The famous Battle of Chengpu between Jin and Chu in Chinese history

The famous Battle of Chengpu between Jin and Chu in Chinese history

The process of the Battle of Chengpu:

The Battle of Chengpu established one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period In this decisive battle, Duke Wen of Jin successfully ascended to the throne of overlord. With this battle, Duke Wen of Jin conquered the world and made all the princes bow their heads and come to court. Next, let us talk about the course of this war.

The Battle of Chengpu was a major battle between Jin and Chu after the Zhaoling Alliance of Qi and Chu and the Battle of Song and Chuhong. It was of great significance in the history of the Spring and Autumn Period. It curbed Chu's northward advance, stabilized the situation in the Central Plains, and established Jin's dominance in the Central Plains. Regarding the situation before the Chengpu War, we have already explained it in Chapter One. After the Battle of Hong, the Central Plains countries of Zheng, Xu, Chen, Cai, Lu, Wei, Cao, Song, etc. all bowed to the military might of the Chu State. King Chu Cheng also captured the Qi State Valley (Donga County, Shandong Province) , supported Prince Yong, posing a threat to Qi State. At that time, the Chu State could be said to be powerful and prestigious. Since Duke Wen of Jin came to the throne, the Jin State has rectified its internal affairs internally, developed its economy, strengthened its military, respected the royal family externally, and contacted Qi and Qin in order to compete tit-for-tat with the Chu State for hegemony in the Central Plains. The war between Jin and Chu is inevitable. This is the fundamental reason for the Battle of Chengpu.

The direct cause of the Battle of Chengpu was that Jin aided Song and resisted Chu. In the eighteenth year of King Xiang of Zhou (634 BC), Duke Cheng of Song "betrayed Chu and became Jin" because his father, Duke Xiang, had treated Duke Wen of Jin well and had an old relationship with Duke Wen. In winter, King Cheng of Chu ordered Yin Ziyu and Sima Zixi to lead an army to attack the Song Dynasty and surround Min (mín, Yinmin) Yi (in the northeast of Jinxiang County, Shandong Province). In the winter of the following year, Chu led the armies of Chen, Cai, Zheng, and Xu to surround Song, and Song asked Jin for help. Xian Zhen, the marshal of the Jinzhong Army, said: "Replying for relief and gaining prestige to establish hegemony is all that matters." Duke Wen of Jin accepted Xian Zhen's suggestion and prepared to mobilize troops to rescue the Song Dynasty. He reviewed the army in his house, expanded the three armies, and appointed generals, thus kicking off the Battle of Chengpu.

The kings and ministers of Jin State attached great importance to this military operation and determined the policy of political, diplomatic and military general war. In terms of military affairs, it was decided not to directly rescue Song Dynasty, but to attack Cao and Wei first. Because "Chu first captured Cao and married Wei. If Cao and Wei were attacked, Chu would rescue them, and Qi and Song would be spared." This plan to control the enemy can not only lure Chu troops to go north, but also sit back and wait for work. achievement. In the spring of the 20th year of King Xiang of Zhou (632 BC), the Jin State dispatched three armies and seven hundred chariots to attack Cao Cao. They borrowed the road from the Wei, but the Wei people did not allow it. The Jin army then detoured southward and crossed the Yellow River at Nanhe (south of Qi County, Henan Province). On the ninth day of the first lunar month, they captured Wulu of Wei State. He also sent his troops eastward, captured Lianyu (southeast of Puyang, Henan), and sent envoys to Qi to make peace. In February, Duke Wen of Jin formed an alliance with Duke Xiao of Qi and successfully brought Qi to his side.

Marquis Wei saw that the Jin army was pressing down on the country, and that Jin and Qi had formed an alliance. He requested to join the alliance, but Duke Wen of Jin refused. The Marquis of Wei wanted to get close to the Chu State again, but the people of the country did not agree, so they expelled the Marquis of Wei. The Jin army defended the country without fighting.

Before the war, the state of Lu followed the state of Chu. When the Jin army attacked and defended, Lu once sent his son Mai to help defend the country.

Seeing that the Jin army was strong and the Marquis of Wei fled, but the Chu State failed to rescue the guard, the Lu State recalled the young master to buy and kill him. On the one hand, he reported to the State of Jin that he had raised troops without authorization, and on the other hand, he reported to the State of Chu that he had not completed the defensive task, was playing double-dealing, and was waiting to surrender to the winner. In March, the Jin army went south to attack Cao Cao. On the 12th, they captured Caodu (Dingtao, Shandong).

The Jin army attacked Cao and Wei with the intention of luring the Chu army northward. However, the Chu army did not take the bait and attacked the Song Dynasty fiercely. The Song Dynasty once again asked the Jin army for help. If the Jin army went south to rescue the Song Dynasty, the strategic intention of luring Chu to the north would not be implemented. If we do not go south to save the Song Dynasty, we will lose the Song Dynasty and fall into a strategically passive position. Faced with this situation, Jin doctor Xian Zhen suggested that Song envoys should be sent to bribe Qi and Qin so that Qi and Qin would persuade Chu to withdraw their troops. Jin then captured Duke Cao and distributed the lands of Cao and Wei to the Song people to anger the Chu people and force them not to listen to the advice of Qi and Qin. Qi and Qin failed to persuade Chu, so they must have firmly stood on the side of Jin and decided to send troops to fight against Chu. This is Jin's second great move.

King Cheng of Chu saw that the Jin army defeated Cao Cao and formed an alliance with Qi and Qin. The situation in the Central Plains had changed, so he returned to Shenyi (in Nanyang City, Henan) and ordered the official Uncle Shen to withdraw and capture Qi. In Guyi, he ordered Yin Ziyu to withdraw the troops surrounding the Song Dynasty, and warned Ziyu: "There is no Jin army! The Marquis of Jin has been away for nineteen years, and the results of the Jin Kingdom are dangerous and difficult, and we are prepared to experience them. The sentiments of the people It's all fake. "It's said in "Military Chronicles": "If you accept it, you'll return." It's also said: "If you know it's difficult, retreat." But Chu Ling Yin Ziyu has always said. He was proud and did not listen to King Chu Cheng's advice, so he sent Bo Fen to Shenyi to ask King Chu Cheng to go to war and ask for reinforcements. King Cheng of Chu was at both ends of the army. He was unwilling to fight with Jin, but he sent additional reinforcements to Ziyu, including Dongguang, Xiguang, and six soldiers from the Ruao clan.

Ziyu received reinforcements from King Chu Cheng and became even more arrogant. He sent Wanchun to the Jin army and said: "Please restore the Marquis of Wei and grant Cao Cao, and I will also release the siege of Song Dynasty." Although Ziyu was arrogant, as the commander of Chu State, he was not without a plan. It's a strategy that kills three birds with one stone. If Jin agrees to his request, Cao, Wei, and Song will all be grateful to Chu. If Jin does not agree to his request, then the three kingdoms of Cao, Wei, and Song will resent Jin. The master of the Jin Dynasty, Zi Gu, fell into Ziyu's trap and said, "Ziyu is rude! The king will take one and the minister will take two. You must not lose." He advocated rejecting Ziyu's suggestion. But Xian Zhen, the commander-in-chief of the Central Jin Dynasty, saw through Ziyu's trap and said: "Zi Yu! The only thing that determines people is etiquette. Chu can decide the Three Kingdoms with one word, and I will destroy him with one word. I am rude, so why fight?" "So, Jin privately agreed to reinstate Cao and Wei, let them sever ties with Chu, and detain Chu envoy Wanchun to anger Ziyu.

This is the third great chess move made by the Jin Kingdom. Ziyu, who had always been arrogant and arrogant, could not bear this kind of stimulation and rashly led his army north to attack the Jin army, but was finally led by the Jin army.

When Duke Wen of Jin was wandering around as a prince, he passed by the state of Chu and was entertained by King Cheng of Chu. At the banquet, King Cheng asked Wen Gong: "If you rebel against the Jin Kingdom, how can you repay the grain?" Wen Gong replied: "If you use your spirit as a king, you can rebel against the Jin Kingdom. Jin and Chu were in charge of the army, and when they met in the Central Plains, they conquered the country. Jun Sanshe (one house for thirty miles) "This time, Duke Wen fulfilled his promise and ordered Sanshe to withdraw from Cao State in the face of the Chu army's attack, and stationed in Chengpu (Chengpu) together with the armies of Song, Qi and Qin. South of Fan County, Shandong Province). Ziyu led his army to advance rapidly and camped on the dangerous hills. The two armies faced each other at Chengpu.

Jin Wengong retreated, ostensibly to repay the courtesy given by King Chu Cheng in the past, but in fact, he used the tactics of "humble and arrogant" and "anger and scratch" to lure the enemy. Ziyu took the bait again.

Chu Ziyu sent general Dou Bo to challenge Duke Wen of Jin, saying: "Please play with your nobles, and you will watch them with Shi, and the minister (Ziyu's name) will be with you." This shows an arrogant and arrogant man. gas. Luanzhi of Jin Dynasty answered very humbly: "I have heard of my order. I have never dared to forget the kindness of Lord Chu, so this is why I am here. I am retreating for the high officials, how dare I become the king? If I don't receive the order, I dare to bother the high officials and call them my second and third sons: Jie'er rides in the chariot, respects the king's affairs, and meets in the imperial court. "The formations of the two sides during the battle in Chengpu were: the three armies of the Jin Dynasty, with Xian Zhen as the marshal, commanding the middle army, Que Qin as his assistant, Hu Mao as the commander of the upper army, and Hu Yan as the marshal. Assist. Luan Zhi led the army, assisted by Xu Chen.

The Chu State also had three armies, so Yin Ziyu was ordered to lead the central army with Ruo Ao's six soldiers. Zixi (Dou Yishen) commanded the left army. Zishang (Doubo) commanded the right army. Chu's servants Guo Zheng and Xu Jun were attached to Chu's left army, while Chen and Cai's troops were attached to Chu's right army.

On April 6, the Jin army formed a tight formation in the city to await the Chu army. Ziyu arrogantly declared: "There will be no Jin in the future." When the two armies came into contact, Jin's lower army Zuo Xuchen led his troops to cover their horses with tiger skins, and first attacked the Chen and Cai troops on the right wing of Chu. The army was frightened and fled, and Chu's right army was defeated. Seeing the defeat of the right army, Chu Ziyu and Zishang were furious and intensified their offensive against the Jinzhong Army and the Shang Army. Hu Mao, the superior army on the right wing of the Jin Dynasty, set up a general and two flags, and ordered the two flags to retreat to lure the Chu army. Luanzhi's troops under the Jin Dynasty also pretended to retreat by running their vehicles dragging tree branches. Chu Ziyu thought that the Jin right wing was defeated and ordered the Chu left army to pursue, so he ignored the defeat of Chen, Cai and the right wing army.

When the Chu Zuojun pursued the Jin Shangshang Army, its flanks were exposed. Jin Xianzhen and Queqin led the central army to intercept the Chu Zuojun. Hu Mao and Hu Yan led the Shangshang Army to attack the Chu Zuojun. The Chu Zuo Army was defeated. Seeing that both the left and right armies were defeated, Chu Ziyu ordered the central army to stop attacking and became undefeated.

Ziyu led the remaining troops to withdraw from the battlefield, and the Jin army occupied the Chu army's camp. After resting for three days, they successfully regrouped.

The Battle of Chengpu enabled Duke Wen of Jin to establish hegemony. Chu's northward advance was frustrated and forced to retreat to the areas south of Tongbai Mountain and Dabie Mountain. All the princes in the Central Plains were lords of the Jin Kingdom.

In the Battle of Chengpu, although the armies of Song, Qi, and Qin arrived at Chengpu, they did not participate in the actual battle. The Jin State used 700 chariots and more than 50,000 troops to defeat the five-state coalition of Chu, Chen, Cai, Zheng, and Xu, with more than 100,000 troops. It was a battle in which a small number defeated a large number. The victory of the Jin State was that it realized that Chu was a strong enemy, the monarch and his ministers united as one, made careful plans in politics, diplomacy, and military affairs, and firmly grasped the initiative in the war, so they finally defeated the Chu State. This is not the case with Chu State. Since the Chu victory over Song Xianggong, no prince in the Central Plains has been able to defeat him, and the officers and soldiers have developed an air of arrogance. Although Ziyu was a powerful general, not only could he not eliminate his long-standing disadvantages, but he became even more arrogant. Faced with such a war, he acted on impulse and took it lightly. As a result, he was misled and the war failed.

When King Chu Cheng received the report of the Chu army's defeat, he sent someone to accuse Ziyu and said: "If the official comes in, how can he be so old as if he has just announced his death?" Ziyu committed suicide in shame and anger. On April 27, the Jin army entered Hengyong of Zheng State (west of Yuanyang County, Henan, on the south bank of the Yellow River at the time), and built in Jiantu (closer to Hengyong, also on the south bank of the Yellow River at the time, and on the north bank of the Yellow River at Huayuankou, Henan). In the king's palace, prisoners were presented to King Xiang. King Xiang of Zhou appointed Duke Wen of Jin as "Uncle Hou". Duke Wen of Jin asked the princes to "all reward the royal family without harming each other. If there is an alliance between Chongqing and Chongqing, the gods will kill it, and there will be no defeat for Zuo's country." Under the banner of "respecting the king", Duke Wen of Jin naturally ascended to the throne of overlord.