usatvline Chapter 36 Zhang Yi Deceives Chu
Chapter 36 Zhang Yi Deceives Chu
Just as Zhang Jujiu had lifted the siege of Yuzhong, Zhang Yi was also on his way to the State of Chu. (Some say he died in 284 BC.)
Just four years ago, his fellow strategist Su Qin died, and he once said to King Huiwen of Qin, "With Su Qin dead, the backbone of the alliance has been broken!"
In the summer of 316 BC, King Huiwen of Qin summoned him to a side hall and asked him bluntly, "With Su Qin dead, how long can the alliance of the six states last?"
Zhang Yi, sitting calmly before King Huiwen of Qin, replied, "Although Su Qin is dead, the alliance among the six states will not immediately dissipate. Qi and Chu are mutually supportive; Qi is located on the coast of the East Sea, possessing the benefits of fish and salt, while Chu has a vast territory and a million armored soldiers. If these two states unite and ally with the other four, then Qin will be confined to Hangu Pass and unable to expand eastward!"
"What should we do?" King Huiwen of Qin asked.
"We must sow discord between these two families and prevent them from forming an alliance!" Zhang Yi said.
King Huiwen of Qin originally intended to send Zhang Yi as an envoy to the State of Chu, but unfortunately, he heard that the King of Shu believed in ghosts and gods, practiced witchcraft, and was extremely greedy. This gave King Huiwen of Qin, who was eager to conquer Shu but had no opportunity, a chance.
He exploited this weakness and meticulously planned a scam:
He ordered five huge stone oxen to be carved, and placed gold on their rear ends. He then arranged for people to raise them and declared to the world that they were divine oxen that could produce gold every day.
The news spread like wildfire and soon reached the ears of the King of Shu. Upon hearing of this divine ox, the King of Shu was overjoyed and eager to possess these treasures that could produce gold. So he sent someone to ask the King of Qin for it.
However, the stone oxen were incredibly heavy, and moving them was no easy task. Fortunately, the King of Shu had five exceptionally strong men, collectively known as the "Five Strong Men," who ordered them to carve a path through the mountain to move the five divine oxen. This is the origin of the Golden Ox Road.
Thus, the King of Shu himself opened up a road for Qin to enter Shu. Of course, this can only be taken as a story; as early as the time of Duke Wen of Liang, the two states had attacked Shu along this road.
However, the root cause of Qin's conquest of Shu was the internal strife that occurred in Shu.
Du Shang, the ninth ruler of the Kaiming Dynasty of Shu, enfeoffed his younger brother Du Jiameng as the Marquis of Hanzhong and granted him the vassal state of Ju. The capital of Ju was located in Tufeicheng (now Zhaohua Town, Zhaohua District, Guangyuan City). Initially, the relationship between the two countries was very good, and Ju, as a vassal state, had been paying tribute and taxes to Shu.
However, as time went on, the Shu Kingdom made the Ju Kingdom pay tribute more and more frequently, and the amount of tax paid also increased, which caused great dissatisfaction in the Ju Kingdom.
Meanwhile, the state of Ba, an enemy of Shu, saw an opportunity. Although Ba was temporarily destroyed by Duke Wu of Shu, it was like a centipede that, though dead, still lingers. After its demise, the Ba people rebuilt their state in Jiangzhou (present-day Chongqing) and annexed much of Shu's territory.
The Ba Kingdom made great efforts to win over the Ju Kingdom. Although the King of Shu warned the Ju Kingdom many times, the Ju Kingdom had the support of the Ba Kingdom and repeatedly confronted the Shu Kingdom.
In 316 BC, Du Lu, the twelfth ruler of the Kaiming Dynasty, finally decided to send troops to teach his little brother, the State of Ju, a lesson. In the end, the State of Shu won a great victory, occupied the State of Tufei, and the Marquis of Ju fled to the State of Ba.
Knowing that the two kingdoms of Ba and Ju were no match for the kingdom of Shu, the King of Ba sought help from the kingdom of Qin in the north. Upon receiving the news, King Huiwen of Qin immediately sent troops to destroy the kingdom of Shu and, incidentally, also destroyed the kingdoms of Ba and Ju.
In fact, it also caused a dispute between Chancellor Zhang Yi and Sima Cuo. One thought that they should first conquer the land of Han Sanchuan, while the other believed that conquering Shu could not only expand the territory, but also obtain huge wealth.
Due to the pressure from the Qin army's ability to attack Chu by sailing down the river from Shu, King Huai of Chu, under the strong persuasion of Qu Yuan, the Grand Master of the Three Clans, allied with the State of Qi to jointly resist Qin.
Thus, the Chu army besieged Yuzhong. Although the siege was lifted by Zhang Jujiu's support, the Qi-Chu alliance remained a huge threat to the Qin state.
Thus, the plan that Zhang Yi discussed with King Huiwen of Qin in 316 BC was implemented that year.
When King Huai of Chu learned that Zhang Yi was on a mission to Chu, he attached great importance to it and specially arranged for Zhang Yi to stay in a superior inn, and personally received him.
At the banquet, King Huai of Chu asked Zhang Yi, "Our Chu state is located in a remote area, and you have come from afar. I wonder what advice you have for me?"
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhang Yi began his persuasion, saying to King Huai of Chu: "If Your Majesty heeds my advice and abolishes the alliance with Qi, severing diplomatic ties, Qin is willing to offer six hundred li of land in Shangyu (present-day Shangluo area of Shaanxi), and can also facilitate a marriage alliance between Qin and Chu, thus making Qin and Chu brother states."
The Shang region, connecting the Guanzhong and Jingchu areas, was the southeastern gateway to the Qin state and held a crucial strategic position.
Therefore, when King Huai of Chu heard about it, he immediately agreed without hesitation, and his ministers also came to congratulate him.
Just as King Huai of Chu was basking in the apparent benefits he had gained for free, his minister Chen Zhen raised an objection. He said, "If Your Majesty agrees to Zhang Yi's proposal, abandons the alliance, and severs ties with Qi, Qi will inevitably make peace with Qin. In that case, once Qin and Qi unite, they will surely attack Chu. In an instant, Chu will be left isolated and helpless. How could Qin then cede the Shangyu region to Chu as promised?"
Therefore, he advised King Huai of Chu to sever ties with Qi on the surface while maintaining an alliance in secret. If Qin really ceded the Shangyu region, it would not be too late to completely sever ties with Qi then!
Chen Zhen's advice was sound, but King Huai of Chu, blinded by greed, wouldn't listen. He angrily told Chen Zhen, "I hope you'll shut up and wait and see what happens when I get Qin's land!"
Subsequently, King Huai of Chu severed ties with the State of Qi, abolished the alliance, and sent another follower to accompany Zhang Yi back to the State of Qin to demand the return of the 600-li territory of Shangyu.
After Zhang Yi returned to Xianyang, he pretended to fall from his carriage and was injured, and did not attend court for three months.
When King Huai of Chu learned of this, he was filled with suspicion, secretly thinking, "Does Zhang Yi think I haven't severed ties with Qi thoroughly enough?" So he hurriedly sent an envoy to Qi, who cursed King Xuan of Qi, saying, "Your mother is a servant girl!"
Enraged, King Xuan of Qi turned to Qin and achieved his goal. Zhang Yi's leg was instantly healed, and he swaggered to court to meet the Chu envoy who had been waiting for him for three months.
Zhang Yi said leisurely, "I have a fiefdom of six li granted by the King of Qin, which I am willing to offer to your king as a token of my respect!"
Upon hearing this, the Chu envoy was dumbfounded; the promised six hundred li of land had become a mere six li. King Huai of Chu, upon learning this, was furious and immediately ordered his troops to attack Qin.
At this moment, Chen Zhen once again stepped forward and advised, "Now is it time for me to speak? Rather than launching an attack on Qin, we should cede land to Qin, join forces with Qin to attack Qi, and seize Qi's land to make up for our losses!" However, King Huai of Chu still refused to listen to Chen Zhen's advice.
A year later (312 BC), the State of Chu once again allied with Qi and Song to begin retaliating against the states that had formed alliances with Qin, Han, and Wei.
First, the Chu army split into two routes. One route, led by General Qu Gai, attacked into the Shangyu Road, with its target being the Shangyu region. The other route, led by Jing Cui, attacked Yongshi (Yuzhou) of the Han state.
Meanwhile, under the joint pressure from Qin, Zhao, Wei, and Han, Qi plundered Yan and withdrew its troops. Yan then declared: "So I was the clown all along."
Subsequently, the State of Qi, in alliance with the State of Song, led an army under Kuang Zhang and Sheng Zi to launch a fierce attack on Zhuzao (Dongming) of the State of Wei, in coordination with the State of Chu.
On the Qin side, the army was divided into three routes to deal with the situation. One route was led by Ying Ji and Zhang Mengtan. First, they recaptured Quwo, and then they launched a fierce attack on Jingcui, who was besieging Yongshi, to help Han resist Chu.
One force, led by Zhang Jujiu, attacked the Qu Gai tribe located on the Shangyu Road. The last force, led by Chu generals Gan Mao and Wei Zhang, marched from Hanzhong Commandery, passed through Shangyong Commandery, and approached Yingdu, the capital of Chu.
Upon learning that Yingdu was besieged, Jing Cui was anxious and retreated under the combined attack of Qin and Han. He then led his troops to lift the siege of Yingdu. After Jing Cui's defeat, Ying Ji led his army back to reinforce Zhang Jujiu. The two Qin armies joined forces and first repelled the Chu army. They pursued the Chu army all the way to Danyang and engaged in a decisive battle with them. In the end, the Chu army was defeated, with more than 80,000 people beheaded and more than 70 people, including the general Qu Gai and the deputy general Feng Hou Chou, captured. Afterwards, Zhang Jujiu led his army deep into Wei territory to relieve the siege of Zhuzao by Qi and Song.
The Qi-Song allied forces retreated to the banks of the Pu River, where they clashed with the Qin-Wei allied forces. Qi and Song suffered a major defeat, Zhang Jujiu killed Shengzi in battle, and Kuang Zhang fled.
On the other side, Ying Ji led his army to attack the State of Chu together with the Han army and captured Shangcai!
This battle ended in defeat for the Qi-Song allied forces and is known in history as the Battle of Danyang!
After the Battle of Danyang, King Huai of Chu was still filled with resentment. He saw an opportunity when two Qin armies were far from Qin's homeland and decided to take a desperate gamble, using all the country's military strength to fight Qin again.
This time, the Chu army captured Wuguan and marched deep into Lantian, the heart of Qin territory. However, despite being at the city gates, the Chu army was unable to conquer Lantian.
At this time, the states of Han and Wei heard that the Chu army was not doing well in this battle, so they took advantage of the situation and sent troops to attack Dengyi, the rear of Chu, forcing Chu to send troops back to defend it. This battle is known in history as the Battle of Lantian.
Although Qin gained nothing from this battle, it became extremely wary of Chu's vast wealth.
Therefore, after the war, Qin intended to make peace with Chu and sent people to Chu to propose exchanging Shangyong County for the Qianzhong area of Chu. However, King Huai of Chu hated Zhang Yi to the core and refused to exchange the land, claiming that if Qin handed over Zhang Yi, it would take all the land in Qianzhong.
Upon hearing the news, Zhang Yi, undeterred by the risk of death, gladly entered Chu.
When Zhang Yi returned to Yingdu, King Huai of Chu imprisoned him without hesitation and planned to kill him.
Zhang Yi, however, was prepared. Before coming to Chu, he had already bribed Jin Shang, a high-ranking official in Chu. After Zhang Yi was imprisoned, Jin Shang approached Zheng Xiu, the favorite concubine of King Huai of Chu, and said to her, "My lady, do you know that you are about to be abandoned by the King?"
Then Jin Shang explained, "The King of Qin greatly favors Zhang Yi and will certainly do everything in his power to rescue him. He will also bribe the State of Chu with land and beautiful women. Since Your Majesty values land, you will respect the State of Qin. In this way, the beautiful women of Qin will gain Your Majesty's favor, and you, Madam, will be neglected. Therefore, Madam, you should plead with the King to release Zhang Yi!"
So Zheng Xiu spent her days weeping before King Huai of Chu, saying, "As subjects, each serves his own master. What crime has Zhang Yi committed? Moreover, Your Majesty has not yet handed over the land of Qianzhong to Qin, yet the King of Qin has already sent Zhang Yi. This shows how much the King of Qin respects Your Majesty!"
"If Your Majesty kills Zhang Yi, the King of Qin will surely send troops to conquer Chu. Whether it is Prince Ji or Lord Jingning Zhang Jujiu leading the army, who in Chu can resist them? Therefore, if Your Majesty insists on killing Zhang Yi, it would be better for your mother and son to seek refuge in Jiangnan!"
And so, Zhang Yi was moved from prison to the guesthouse, where he was provided with good food and drink.
However, regarding Qin's sudden change of attitude, the solution was to follow Xu Kun's lead and act accordingly.
Just after Zhang Yi returned to Qin, Qin suddenly launched an attack and captured the Qianzhong area. Due to the powerful aristocracy within Chu, King Huai of Chu had no choice but to reluctantly make peace with Qin and not interfere with the Qin army's capture of the Qianzhong area.
Although King Huiwen and King Wu of Qin died one after another, the Warring States period welcomed its legendary reigning king, King Zhaoxiang of Qin. Moreover, Qin's diplomatic strategies became increasingly sophisticated.
In the thirtieth year of King Huai of Chu, the State of Qin attacked the State of Chu again. Zhang Jujiu was still leading the army. After the battle, King Zhaoxiang of Qin said: "I was just joking around!" and said to King Huai of Chu: "Come to me and let's have a good talk about the affairs between our two countries."
Due to the Zhuang Qiao incident, the state of Chu was in a state of chaos where various nobles acted independently. King Huai of Chu, beset by both internal and external troubles, had no choice but to reluctantly go to the state of Qin.
Upon his arrival, he was detained by the Qin state. He angrily shouted, "What are you doing? I'm here to meet with your king to discuss matters between our two countries!"
But King Zhaoxiang of Qin ignored him completely and wouldn't even see him.
On the other side of Chu, when the ministers saw that the old king had been captured, they did not think of rescuing him. Instead, they welcomed back the crown prince Heng, who was being held hostage in Qi, to inherit the throne. He became King Qingxiang of Chu.
In the third year of King Qingxiang of Chu (296 BC), King Huai of Chu, Xiong Huai, died in Qin. His coffin was returned to Chu, and "the people of Chu all pitied him, as if he were a relative."