In the long river of history, there are some insignificant stories, but they have been passed down for thousands of years because of the profound meaning they contain. For example, an ancient legend in the state of Chu originated from the theft of a cow.
This short story deeply reflects the poverty situation of Chu in the past. A cow has become a symbol of poverty in the Chu State, remembered by historians, and has been passed down for 3,000 years.
Today, we will delve into this ancient legend and reveal the causes of poverty and the social outlook of the Chu State at that time. This seemingly small story carries the wisdom of history, presenting an ancient fable about poverty and livelihood, transcending time and space to leave lessons that have been passed down through the ages.
In these seemingly ordinary words, we will find that those small stories in the long river of history can also portray a profound imprint of the times.
The founding state of Chu is often talked about for its poor appearance. In the early Western Zhou Dynasty, Xiong Yi only had the deserted land of Danyang, and he didn't even have sacrificial cattle, so he could only steal the calves of neighboring countries.
This seems to be the best footnote to the poverty and weakness of the Chu State. However, behind this joke, we need to pay homage to the entrepreneurial spirit of the ancestors of the Chu State. Xiong Yi was able to obtain the title of viscount precisely because his ancestors had helped King Wen of Zhou to work meritoriously.
However, at that time, the Mane Bear clan was too weak to share the rich land like other powerful princes.
In the face of this difficulty, Xiong Yi did not give up. This place in Danyang is just a barren mountain range, and wild animals and plants are scarce. But he still led his people here, determined to create a home from scratch.
We can imagine how the Chu people toiled among the rolling mountain peaks, and they built simple houses on the wasteland. They also need to be self-sufficient and even need hunting and gathering to make ends meet.
In this pristine environment, they irrigated the first city of the Chu State with sweat and tears. Xiong Yi also made a long journey to Hojing to pay tribute. But because of the barrenness of the Chu State, he was degraded as a "Jing Man".
Although we may sound joking now, we can imagine the mixed feelings of the founding monarch of the Chu State.
The sacrifices he brought were only bows and arrows and thatch, which seemed so shabby, and in front of Zhou Tianzi, this shabby was particularly obvious. Despite this, he did not give up his dignity, clutched the humble bow and stood with his head held high, this tenacious character undoubtedly forged the indomitable national temperament of the Chu State.
It takes great perseverance to survive in a desperate situation and to hold on to pride in the face of humiliation. Therefore, we cannot despise these early Chu people. Perhaps they didn't have gold and jade in their hands at that time, and it was difficult to maintain even a complete sacrifice.
Yet they chose to face suffering, not run away. It is this indomitable spirit that supports the difficult entrepreneurship of the Chu State in the next hundred years.
In the second century of the Chu state, the Western Zhou launched two large-scale expeditions, probably aimed at suppressing this emerging power. The two expeditions were undoubtedly a great test for the state of Chu.
In the face of the iron cavalry pressure of the Western Zhou Dynasty, we can't judge Xiong Ai's inner state at that time, is he confused about his choice? Was there any wavering when the Western Zhou army pressed the border?
There is no answer to these questions. However, Xiong Ai's actions showed his determination. The Chu army managed to withstand two attacks and grew stronger in battle.
The fierce battles made the people of Chu more united, and at the same time, they also sharpened their fighting strength that was not inferior to that of the Zhou people. This laid a solid foundation for Chu to become an emerging power in the East in the future.
When the Western Zhou army approached, we can imagine that the whole of Chu entered a state of combat readiness. Xiong Ai must have set up a defensive line and gathered forces to prepare for a counterattack. And the people of Chu also took off their usual coarse cloth clothes and responded to the call to join the army to defend their homeland.
The baptism of blood and fire on the battlefield made them abandon their preconceptions and unite against the enemy. Children, women, and the elderly are all working hard in their homes to provide logistical support for the front lines.
The Chu army and the Zhou army clashed on the battlefield and fought bloodily. Every shout in front of the main city gate, and every time the arrow rain is intertwined, it condenses the indomitable will of the Chu people.
In the end, the iron hooves of the Western Zhou Dynasty were forced to retreat, and the whole country of Chu celebrated. This joy of jointly defeating a strong enemy has become a bond that unites the people. And those Chu soldiers who had struggled on the verge of life and death strengthened their determination to fight for their home and country.
It can be said that this battle of life and death forged the indomitable national spirit of the Chu State. In the years to come, this unity and resilience will be an endless source of strength for the Chu state.
As a young man, King Wu of Chu had great ambitions to become an emerging power in the East. Three years after his accession to the throne, he was determined to change the status of the state of Chu, so he led his troops to the expedition despite the restrictions of etiquette.
This action alarmed Zhou Tianzi, but he did not suffer defeat because of this, but through this Northern Expedition, the Son of Heaven had to face up to the strength of this rookie overlord. His courage and determination laid a solid foundation for the state of Chu.
Although the goals of the Northern Expedition were not fully achieved, the prestige of King Wu of Chu was priceless. His victory showed the Son of Heaven and the princes that this young Jiangdong country was full of infinite possibilities.
Then, with the momentum of thunder, he captured the land of Dangyang and established the first county-level administrative division in Chinese history, setting an example for the later construction of counties.
All this shows that this wise and martial young monarch is already conceiving a blueprint for his side of the rivers and mountains. When King Wu of Chu continued to wage wars and expand his territory, the entire state of Chu was full of monarchical spirit and open-mindedness.
The success of the land of Dangyang opened the throat to Bashu, and the people of Chu, under the guidance of the king, advanced westward wave after wave to reclaim the vast land. Mighty men wield swords into the depths of the forest, women work industriously on the boundless grasslands, and children play in the sun.
Craftsmen in the capital worked day and night to build an even more majestic palace to accommodate the growing number of courtiers. In this land full of vitality, generation after generation of Chu people were born, injecting impetus into the more glorious conquest of the Chu State in the future.
By the time the state of Chu reached its fourth century, they had already made significant progress in the Central Plains. The kings and prime ministers of the state of Chu led their people to constantly seize land from the small and weak countries around them.
Among them, the expansion actions of King Wen of Chu and King Mu were the most successful. They led their armies to win successive battles, successively defeated Shen State, Xi State and other countries, and also used force to force Zheng State to submit to Chu State.
This series of victories made the national strength of Chu unprecedentedly strong, and the territory also broke through the north of Chu and expanded to the Jianghuai region. Therefore, the state of Chu decided to move the capital to Jingzhou as the core of the empire.
Since then, Yingdu has become the capital of the Chu State for more than 400 years. Although it is difficult for us to imagine the prosperity of Yingcheng in ancient times, it is recorded that Yingcheng was strictly regulated, with nine gates and nine streets, and the palace was extraordinary, which reflected the ambition of the Chu State when it moved its capital.
There is also such a description in the poem, "I saw the bear dancing when I was in Yingmen", which is enough to see the prosperity and vitality of Yingdu in the eyes of people in that period.
This is a palace with a long history, which was once the power core and cultural center of the Chu kings, bringing together a large number of literati and scholars and envoys from various countries. Many famous figures such as Fucha and Xi Shi have stayed here.
When the strength of the Chu State reached its peak, the spirit of the entire Chu culture was concentrated in this Yingdu. During the reign of King Chu Zhuang, Chu became the overlord of the Central Plains.
In the Battle of Yi in 632 BC, the Chu army came from afar to meet the Jin army, and finally won a great victory and won the honor of the Spring and Autumn Five Hegemons. Since then, the state of Chu has continued to be glorious for a century and has become the hegemon of the region.
People all over China are talking about this monarch from a foreign land and his powerful army. We can imagine that in that era, from Yue Fei who was chasing the Central Plains to Xi Shi, who was married to Gusu, they all became witnesses of the prosperity of the Chu State.
And all this splendor and pride originate from this Yingdu.
Fifth, the territory of Chu has expanded to the highest point in history, but it has also buried hidden dangers of decay. At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, the strength of the Chu State was increasing day by day, but in the imperial court of Yingdu, the undercurrent of power struggle was surging, laying hidden dangers for the future decline of the Chu State.
Despite this, the state of Chu still had a powerful monarch and strategists. In the early days of the Warring States Period, King Chu Wei led a powerful Northern Expeditionary Army, an unprecedented grand lineup of the Chu army, and the soldiers had the lofty ambition of going north to the Central Plains and reviving the majesty of the Chu State.
This unstoppable Chu army was almost invincible, smashing directly into Linzi, the capital of Qi, and breaking through the coastal defense line of Qi and occupying the entire Shandong region. The northern territory and sphere of influence of the state of Chu reached an all-time high.
However, the people of Qi have paid a heavy price for this. The farmland in the city of Qi was destroyed in one fell swoop, and the war brought great disasters to the people. We cannot help but sigh at the death, injury and suffering of these innocent civilians.
Under the brilliant exploits of King Chu Wei, the army of the southern front of Chu State also won successive victories. The Yue Kingdom, a country of Shang descent that once dominated the culture of the Central Plains, has gradually declined.
The king of Yue was unable to resist the offensive of the Chu army, and eventually the entire country was destroyed. The state of Chu included the areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang into its territory, and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were also all in the bag.
At this time, the territory of Chu was far beyond the scope of the later Han Dynasty. King Chu Wei witnessed the people cheering for his victory and calling him the greatest monarch, but he inevitably felt depressed in his heart.
After all, this kind of huge leap in the ruling space is a feat that even the kings of the Han and Tang dynasties could not achieve.
6. The Strength and Decline of the Chu State: The fall of Qi and Vietnam brought unprecedented prosperity to the Chu State, but it also sowed a crisis for it. In the late Warring States period, the political situation in Chu was chaotic, with constant infighting and frequent policy mistakes.
The country is in a state of turmoil. Faced with this situation, King Chu Huai tried to revitalize the country through reform and regain the lost territory. He reused the virtuous minister Shang Yang and made strategic adjustments.
However, due to mistakes in decision-making, the state of Chu suffered successive defeats, and the state of Qin took advantage of this to rise and repeatedly defeated the Chu army, causing the territory of the state of Chu to shrink and become the target of the Qin state.
The situation in Yingdu during this period can be described as a sudden change in the situation, a change of regime, and a bloody storm. King Chu Huai tried to save the country through a series of reforms, but was repeatedly blocked by the powerful.
Watching the country turn from prosperity to decline, King Chu's heart was full of helplessness and loss. He had hoped for a chance to turn things around, but that opportunity never came. Among the Chu family, there are also a number of young talents with ideals, such as the famous literary scholar Qu Yuan, who expressed his sorrow over the decline of the Chu State with his literary works and advocated the revitalization of the Chu State.
However, the rolling torrent of history eventually washed away Qu Yuan's ideals.
After 800 years of wind and rain, the Eastern Empire, which was once proud of the Central Plains, finally came to naught under the iron heel. Nowadays, when we visit Jingchu monuments, we often see dilapidated ruins.
It is a pity that the once prosperous scene of the Chu State can no longer be restored. However, even in the face of annihilation, we still cannot deny the pioneering spirit and construction enthusiasm of the ancestors of the Chu State.
It is their perseverance that has given birth to a civilization in the vast land.
In the most difficult and difficult moments, our ancestors still cherished the yearning for a better life. This perseverance is a treasure of history and of ours. Therefore, looking back on the history of the Chu State, we should not only remember its demise, but also miss the years of heroic struggle and determination to serve the country.
It was the Chu people of that era who used their own hard work and dedication to bring us today's peace and prosperity. This spirit is an eternal treasure of the Chinese nation, and we should be grateful to our ancestors for inheriting and carrying forward this spirit.