Chapter 89: Six Hundred Years, the Mandate of Zhou Remains
While the war between Wu and Chu was going on, Jin began to prepare for hegemony. The reason why Chong'er chose this time was that in the first month of the year, the Zhou emperor conducted divination and got the hexagram of "great luck and harmony".
It was a good year, but the reality was clearly far from it.
The emerging southeastern overlord Wu and the old southern overlord Chu fought everywhere in the Yangtze and Huaihe River basins, on the Yangtze River, and on the Hanyang Plain.
The two countries have been wrestling since the Battle of Yanling. This can be regarded as a continuation of the war more than ten years ago, but this time it is extremely brutal.
Over a territory of more than a thousand miles, most of the countries and tribes were drawn into it, and even the barbarian tribes could not escape the vortex of war.
Either participate in this great melee, or take your tribe to the Ten Thousand Mountains further south.
But for the princes in the Central Plains, these things were too far away. What they cared about most was that after suffering a disastrous defeat in the Battle of Yiluo, Duke Chong'er of Jin once again began his journey to become the overlord of the alliance.
After so many years of recuperation, Jin's strength has been largely restored, but it is limited by the influence of the peace alliance. After all, it has to give face to Luo, so Jin now mainly takes the path of winning people over with virtue.
After all, Chong'er was still the Fangbo appointed by the emperor, and the State of Jin, whose strength had been mostly restored, was still the strongest country in the world, so at this meeting, Luo Yan chose to fully support him.
Moreover, the State of Luo also wanted to use this alliance to demonstrate to everyone the stability of the Zhou State's Mandate of Heaven.
Even within the Ji-Jiang alliance, it was necessary to constantly suppress the usurpation of the Jin and Qi states and make them realize that the foundation of their existence was the royal family.
Luo Yu, Duke Lü Jing of Qi, and Marquis Wu Gou of Yan came together. This was the first time Chong'er met Luo Yu.
Luo Yu was still as radiant as ever. He would make people feel good whenever he stood there. Chong'er liked him very much when he saw him, and praised him repeatedly, saying, "Prince Yu, your reputation for beauty has spread throughout the nations since you were born, but I have never seen you. Now that I have seen you, I realize that you are truly worthy of your reputation. You are a one-of-a-kind person in the world."
Luo Yu imitated Xizi's words that teased him and said, "My appearance is only a gift from heaven, but your hegemony is your own achievement. This is a hero in the world, a real man who will be remembered in history."
Luo Yu's words were always believable, and Chong'er laughed heartily. With just a few words, the strangeness between the two of them was completely wiped out, as if they were old friends who had known each other for decades.
At the meeting place, the monarchs of various countries had their own ulterior motives, but the atmosphere on the surface was very warm. Many people looked at the envoys of Chu and Wu with some strange meanings.
"The Chu and Wu states were fighting so fiercely in the south, yet they came to the alliance meeting at the same time. Will they fight directly?"
"The Qin State is here too. They won't forget that it was their coalition forces that knocked the Duke of Jin off the throne last time, right?"
With the strength of Chu and Qin, there was certainly no need for them to pay tribute to Jin. Sending people to visit Jin's alliance this time was simply a manifestation of the friendship between the three countries.
The envoys from Qin and Chu presented gifts to Jin Hou Chong'er and said with a smile: "Jin Hou, the king presents you with beautiful jade to praise your virtue and achievements. You are the well-deserved overlord of the Central Plains. Haotian Suwang will bless you."
Then, when they saw the gifts from the Wu envoys, they all laughed and said, "I heard that Wu is rich in swords, so they brought swords. This precious jade is of such low quality, but they gave it as a gift to the Marquis of Jin. Has Wu become so poor?"
Upon hearing this, the Wu envoy said coldly: "Do barbarians know etiquette?
Etiquette does not depend on the value of something, but on the depth of friendship. Our Wu State is a noble clan of the Ji clan, and we are of the same blood as the Duke of Jin.
You are wearing luxurious clothes, but you look like monkeys wearing hats, which is quite ridiculous. You are still jumping around here. When I return, I will definitely record your ugliness and ridiculousness in the history books. "
"you!"
The Chu envoys were immediately furious. What annoyed them most was that the princes in the Central Plains called them barbarians, especially Wu, their enemy who was fighting each other.
The Qin envoy also glared at him angrily, and even wanted to smash the skull of the Wu man opposite him to let him know that the Qin people were very powerful.
Duke Chong'er of Jin felt a headache when looking at this scene, his head was buzzing. These three countries were not easy to deal with, not to mention Qin and Chu. He had not forgotten the disastrous defeat that year.
Although the State of Wu was of the Ji clan, the only State of the Ji clan that Chong'er trusted was the State of Luo. In his eyes, there was actually no difference between the State of Wu and the State of Chu.
Looking at the envoys from Wu and Chu who were glaring at each other, Chong'er thought to himself, if you two countries are going to fight, just fight it out. Jin won't take action now anyway, so why are you coming to me?
As the host, it was not easy to leave immediately. Luo Yu smiled with a hint of coldness on his face and said, "Three noble envoys, the Marquis of Jin is the host. Please do not fight at this moment. This is disrespectful."
Looking at Jin Hou Chong'er, whose expression was somewhat unpleasant, and Luo Taizi Yu, whose smile had a hint of coldness, the few of them fell silent.
Naturally, the Zhou emperor had to attend the alliance in person. The relationship between the emperor of this generation and Chong'er was one of sharing weal and woe.
In the Battle of Yiluo, Wang Ji's army followed the State of Jin into battle and suffered heavy losses.
While Chong'er was developing himself over the years, he did not forget the royal family, so now the relationship between the royal family and the State of Jin is very harmonious.
During the meeting, the emperor and Luo Yu stood on a high platform to offer sacrifices to Haotian and Su Wang. All the princes in the Central Plains praised the greatness of Haotian and Su Wang.
Countless soldiers were crawling on the ground, chanting in unison, swords and knives were standing in rows, the light was cold and sharp, but the crowd was like a tide.
Luo Yu looked at the princes of various countries and saw that they all had a solemn look on their faces. He thought to himself that this kind of grand ceremony was indeed the most effective in shocking the confused hearts of people and demonstrating the royal destiny.
After the emperor finished offering sacrifices, he turned to all the princes and said loudly: “My lords!
The moral character of the Duke of Jin was so high that no one in the world could match him, and the achievements of the Duke of Jin were so great that no one in the world could compare to him.
I once wanted to grant the title of Duke to the Marquis of Jin, but he refused on the grounds that he lacked virtue and that Heaven had not yet granted it.
But is it right for the overlord of Central Plains to not have the title of duke?
Today, during the sacrifice to Heaven, an order has been issued that Chong'er should be promoted to Duke. Please do not refuse, Marquis of Jin."
Luo Yu was also on the high platform, and shouted loudly: "King Su and Haotian are the same. Marquis Jin has received the order and should be promoted to Duke, commanding all the Xia people and wipe out the barbarians!"
"Long live the Su King!"
Everyone shouted three times, and then the princes bowed and advised in batches: "Jin Hou, you are virtuous and meritorious, and you are in charge of the prefecture. You should be promoted to the position of Duke. This is the truth of heaven and earth!"
Countless soldiers at the meeting place shouted, "Accept! Accept! Accept!"
The sound was so loud that all the birds within miles were startled and flew away.
Chong'er then looked up at the King of Zhou on the high platform, bowed slightly and said: "Your Majesty, thank you for your kindness."
Then they stepped onto the high platform to receive the title. The envoys from Qin and Chu were shocked and whispered to each other: "This is such a great power that we will never be able to experience it in our lifetime."
"The Mandate of Zhou has been in existence for nearly six hundred years, but it has not fallen. Is God really so kind to the Zhou people?
Can it last another eight hundred years, or even a thousand years?
It's really chilling. I must report the truth to the king when I return to the country. It's probably a luxury to want to enter the Central Plains in a short time."
The alliance is the best way to see the trends of various countries. The nobles of Qin and Chu saw from it that the princes of the Central Plains still had a very high degree of recognition of the royal family.
The two Xia countries, Wu and Chu, fought to the death on the Hanyang Plain, and then watched the princes of the Central Plains swear blood alliance and agree to jointly send troops to expel the barbarians. It was really quite divisive.
In fact, after Duke Huan of Qi, there were very few alliances to expel the barbarians.
Now the attitude of various countries towards the barbarians is no longer a life-and-death struggle as before. Many princes are strengthening their own strength by clearing out the barbarians.
Among them, Qin and Chu were the leaders. These barbarians, especially those who looked not much different from the Xia people, were basically the same as savages.
First they were captured as slaves, then slowly earned merit, were granted land, and registered, and when they mastered farming and could pay taxes, they could be considered good farmers, although they could not be compared with the Chinese.
"Duke Jin, in the Taihang Mountains, the Zhongshan tribes are becoming increasingly powerful, and they are even usurping the right to call themselves the ruler of Zhongshan.
This is really ridiculous. How can a country be established without the emperor's appointment?
You are the Fangbo and the leader of the world. After this meeting, you will definitely punish Zhongshan. Luo State is willing to follow you.
The Mandate of Heaven still exists, how can we allow the barbarians to act so recklessly? "
After Luo Yu finished speaking, the princes of various countries shouted, "Cheers!"
The establishment of a nation by barbarians is a political event as serious as the usurpation of power by princes.
All under heaven belongs to the king, and all within the four seas are the king's subjects.
How can one lead the people if he is not a minister of the king?
Chong'er, who had just been promoted to Duke, was at another peak in his life. He knew that he had not much time left, so he naturally wanted to leave more achievements in history books.
He immediately shouted to all four directions: "I have accepted the emperor's order and hold the power of a prefect. Naturally, I cannot tolerate the provocation of the barbarians. All countries should send their best soldiers to surround Taihang Mountain and attack Zhongshan."
In the worldview of the Xia Dynasty established by King Su, all countries were granted by the emperor and stamped with the golden seal. Only such countries could be recognized by all the princes.
There are also some barbarians who have made great contributions to the Zhou emperor. If they can be recognized by the Zhou emperor, they can exist as foreign vassal states.
For example, the Lu Rong who lived in the Yi and Luo areas were responsible for fighting against the Yi and Luo Rong and defending the Zhou emperor. The Zhou emperor agreed to their establishment of a country and gave them the title of monarch, making them vassals of the Jin State and the royal family.
After nearly six hundred years of education in Zhou rituals, this was almost everyone's subconscious reaction. The envoys from Chu looked a little embarrassed. They were indeed part of the Xia state, and an ancient state that had been enfeoffed during the reign of King Su.
However, the King of Chu always usurped the throne and declared himself king. It doesn’t mean that others will think you are powerful just because you declare yourself king. In the eyes of the princes in the Central Plains, this is precisely the behavior of barbarians.
…
During the Zhou Dynasty in ancient China, the Duke of Qi and the Duke of Jin were two of the most special feudal lords of the dynasty, not only because they were the only two who obtained the position of chief feudal lord and were able to use the glory of the king's etiquette.
The most crucial thing is that, starting with the Duke of Qi, the chief feudal lord began to consciously unite with other feudal lords in the dynasty to wipe out those mysterious countries with different cultures, which the Chinese called "barbarians", that is, uncivilized savages.
By the time of the Duke of Jin, after two hundred years of continuous suppression, the barbarians had completely disappeared from the core areas where the Zhou people lived, leaving only a few ruins. ——"A Global History of Ancient Chinese Civilization"
Although the book "A Global History" contains many errors, the author and translator are both masters of words. Every time I read the conclusions in it, which are only a few dozen words but so clear, I feel that those words are amazing.
Then I recommend Mr. Gu Cheng’s "History of the Southern Ming Dynasty", which is a good book that must be read for those who love history.
There is another book from abroad called "A Century of German Journey" which is also well written.
(End of this chapter)
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