In 626 BC, King Chu Cheng was murdered by his son Shang Chen. Shang Chen came to the throne and became King Mu of Chu. King Chu Mu annexed several small countries in the south and brought several Central Plains princes close to Chu to the side of Chu. , including Zheng Guo, Chen Guo, Cai Guo, etc. In 613 BC, King Mu of Chu died. His son Mi Lu came to the throne and became King Zhuang of Chu.
In this year, Zhao Dun united eight vassal states, including Song, Lu, Zheng, Wei, Chen, and Xu, and held a meeting in Song's new city. Jin became the leader of the alliance again. At that time, Chuzhuang The king had just ascended the throne. It seemed reasonable for him not to attend the meeting.
But then, people saw that he was becoming more and more outrageous. King Chuzhuang spent his whole day drinking, hunting, and watching beauties performing songs and dances. He was not interested in serious matters, and looked completely confused and ineffective. History books say that he was "Without orders, there is no political action."
In 612 BC, the second year after King Zhuang of Chu came to the throne, Zhao Dun sent General Queque and his army to attack Cai State. Cai State was both a close neighbor of Chu State and a vassal state of Chu State. The Marquis of Cai once fought with Chu State. Marriage between kings. Jin's attack on Cai was equivalent to beating his younger brother at the door of the eldest brother's house, which was obviously provocative. Cai asked Chu for help, but King Zhuang of Chu did not send a single soldier.
Soon, the capital of Cai State was captured by the Jin army, and Cai Hou was forced to sign a city alliance with General Queque of the Jin army. After Queque withdrew his troops, there was a lot of discussion in the Cai State, saying that Cai Hou was greedy for life and fearful of death, and was not strong enough. Cai Hou deeply He felt that he had lost power, humiliated the country, and was unworthy of his subjects. He was trapped in regret and self-blame all day long, and was depressed. He died of grief and anger the next year. At this time, King Zhuang of Chu was still drinking and having fun in the palace, immersed in singing and dancing. The ministers of Chu State saw this in their eyes and were anxious in their hearts.
In the third year after King Chuzhuang came to the throne, some ministers couldn't stand it anymore, so they came to persuade King Chuzhuang, hoping that he would take care of business. King Chuzhuang couldn't listen, and continued to have his own way. Later, more people spoke, and he became upset. He got up and asked someone to hang a sign in the court, which read: "Anyone who comes to persuade me again will be punished with death."
At that time, the power of Chu State was in the hands of Ling Yin Dou Yuejiao. He was originally wary of King Chuzhuang, but when he saw King Chuzhuang like this, he relaxed his guard against him and was happy to enjoy the power to himself. Someone secretly He said that King Chuzhuang was a foolish king, but King Chuzhuang pretended not to hear. He continued to live a life of debauchery amidst complaints and contempt.
One day, Shen Wuwei, the left Sima of the Chu Kingdom, came. King Zhuang of Chu gave him a seat. Before Shen Wuwei could speak, he asked, "Do you, Doctor Shen, come here to drink, or to watch singing and dancing?"
Shen Wuwei said: "It's neither. I'm here to ask the king for an answer to the riddle."
King Chuzhuang stared at Shen Wuwei's face with his pair of ferocious big eyes for a while, and suddenly showed an expression that was half a smile but not a smile, and asked Shen Wuwei to tell him. Shen Wuwei felt a little scared, but still After calming down, he started chanting:
On the side of Jingshan Mountain, there is a big bird.
Clothed in five colors, with glory above his head.
It lives for three years, neither flying nor screaming.
People don’t know, why is this a bird?
After Shen Wuwei finished reading, he paused briefly and then said: "My lord, I can't figure it out, what kind of bird is this?"
King Chuzhuang still had a half-smiling expression, he thought for a moment, and said with a smile: "This is a good bird. It has not flown for three years, and then it soared into the sky; it has not sounded for three years, and it has become a blockbuster. Go back, I understand what you mean." "
Shen Wuwei was very happy when he saw the look of understanding on the part of the King of Chuzhuang. He thought that he had impressed the King of Chuzhuang, so he stood up with a smile, made a bow, and left with secret joy.
But it didn't take long for him to realize that he was wrong. King Chuzhuang was still doing what he was supposed to do, and for several months, there was no change.
Su Cong, the doctor, couldn't bear it anymore and went to see King Chu Zhuang. As soon as he entered the door, he burst into tears. King Chu Zhuang frowned and said, "If you have anything to say, just say it. Why are you crying?"
Su Cong said: "I want to give advice."
King Chuzhuang sneered and said: "You want to persuade me again? Didn't you see the sign on the court? You are not afraid of death. You are really stupid."
Su Cong stiffened his neck and said: "Of course I am stupid, but your Majesty is no better than me. At most, I will have my head chopped off by you. I will still be known as a loyal minister after death. But it is hard for you, Your Majesty."
.You spend all day indulging in sensuality, only looking for immediate pleasure, not thinking about government affairs, ministers, or the people of the world. If things go on like this, how long can the state of Chu last? Over there, the state of Jin dominates, and you don't even care about your own country.
Can't stop. The Chu country is in danger. If the king doesn't wake up quickly and make changes, the Chu country will be destroyed, and the king will be the king of the country. Aren't you stupider than me? I've finished my words. You want to kill me.
Just kill him."
King Chuzhuang stood up solemnly and said: "You are right. I will wait for you to express your position. As long as you are willing to follow me, why should I stay in the palace?"
From then on, King Zhuang of Chu began to take charge of the court himself. He mainly did three things: First, he reformed politics, gradually weakened the power of Chu State Ling Yin Dou Yuejiao, and changed the situation in which the power of Chu State was concentrated in the hands of Ling Yin. The other was to reform the politics.
The second is to develop production, recruit troops, increase strength, and prepare to compete with the Jin State. The third is to use troops in the south to beat the small subordinate countries that are not very obedient. The whole country of Chu is inspired by it. So far.
Only then did everyone realize that King Chuzhuang's previous virtues were all about hiding one's strength and biding one's time.
In 607 BC, the Luhun tribe of the northern Rong tribe invaded the territory of the Zhou royal family many times. The news spread to Chu State. King Chuzhuang thought this was an opportunity to show his face in the Central Plains, so he personally led the army under the name "King Qin"
Go north.
The Lu Hun tribe mainly lived in the south of Luoyi and between the Yi River and Luoshui. The Chu army surrounded them as soon as they arrived. How could the Lu Hun tribe be the opponent of the Chu State? After only a few battles, Lu Hun was almost completely defeated.
annihilate. Only a few people escaped into the deep mountains and forests and survived.
King Chuzhuang defeated Lu Hun and did not go home. Instead, he marched towards Luoyi with his army. When he arrived at the border of the royal territory, he set up camp. It was called "watching troops in Zhou's territory" in history. King Chuzhuang's approach was called "watching troops in Zhou's territory".
"Bing" was actually Chen Bing's border demonstration to the Zhou royal family.
King Zhou Ding was so frightened that he quickly sent his minister Wang Sunman to express condolences. Originally, King Chuzhuang came to conquer Lu Hun just to test the reaction of the royal family and even the princes of the Central Plains. So he asked Wang Sunman a provocative question.
. He said: "I heard that the big tripod in Luoyi is a national treasure passed down for three generations. How big is this tripod and how much does it weigh?"
When Wang Sunman heard this, he immediately frowned - this was too outrageous.
It turns out that the tripods of the Zhou royal family have extraordinary meanings: It is said that the nine tripods of the Zhou royal family were originally cast by Xia Yu. Starting from the Xia Dynasty, these nine tripods were passed down to the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties. King Zhuang of Chu called the "Three Generations"
"National treasure" refers to this.
In the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Nine Tripods had always been given the meaning of representing the nine states of the world. All three dynasties regarded it as an important weapon of the country and used it to symbolize the power of the emperor. Precisely because the Nine Tripods had this special meaning, the princes did not
Qualification question. Because if you ask, you will be suspected of coveting the highest power. In addition, in the Zhou Dynasty, the use of tripods was restricted by level. The emperor used nine tripods, the princes used seven tripods, the officials used five tripods, and the scholars could only use three.
Ding. Chu is a viscount. For a small viscount to ask about the emperor's tripod is not only an offense, but also means coveting the highest power. Therefore, in Wang Sunman's eyes, the King of Chuzhuang's aspiration for the throne is a sign of disobedience.
Wang Sunman got angry. However, he was frightened by the large number of soldiers in Chu State and Wang Sunman could not get angry on the spot. He suppressed his anger and said: "You can't ask this, you have no right to ask."
King Zhuang of Chu was dissatisfied and said with a grudge: "Huh, what's the big deal? If I want, I can make it. In my country of Chu, the beak of a broken hook is enough to make a nine tripod."
When Wang Sunman heard this, he was even more angry. Because what King Zhuang of Chu said about "the beak of the hook" was to break off the sharp points of the weapons from all over the Chu Kingdom, collect them, and melt them, enough to make a Jiuding.
This was nothing more than showing off the large number of soldiers in the Chu State, and clearly meant to demonstrate to the royal family. Wang Sunman frowned, thinking: "This Chu barbarian is really too arrogant. If we don't teach him a lesson, this person simply doesn't know how high the sky is."
"
Therefore, Wang Sunman said sternly: "The emperor rules the four directions, but his virtue is not the Ding. King Jie of Xia had no way, and the tripod belonged to Shang Tang; King Zhou of Shang had no way, and the tripod belonged to King Wu. If the emperor has virtue, a small tripod will be heavy; but if the emperor has no virtue,
, The tripod is big and light. You only see the decline of the royal family, but you don’t know that the royal family’s image of serving the heaven and governing the four directions has not changed. The emperor is the emperor after all. Are you qualified to ask about this tripod? "
Wang Sunman's words were strict and his attitude was tough. King Chuzhuang suddenly felt a sense of oppression from the emperor's superior authority. He instantly thought that the royal family and even the princes of the Central Plains were not as easy to deal with as he imagined. He quickly found a step for himself
Next. He changed his previous arrogance and said in a gentle tone with a smile: "Chuzi has lived in the south for a long time and has short knowledge. What Doctor Wang said is very true. You shouldn't ask about this tripod. Chuzi has learned the lesson, learned the lesson."
King Zhuang of Chu was frustrated by the fact that "Chuzi aspired to the throne". After returning to the Chu army camp, he calmly thought about it and felt that he was indeed reckless. Looking at the world, there is Jin State in the northwest and Qi State in the east.
There is also the Qin State further to the west. Any one of these great powers is enough to defeat the Chu State. Moreover, they have one thing in common, they all use the banner of "sharing the royal family". King Chuzhuang thought that although the Zhou royal family was declining,
, but no matter what, he is still the emperor, the symbol of the highest power in the world, and supreme. No wonder Wang Sunman is so tough. King Chuzhuang thought again, it seems that there is still a long way to dominate the Central Plains. He had better go back quickly, first
Let's get our domestic affairs in order, strengthen our strength, and then try to lag behind. Thinking this way, he figured it out.
On the second day, the Chu army rose up and withdrew from Chu.