The Battle of Changshao woke Duke Huan of Qi up from his dream. He knew that Guan Zhong had a profound understanding of the current situation and a brilliant strategy. He trusted Guan Zhong even more and supported Guan Zhong's reform. Qi State's ideology was correct, and it would soon become rich and powerful.
How could he regain the face that Duke Huan of Qi had lost in the Battle of Changshao? Guan Zhong said,"You can't fight a battle that you're not sure of winning. If you can win, fight. If you can't win, don't fight." Knowing that they couldn't win, but still fighting, this was like knocking an egg against a stone, only one could suffer. This was the principle of war. Although Lu was not as powerful as Qi, it was still a country with thousands of chariots and was not easy to defeat. I heard that when Your Majesty was fleeing, you passed by the Tan Kingdom (now west of Zhangqiu County, Shandong Province). Lord Tan did not receive you. Tan Country was a small country. It did not have a strong military force, but its pottery, agriculture, wine, and animal husbandry were very developed. It was very rich. The king would definitely win if he attacked the Tan Kingdom. Firstly, he could take revenge for the past. Secondly, he could obtain a lot of wealth. Thirdly, he could annex the land of the Tan Kingdom. It could be said to be killing three birds with one stone. There was nothing more cost-effective than attacking the Tan Country.”
"Good idea!" said Duke Huan of Qi.
In 684 B.C., Qi sent troops to attack Tan. Tan Jun was diligent and loved the people. Although the country was small, the people were rich and supported him. The people spontaneously organized themselves to protect the capital. Tan Jun opposed hegemony and did not participate in the alliance of the big countries. Although he first created the political idea of " respecting the king and restraining the tyrant " and received the response of the weak countries, the big countries all said that he was anti-democratic. Therefore, when the Qi army attacked the Tan Country, the big countries did not come to support the Tan Country, and the small countries did not dare to help. After King Ping of Zhou moved to the east, Tan Jun strongly advocated the political idea of "suppressing the crooked and supporting the upright, stimulating the turbid and promoting the pure", which was deeply loved by the Emperor of Zhou. However, by the time the Qi army attacked the Tan Kingdom, King Zhuang of Zhou could no longer control the vassals, just like how an old father could not control his strong sons. He could only watch helplessly as the powerful Qi attacked the weak Tan Kingdom.
The soldiers and civilians of Tan Country fought a bloody battle. In the end, they could not resist the attack of Qi Country. The country was broken, and Tan Jun fled to Ju Country. King Zhuang of Zhou sighed and said,"Poor and lovely Tan Zi. Although I am unable to protect your vassal state, I can keep your title forever."”From then on, Tan Jun no longer had a fief, and the emperor had always kept his title.
After the Qi Kingdom destroyed the Tan Kingdom, Duke Huan of Qi became famous. In the spring of 681 B.C., there was an internal strife for the throne in the State of Song. The king of Song sought help from Duke Huan of Qi. Duke Huan of Qi, as a vassal, presided over the alliance of the five monarchs of Qi, Song, Chen, Cai and Wei in Beixing (now Dong'e, Shandong Province), and worked together to quell the internal turmoil of Song. In the past, it was the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty who presided over the alliance of the vassals. The "Northern Apricot Alliance" created a precedent for the vassals to preside over the alliance of the world. From then on, the prestige of the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty fell greatly, and the prestige of Duke Huan of Qi rose greatly among the vassals. Before the alliance meeting, Duke Huan of Qi had invited the monarch of Sui Country to join the alliance. The monarch of Sui Country said,"Only the emperor of Great Zhou has the right to preside over the dukedom meeting.”Refuse to join the alliance. After the end of the Northern Apricot Meeting, Duke Huan of Qi swallowed up the Sui Kingdom (now Ningyang and Feicheng in Shandong Province).
In 681 B.C., the State of Qi attacked the State of Lu again. The State of Lu was defeated. Duke Zhuang of Lu requested to cede Suiyi and sue for peace. Duke Huan of Qi agreed and met with the State of Lu in Kedi. Cao Mo was not satisfied with Qi's invasion of Lu's land. He took advantage of the situation and suddenly put a dagger on Duke Huan's neck. "What do you want to do?" Guan Zhong asked in shock.”Cao Mo said,"Your Qi State is bullying the weak and occupying our land. Please return my land and I will let him go.”Duke Huan of Qi hurriedly said,"I will return the land of the State of Lu. I will return the land of the State of Lu."”Cao Mo removed the dagger and everyone returned to their positions.
Duke Huan of Qi was very angry when he went back and said to Guan Zhong,""How dare Cao Mo threaten me! If I don't return the land of Lu, I will kill Cao Mo.”Guan Zhong advised,"Your Majesty, you must not break your promise to the vassals. Returning the land to the Lu Kingdom was just temporarily under the name of the Lu King. Sooner or later, the entire Lu Kingdom would belong to the king.”Therefore, Duke Huan of Qi returned the land of Lu.
In 680 B.C., the State of Song betrayed the covenant of the Northern Apricot League. Duke Huan of Qi sent people with generous gifts to pay homage to the emperor of Zhou, saying,"The Song Country did not respect the emperor of Zhou and casually abolished the monarch.”King Zhuang of Zhou wanted to use the power of Qi to establish the prestige of the emperor. He agreed to the request of Duke Huan of Qi and sent Shan Bo, a doctor, to lead some troops to attack Song together with the troops of Qi, Chen and Cai. When the Song Kingdom saw the Qi Kingdom using the banner of the Zhou Emperor to attack, they did not want to bear the crime of opposing the Emperor, so they surrendered. After that, Duke Huan of Qi pulled the representative of the Zhou Emperor, Uncle Shan, and invited the kings of Wei, Zheng, and Song to meet in Juandi. Seeing that the Zhou Emperor supported the Qi Kingdom, the kings elected Duke Huan of Qi as the leader of the alliance. Duke Huan of Qi's dominance began to be established.
In the spring of 679 B.C., Duke Huan of Qi presided over the alliance of Qi, Song, Chen, Wei and Zheng. In December 678 B.C., he presided over the secluded alliance of Qi, Lu, Song, Chen, Wei, Zheng, Xu, Hua, and Teng. In June 667 B.C., he presided over the secret alliance of Qi, Lu, Song, Chen, and Zheng. In August 659 B.C., he presided over the meeting of Qi, Lu, Song, Zheng, Cao and Wei. In September of 658 B.C., he presided over the Guanzhi Meeting of Qi, Song, Jiang and Huang. In the autumn of 657 B.C., he presided over the Yanggu Meeting of Qi, Song, Jiang, and Huang. In the summer of 656 B.C., he presided over the Zhaoling Conference of Qi, Chu, Lu, Song, Chen, Wei, Zheng, Xu, and Cao. In the summer of 655 B.C., he presided over the first meeting of Zhou, Qi, Lu, Song, Chen, Wei, Zheng, Xu, and Cao. In July 653 B.C., he presided over the gathering of Ning Mu of Qi, Lu, Song, Chen and Zheng. In the first month of 652 B.C., he presided over the Tao meeting of Zhou, Qi, Lu, Song, Wei, Xu, Cao, Chen and Zheng. In the summer of 651 B.C., he presided over the Kuiqiu Meeting of Zhou, Qi, Lu, Song, Wei, Zheng, Xu, and Cao. In the summer of 647 B.C., he presided over the salt meeting of Qi, Lu, Song, Chen, Wei, Zheng, Xu and Cao. In March 645 B.C., he presided over the Muqiu Meeting of Qi, Lu, Song, Chen, Wei, Zheng, Xu and Cao. In December 644 B.C., he presided over the Huai River Meeting of Qi, Lu, Song, Chen, Wei, Zheng, Xu, Xing and Cao.
In his later years, Duke Huan of Qi turned from wise to fatuous. He regarded Yi Ya, Shu Diao and other villains as his cronies and entrusted them with important tasks.
Yi Ya was a chef. In order to achieve his goal, he would do anything. In order to gain the favor of Duke Huan of Qi, he cooked his 4-year-old son for Duke Huan of Qi to eat.
Shu Diao was a eunuch of the State of Qi. He was in charge of the orders of the inner servants and the female palace. In order to show his loyalty to Duke Huan of Qi, he castrated himself. He was insidious and cunning, and had no sense of justice.
In 645 B.C., Guan Zhong, who had worked so hard for Duke Huan of Qi to establish his hegemony, fell seriously ill. Duke Huan of Qi went to visit him and asked him who could succeed him as prime minister. Duke Huan of Qi asked,"How is Bao Shuya?”Guan Zhong said,"Bao Shuya is a gentleman, but he is too clear about good and evil. When he sees a person's evil, he will never forget it. This is not a way to govern.”Duke Huan of Qi asked,"How is Yi Ya?" Guan Zhong said,"Yi Ya cooked his own son to please the monarch in order to satisfy the monarch's request. He has no humanity and is not suitable to be prime minister." Please alienate Yi Ya, Wei Kaifang, and Shu Diao, and trust them. The country will be in chaos.”After Guan Zhong said that, he saw that Duke Huan of Qi was in a difficult position, so he recommended to him a loyal friend who was not ashamed to ask questions and did not forget about official business at home.
When Yi Ya heard the conversation between Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong, he went to provoke Bao Shuya, saying that Guan Zhong prevented Duke Huan of Qi from appointing Bao Shuya. Bao Shuya smiled." Guan Zhong recommended his friends, which shows that he is wholeheartedly thinking about the country and the ancestral temple. He doesn't have any selfish preferences for his friends. Now that I'm the commander, it's exactly what I want to do. If I were in power, where would there be a place for you?”Yi Ya left dejectedly.
Guan Zhong soon died of illness. Duke Huan of Qi remembered Guan Zhong's advice and dismissed Yi Ya, Wei Kaifang and Shu Diao from their posts, never to enter the court again.
In 644 B.C., Chong 'er, the son of the State of Jin, fled to the State of Qi. Duke Huan of Qi married his daughter to Chong' er.
Duke Huan of Qi did not see Yi Ya, Wei Kaifang, and Shu Diao for three years. He did not hear any flattery and felt that eating was tasteless. He called the three of them back to the palace.
The second year after Yi Ya, Wei Kaifang, and Shu Diao returned to the palace, in 643 B.C., Duke Huan of Qi fell seriously ill and was recuperating in the palace.
Duke Huan of Qi had three wives, named Wang Ji, Xu Ji and Cai Ji, who had no sons. However, Duke Huan of Qi had six concubines who had given birth to sons: Changwei Ji gave birth to Wugui, Shaowei Ji gave birth to Yuan, Zheng Ji gave birth to Zhao, Ge Ying gave birth to Pan, Mi Ji gave birth to Shang, and Song Huazi gave birth to Yong.
Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong made Prince Zhao the Crown Prince and entrusted Duke Xiang of Song to help Prince Zhao. However, Yi Ya and Shu Diao secretly encouraged Duke Huan of Qi to make his son Wugui the crown prince.
The five young masters all wanted to be crown princes, and each of them had a sect supporting them. After Duke Huan of Qi fell ill, the five sons fought for the position of Crown Prince more and more fiercely. Yi Ya, Wei Kaifang and Shu Diao plotted to kill Prince Zhao and support Prince Wugui as the monarch of Qi. Yi Ya, Wei Kaifang, and Shu Diao killed the loyal officials of the court first. When Crown Prince Zhao heard the news, he quickly fled to the Song Kingdom. The other four young masters heard the news and led their troops to attack the palace to fight for the throne.
Yi Ya hurriedly ordered people to close the palace gates and pass on the emperor's orders to not allow anyone to enter the palace. Two palace maids jumped over the wall and entered Duke Huan's bedroom to visit him. Duke Huan of Qi was starving and asked,"What's the matter?" There's no one to serve me. Hurry up and bring me something to eat.”The palace maid said fearfully,"No, there's a war outside now." Yi Ya, Wei Kaifang and Shu Diao wanted to kill Prince Zhao and support Prince Wugui as the monarch of Qi. Prince Zhao fled to the Song Kingdom. When Gongzi Yuan, Gongzi Pan, Gongzi Shang, and Gongzi Yong heard about this, they all led their troops to attack the palace and fight for the throne. Yi Ya and the others closed the palace doors tightly and did not allow anyone to enter. If anyone was found, they would be beheaded.”Duke Huan of Qi was furious and said,"I am not dead yet. How dare they fight for my throne?"”The palace maid said,"The two of us secretly came in to see you. If Yi Ya and the others saw us, they would die." I have to go. Take care of yourself.”
After the two palace maids left, Duke Huan of Qi thought,""I have nothing to eat, nothing to drink, and no one by my side. How can I take care of myself?”He starved to death in grief and indignation. No one had expected that the glorious overlord, Duke Huan of Qi, would starve to death in the end.
Gongzi Yuan, Gongzi Pan, Gongzi Shang, and Gongzi Yong wanted to attack the palace. Gongzi Wugui, Yi Ya, Wei Kaifang, and Shu Diao led the army to resist the attack of the four young masters. No one cared about Duke Huan of Qi who had starved to death in the palace. It wasn't until 67 days after Duke Huan of Qi's death that Gongzi Wugui ascended the throne. He then buried Duke Huan of Qi and reported his death to the various countries. The monarchs of each country were descendants of King Wen of Zhou, Ji Chang, or the Three Royals and Five Emperors. They were all close relatives, so they should report the funeral to them and invite them to attend the funeral of Duke Huan of Qi.
Duke Huan's funeral had not yet been held. In March 642 B.C., Duke Xiang of Song led his army to escort Prince Zhao. Duke Xiang of Song said,"When Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong were alive, they entrusted me to take care of Prince Zhao. Now that Gongzi Wugui had usurped Crown Prince Zhao's throne, this was not right.”Duke Xiang of Song led an army to attack Qi. The people of Qi were afraid. They said,"Young Master Wugui has usurped the throne of Crown Prince Zhao. This shouldn't be."”The Qi people in the capital killed Gongzi Wugui, and Gongzi Wugui only became the monarch for three months. Duke Xiang of Song led his army to defeat the troops of Gongzi Yuan, Gongzi Pan, Gongzi Shang, and Gongzi Yong, and made Crown Prince Zhao the monarch. This was Duke Xiao of Qi. It was not until August that Duke Huan of Qi was buried.
In 633 B.C., Duke Xiao of Qi died. Gongzi Pan ordered people to kill the son of Duke Xiao of Qi and became the ruler himself. He was Duke Zhao of Qi.
In May of 614 B.C., Duke Zhao of Qi died. The son of the merchant killed the son of Duke Zhao of Qi and became the king himself. This was Duke Yi of Qi.
When Duke Yi of Qi was still a young master, he hunted with Bingrong's father and fought for the prey. Duke Yi did not manage to win. After he ascended the throne, he cut off Bingrong's father's feet and let Bingrong drive for him. Duke Yi of Qi snatched his beautiful wife into the palace and let her ride on the horse. Bingrong was the driver of Duke Yi of Qi, and Yongzhi was the personal attendant of Duke Yi of Qi. In May 609 B.C., Duke Yi of Qi was playing in Shenchi. Bingrong and Yongzhi took a bath together and joked with each other. Yongzhi said that Bingrong was the son of the foot-chopping man, and Bingrong said that Yongzhi was the husband whose wife was taken away. Both of them felt ashamed of these words and hated Duke Yi. Two people accompanied Yi Gong to play in the bamboo forest and killed Yi Gong in the car. They threw the body into the bamboo forest and ran away.
When Duke Yi of Qi was in power, he did not seek welfare for the people, and the people did not support him. After the death of Duke Yi of Qi, the people did not support his son. Instead, they welcomed his son Yuan from the State of Wei back to the State of Qi and made him the monarch. This was Duke Hui of Qi.
The six sons of Duke Huan of Qi, with the exception of Gongzi Yong, were all kings. After this civil strife, Qi State's hegemony began to decline.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]