Interesting Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods: Qi State and its small princes

The history of Qi State begins with Jiang Ziya. King Wu of Zhou defeated Shang Zhou and established the Zhou Dynasty. Jiang Ziya assisted the Emperor of Zhou and was made a marquis by the Emperor of Zhou. He was given a piece of land and called Qi. The state of Qi began with Jiang Ziya.

Jiang Ziya was the first generation king of Qi, called Qi Taigong.

At that time, King Wu of Zhou granted many princes, and each prince had a piece of land on which he could collect taxes and manage. This land was called a country at that time. At that time, there were probably more than a hundred vassal states. That means there are more than a hundred small countries. The land of Qi is also called the state of Qi.

These small countries usually manage themselves and can have their own army and national management institutions, with the Emperor of Zhou as their king and their actual highest officer. Haojing was the capital of the Zhou Dynasty. If there is a major issue in the country, all princes should be summoned to hold a meeting to discuss it. In fact, there were no major issues to discuss at that time, such as cross-border highways and coordinated economic development. They were nothing more than how to unite to fight against the enemy when there was a foreign invasion. In fact, it mainly talks about the problem of how you princes can come to rescue the Zhou Dynasty when it encounters an invasion.

Someone had the idea to light a fire on a high platform where everyone could see it at a glance. As soon as the other princes see the thick smoke, they will know that something is wrong with your Majesty, and we will come to rescue you. That's all.

At first, it worked very well. This trick really made it impossible for foreign invaders to come back. However, as time went by, something went wrong. In the time of King You of Zhou Dynasty, a woman named Bao Si appeared. Forget it, I digress, I will tell the story of the beacon fire drama on the princes later, now let’s talk about the affairs of Qi State.

It is said that Jiang Ziya took over Qi, expanded the territory, multiplied and multiplied, and his sons inherited their father's inheritance. The position of the king of Qi alternated among the descendants of the Jiang family. Live in peace and enjoy the shadow of their ancestors from generation to generation.

Qi State is now the Jiaodong Peninsula in Shandong Province. It belongs to the coastal area. It looks at the ocean, has rich fertile soil, and has a very rapid economic development. The territory was expanded and the power was growing day by day.

In this peaceful construction, the years passed quietly for more than 300 years. More than 700 years before the park arrived, a man named Qi Xianggong came to power. This person is not very good, something big happened at home, there is internal strife in the family. Duke Xiang of Qi was killed by his cousin Gongsun Wuwu. Duke Xiang's two younger brothers, one named Xiaobai and the other named Jiu, fled overnight.

Gongsun Wuzhi was the king of the country, and he was killed again not long after. The two brothers who were outside quickly ran back to grab the throne. As a result, Xiaobai ran fast and got the position of king, named Duke Huan of Qi.

Except for this change, it is not a bad thing for Qi State. This Duke Huan of Qi is much more powerful than his brother Qi Xiang. He does domestic reforms, develops productivity and economic construction, and does better in foreign affairs. The main reason is that there is a very awesome person assisting him at this time. This person is called Guan Zhong. When Guan Zhong is mentioned, no one is dissatisfied. Guan Zhong and Duke Huan of Qi cooperated to make Qi the first overlord in the Spring and Autumn Period. The emperors of the Zhou Dynasty all looked at his face. Several small princes and small countries have become his followers, and they will allege with the princes and countries at every turn to do this and that, conquering this one today and that one tomorrow. It's a bit like unifying the world. He would also deal with disputes between several nearby vassal states, and he would also destroy a vassal state in anger and occupy its fiefdom. Anyway, let’s put it this way, it’s extremely powerful to control the wind and rain.

For example, he covers a small country named Chen next to him.

The State of Chen was protected by the State of Qi.

Chen State is also a country with some origins. The ancestors were nobles of the Shang Dynasty, old people and so on. If your surname is Gui, you should pronounce it gui instead of wei. After King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty defeated the Shang Dynasty, he also wanted to visit the famous people of the previous dynasty. At that time, the person named Gui played an important role. King Wu of Zhou gave the Gui family a fief, which was named "Chen". He also married his daughter to a man named Gui Man from the Gui family.

In this way, Chen Guo reproduced. There were also fights and killings in the middle. Chen State's own national strength was not strong, so it relied on whoever was stronger. When a powerful country was defeated by another powerful country, it would rely on the more powerful country. Not to mention the destruction and restoration of the country several times in the process.

It lasted for more than 300 years, and in the era of Duke Huan of Qi in the state of Qi, there were two brothers in the state of Chen, each with a son. The two sons had a very good relationship, and they often talked about world affairs and articles and etiquette together. One of the brothers is named Chen Wan. What's the other one's name, Yu Kou? Probably so. At that time, Yu Kou's father was the king of Chen State, I think it was Duke Chen, I don't remember clearly. His father was afraid that his son would usurp the throne, so he actually killed the imperial bandits. Not only that, he also wanted to kill Chen Wan, saying that the two of them had a good relationship. Chen Wan was so frightened that he fled to Qi State overnight. It's safe now. This Chen Wan is no ordinary character. There will be a story in the future. Chen Wan came to the State of Qi. Duke Huan of Qi of Qi State had a good temper with him. The two of them could talk well. Duke Huan of Qi also gave him a piece of land named Tian. Later he changed his surname to Tian.

In ancient times, surnames could be changed at any time. The surname Chen was also changed later, and their family's first surname was Gui. A veteran of the former dynasty. At that time, men did not have surnames, they always had women's surnames. Men say Shi. This surname has nothing to do with the family, and is usually the name of the fiefdom. For example, in Qi State, men always talk about Qi. In fact, their family name is Jiang.

The Tian family continued to multiply in Qi State like this. Tian became the official of Qi State. Very conspicuous.

Several generations of dynasties passed, and in a blink of an eye, it was the Warring States Period. The power of the Tian family in Qi State is increasing day by day, and they have power over the ruling and opposition parties. At this time, the Chen State was becoming more and more difficult to deal with. It was trying to get the best of both worlds among the major powers. It was stretched and unable to do what it wanted. In the end, it was destroyed by the Chu State. Chen Guo no longer exists.

However, the descendants of Chen who fled to Qi, now the Tian family, took charge of Qi. When the power reaches a certain level, a qualitative change will occur. The Tian family, also called the Chen family, arrived at Tian He, and Tian He directly took over Qi State. The king of Qi at that time was Duke Kang of Qi. Tian He did not kill Qi Kanggong, but gave him an island on the sea as a fief to fend for himself. From then on, the State of Qi became the State of Qi of the Tian family. The country name remains unchanged. Still called Qi State. The Qi State of the Jiang family became the Qi State of the Tian family. Later, there were also Duke Xiang of Qi and Duke Huan of Qi. These names were the same but they were not the same person. The Tian family's Duke Huan of Qi was not as successful as the Jiang family's Duke Huan of Qi. I remember that there was an article in the middle school textbook called "Bian Que Meets Duke Huan of Cai" by Han Feizi. It is said that Bian Que saw Cai Huangong and looked at his face and said that he was sick and needed to be treated as soon as possible. Duke Huan of Cai disapproved and said that I was not sick. The second time he saw it, he suggested treatment. Cai Huangong said he was not sick and did not need treatment. Later, he became seriously ill and could not be cured, so he died. This Duke Huan of Cai is Duke Huan of Qi of the Tian family. In ancient times, there were two surnames and surnames. The surname seemed to be from the mother's side, and the surname was the name of the father or the fiefdom. At that time, Chen Guo and Cai Guo were neighboring countries and had a good relationship. There are many intermarriages between crown princes. Therefore, it is normal for the Tian family in Qi to have someone named Cai. This Tian family's mother of Duke Huan of Qi may belong to Cai Guo.

The State of Qi was replaced by the Tian family of the Chen family, but the State of Chen, the birthplace of the Chen family, was destroyed by the State of Chu at this time. This means that the east is not bright and the west is bright. The descendants of Chen Guo, who are now the Tian family, are also the descendants of Gui Man, and they have flourished in other people's lands.

I remembered a movie I had seen before, called Big Soldier and Little General. Played by Jackie Chan. It seems to be a war between Chen State and Wei State. Weiguo was a relatively large vassal state in the Spring and Autumn Period. After a fierce battle, only two people survived on the battlefield. One is the general of the Wei Kingdom, and the other is a small soldier of the Chen Kingdom. The little soldier's wit and dexterity escorted the general of Wei State back to Chen State, and there were many stories along the way.

The state of Chen moved to the state of Qi. Very interesting.

In fact, there is a legend that said that when Chen Wan was born, there was a fortune teller. I talked a lot, but I can’t remember the original words, they were all in classical Chinese. The general meaning is that this child will become rich and prosperous in the future and become a hegemon. However, not locally, but in foreign countries. Probably the world is dominated by those named Jiang. Not him himself, but his descendants, and not now, but after the fall of Chen State. What he said is very miraculous. It would be even more magical if it were said in classical Chinese. I tried searching on Baidu, and this is what he said:

Chen Wanzhe was the son of Chen Ligong Tuo. At the end of his life, Zhou Taishi passed by Chen, and Chen Li sent his envoy to finish the divination. Whether the hexagram can be observed: "This is to observe the light of the country and use it as a guest to the king. Does Chen have a country on his behalf? Is it not here but in a foreign country? It is not his body." , among his descendants, if they live in a foreign country, they must have the surname Jiang, after Siyue.

Nothing can be two great, old and decayed, how can it be prosperous?"

Isn't it awesome to say this? The Qi State of the Tian family was later destroyed by the Qin State. Everyone knows that the Qin State unified China. However, there were also many powerful people in the Tian family. The later Wang Mang of the Eastern and Han dynasties was called Wang Mang. As I said before, maybe his mother's surname was Wang. There are Sun Bin, Sun Wu, Tian Ji, and Tian Wen (Mengchangjun), all of whom have stories.