With the development of society and the progress of history, the areas surrounding the Central Plains have also gradually developed. In addition to the Qin State dominating the west, a large country large enough to dominate has also emerged in the south - the Chu State. As the name suggests, the Chu State is located in the south between Jingchu and Jingchu.

A country established locally. In ancient times, clans continued to fight, old clans died, and new clans emerged. A strong and stable ethnic group needs a long period of integration to form, let alone develop and grow into the highest level of a "country."

The form of governance. The Chu State was also a country that was finally formed after a long period of development based on the long-term integration of ancient ancestors and the formation of ethnic groups with a common language, economic life, culture and psychological quality in the Jingchu area.

The Chu State arose in the early Spring and Autumn Period and was located in the south of the Central Plains. The ancestors of the Chu State can be traced back to Zhuanxu, the grandson of the Yellow Emperor. Zhuanxu was one of the "Five Emperors" and was also known as the Gaoyang clan. Therefore, Qu Yuan, a Chu native, wrote in his "Li Sao"

Self-expression: "The descendants of Emperor Gaoyang are here." It was passed down from generation to generation after Zhuanxu, and the names, Juanzhang, and Chongli were born one after another. As Zhuan's great-grandson, Chongli served as the Huozheng of Emperor Ku Gaoxin's family and was in charge of religion. Chongli,

Li was originally two surnames, but they were merged into one due to the development and fusion of the clans. Chong Li served as Huozheng and had the ability to make fire and store it to illuminate the world, so he was given the name "Zhurong", which means "Da Ming".

It means "honest and fair". Chong Li was appointed by Emperor Ku to quell the rebellion during the Gonggong clan rebellion, but his execution was poor and he failed to kill all the rebels. This offended Emperor Ku and led to his death. After Chong Li's death, his younger brother

Wu Hui took over his position and was still Huozheng and was still called "Zhurong".

Wu Hui's son was named Lu Zhong, and Lu Zhong gave birth to six more sons, namely: Kunwu, Shenhu, Pengzu, Huiren, Cao, and Jilian. The names of several sons are related to the land they were granted. Jilian's surname

Mi is the ancestor of the Chu royal family. His descendants are scattered in various cities or go to remote areas. There are few records in the history books and it is impossible to know in detail. However, taking the fate of other branches of the ethnic group as a reference, Kunwu and

The descendants of Peng Zu also prospered for a time, but were successively destroyed by Shang Tang and Shang Zhou. It was also normal for the various ethnic groups of Chu's ancestors to migrate southward amid frequent tribal wars and the constant squeeze of the powerful Shang Dynasty at that time.

Until the end of the Shang Dynasty and the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, one of Ji Lian's descendants was called Wu Xiong. On the one hand, Wu Xiong was attached to the Shang Dynasty, which was already in turmoil at that time. On the other hand, it strongly supported the emerging Zhou Dynasty and made suggestions for Xibo Jichang. Later, under Zhou Wen

He became a senior official in the king's court. This honor greatly improved the status of the ethnic group and became the political capital that Chu State relied on for its survival and development for a long time in later generations.

Xiong Yi, a descendant of Wan Xiong, lived during the reign of King Cheng of the Zhou Dynasty. Xiong Yi himself had made meritorious deeds, and his ancestors were also meritorious ministers, so he was rewarded by King Cheng with a fiefdom in the south, and his capital was Danyang, that is,

Today's Zigui, Hubei Province, is the original prototype of Chu State. In fact, the symbolic significance of this award is far greater than its practical significance, which means that the existence of Chu State as a vassal state has been recognized by Emperor Zhou. Except for Xiong Yi, all the common people at that time

Also serving King Zhou Cheng were Lu Gong Boqin, Wei Kangshu Zi Mou, Jin Hou Xie, Qi Taigong Lu Ji and others. This also initially reflects the distribution of princes with King Zhou Cheng as the center. The fiefdom Xiong Yi obtained

, although the area is not large, the quality is extremely high. First of all, it is located at a strategic artery at the junction of three provinces, with superior geographical conditions; secondly, the terrain is flat and the land is fertile. It can be said that the location is extremely favorable, creating an important environment for the survival and development of Chu State.

prerequisites.

However, the Chu State and the Zhou Dynasty were not monolithic. The reason was that the Zhou Dynasty always treated the Chu State as a "barbarian state". Although it recognized its existence, it did not give it the corresponding respect and political status. The king of the Chu State was in the alliance with the Son of Heaven.

At that time, he was only called to do some chores, but could not attend the meeting with the princes. This was undoubtedly a humiliation for the Chu State, so it was natural that the Chu State was dissatisfied with the Zhou Dynasty. And the Zhou Dynasty was also dissatisfied with the rapidly rising Chu State.

Adopting a policy of vigilance and suppression, he even sent troops to plunder and conquer the Chu State several times. However, the Chu State became more and more powerful and was no longer Wu Xia Amen. Not only did it not suffer when facing the Zhou Dynasty's crusade, it also won many times and defeated the Zhou Dynasty.

Without the power to fight back, not only did they lose the "six divisions", but the king (King Zhao of Zhou) also "died" as a guest.

When Ji Xie, King of Zhou Yi, ruled the world. During this period, because the Zhou royal family entered a stage of decline, the vassal states had a disobedient heart, and the unbalanced development of each vassal state led to many attacks on each other. The Chu State

The controller, Xiong Qu, a descendant of Xiong Yi, also developed his own power at this time. He sent troops to attack small neighboring countries and expanded his land to the Jianghan River Basin. Through a series of policies, he gained the support of the people. Xiong Qu's expansion allowed the Chu State to occupy

Liaoyong, Yangyue, Hubei and other places are the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. These places are rich in grain and copper.

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Mines, which provided a strong guarantee for the growth of Chu's economic and military strength.

The increasing power of the Chu State made Xiong Qu more and more confident. He was dissatisfied with the titles given to him by the Zhou Dynasty, so he named his eldest son Xiong Wukang King of Judan, his second son Xiong Hong as King of E, and his youngest son Xiong Qu.

Those who held the title of King of Yue Zhang all had their own names and were distributed in the remote areas of Chu State along the Yangtze River.

After King Zhou Li came to the throne, he was very tyrannical. Xiong Qu was worried about the safety of Chu State, so he gave up these self-proclaimed titles. After Xiong Qu's death, his eldest son Xiong Wukang succeeded him. Wukang died early and Xiong Zhihong came to the throne, but his younger brother Xiong Yansha

He usurped the throne. Xiong Yan gave birth to Xiong Yong. In the sixth year of Xiong Yong, King Zhou Li was punished by his countrymen for his cruelty and injustice, and finally had to flee. Since this year, the Chu State has a clearer history.

Chronology.

Four years later, his younger brother Xiong Yan succeeded him. He died ten years later and was succeeded by his eldest son Xiong Shuang. After Xiong Shuang's death, his three brothers killed each other for the throne. In the end, Ji Liu won because of Xiong Liu. Xiong Shuang

After Xiong's death, Xiong Jie succeeded him, and then Xiong Yi succeeded him, who became Ruoao.

During this period, King Zhou Xuan was in charge of the Zhou Dynasty. The Zhou Dynasty and Chu State were constantly at war with each other winning and losing. From one incident, it can be seen that Chu State has entered the center of King Zhou Xuan's policy. This is that King Zhou Xuan

Uncle Shen moved to Xie Yi and established the State of Shen to prevent the invasion of the State of Chu. The establishment of the State of Shen indeed played a role in containing the State of Chu.

After the death of King Zhou Xuan, his son King Zhou You came to the throne. He was the faint king who concocted the famous "Beacon Fire Play on the Princes" in history. From the moment he broke his trust in the world, his tragic fate was doomed. Ruo Ao came to the throne twenty years ago

Years later, in 771 BC, King You of Zhou Ji Gongni died in the Quanrong rebellion. The Zhou royal family moved eastward, and the Western Zhou Dynasty was destroyed. The Eastern Zhou era began. However, the world was in chaos and the Zhou royal family was gradually declining.

Seven years later, Ruo Ao also died. Xiong Kan succeeded him and was called Xiao Ao. Six years after his death, Xiong Suan succeeded him and became Fu Mao. After Fu Mao died, his younger brother Xiong Tong killed his son and usurped the throne.

Throne. After Xiong Tong came to the throne, he established himself as King Wu of Chu. At this time, the Chu State had developed for many years under the hard work of Ruo Ao and Fu Mao, and its army and horses were strong. It can be said that what King Wu of Chu took over was a rising southern country, which had the initial ability to unify the south of the Yangtze River.

Capital. King Wu carried out political governance internally, carried out conquests externally, and continuously expanded the territory, making the Chu State further prosperous. During his 51-year reign, it can be said that he reigned for a long time in Chinese history.

As a monarch, the Chu State at this time was in an unprecedented stable situation, which laid the foundation for a great country in the Spring and Autumn Period in terms of politics, economy and other aspects.

The era when King Wu of Chu took over the Chu State was both the best and the worst era for the various vassal states. The Zhou Dynasty turned from prosperity to decline, and its control over the vassals gradually weakened, and the vassal states could wait for opportunities to develop and grow.

He even took advantage of the Zhou Dynasty. However, due to different geographical advantages, people and other factors, various countries have a serious imbalance in their development. Big countries annex small countries, and strong countries annex weak countries. As a king, you must not take it lightly.

, leading the country to survive and develop in a turbulent environment.

Countries are also not at peace within themselves. The development and expansion of a country will bring corresponding power differentiation, and the uneven distribution of interests will lead to the growth of internal conflicts. When conflicts cannot be reconciled, kin killings will occur. In this way, power and power are completed.

The reshuffling and redistribution of profits. The price is that the country is turbulent and stagnant in the fierce internal strife. For example: the five princes of the Jin State were killed; the Lu State, the prince Hui killed Lu Yin Gong; the Zheng State, Zhuang Gong defeated Duan Yu Yan

; In the State of Qi, Gongsun Wuzhi, Liancheng, and Guan Zhifu, three people, killed Duke Xiang of Qi.

Looking back at the Chu State, the internal political situation is relatively stable. King Wu of Chu has concentrated power and has capable people to help him. It has developed steadily in terms of economy and culture. External expansion is not radical and impatient, and the occupied territory is fully digested, making it truly an effective component of productivity.

part.

As for the title "Wu", it is said in "Posthumous Law Interpretation": "Strong and straightforward is called Wu." It fully reflects the personality characteristics and governing style of King Wu of Chu. This title was not given to the Emperor of Zhou, but to King Wu

In the thirty-fourth year of the self-proclaimed King Wu, Chu soldiers marched into Suiguo. There were three reasons why Suiguo was chosen: First, Suiguo was stronger among the small countries surrounding Chu State. Capturing Suiguo could deter other small countries;

The second is that Sui Guo is arrogant and arrogant, tempting them to show off their force, which can make the surrounding small countries feel uneasy and create a alienating effect, which will facilitate the Chu State to win over them in the future; the third is that Sui Guo also has the surname Ji, and attacking Sui Guo will mean the destruction of Zhou Dynasty

Chaoweifeng.

When the Chu army approached Sui Guo, Sui Guo sent his young division to negotiate with King Wu and plead his innocence. King Chu responded,

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It is said that the Chu State intends to do its best to stabilize the Central Plains, and hopes that the king of Sui State can ask before the Emperor of Zhou to seek a title for the King of Chu. The young master of the state of Sui agreed, and the King of Chu immediately withdrew his troops. After the young master returned to the country, he used the Chu army

On the grounds that the army was in disarray and the army was in disarray, he urged Suijun to pursue the pursuit. Minister Ji Liang dissuaded him by saying: "The state of Chu is facing the destiny of the country, and the disorder of the army is a strategy to lure the enemy. Why should the princes be impatient? A small country can resist a big country, and it depends on the small country.

But a great country has no good deeds. To have the Tao means to be loyal to the people and trust in God. Those in the court care about the people; they sacrifice to the witches and envoys, which is justified. However, now that the people are cold and discouraged, and the witches and envoys are talking nonsense, how can the country succeed?"

Suijun asked: "The cattle and sheep used for sacrifice are fat and of high quality, and the grains are abundant. How can they not be loyal?" Ji Liang replied: "The people are the masters of the gods. The wise kings in ancient times all put the people first, and then took care of them."

When offering sacrifices to the gods, they say "cows and sheep are fat and strong", which means the people are prosperous; "full grains" means no disaster; "wine is sweet and beautiful" means people's hearts are innocent. But now people's hearts are in chaos, and gods have no master. Even if

If the king is rich, what blessing is there? If the king cultivates political science, promotes harmony, and is friendly to friends, he can avoid disasters." Sui Jun accepted the advice and did not pursue the Chu king. He cultivated politics internally and built national defense externally. Chu State would be in trouble in a short time.

He did not dare to commit the crime again. However, the King of Sui's request was severely rejected by the Emperor of Zhou. King Chu's wish was frustrated. Out of anger, he prided himself on being the king and named him "Wu".

However, Chu's road to hegemony was not smooth sailing. In the eighth year of Duke Huan of Lu (704 BC), King Wu of Chu held an alliance meeting in Shenlu. Among the surrounding countries, only Sui and Huang did not come. On the one hand, King Wu sent Chuan Zhang to

He condemned Huang Guo, and on the other hand, he sent troops to conquer Sui. Suijun did not listen to the good general's advice, but instead adopted the shallow words of the young master and sent troops rashly. Chu, Sui's two states fought between Han and Huai. Sui's army was defeated and the king fled.

The young master was captured, so he had to stop fighting and seek peace, and signed a city-wide alliance with the Chu State. After this, the Chu State became famous all over the world.

A year later, the Ba State sent envoys to Deng State, saying that they were willing to help Chu State get to know Deng State, hoping that through this, they could get along well with Chu State. Chu State then sent envoys to go to Deng State along with the Ba State envoys. However, they were unexpectedly encountered in Deng State territory.

When they were robbed and killed, both of them were killed. The Chu State held accountable, but Deng Guo refused to admit his mistakes. So the Chu State and the Ba State jointly sent troops to attack the Deng State. The Deng Army failed to attack the Ba Army three times, and the Chu Army General Dou Lian

He hid the Chu army among the Ba army, pretended to be defeated and lured Deng's army to pursue him. After the lone army penetrated deeply, they surrounded him, but Deng's army was defeated.

In the eleventh year of Duke Huan of Lu (701 B.C.), the State of Chu defeated the conspiracy of the five small states of Yun, Sui, Jiu, Zhou, and Liao to jointly attack it. Qu Xia and Dou Lian reported the situation to Chu

Without asking for reinforcements, the king divided his troops into two groups. The former resisted the Allied Forces of the Four Nations, while the latter raided the capital of the Yun State, won a great victory, and successfully concluded an alliance with the two countries and the Zhen State. The following year, in order to retaliate against the Jiao State,

The State of Chu crusaded against the State of Jiu, taking advantage of the State's impatience, frivolity, and greed for small profits, and adopted the strategy of luring the enemy, and broke through the city of the State of Jiu.

But the victory of Chu State did not last forever. Two years later, Qu Xia, who had made many achievements in battles before, led his troops to attack Luo State. The continuous victories in the past numbed his mind and made him arrogant and self-willed. After the army crossed the river

Without taking precautions, he was attacked, defeated miserably, and hanged in a barren valley to thank the people. This defeat severely dampened the spirit of the Chu State and hit its national power, causing the Chu State to be in a state of recuperation for the next few years.

, stopped expanding outward.

In the fourth year of Duke Zhuang of Lu (690 BC), the Chu State had been recuperating for ten years. Agriculture, handicrafts, and military strength were all steadily increasing. Especially in armaments, they vigorously developed halberds and used halberds as spears.

, the Ge complex can both stab and cut, and a new combat formation-"Jing formation" was developed. In the same year, Suihou, under pressure from the Emperor of Zhou, apologized for admitting the self-proclaimed King of Chu, which angered

He killed King Wu and caused military disaster.

The King of Chu was seventy years old, and he still wanted to lead his army on a personal expedition. Before leaving, he suddenly felt uneasy, so he asked his wife Deng. She sighed and said that King Wu was already old and was not going to die soon. He felt uneasy because he was summoned by his ancestors.

Leading the army to go on an expedition was a disaster, but it was a blessing to be able to protect the army. King Wu refused and insisted on going on the expedition himself. He fell ill and died under a tree on the way.

The Chu army did not announce the mourning secretly, but still marched towards Suiguo in large numbers, and surrounded Suiguo. Suijun knew that he was outmatched, so he had to sue for peace again. The leading general Qu Zhong met with him in the name of King Wu at the place where the Han River turned.

After meeting with the alliance, they returned to the army. When the Chu army returned to the territory, the news was announced, the whole country mourned, and King Wen of Chu succeeded to the throne.

King Wu reigned for more than fifty years, and managed the Chu State from a local power to a great power that could dominate the country, intimidate the princes, covet the Central Plains, and even shake the Zhou Dynasty. Under his leadership, the Chu State won many battles and annexed territory.

, and became a veritable overlord in the Jiangnan region.
Chapter completed!