Established the Three Palaces, rectified the military and governed with severity, cast new swords to conquer Shu and pacify Ba.

  In 329 BC, the eleventh year of King Wei of Chu, King Wei suddenly fell ill and died at the age of 56. His son, King Hui of Chu, ascended to the throne at the age of 32.

  King Hui was 1.78 meters tall, and from a young age, he enjoyed dancing with swords and spears. He had extraordinary arm strength and a majestic physique. In his youth, he received excellent education from the royal school of Chu, where he learned literature and became well-versed in books. He possessed both an overbearing aura and a heroic demeanor.

  At the age of 20, he married Qu Yuan's cousin, Qu Ying, as ordered by his father. At the age of 28, which was also the seventh year of King Wei of Chu, Chu and Qin formed an alliance through marriage. King Hui married the younger sister of Duke Huiwen of Qin, Yingying, while Duke Huiwen of Qin married King Hui's cousin, Ai Xiu.

  At the age of 31, which was also the tenth year of King Wei of Chu, Chu and Qi formed an alliance, and King Hui married the daughter of King Wei of Qi, Tian Hui. During his time as crown prince, he often rode horses, shot arrows, and discussed military strategies with four close friends: Zhao Yi (from Fan City), Zhao Yang (from Jingmen), Tang Mi (from Xiangyang), and others.

  Not long after King Wei's death, when the entire country was still in mourning, King Hui of Wei disregarded moral principles and sent General Xi to lead an army of 100,000 soldiers to attack Chu. They aimed to retake the lands of Xingyang, Yuzhou, and Gucheng, which had been lost to King Wei.

  King Hui was enraged but could not wage war while still in mourning. He endured the humiliation and anger, completing the funeral rites before taking action. After the funeral, he familiarized himself with state affairs and began to prepare for war. He ordered the creation of new swords and spears, appointed Zhao Yu as prime minister, Jing Shang as senior official, Qu Wu as senior general (the highest military rank, second only to King Hui), and others such as Zhao Yi, Zhao Yang, Qu Xuan (Qu Wu's son and Qu Ying's younger brother), Qu Zhuang (Qu Yuan's older cousin), Tang Mi, Jing Cui, Jing Kui, and Liu Xiang (later renamed Liu Xiang due to the same pronunciation) as high-ranking generals.

  Day and night, they trained their troops, preparing to avenge themselves against Wei, which was still considered the dominant power in the land. They sought to determine who would emerge victorious between King Hui of Chu and King Huiwen of Wei.

  At that time, the Chu state had a territory of 5,000 miles and a population of over 30 million people with an army of one million. King Hui of Chu adjusted his military department and ordered Zhaoyang to lead 200,000 troops to garrison Xu State, Huai North, Lin Yi, and Zaozhuang; Jing Cui led 100,000 Chu soldiers to guard Xuchang, Fangxian, Ye County, Zhoukou, and Haozhou; Qu Xi led 100,000 Chu soldiers to guard Shangnan, Xixia, and Zhechuan. Zhaoying led 200,000 troops to garrison Nanyang, guarding the southern part of Nanyang, including Nanxian, Xinyang, Xiangfan, and Jingmen; Tang Mi led 100,000 Chu soldiers to guard Jiangling and Hankou; Liu Xiang led 100,000 Chu soldiers to guard Yongjun's Fang County, Ankang, Xunyang, and Yunxi; Qu Zhuang led 100,000 Chu soldiers to guard the southern part of the Yangtze River, with 50,000 Chu soldiers guarding each of the two counties of Changsha and Qianzhong. In addition, there were also 50,000 elite palace guards in Jingzhou.

  This year, King Hui of Chu established one capital (Jingzhou) and seven counties with 40 counties. The seven counties are:

  1. Xuzhou County, governing the northern Anhui, northern Jiangsu, and upper Huai River regions.

  2. Jiangnan County, governing central Anhui and northern Jiangxi Province.

  3. Qianzhong County, governing northern Guizhou to Bazhong.

  4. Cangwu County, governing southwestern Hunan, southeastern Guizhou, and northeastern Guangxi.

  5. Yong County, governing the area from Fangxian to Ankang, over 300 miles to Xunyang, Yunxi, and Shangyang.

  6. The Wuwan County was changed to Nanyang County, governing Dengzhou, Nanzhao, Shangnan, Xinyang, Fangxian, Ye County, Luhe, Zhoukou, Xuchang, Yuzhou, Ruzhou regions.

  7. Dongting was changed to Changsha County, governing northern and central Hunan Province.

  One capital is Jingzhou, governing Jiangling, Zigui, Ezhou, Hankou, Suizhou.

  At the same time, Queen Qu of Qi was established as Beigong (North Palace), Queen Qin of Yan was established as Xigong (West Palace), and Queen Tian of Qi was established as Donggong (East Palace). Among the three palaces, the North Palace, Qu's family, was the largest. Unfortunately, none of the three queens gave birth to a prince for King Hui of Chu; they only had princesses.

  In 327 BC, the second year of King Hui of Chu, King Hui gathered his troops and prepared to launch a northern campaign against the State of Wei. Just as he was about to set out, an urgent report arrived from the western border: The army of Shu (in present-day Sichuan province) had launched a massive invasion with 150,000 troops, capturing Bazhong and approaching Wushan and Qianzhong. It turned out that Hou Hui, the ruler of Shu, had taken advantage of the recent death of King Wu of Chu and the inexperience of the newly enthroned King Hui to launch a surprise attack. He mobilized 150,000 troops, including 30,000 cavalry and 120,000 infantry, with the intention of conquering not only Wushan but also Qianzhong, which belonged to Chu. Upon receiving this news, King Hui immediately put his plans for a northern campaign against Wei on hold and ordered Zuo to lead the main army in defense against potential attacks from Wei and Han. He then personally led an army of 200,000 troops (60,000 cavalry and 140,000 infantry) westward, accompanied by General Tang Ju. The Chu army marched from Jingzhou through Yichang, Zigui, Badong, and into Wushan, where they clashed with the Shu army. This battle was not only King Hui's first military campaign since his accession to the throne but also his first opportunity to establish his authority throughout the kingdom.

  The Chu army marched from Ba Dong, entered Wu Gorge, and met the 100,000-strong army of the Marquis of Shu at Fengjie County. Both sides formed their battle arrays, and King Hui of Chu rode his horse forward and asked, "Are you the Marquis of Shu?" The Marquis of Shu replied, "I am." King Hui asked, "Why have you raised an army to invade our territory?" The Marquis of Shu said, "When did Wu Ba become part of Chu's territory? I've never heard of it before." King Hui asked, "Why do you invade my Qianzhong?" The Marquis of Shu replied, "Qianzhong was taken by your ancestors from others, and there is no clear boundary. How can you say that I invaded your Qianzhong?" King Hui became enraged, drew out the Chu king's sword, and felt a cold light radiating from it. This was not an ordinary sword but a heavy one-meter-long sword made of high-quality steel, extremely sharp. The Marquis of Shu saw that the Chu army was too strong, and as the battle began, he said to King Hui, "If you want to fight, let's have a one-on-one duel; don't use your numbers to bully me." King Hui listened and then put his precious sword back into its scabbard, saying, "Tang Mei, take command of 3,000 cavalry and 2,000 infantry and retreat. Do not come forward to support me; if you do, I will behead you!" Tang Mei led the 5,000 Chu soldiers in retreat and formed an array to watch the battle. King Hui waved his hand, and the Chu army's 3,000 cavalry and 12,000 infantry divided into three routes: left, center, and right. The infantry formed three ten-layer square arrays, while the cavalry formed a horizontal line and two vertical lines.

  King Huai of Chu held a long spear, 2.5 meters in length, much thicker and heavier than the spears of ordinary soldiers, made of high-quality steel, and its entire body was black and shiny. When both sides were ready, King Huai of Chu shouted loudly: "Beat the drum!" As soon as the war drum of the Chu camp sounded, King Huai of Chu rode his horse and swung his spear, charging straight at Marquis Huan of Shu. This King Huai of Chu was riding a black stallion, which could travel 900 miles in one day, galloping like the wind. When Marquis Huan of Shu saw this, he hastily urged his horse forward to meet King Huai of Chu. Marquis Huan of Shu wielded two steel spears, like a hunter hunting, brave and unmatched among the three armies, and no one in the Shu army could rival him. He was only 38 years old, with a strong build, dark complexion, and a fierce appearance. As soon as King Huai of Chu's spear arrived, Marquis Huan of Shu raised his two spears to block it hastily, but all he heard was a loud "clang!" The steel spear in Marquis Huan of Shu's left hand was knocked to the ground, its handle shattered, and the steel spear in his right hand almost flew out of his hand. His hands were numb from the shock. Marquis Huan of Shu never expected King Huai of Chu to have such divine strength, and he cried out loudly: "Not good!" He turned his horse around and hastily retreated back to his formation. King Huai of Chu shouted loudly: "Where are you going?" He urged his horse forward, chasing after Marquis Huan of Shu. King Huai of Chu's black stallion galloped like the wind, and in an instant, it arrived at the front of the Shu army's formation, catching up to Marquis Huan of Shu. King Huai of Chu thrust his spear forward, and just as it was about to reach Marquis Huan of Shu's back, Marquis Huan of Shu cried out loudly: "I'm done for!" He hastily leaned forward and fell onto the horse's back. As soon as King Huai of Chu saw this, he raised his spear and struck. Just then, two Shu generals, one holding a long spear and the other grasping a long pike, rode their horses to come and rescue Marquis Huan of Shu. The two Shu generals hastily held up their spears and pikes to block King Huai of Chu's heavy blow. All that was heard were two loud "clangs!" One steel pike was broken, and the head of one long spear was shattered. Marquis Huan of Shu took advantage of this opportunity to escape back into his formation. As soon as King Huai of Chu saw this, he swept his spear horizontally, and the two Shu generals hastily raised their spears and pikes to block it. "Clang! Clang!" The spears and pikes in the hands of the two Shu generals were knocked flying to the ground. King Huai of Chu thrust his spear forward at an angle, and one of the Shu generals cried out loudly as he fell off his horse, dead. Another Shu general saw this and was so frightened that he hastily turned his horse around and fled in a panic.

  King Huai of Chu held a spear in his left hand and drew the sword of the King of Chu with his right, and the Chu army suddenly killed the sky. 300,000 cavalry and 1.2 million infantry rushed to the Shu army. First, the Chu army's 10,000 cavalry, in a horizontal line, charged forward. The Shu army's cavalry saw this and hastily urged their horses to fight back, but did not know that the other 20,000 Chu cavalry had formed two vertical teams, charging towards both wings of the Shu army. The Shu army's cavalry hastily divided its troops to intercept them, but the 10,000 Chu cavalry in front were lined up horizontally, almost running on the same line, while the Shu cavalry that came forward to fight was uneven. Only saw the Chu army's 10,000 horses galloping together, and 10,000 guns raised at the same time. How could the thousands of Shu cavalry that came forward in an uneven manner withstand this powerful blow? In an instant, the Shu army's cavalry fell down by 5,000. The Shu cavalry that intercepted the 20,000 Chu cavalry on both sides was disorderly and slantingly charged over, just as they were about to intercept the first Chu cavalry, the second, third, and fourth had already rushed past, and with a knife or gun in hand, they killed the Shu cavalry that was fighting, while borrowing the degree of running and the force of the war horse, from the side. The two wings charged towards the Shu infantry, and the Shu infantry's formation became chaotic, with heavy casualties. At this time, the 1.2 million Chu infantry had already formed three large ten-layer square arrays and rushed forward. This ten-layer square array was an attacking method that included defense. When the Shu army wanted to use cavalry to impact the Chu infantry array, the first layer of Chu soldiers raised their shields with their left hands and swung their knives with their right hands. The first and second layers of Chu soldiers drew their bows and shot arrows in turns, killing the Shu cavalry. Therefore, the Shu cavalry could not approach the Chu infantry array, and a few who rushed forward were already shot down by arrows, and the first layer of Chu soldiers cut them off with a knife. When the Chu infantry array met the Shu infantry, the Chu soldiers in each layer took turns attacking, causing the Shu infantry to retreat repeatedly, with countless casualties. Although the Shu generals and soldiers were brave, they had never practiced the formation of 10,000 people, and their overall strength was not as strong as that of the Chu army. Moreover, King Huai of Chu was invincible in bravery, and with one defeat, he swept across thousands of armies with a single long spear. No one in the Shu army could resist him. The morale of the Shu army had already been low, while the Chu army saw their king so mighty that their morale soared instantly, becoming more courageous as they fought. Therefore, the Shu army was initially able to withstand for a long time, but later became defeated at the slightest touch. The Chu army took advantage of the situation and pursued them closely, not letting go. The Marquis of Shu led his 700,000 remaining soldiers in a desperate retreat, fleeing from Fengjie to Yunyang, then from Yunyang to Liangping, and finally back to the capital of Shu (Chengdu) in one breath, without even daring to look back. After this battle, the Marquis of Shu was indeed intimidated by King Huai of Chu.

  The Chu and Shu armies clashed in Fuling County, Sichuan. The Chu army killed 80,000 Shu soldiers (10,000 cavalry and 70,000 infantry), captured nearly 10,000 war horses, and seized 800,000 sets of armor and weapons, as well as a large quantity of grain and fodder. As a result, the Chu army's cavalry increased by 10,000 men, becoming a force of 70,000 horsemen.

  The Chu army then marched from Badong County, Wushan County, through Fuling County, to Yunyang County, before dividing into two routes. One route was led by Tang Mi with an army of 100,000 men, marching from Yunyang County to Liangping County, Dianjiang County, Yuzhou (Chongqing), Luzhou City, Yibin City, Neijiang City, and eventually reaching Ziyang City, not far from Chengdu City.

  The other route was led by the King of Chu with an army of 100,000 men, marching from Yunyang County to Dazhou City, Bazhong City, Guang'an City, Nanchong City, Suining City, and approaching Mianyang. Half a year later, the two armies met in Jianyang City. Along the way, the Chu army recruited local militia, gaining 50,000 soldiers, with 20,000 guarding Wushan and 30,000 guarding Yuzhou (Chongqing).

  The Lord of Shu saw that the Chu army was approaching in two routes and was about to reach Chengdu, so he urgently sent a letter to Duke Huiwen of Qin (who had not yet been crowned king) for help. Duke Huiwen of Qin received the letter from the Lord of Shu asking for help, and immediately summoned his civil and military officials to discuss it. "Now, King Huai of Chu is leading an army of 200,000 to attack Shu and has reached Chengdu. The Lord of Shu has asked me for help. If I send troops to rescue him, Qin and Chu will inevitably become enemies, and one day they will go to war. If I don't rescue him, Chu will destroy Shu and move north to take over the land up to Nanzheng." Gan Long said: "If the Chu army destroys Shu, it will definitely move north to take Hanzhong. At that time, if we send troops to resist the Chu army, it will become a confrontation between Qin and Chu. The Chu army is powerful, and based on the current strength of the two countries, I fear that Qin cannot withstand Chu. It's better to take advantage of the fact that the Lord of Shu still has tens of thousands of soldiers in Chengdu, and have our lord order a general to lead 100,000 elite troops south to enter Chengdu, under the pretext of helping Shu, but actually taking this opportunity to take over Guangyuan as preparation for taking over Shu in the future. King Huai of Chu has a large army of 200,000, but after a year of continuous fighting, he is already exhausted. Chengdu is far from the capital of Chu, and the Chu army's reinforcements are weak. The combined forces of Qin and Shu will be able to withstand the 200,000-strong Chu army, and with time, the Chu army's food and grass will not last, and King Huai will naturally retreat. Our lord can then control Shu without shedding blood." Duke Huiwen of Qin listened and said: "Good!" He immediately ordered General Sima Cuo to lead 100,000 elite Qin troops to rush to Chengdu to resist the Chu army. The Lord of Shu knew that Qin was a country of tigers and wolves, and inviting the Qin army into Shu to protect the country was like inviting a wolf into one's home. But he had no other choice, because if he didn't do this, King Huai would definitely not spare Shu, and the Chu army would definitely annihilate the Shu army. He had no way out, and his only hope for survival led him to invite the wolf to resist the tiger. As a result, the Qin army finally arrived in Shu, and Chengdu was temporarily preserved. However, from then on, Shu owed a debt of gratitude to Qin that could never be repaid, and Shu became a puppet state of Qin, with its army becoming a puppet army of Qin as well. Sima Cuo's 100,000-strong Qin army occupied Guangyuan, and took control of Mianzhu, Deyang, and the outskirts of Chengdu, tightly controlling the Lord of Shu's army.

  The army of King Huai of Chu marched from Badong and Wushan to Chengdu and Mianyang, swallowing the entire Chongqing area, northwest Guizhou and eastern Sichuan in one go. After nearly a year of running and continuous battles, soldiers and horses were already very tired. At this time, the Shu state's army in Chengdu still had 150,000 troops, together with Sima Cuo's 100,000 Qin troops, totaling 250,000 soldiers. King Huai of Chu saw that the Qin general Sima Cuo led 100,000 Qin troops to rescue the capital of Shu, and the Qin and Shu armies only defended without fighting, so he had to temporarily give up his plan to destroy the state of Shu. He led the army back to the capital of Chu in 324 BC, King Huai's third year. The Wuguo was established, governing a vast area including Baxi, Chongqing and eastern Sichuan. Later, Wuguo was changed to Bayu Prefecture, with its administrative center moved from Wushan to Yucheng (now Chongqing), covering an area equivalent to the current provinces of Bazhong, Nanchong, Suining, Ziyang, Yibin in the east and the entire city of Chongqing. The Qianzhong Prefecture was no longer a small piece of northeastern Guizhou during the period of King Wu of Chu, but expanded to the entire province of Guizhou. In just over a year, King Huai of Chu expanded his territory by 1,500 miles, and the new territory obtained by the state of Chu was twice as large as the Qianzhong Prefecture established during the period of King Wu of Chu. When the news arrived in the capital of Chu, the whole country was jubilant, the people's hearts were stirred, and the morale of the soldiers was high. On the way back to the army, another 50,000 troops were recruited to garrison Bayu.

  King Hui of Chu led the great army back to Jingzhou, and ordered generals Qu Zhuang and Tang Mi to lead 100,000 troops each from Jiujiang and Changsha, marching south to capture Xiangtan, Zhuzhou, Hengyang, Chenzhou in Hunan Province, as well as Yuzhang (Nanchang), Yichun, Fuzhou, Ji'an to Ganzhou in Jiangxi Province. The territory expanded by a thousand miles, and six new counties were established. At this time, the territory of Chu had reached 7,500 miles, with a population of over 38 million people, occupying the entire provinces of Hunan, Jiangxi, and Guizhou. The administrative region was divided into eight prefectures and 54 counties, with an army of 1.1 million soldiers. In these two years, Qin expanded its territory without making any progress, but increased its military by 100,000 troops, basically controlling Shu State militarily. At this time, the population of Qin was still over 7 million, but it had a military force of 700,000, with a ratio of soldiers to civilians three times that of Chu, which can be described as exhausting the army and being militaristic. However, in terms of overall strength, Qin was still far behind Chu. If King Hui of Chu also expanded his military like Duke Huiwen of Qin, disregarding the lives of his people, then the military force of Chu would have become 38 million soldiers.

  The King of Qin, Huiwen, ordered the great general Sima Cuo to lead 100,000 troops to rescue Shu, which was a blatant provocation to the King of Chu, Huai. For the proud and overbearing King Huai, it was difficult to swallow this insult. However, the Queen of Chu's Western Palace was the younger sister of King Huiwen of Qin, and the Queen of Qin's Southern Palace, Mi Xiu, was also the aunt of King Huai of Chu. How could they become enemies? From then on, the relationship between Qin and Chu deteriorated from friendly to hostile, eventually leading to a decisive battle in 325 BC, where the 200,000-strong army of Chu, led by King Huai, clashed with the combined forces of Qin and Shu, numbering over 200,000, at Hanyin Pingchuan. This was the famous Battle of Hanyin.