seeing that Song Xianggong refused to listen, Ziyu had no choice but to let him go.
Song Xianggong sent two groups of envoys to Qi and Chu respectively. He invited them to come to Lutu of Song for an alliance. Prince Zhao of Qi naturally agreed. Unexpectedly, the King of Chu also agreed. This made Song
Duke Xiang was greatly excited.
In February 639 BC, Duke Zhao of Xiaogong of Qi arrived in Lutu. Because his throne was helped by Song Xianggong, he was grateful and behaved very respectfully and attentively. Unexpectedly, Song Xianggong therefore
He became proud. This made Qi Xiaogong feel very uncomfortable, but he couldn't say it to his face.
Three days later, King Chu Cheng came.
During the meeting, the three people showed some humility in their seats. Song Xianggong was a duke and the convener of the meeting, so the monarchs of Qi and Chu invited him to sit in the chairman's seat. Qi Xiaogong was a marquis and sat in the second place.
King Chu Cheng was a viscount and took the position of subordinate.
At the meeting, some routine issues such as assisting the Zhou royal family, jointly resisting foreign invasion, and following the example of Duke Huan of Qi in holding a "Council of Clothes" were discussed. After that, Song Xianggong took out a long-drawn alliance agreement and invited Qi and Chu to
Signed by a monarch.
Duke Xiao of Qi and King Cheng of Chu pushed each other back and forth, both asking the other to sign first. After pushing and pushing, Duke Xianggang of Song refused to give in and signed the agreement first. Then he handed the agreement to King Chu Cheng. King Chu Cheng didn't even look at it.
After seeing it, he said: "Song Gong can just sign it. I don't need to sign it."
Song Xianggong said: "Cai, Chen, and Xu are all under your control, so I want to lend you two a favor. I'd better ask the King of Chu to sign it."
King Chu Cheng pushed the agreement to Duke Xiao of Qi and said, "Then please ask the Marquis of Qi to sign it first."
Duke Xiao of Qi has been feeling aggrieved for the past two days, mainly because Song Xianggong regards himself as the boss in front of him, which makes him very disgusted. Just now he saw that Song Xianggong gave the agreement to King Chu Cheng first, and he became even more unhappy. Now,
However, this agreement was pushed to him by King Chu Cheng. He felt very embarrassed, so he said coldly: "I am not important, I am just like the people under Song Gong. Chu State is very important, and what Song Gong values is."
you."
King Chu Cheng smiled slightly, took the pen, and signed his name. Then, he pushed the agreement to Qi Xiaogong.
Duke Xiao of Qi complained, hoping that Duke Xiang of Song would speak for him, but he didn't expect Duke Xiang of Song to take his words seriously. King Chu Cheng actually signed his name first, and Duke Qi Qing suddenly became angry.
He pushed the agreement aside and said, "It's enough if King Chu signs it. It doesn't matter whether I sign it or not."
Song Xianggong seemed to really regard Qi Xiaogong as his follower. Not only did he not hear the sarcastic words of Qi Xiaogong, but he took Qi Xiaogong's words to mean taking orders from him or helping him carry the sedan chair. So he put away the sedan chair.
Agreement. Then he said: "This is our meeting to prepare for the multinational alliance. In the second half of the year, I will officially hold an alliance in Yudi, Song Dynasty. At that time, you must come on time to participate."
King Chu Cheng nodded happily, Qi Xiaogong rolled his eyes and said nothing. Song Xianggong didn't care about Qi Xiaogong's reaction, so he announced that the meeting was adjourned.
In autumn, Song Xianggong contacted several vassal states. Then he took his own guards and prepared to go to Yudi to meet with the alliance.
Ziyu said to him: "My lord, it is better to bring more soldiers and horses."
Song Xianggong said: "This is the 'Council of Clothes', and no one will bring troops. If I did, wouldn't I be distrustful of others?"
Ziyu said: "I believe in the princes of the Central Plains, but I really don't believe in the Chu State. If they want to do something, we will be passive."
Song Xianggong said: "Don't worry too much. I believe that in front of the princes of the world, Chu State will not dare to do anything."
Song Xianggong arrived at Mendi first.
After preparing the meeting place, the princes of Chu, Zheng, Chen, Cai, Cao, Xu and other countries arrived one after another. Duke Xiao of Qi and Duke Xi of Lu did not come. Duke Xiao of Qi did not come because during the last meeting in Lushang,
Song Xianggong's attitude and behavior made him feel uncomfortable. Lu Xigong didn't come because he didn't want to deal with Chu, a southern barbarian. Song Xianggong felt that if he didn't come, he wouldn't come. Anyway, there were already many princes here.
. So, he was still very happy.
None of the princes in the Central Plains brought troops. The people of Chu were also wearing the clothes of civil servants. Song Xianggong glanced at Ziyu and whispered: "I said it's okay. Don't be so petty next time." Ziyu was speechless.
.
Song Xianggong delivered the opening speech as the host. His face was red and he said with confidence: "I am deeply honored to be promoted by you to come to our country to participate in the alliance. Here, I would like to express my gratitude in advance."
Then he bowed his hands to all parties in the meeting. Then he continued: "This alliance has only one purpose, that is, to stabilize the world. We plan to inherit Qi Huangong's practice, and we all make an alliance: to jointly assist the royal family, resist foreign enemies, and help
Weak and small, we have harmonious relations. From now on, the world will be at peace, and all countries will live together and prosper together. What do you think?"
King Chu Cheng interjected: "Song Gong is absolutely right. In order to make an alliance, there must first be an alliance leader. Who will be the alliance leader?"
Song Xianggong glanced at the audience, hoping that someone would come forward to recommend him. But he was disappointed that no one spoke, so he said: "As for the leader of the alliance, of course whoever has the highest title will do it."
King Chu Cheng said: "That's good. Song Gong is a duke, but I have been the king for many years. The king's rank is always higher than that of the duke, right?"
Song Xianggong said anxiously: "Your king is self-proclaimed. Your title is just that of viscount. I am a serious duke. Of course I should be the leader of the alliance."
King Chu Cheng raised his voice and said, "Since you don't recognize me as king, why did you invite me here?"
Cheng Dechen, the minister of Chu State, suddenly stood up and shouted loudly: "Now, I just want to ask all of you here, are you here for Chu State, or are you here to carry a sedan chair for Song State?"
The monarch of Cai State was the brother-in-law of King Chu Cheng. He catered to him and said: "The King of Chu is the king, so of course we follow the king's orders."
The monarch of Chen State also followed suit. There was a commotion in the meeting place. King Chu Cheng laughed loudly and said to Song Xianggong: "Did you hear that?"
Song Xianggong still wanted to argue. He saw the Chu State General Dou Bo taking off his coat and revealing his armor. Then he took out a small flag from his waist and waved it gently. All the Chu State civil servants under the steps took off their coats and showed their armor and hidden clothes.
The weapons on their waists shocked all the princes. The soldiers of Chu State who had taken off their coats rushed to the stage and immediately surrounded Song Xianggong. Song Xianggong pointed at King Chu Cheng and shouted: "You actually broke your promise. You promised
You actually brought soldiers to the Clothes Conference..."
King Chu Cheng didn't wait for him to finish speaking, waved his hand, and the Chu soldiers dragged Song Xianggong out of the venue.
Ziyu took advantage of the chaos and slipped out. He found a fast horse and fled like the wind.