It is said in "The Analects of Confucius" that "Qi Huan Gong and nine princes unite to rule the world." So what does this sentence mean? The following is what I collected for you. I hope it will be helpful to you!
< p> First of all, let’s take a look at the general meaning of the “Nine-Headed Princes”. The Nine-Headed Princes refers to the many princes that the Qi Huan Association formed during the Spring and Autumn Period and signed an alliance. As a result, Qi Huangong became the overlord of the alliance. Secondly, it means "one kuangtianxia". "One kuangtianxia" means that Duke Huan of Qi corrected the chaotic situation at that time and brought order to the world. So "nine combined princes and one united the world" means that Duke Huan of Qi met with the princes many times and signed treaties to correct the situation at that time and stabilize the world.After Duke Huan of Qi came to the throne, and with Guan Zhong's dedicated support, the State of Qi became more and more powerful. The Yan State in the north was invaded by Shanrong and sent envoys to Qi State to request support. Qi Huangong led the army to rescue the Yan State. With the support of Qi, Yan State defeated Shanrong. Later, the Di people invaded the Wei State again. Qi Huangong led the army to attack the Di people and helped the Wei State build the city wall. The Chu State began to prepare to invade the Central Plains again. Duke Huan of Qi led the armies of other vassal states to attack the Chu State, forcing the Chu State to stop its conquest of the Central Plains. At the same time, Chu State also signed an alliance with the eight countries of the Central Plains.
Later, the Zhou royal family had a dispute over the successor, and Duke Huan of Qi helped the crown prince, King Zhou Xiang, ascend the throne. In order to repay Duke Huan of Qi, King Xiang of Zhou sent an envoy to give Duke Huan of Qi the meat sacrificed to the Ancestral Temple. Duke Huan of Qi took this opportunity to make another alliance with the princes in Kuiqiu. This alliance was the most important, because this time Duke Huan of Qi made the alliance as the overlord, marking the peak of Duke Huan of Qi's hegemony. .
The Story of Duke Huan’s Nine Princes
The so-called “Nine Princes” in history were presided over by Duke Huan of Qi. They refer to the meetings held by Duke Huan of Qi with envoys from various princes during the Spring and Autumn Period. The alliance was also the alliance in which he became the overlord. In this series of alliances, Duke Huan of Qi officially established his position as the overlord of the Spring and Autumn Period.
Historical records vary as to how many alliances Duke Huan of Qi organized. It is said in The Analects of Confucius that "Qi Huangong can bring peace to the world." "Gu Liang Biography" states that Duke Huan of Qi summoned "the gathering of clothes eleven times and the gathering of military chariots four times." In addition, some people have conducted research and said that during the forty-three years of his reign, Duke Huan of Qi met with the princes twenty-six times.
In 681 BC, Duke Huan of Qi convened the four countries of Song, Chen, Cai, and Zhu for an alliance in Qi State. This was the first time in history that a prince served as the leader of the alliance. After that, Duke Huan of Qi organized many alliances among the vassal states. In 651 BC, there was a dispute in the Zhou royal family. Duke Huan of Qi helped King Zhou Xiang ascend the throne and consolidated his position. Therefore, Duke Huan of Qi took this opportunity to hold an alliance with various vassal states in Kuiqiu. King Xiang of Zhou also sent people to give Duke Huan of Qi the emperor chariots and horses and other rewards.
Everyone has different opinions on the word "Nine" in "Jiuhe Princes". Many people think that it refers to the number of alliances organized by Duke Huan of Qi, but there are also different views: the first theory is that "Nine" should be a verb, and it is a pseudo-character with "jiu", which means gathering, gathering. "Jiuhe princes" can also be called "jiuhe princes". The second statement should mean the majority, that is, the "nine combined princes" should mean the princes who have made alliances many times. The character "九" is used as an imaginary number, and this meaning is relatively commonly used in ancient Chinese.
What does Duke Huan's nine alliances with princes refer to?
"Gong Huan's nine alliances with princes" refers to the meeting between Duke Huan of Qi and the princes of various countries to sign some mutually beneficial alliances. Such gatherings of princes occurred many times during the reign of Duke Huan of Qi. "Nine Heses" is not just a general term, and does not exactly refer to nine times.
Although Qi suffered a defeat in the Battle of Changshao, this did not affect Duke Huan of Qi's subsequent dominance. A few years after arriving, the Yan State in the north sent envoys to Qi State to request support. Qi Huangong decided to lead his troops to rescue the Yan State. Qi and Yan united to defeat the Shanrong. Later, Xing was also invaded by a small tribe, the Di people. So Qi Huangong led his army to drive away the Di people and helped Xing build a city wall. Then, the Di people began to invade Wei State again, and Qi State helped Wei State build the capital. After these events, the reputation of Qi State was greatly improved.
But the Chu State in the south expressed dissatisfaction and wanted to compete with Qi State. The Chu State gradually regained the southern region, and later simply called itself "king" and did not take the Emperor of Zhou seriously at all. So Duke Huan of Qi led the armies of Song, Lu, Chen and other seven countries to unite to attack Chu. When the Chu State saw such a huge army, they sent envoys to see Duke Huan of Qi, hoping that Duke Huan of Qi would give up the idea of ??attacking Chu State, but Duke Huan of Qi did not agree. Later, he sent Qu Wan to lobby and expressed his intention to admit his mistake. Duke Huan of Qi agreed not to attack Chu, and asked the eight princes of the Central Plains to enter into an alliance with Chu. After that, all the countries left.
Later, disputes occurred within the Zhou royal family, and Duke Huan of Qi helped the prince consolidate his position. Duke Huan of Qi took this opportunity to gather the princes at the Song State and made another alliance, hoping that all allies could treat each other in a friendly manner. There were many meetings like this in one country, and they were called "nine combined princes" in history.