pappabearbooks Chapter 16 Alliance of Towns
Chapter 16 Alliance of Towns
To ease the tension between himself and the emperor, Duke Zhuang of Zheng sent Ji Zu to the royal army's encampment at night to comfort King Huan of Zhou and to inquire about the people around King Huan.
Little did he know that it was this very arrow that led to the collapse of the Zhou dynasty's social order and music.
Ritual was the power of legislation, while music was the power of sacrifice and cultural dissemination. Before the Qin and Han dynasties, cultural dissemination was popularized through poetry and storytelling. The Zhou emperor had the power to decide what could and could not be said, while the feudal lords did not have the power to prepare rituals and music.
His grandfather and King Huan of Zhou's grandfather were brothers, and their fathers were cousins. However, he led the rebellion against Zhou, sabotaging his own country, which led other ambitious people who wanted to expand to attack Zheng to show off their sense of justice. Zheng, as the first to stick its neck out, was continuously attacked by the feudal lords and was the first to be destroyed.
……
When Ji Zu arrived at the tent, he did not see the emperor, but instead saw Liang Bo Zhang Quzhuo, who had led the Liang army to a great victory over the Zheng army during the day.
Zhang Quzhuo, clad in armor and wielding a sword, stood before the map and said without turning his head:
"If the Grand Master's visit is merely to humiliate us, then please return. In the future, I will surely lead the Liang army east out of Hangu Pass and meet with Duke Zheng at Xinzheng!"
Ji Zu was a high-ranking official in the state of Zheng. He was old and had white hair, but his eyes were very sharp.
He looked at Liang Bo, who, despite being forced to withdraw his troops due to the emperor's influence, had clearly distinguished himself during the day when Liang Bo had fought fiercely and single-handedly covered the rear of the Liang army.
"Liang Bo truly lives up to his reputation as a descendant of Duke Wenzhao!"
After a sigh to himself, Ji Zu bowed to Zhang Quzhuo and said, "Lord Liang is joking. Lord Zheng would not dare to have such thoughts. Lord Zheng heard that the Emperor was accidentally injured by General Zhu in the chaos of war, so he specially sent an official to comfort him."
"It was not Zheng Bo's intention to slander the emperor. General Zhu was also punished by Zheng Bo. I hope Liang Bo will inform the emperor."
"Hmph." Zhang Quzhuo turned to look at him, snorted coldly, and remained silent.
The bloodstains on his armor had dried, and he looked exhausted.
Ji Zu felt somewhat uncomfortable under his gaze, but after all, he was a veteran minister of Zheng, and had seen more storms than Zhang Quzhuo.
He did not back down, but simply lowered his head slightly to show respect.
After a moment, Zhang Quzhuo finally spoke.
The voice wasn't loud, but it was filled with chill: "Grand Master Ji, go back and tell Duke Zheng how the State of Zheng should apologize to the Emperor. I don't care! Whether or not to pardon his crimes is the Emperor's business."
He paused, took a step forward, and his armor plates rattled. "What I want to do is avenge today's humiliation."
The tent was completely silent.
The candlelight flickered, casting his shadow on the tent wall, tall and aloof.
Ji Zu raised his head and looked into those eyes. A sudden chill ran through him. He had seen many people before.
Zheng Bowu was a man of great talent and ambition, and Ji Zu believed he could see through him to some extent. But he couldn't see through this young man before him.
It wasn't for the Liang Kingdom, nor for the emperor, nor for the allied forces of the feudal lords; it was simply for revenge.
So simple, so direct, so speechless.
Ji Zu sighed deeply, cupped his hands and said, "Lord Liang speaks frankly, which I admire. However, Lord Zheng and Lord Liang have no enmity with each other. The Battle of Xuge was merely a matter of each serving their own master."
"If Duke Liang wants revenge, Duke Zheng will accept it. But I, your humble servant, would like to ask: does Duke Liang seek revenge for the Zheng state's arrow wounding the emperor, or for the Liang state's eight hundred soldiers?"
"If it is a matter of revenge for wounding the emperor, the emperor has not yet spoken, and Liang Bo cannot make a decision on his own! If it is a matter of revenge for the eight hundred soldiers," Ji Zu paused, "Zheng is willing to compensate Liang for all its losses."
Zhang Quzhuo looked at him, his eyes flickered slightly, and he sneered: "The men of my Liang Kingdom are of incomparably precious, how could gold and silver possibly compensate for them?"
"Zheng Bo wants to use gold, silver, and grain to buy the lives of my Liang soldiers. Not only will I refuse, but Liang will not agree either!"
"Today, our Liang army failed to capture Duke Zheng, a great disgrace. If this disgrace is not avenged, I will not be able to eat or sleep in peace, nor will the fallen soldiers rest in peace!"
"Go and tell Duke Zheng that the State of Liang will surely avenge this humiliation!"
After a moment of silence, Ji Zu cupped his hands and said, "I will certainly convey Lord Liang's words. Farewell."
…………
The news that Duke Zheng refused the royal army at Xuge quickly spread throughout the land, and the news that the emperor had been shot by an arrow left all the feudal lords speechless.
The Zhou dynasty lasted for more than two hundred years. From King Wu's conquest of King Zhou to the reigns of King Cheng and King Kang, from King Zhao's southern expedition to King Mu's western tour, even when the emperor was in dire straits, he was never wounded by a feudal lord on the battlefield.
Zhu Dan's arrow struck not the emperor's shoulder, but the emperor's majesty.
Now all the feudal lords knew that the Zhou emperor was no longer able to shoulder the burden of ruling the world.
The feudal lords who had gathered in Luoyi to prepare to defend the king all left, leaving only the four states of Qi, Lu, Wei, and Song.
The State of Jin was preoccupied with its own internal strife over the usurpation of Yi by Quwo, and thus did not send troops to aid the king this time.
The feudal lords who remained in Luoyi were waiting for one person: Liang Bozhang Quzhuo.
Although the royal army was defeated, Liang was not defeated.
Liang Bo's bravery in defeating the Zheng army and single-handedly covering the rear earned him the respect of all the feudal lords.
What the feudal lords did not expect was that when the emperor returned to Luoyi, Liang Bo led the royal army to Zhiyi when they were only thirty li away from Luoyi.
Zhiyi, in later generations, had a resounding name: Hulao!
It can be said that whoever controls Zhiyi controls the gateway for the royal domain to extend eastward. And now, the State of Zheng has destroyed the State of Dongguo and taken control of Zhiyi.
Three days later, news arrived that Zhang Quzhuo had led the royal army to capture Zhiyi, repelled the Zheng army, and invited all the feudal lords of the world to respect the king, which shocked the world once again.
Those feudal lords who felt that the emperor's authority had been diminished by the arrow shot by the Zheng army also suppressed their thoughts at this time.
Liang Boshang is loyal; we must not act rashly.
But is that really the case?
No! After the Battle of Xuge, Zhang Quzhuo realized that the emperor was no longer the same emperor he had been before.
Even the emperor could not bear the heavy burden of ruling the world.
Since that's the case, then let me take the blame!
…………
Today, the people of Zhiyi witnessed a scene they had never seen before.
There were more than ten feudal lords, ministers and high officials everywhere, and scholars were as numerous as stray dogs on the roadside.
This meeting of the feudal lords by the Duke of Liang will undoubtedly be a momentous event that will be recorded in history!
The first to arrive was Duke Huan of Lu, Ji Yun, who married Qi Jiang. Wen Jiang was the one who had an affair with her brother, Duke Xiang of Qi.
The State of Lu and the State of Liang had a long-standing friendly relationship and often intermarried. For example, Zhang Quzhuo's grandmother was a member of the royal family of Lu.
His carriage slowly entered the city, guided by Liang's armored soldiers. The curtain was lifted, revealing a face in his forties. His handsome features from his youth were still faintly visible, but there were dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept well or had something on his mind.
He had only been there a short time when the other feudal lords arrived one after another, with Duke Xiang of Qi (Jiang Zhu'er), Duke Xuan of Wei (Wei Jin), and Duke Zhuang of Song (Zi Feng) at the head.
Speaking of Duke Zhuang of Song, he was also a man with a story.
He was the son of Duke Mu of Song and the sixteenth ruler of the State of Song. Since the throne of Duke Mu of Song was passed down from his elder brother Duke Xuan of Song, Duke Mu of Song, in order to repay his brother's kindness, passed the throne to Duke Shang of Song, the son of Duke Xuan of Song, and ordered his son, Gongzi Feng, to live in the State of Zheng.
In 710 BC, Hua Du killed Duke Shang of Song and installed Prince Feng as the new ruler, who became Duke Zhuang of Song.
During the reign of Duke Zhuang of Song, he appointed Hua Du as prime minister; he interfered in the politics of Zheng, forcing Duke Zhao of Zheng to flee to Wei, and installed Duke Li of Zheng as ruler. In the following years, Song and Zheng fought several wars.
Therefore, he welcomed Zhang Quzhuo's decision to oppose Duke Zhuang of Zheng.
The meeting place was a high platform erected in an open area outside the city of Zhiyi.
The platform was filled with the flags of the feudal lords, with a large banner in the center embroidered with the character "Liang".
Three people sat at the head of the table. The one in the middle was Zhang Quzhuo, who was not wearing armor at the moment, but had changed into a dark robe with a sword hanging at his waist.
He was the Earl of Liang, the Left Supervisor of the Zhou Dynasty, a descendant of Duke Wen and Duke Zhao, and the Grand Tutor of the former king. He was the initiator and host of this alliance. Although the title of the State of Liang had been reduced to Earl, there was no doubt that he sat in the center, and everyone present was convinced of his authority.
To his right sat the Marquis of Lu. At that time, the right was the place of honor. The State of Lu had served as the Right Supervisor for generations, and as a descendant of the Duke of Zhou, he naturally sat on the right.
To the left is the Marquis of Qi.
At this moment, Duke Huan of Lu looked at this cousin and felt a mix of emotions.
He had dealt with Zheng Bowusheng before; the man was cunning and shrewd, making people feel uneasy.
The person in front of me was different. He stood there without saying a word, which made it clear that he wasn't there to discuss anything, but to inform people.
Once the chime bells sounded, the pre-meeting banquet began, and the historians brought by each of the feudal lords prepared to record the entire process of the alliance.
Zhang Quzhuo stood up, dressed in a dark robe with a sword hanging at his waist. He glanced around at the lords in the tent and spoke slowly.
"The world is vast and boundless, which is why the Son of Heaven enfeoffs feudal lords to guard the land. Although my abilities are limited, I am fortunate to have been favored by my ancestors and trusted by the late king, who entrusted me with the Liang state to guard the western borders. This is an unprecedented grace. The late king has entrusted me with this important task in the west; how could I not devote my utmost effort and strength?"
"Since accepting the king's order to guard the western frontier, I have been worried day and night, fearing that I would fail in my mission. I have always been cautious and fearful, as if I were standing on the edge of an abyss or walking on thin ice. Fortunately, thanks to the emperor's majesty and the concerted efforts of the people of Liang, the western frontier has been basically stable and foreign tribes have not dared to invade. I have not failed in my mission."
"Today, I am honored to meet with you all in this city, and I feel no shame. I invited you all by the Emperor's decree, and you responded so readily. This is not out of personal favor, but out of reverence for the King's command. You are all loyal subjects of the State of Zhou, and I raise this cup to you, my loyal subjects!"
He picked up the wine cup and raised it above his head.
"The state of Zheng insulted the emperor, and the emperor was humiliated. Isn't it the fault of us loyal ministers? I was originally just an insignificant person, but I was valued by the emperor, which is why I was able to defeat the Zheng army at Xuge and play a small role."
"Now I have summoned all my loyal ministers to govern this city, in order to uphold the dignity of the emperor. The wise men of ancient times said: If the monarch is humiliated, then as his ministers, only death can slightly lessen the monarch's shame."
"The emperor has been struck by an arrow, and the royal army has been routed. This is an unprecedented disgrace since the founding of the Zhou Dynasty. As subjects, if we cannot wash away this humiliation, what face do we have to stand between heaven and earth?"
"Today's alliance is not for personal gain, nor for territorial expansion, but solely to avenge the Emperor and the royal army. The Duke of Zheng has overstepped the bounds of propriety, failing to pay homage to the Emperor and even daring to wound him with an arrow. Such a heinous act has aroused the indignation of the entire world. Our campaign against Zheng is not for the sake of Liang, but for the sake of the Emperor; not for personal revenge, but for upholding justice."
"If you are willing to go together, then let us drink this wine and swear an oath; if not, Liang will go alone. But if Zheng's army invades in the future, don't blame Liang for not sending troops to your aid."
The feudal lords responded in unison and drank their fill. The historian took up his pen and wrote a line on a bamboo slip: "In the fifteenth year of King Huan, the Duke of Liang went to Zhuo to meet with the rulers of Qi, Lu, Wei, and Song at Zhiyi, and they made an alliance: We will respect the King and punish those who disobey."