The newly established King Huai of Chu's struggle for hegemony

  In 336 BC, the fourth year of King Wu of Chu and the third year of Duke Huiwen of Qin, King Wu of Chu ordered General Qu Wuzi to lead an army of one hundred thousand men from Chu to defeat the Wei army at Yuzhou and Gucheng, expanding their territory to Xian Mountain. Then, General Qu Wuzi also defeated the Han army at Pingdingshan, Ruyang, and Ruizhou, expanding their territory by over three hundred miles.

  In 335 BC, King Wu of Chu led a large army northward to attack Wei, ordering thirty thousand men from Zhoukou, Luhe, Fang, and Ye to converge on Xuchang and defeat the Wei army. The king of Wei asked for help, and then ordered ten thousand men from Yangdi and Gongyi and another ten thousand men from Daliang to go south and rescue Xuchang. The Marquis of Han also sent ten thousand men from Zhengzhou and Xinzheng to go south and support the Wei army in rescuing Xuchang.

  In August, the Wei army that marched south from Yangdi and Gongyi was defeated by General Qu Wuzi at Xian Mountain and Yuzhou, and retreated back to Yangdi. The Wei army that marched south from Daliang was intercepted by the Chu army marching north from Zhoukou, while the ten thousand Han soldiers who marched south were defeated by the Chu army marching north from Fang and Ye.

  In September, King Wu of Chu led the main force of the Chu army to defeat the main force of the Wei army at Xuchang East and Taikang. In October, the Chu army captured Xuchang, and the remaining Wei soldiers retreated hastily back to Daliang. The Battle of Xuchang that year resulted in the deaths of nineteen thousand Wei soldiers and over five thousand Han soldiers, with the capture of Xuchang by the Chu army, which approached the capital city of Han, causing the king of Han to become fearful.

  In 334 BC, Duke Huiwen of Qin saw that the Chu army had defeated the armies of Wei and Han at Xuchang, expanding their territory by five hundred miles, and that the state of Wei was greatly weakened. He then ordered Sima Cuo and Xiang Shou to lead an army of two hundred thousand men, divided into two routes, to march east from Xianyang. Xiang Shou defeated the Wei army at Hancheng, while Sima Cuo fought a great battle against the famous general Wei Jia of Wei at Tongguan but was unable to gain victory, and retreated back to Huayin, where he faced off against the Wei army at Tongguan.

  Wei Huizong Wang retreated back to his capital after being defeated at Xuzhou, knowing that the Chu army was much stronger than Wei. The defeat at Xuzhou led to Qi's army attacking Wei's Puyang from the east, Zhao's army attacking Wei's Hebi from the south, and Qin's army pressing in from the west. In 334 BC, Chu Wu Wang gathered an army of 400,000 men at Xuzhou and marched towards Wei's capital Daliang. Wei Huizong Wang was terrified and offered to cede Puyang and three other cities east of it to Qi, and promised to hand over the title of Hegemon to Qi Wu Wang, asking him to call off his troops.

  Wei also ceded Hebi and several other cities north of it to Zhao, and several cities west of the Yellow River to Qin. Both Zhao and Qin called off their troops. Wei Huizong Wang then sent a message to Qi, Qin, Zhao, Han, Yue, Yan, and Song, announcing that he would abdicate as Hegemon in favor of Qi Wu Wang at Xuzhou the following spring.

  Wei retreated from its position as leader of the states, and Chu Wu Wang was pleased. However, Wei Huizong Wang secretly told Chu Wu Wang: "I admit defeat at Xuzhou, and acknowledge that the Chu army is the strongest in the land! I wanted to hand over the title of Hegemon to you, but Qi Wu Wang pressured me, so I will do it next spring at Xuzhou. If you want to be the new leader, come and take it from me then. Why bother pressuring a defeated old man like me? Even if you capture my capital Daliang, Qi Wu Wang won't let you have the title of Hegemon, and the other states won't recognize you as their leader either. And even if you do capture Daliang, your army will be exhausted, and then Qi Wu Wang will lead the other states to attack you, and you'll lose the title again."

  Chu Wu Wang was convinced by Wei's words and called off his troops, saving Wei's capital from destruction.

  In the spring of 333 BC, in the seventh year of King Wei of Chu, King Huiwen of Wei held a grand ceremony at Xuzhou to confer the title of "Hegemon" on himself. He said: "The Hegemonic Crown is for those who have the ability and virtue to wear it. Today, facing the turmoil of the world, the state of Wei has no more power to shake the four directions, so I will present the Hegemonic Crown to the most powerful and virtuous ruler in the world, to lead the vassals and bring blessings to the world. If anyone thinks they are worthy, they can come forward and take the crown from me." After finishing speaking, he took off his crown, and the vassals looked at each other, whispering to each other but no one dared to step forward to take the crown.

  The states of Qin, Zhao, Yue, and Song had always been eyeing the Hegemonic Crown, but they knew that only Qi and Chu were qualified to take it. King Wei of Chu was a wise man, and he saw that the armies of Qi, Qin, Zhao, Yue, Han, Yan, and Song were all surrounding Xuzhou, so he ordered his troops to stand down and observe.

  King Huiwen of Wei said: "Gentlemen, you are too modest! Alas, I am no longer worthy of wearing the Hegemonic Crown. Today, King Wei of Qi is virtuous and powerful, and the army of Qi is invincible. I recommend King Wei of Qi as the Hegemon of the world. If anyone disagrees, they can come forward and compete with the army of Qi." After finishing speaking, he presented the crown to King Wei of Qi, who walked forward to take it.

  King Wei of Qi said: "I have no ability or virtue, how can I lead the vassals and become the Hegemon? It is all thanks to the prestige of King Huiwen of Wei. In my opinion, the two kings should coexist and rule the world together. Who dares to disobey?" The other vassals were not convinced, but they feared the power of Qi's army, so they did not speak out.

  King Wei of Chu saw that Qin and Zhao were silent, so he stepped forward and said loudly: "Wait! In the Battle of Maling, the army of Qi was defeated by the army of Wei. How can Qi be considered a powerful state? Sun Bin used his clever tactics to defeat Pang Juan, but that does not mean that Qi's army is invincible." King Huiwen of Wei hastily said: "King Wei of Chu is right! The true powerful state is indeed Chu! In the Battle of Xuchang, the armies of Wei and Han were defeated."

  King Wei of Qi was furious and his face turned green with rage. He said: "How dare you, King of Chu! You are too arrogant and look down on me!" King Wei of Chu said: "Not at all! Let us fight one-on-one, either in a duel or in a battle. If the army of Qi can defeat the army of Chu, then you can take the crown."

  Qin and Zhao cheered loudly, and Qin Huiwen Gong and Zhao Wen Wang shouted: "Right! The strong should be the Hegemon, let us fight one-on-one!"

  The Duke of Qi was enraged, and he turned his army around, took up a long sword, mounted a white horse, and galloped forward. The King of Chu saw this and jumped onto a black steed, holding a long spear, and charged forward. The two armies clashed on the open plains.

  The King of Chu grew more courageous as the battle raged on, and the Duke of Qi could only defend himself without being able to counterattack. Just then, the King of Chu struck with his spear, and the Duke of Qi raised his sword to block it. With a loud clang, the Duke of Qi stumbled backward.

  Again, the King of Chu's spear thrust forward, reaching the Duke of Qi's throat, causing him to break out in cold sweat. The Qi army hastily sent out three generals, led by General Kuang Piao (the father of Kuang Zhang), who shouted, "Do not harm our king!"

  The Chu general Qu Wu charged forward on horseback, swinging his sword and engaging the three Qi generals. Two Qi generals blocked Qu Wu, while General Kuang Piao swung his sword at the King of Chu.

  The King of Chu saw this and changed his spear from a thrusting to a sweeping motion. With a loud clang, he deflected Kuang Piao's sword. Qu Wu struck down two Qi generals with his sword and then charged towards Kuang Piao.

  The Duke of Qi retreated in defeat, but the King of Chu did not pursue him. General Kuang Piao engaged Qu Wu in a fierce battle for thirty rounds, but was ultimately defeated and also retreated.

  In an instant, the various lords were shaken. The Duke of Qi, still seething with anger and humiliation, led his army of 100,000 men to form up in array. The King of Chu waved his spear, and his army of 100,000 men marched out in formation.

  The various lords saw this and retreated one after another. Suddenly, the war drums of the Chu army boomed, and the King of Chu pointed with his spear, charging forward on horseback and killing his way into the Qi army. The 100,000-strong Chu army surged forward like a raging torrent, and none of the Qi soldiers could withstand them.

  After about half an hour of fighting, the Qi army was unable to resist the Chu army's attack, and the Duke of Qi led his troops in a chaotic retreat.

  Historically, "Xu State's King" ended abruptly like this. Before Qi Wei Wang could even take over the crown of hegemony, he was defeated by Chu Wei Wang and his army was left in disarray. The various vassals dispersed, and Qi Wei Wang, unwilling to accept defeat, returned to the capital of Qi, Zibo, and mobilized 300,000 troops to march south and attack the Chu army. He also made an alliance with the states of Wei, Song, and Yue to launch a joint attack on the Chu army in Xuzhou and Huainan.

  Wei Hui Wang agreed verbally but did not take action, adopting a wait-and-see attitude. The ruler of Song saw that 300,000 Chu troops had gathered in Xuzhou and dared not send his troops to attack the Chu army. The king of Yue, however, led 200,000 Yue troops out of Guangling to help Qi Wei Wang attack the Chu army in Huainan, advancing as far as Yancheng.

  Chu Wei Wang saw this and immediately ordered 100,000 Chu troops from Shouchun to attack Guangling. He also led 200,000 Chu troops eastward and southward, defeating the Yue king's army at Yancheng and Huai'an. Then, he joined forces with the 100,000 Chu troops from Shouchun to attack the Yue army in Guangling, killing tens of thousands of them. The king of Yue led his remaining troops back to Gusu.

  At this time, Qi Wei Wang took advantage of the fact that the main force of the Chu army had marched south to Guangling and divided his 300,000 troops into three routes to attack the Chu army's Linzi and Zaozhuang. They advanced as far as Xuzhou. The 100,000 Chu troops defending Xuzhou held out for a month, but after Chu Wei Wang defeated the Yue king's army, he led his troops northward to engage Qi Wei Wang's 300,000 troops in a decisive battle at Xuzhou.

  The Chu army won three battles in a row and defeated the Qi army from Xuzhou to Lianyungang, killing 150,000 of them. They recovered Linzi and Zaozhuang and advanced as far as Ju County in Shandong Province, capturing Pei County, Jining, and the entire Weishan Lake. Just when Chu Wei Wang was about to lead his troops northward to Tai'an and Laiwu, the army of Wei gathered at Xuchang.

  Chu Wei Wang heard this news and immediately stopped his attack on Qi. He ordered 200,000 Chu troops to garrison Xuzhou and Huainan and led 200,000 troops day and night to hurry back to Xuchang. When Wei Hui Wang heard that Qi Wei Wang's army had been defeated at Xuzhou and the Chu army was approaching rapidly, he hastily ordered his troops to retreat back to Daliang.

  In the 8th and 9th years of King Wu of Chu, the Chu army repeatedly launched attacks on Wei, capturing several counties west of Xuchang to Taikang. When Qin Duke Huiwen saw that the Chu army had defeated the Qi army and was marching north to attack Wei, he took advantage of the situation to launch a series of attacks on the Wei army in the western river valley. To block the Chu army's advance northward and protect his capital Daliang, King Hui of Wei was unable to defend against Qin and ceded the land west of the Yellow River to Qin. From then on, all the land west of the Yellow River belonged to Qin, and Tongguan was also occupied by the Qin army.

  In the 10th year of King Wu of Chu, he launched an attack from Fangxi and defeated the Shu army, expanding his territory to Ankang; in the same year, he again launched an attack from Qianzhong and defeated the Shu army at Bayu, expanding his territory to Yuzhou (Chongqing).

  In the 11th year of King Wu of Chu, he suddenly fell ill and died. His son Xiong Xuan succeeded him as King Hui of Chu.

  King Wu of Chu reigned for 11 years, during which time he expanded his territory by nearly a thousand miles. At that time, the state of Chu had a vast territory of over 5,000 miles, with Dongting (Hunan) and Cangwu (western Hunan and eastern Guangxi) in the south, Yongjun (from Fangxian to Ankang City) in the west, Fangye and Xuchang in the north, and Huainan and Pixi in the east. The state had a population of over 30 million people and an army of one million soldiers, making it the largest and most powerful state among all the vassal states.

  The state of Qin, on the other hand, stretched from Hancheng to Tongguan and Shaoxing, with a territory of over 2,500 miles, a population of seven million people, and an army of 600,000 soldiers. At that time, the southern part of Jiangsu and Anhui were still under the control of the state of Yue, which had an army of over 400,000 soldiers, roughly equal to that of the state of Han.

  The state of Shu, on the other hand, stretched from the south to Bayu, with a territory in Hanzhong, an army of over 300,000 soldiers, and garrisons in Chengdu and Hanzhong. The state of Qi had just begun to show signs of replacing Wei as the dominant power, but was defeated by Chu and forced to retreat.

  At that time, the state of Chu was at its peak, with a vast territory and a powerful army that inspired awe throughout the land. However, due to the rapid rise of Qin, which posed a threat to both Qi and Chu, and the fact that Wei still had considerable strength despite its decline, the state of Chu had not yet reached the point where it could truly dominate the entire country.

  The task of contending for dominance over all the vassal states naturally fell on the shoulders of King Hui of Chu.