Is Song Xianggong really just a big joke in history?

For a long time, Song Xianggong has been a joke in Chinese history. The cause of this joke is a war between Song and Chu: the Battle of Hongshui. "Zuo Zhuan·Ziyu Debate" clearly states: The confrontation between Song and Chu. The Song army has set up its formation, and the Chu army is still crossing the river. Sima Ziyu of the Song Dynasty said: "The enemy is outnumbered and we are outnumbered. Please give the order to attack before they have all crossed the river." " Song Xianggong said: " "No." " Later, when the Chu army had completed crossing the river, but had not yet set up their formation, Ziyu suggested that Song Xianggong order an attack. The answer was still " "No." Duke Xianggong's reason was that he wanted to fight openly and openly without taking advantage of others. As a result, after the Chu army had set up its formation, the Song army launched an attack and was defeated. Song Xianggong was injured in the thigh during the battle and died six years later. Regarding this leg injury. People have always ridiculed Song Xianggong for his pedantry, and some people wondered how he could join the ranks of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period. Today, when we look back at this period of history, we may be able to read some new meanings. Xiang Gong's surname is Zi, and his name is Zifu. The surname is rarely seen today, but it was once very prominent. It was the national surname of the Shang Dynasty, which was the remnant of the Shang Dynasty. The Shang Dynasty was not wiped out. King Wu of Zhou granted him the title of King Wu Geng, the son of King Zhou of Shang, and made him manage the old and young of the Shang Dynasty. Instead of killing them all, they changed the title of Weizi, the concubine brother of King Zhou. This was the beginning of the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty was not only granted a title because he was a descendant of the Yin Shang Dynasty, but also had a very high rank, being the highest among the five nobles. However, because it was the former dynasty that was destroyed and had a history of Wu Geng's rebellion, the merchant Song Dynasty survived under the strict surveillance of a large circle of countries named Ji. At that time, each country was very small, basically like a county today. If they wanted to develop and grow, they had to annex the land of other countries. The big countries of Qi, Jin, and Chu all developed in this way. . But in the Song Dynasty, there was no such opportunity, and he had always been frustrated. When he arrived at Song Xianggong, he probably wanted to give it a try and establish his reputation as a virtuous king. In the history books, it was he who wanted to give up the throne to his concubine brother Mu Yi when his father Song Huan Gong was seriously ill. Of course, this failed, and he gained a reputation for being humble and kind. In the second step, he went to hug his legs and seek diplomatic support. Duke Huan of Song died before he could be buried. At this time, Duke Huan of Qi held a summit meeting with the princes in Kuiqiu. Duke Huan of Qi was always easily moved by such things, and Duke Xiang of Song Dynasty was also a talented person. In the end, Duke Huan entrusted him with the endorsement of his heir, Gong Zizhao, which made Duke Xiang of Song Dynasty overnight. The second step to becoming a super political star is also successful. The third step is to realize the dream of a strong country. "Zuo Zhuan" records that "" Song Xianggong came to the throne, regarded the prince as a benevolent man, and made him the master of Zuo to listen to the government. "Government". The word "governance" shows that Xianggong of Song Dynasty was good at construction. Then he also began to attack abroad, subduing some of the younger brothers around him, and strengthening his own strength. In this way, the Song Dynasty gradually stood out among the princes at that time. Smooth sailing. Duke Xianggong of Song Dynasty still needs a chance to become famous in one battle. The opportunity came soon. After the death of Duke Huan of Qi, the state of Qi was in chaos. Together with the younger brothers Cao, Wei, and Zhu, he sent troops to the great state of Qi. Fortunately, the people of Qi were disorganized and the army had no fighting spirit. Duke Xianggong of Song Dynasty won two battles and finally elected Gongzi Zhao as the king. The overlord of the Spring and Autumn Period stabilized the country, and Song Xianggong's life reached its peak. If Duke Xiang could stop here, the history of the Spring and Autumn Period would probably record him as a wise king and the leader of the ZTE. It's a pity that men know that they have to be tough on themselves, and it's not easy to stop when their careers are on the rise. So he set a big goal for himself, to be like Duke Huan of Qi, to ally with the princes and become the overlord. If you take a big step, you will often get caught easily. To be an overlord, you need to have strength and background, otherwise no subordinates will follow you. At that time, among the major countries, the civil strife in Qi had just ended and its vitality had not yet been restored; Duke Hui of Jin was on the throne, but the war with Qin failed, and people in the country were at odds; although Qin was prosperous, it was located in a remote location and had insufficient influence on the Central Plains; only The Chu State had strong soldiers and horses, and was actively carrying out the strategy of conquering the Central Plains. A number of small countries such as Zheng, Chen, and Cai all joined the Chu State's camp.

So Song Xianggong was confused and came up with the idea of ????taking advantage of the power of the Chu State to call on the princes to complete the alliance. Three years later, Duke Xiang organized the Lu Shang Alliance and gathered the two great kingdoms of Qi and Chu to sign an alliance first. Qi Xiaogong was supported by Song Xianggong, so he naturally sold his favor, and King Chu Cheng also came. He probably also wanted to increase his international influence and explore the reality of the Central Plains. In the Three Kingdoms Alliance, Song Xianggong was the leader, and it should be said that he earned a lot of face. At this time, there was still a chance to stop, but unfortunately in the end he chose to stare into the abyss. When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes into you. In the autumn of the same year, Song Xianggong convened the Yu League. This time it was equivalent to the United Nations General Assembly. The princes, big and small, came together, with a higher level and a greater pomp. Song Xianggong thought that the dream of overlord was about to come true. As a result, at the alliance meeting, Chu State concealed weapons and directly hijacked Song Xianggong and became the leader of the alliance himself. Song Xianggong worked hard and finally made wedding clothes for others. He made a fool of himself in public and was extremely ashamed and angry. The next year, the Song State directly went to war with the Chu State because of its crusade against the Zheng State, which was the Battle of Hongshui mentioned at the beginning. After the defeat, Song Xianggong explained to himself that when a gentleman fights, if the enemy is injured and falls to the ground, he will not be attacked again, and the old, weak, sick and disabled with gray hair will not be captured. Although we are no stronger than anyone else, we abide by the rules of gentlemanly warfare. If the opponent is not in formation, we cannot attack. Looking at it today, Song Xianggong's values ????are probably full of aristocratic spirit. Before the Qin Dynasty, China was an aristocratic society, similar to the Middle Ages in Europe. The nobles play a gentleman's game among themselves. They were so angry with each other that they agreed on a place to duel, and everyone drew lots to decide who would shoot first. After a disagreement, he stabbed someone with a knife until his face was covered with blood. That was Young and Dangerous. Duke Xianggong of the Song Dynasty had pure blood and noble title, and was a typical nobleman. Since his debut, he has basically been doing things within the scope of aristocratic behavior, and he has often achieved some success. It is also because of these small successes that he has limited his eyesight and believes that the word "benevolence and righteousness" is still useful as a banner. He You probably didn't realize that the Spring and Autumn Period at that time had already stopped fighting without justice. More than a hundred years after him, Sun Tzu came out in China and directly said, "Warriors are deceitful." "He was revered as a soldier sage by later generations. And if the existence of Song Xianggong left something to Chinese history, it is that people can use him as negative material, and confidently criticize and disdain all those who failed because of following certain rules. The spirit of nobles and scholars gradually died, so that Sima Qian had to use a group of people far away from the temple in "Historical Records". The assassin came to make the final eulogy for the last idealism since the Spring and Autumn Period. It would be a pity if the whole country today only used the word "pedantic" to comment on Song Xianggong.