Chinese History & Mythology

After Duke Huan of Chen died, his younger brother, Prince Tuo, killed the crown prince and grabbed the throne for himself .  Everyone in Chen knew exactly what had happened, and no one in their hearts accepted him, but for the moment they had no way to resist  .

The moment this man took the throne, he acted like a gambler who suddenly got hooked—his favorite thing in the world was starting wars  
 Especially wars against Zheng .
 Duke Shang never felt safe about that.  He was always afraid that one day, this cousin would come back and take the throne from him  .
So he kept picking fights with Zheng, as if starting wars could soothe that sense of insecurity buried in his chest .

Whenever you say something like, I do not feel very well, or I feel tired, or I feel cold, or I am a bit thirsty, in most cases the response you get is the same, Someone will say, come on, drink some hot water, But for many foreign friends, this is exactly the part that feels the most confusing,Why hot water? Why not cold water? Why not juice, soda, coffee, or any other kind of drink?

After reading it, Zheng Zhuanggong immediately understood he could not keep pushing forward. If he continued attacking Song’s heartland while his own house was burning, even a glorious victory would mean nothing. So he ordered the entire army to withdraw at once.

Zhouyu quickly asked, “What way?”
Shi Hou said, “My father, Shi Que, used to be the top minister of Wei. He held great power, and his character was excellent. For many years, he handled affairs fairly and never played favorites. Because of this, the elders and the common people in Wei all trust him deeply.
If you can invite him back to court to help you govern, and people see that even Shi Que is willing to stand by your side, they will naturally accept you as their ruler.”

Duke Zhuang of Zheng was the first to speak. He asked something like, “Gongsun Hua is now leading the troops of Wei to attack us. Does anyone have a plan?”
Gongzi Lü stepped out. He was the kind of person who spoke very directly, but also thought very deeply.

The ministers were shocked. They quickly tried to persuade him, saying, “Your Majesty, Jing is a rough land. Their customs have never been very refined. Since ancient times they have not really listened to the Zhou court. Back in King Xuan’s time, His Majesty personally led troops to attack them, and only then did they barely submit. Even then, King Xuan did not demand a lot of tribute from them. He only required them to send one cart of Jingmao grass every year, a plant used to make sacrificial wine. That rule was mostly symbolic. It just meant ‘do not forget that the Son of Heaven still holds authority.’ It was never about forcing them to pay a heavy price.”

Inside Haojing, a sudden urgent report rang through the city: the Western Rong army had already surrounded the capital and was about to attack.
When King You heard the news, his face turned white with fear. He said, “We have been found out. We haven’t even managed to send our own army out, and they have already struck first. What do we do now”

The whole story began with a children’s rhyme that suddenly spread through the capital. It was a short chant sung by a group of kids, clapping their hands in rhythm. The words said, “The moon is about to rise, the sun is about to set. A bow made from mulberry wood, a quiver woven from wild grass. The state of Zhou is about to fall.” King Xuan heard this rhyme while returning to the city at night. He was deeply disturbed and felt it was a curse aimed at him and at the kingdom. He flew into a rage, ordered the children to be arrested and questioned, and banned the rhyme inside the city. Anyone who dared sing it would have their whole family punished.

The Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms (simplified Chinese: 东周列国志) is a Chinese historical novel in 108 chapters written by Feng Menglong in the late Ming dynasty. Set in the Eastern Zhou dynasty, the novel starts from the Chinese kingdom beginning to break apart into smaller states and ends with the first unification of the land accomplished by Qin Shi Huang.