In ancient history, after the Xia, Shang and Western Zhou dynasties, China fell into a special period, namely the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. This period marked the beginning of the ancient Chinese regime. The failure of the Zhou emperor's rule to be convinced by the princes led to the princes establishing themselves as kings, forming vassal states of varying sizes. This period is known as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Among the many vassal states, the Spring and Autumn Five Hegemons and the Warring States Seven Heroes were the most powerful states at that time. The Song State, although small, survived for a long time between the three kingdoms of Zheng, Jin, and Chu.
In the early days, the Song state tried to cling to the neighboring Zheng state, hoping to establish a relationship of life and death. In order to achieve this goal, the Song State resorted to an extreme measure: the detention of the minister of Zheng State. At the time, this behavior was considered the opposite. However, this move succeeded in forcing the minister of Zheng to return to China and support the Song state in electing Zitu as king. Although this earned the Song state the support of the Zheng state, the situation changed with the rise of the later Jin and Chu states.
The Jin and Chu states rose rapidly, especially the Chu state, and even included the Jin state as a vassal state. In the face of so many vassal states, the Song State saw the strength of the Jin and Chu states, and began to change their positions and took the initiative to become vassal states of the Jin State. In diplomacy with the state of Chu, the state of Song adopted a weak attitude. However, the state of Chu saw through the mind of the Song state, directly captured the king of the Song state, and attempted to achieve control of the Song state through coercion.
Faced with the threat of Chu, Song behaved as if nothing had happened, expressing his willingness to support the new king. The state of Chu was furious and released the king. After this incident, the Song State had a deep dissatisfaction with the Chu State, especially thinking of the ** and jewelry they sent. Song finally couldn't bear it anymore and directly killed the envoy of Chu. This behavior caused great trouble, and the state of Chu was furious and sent troops to attack the state of Song.
The Song State resisted, and the Chu State gradually ran out of grain and grass. At this critical moment, the ministers of the Song State secretly contacted the Chu State and threatened the commander of the Chu State. This move moved the state of Chu, so the two countries formed an alliance, and the state of Song was once again under the command of the state of Chu. This is the reason why the foreign policy of the Song State at that time revolved around the disputes between the Jin and Chu states. Due to its own weak strength, the Song State could only succumb to the powerful and compromise in order to survive. In this difficult environment, one mistake can lead to catastrophe, and we deeply understand that only by strengthening ourselves can we be invincible in life.
Reference: "Left Biography".