Baoyi Chang Chu established military prestige, met with vassals in Xuzhou to compete for hegemony.
Shang Yang led the defeated soldiers and generals, fleeing from Luoyang to Tongguan. With tears streaming down his face, he repeatedly begged Wei Gongzi to take him in. Wei Gongzi was moved by Shang Yang's desperation. However, General Wei Jia said: "You treacherous villain! You've finally gotten what you deserved. You're a wolf from Zhongshan, and your greed knows no bounds. Isn't it enough that you plotted against my lord? I wanted to kill you, but I didn't want to sully my precious sword." Wei Gongzi listened and left with a flick of his sleeve. Shang Yang had no choice but to lead his defeated soldiers to Huayin, where he gathered his old troops and attempted to make a last stand. Qin Duke Huiwen ordered Sima Cuo and Xiang Shou to lead 200,000 troops to surround and capture Shang Yang. Shang Yang refused to surrender and led his army into battle, but his soldiers turned against him, and he was defeated and captured. He was taken to Xianyang, where Qin Duke Huiwen sentenced him to be torn apart by five horses. After his death, a sudden thunderstorm struck, burning Shang Yang's remains. Alas! Although Shang Yang had great merit in the state of Qin, it was all for personal gain and fame, and he abandoned all sense of morality. It is not excessive to call him a wolf from Zhongshan. The tragic thing is that his entire family was executed in Xianyang, a victim of his own actions.
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. Duke Huiwen of Wei asked for help, and ordered ten thousand men from Yangdi and Gongyi and another ten thousand men from Daliang to go southward to rescue Xuchang. Marquis Ai of Han also sent ten thousand men from Zhengzhou and Xinzheng to go southward to support the Wei army.
In August, the Wei army that marched southward 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 southward from Daliang was intercepted by the Chu army marching northward from Zhoukou, and the ten thousand Han soldiers who marched southward from Handu were defeated by the Chu army marching northward 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 and the Daliang Wei army east of Taikang. In October, the Chu army captured Xuchang, and the remaining Wei soldiers retreated hastily back to Daliang.
In this year's Battle of Xuchang, the Chu army killed nineteen thousand Wei soldiers and over five thousand Han soldiers, capturing the city of Xuchang from Wei and approaching the capital of Han. The king of Han was already frightened.
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 had been greatly weakened. He ordered Sima Cuo and Xiang Shou to lead an army of two hundred thousand men, divided into two routes, to march eastward from Xianyang.
Xiang Shou defeated the Wei army at Hancheng, but Sima Cuo was unable to defeat the famous general Wei Jia of Wei at Tongguan, 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 at Xuzhou and marched towards Wei's capital Daliang. Wei Huizong Wang was terrified and ceded Puyang to Qi, promising to hand over the Hegemonic Crown to Qi Wu Wang and recognize him as the new hegemon. He also ceded Hebi to Zhao and several cities west of the Yellow River to Qin, leading to both countries withdrawing 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 Xu state the following spring. He secretly told Chu Wu Wang: "I was thoroughly defeated at Xuzhou, and I acknowledge that the Chu army is the strongest in the land! I wanted to hand over the Hegemonic Crown to you, but Qi Wu Wang has been pressuring me relentlessly. Next spring, I will present it to the most qualified candidate in front of all the vassals. If you want to be the new hegemon, come and take it from me then. Why bother pressuring this unfortunate old hegemon? Even if you capture my capital Daliang, Qi Wu Wang won't let you have the Hegemonic Crown, and the vassals won't recognize you as the new hegemon either. Even if you breach Daliang's walls, your army will be exhausted, and when that happens, Qi Wu Wang will lead the vassals to attack your weakened forces, and you'll lose the crown again." Chu Wu Wang found this reasonable and withdrew his troops, saving Wei's capital Daliang 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 came 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 his army is invincible. I recommend him as the Hegemon of the world. If anyone disagrees, they can come forward and compete with the Qi army." He then presented the crown to King Wei of Qi, who came forward to accept it, saying: "I have no ability or virtue, but I will rely on the prestige of the king of Wei to lead the vassals and become the Hegemon. In my opinion, the two kings should coexist and rule the world together."
The other vassals were not convinced, but they feared the power of the Qi army, so they did not speak out. King Wei of Qi was about to accept the crown when King Wu of Chu stepped forward and said loudly: "Wait! In the Battle of Maling, the Qi army was defeated by the Wei army, how can it be the strongest in the world? Sun Bin's clever strategy defeated Pang Juan, but that doesn't mean the Qi army is invincible."
King Huiwen of Wei hastily said: "King Wu of Chu is right! The true strongest army in the world is the Chu army! In the Battle of Xuchang, the armies of Wei and Han were defeated." King Wei of Qi was furious, his face turned green with rage, and he shouted: "How dare you, King Wu of Chu! Are you saying that my Qi army is afraid of your Chu army?"
King Wu of Chu replied: "No! Let's have a one-on-one duel, either single combat or a battle between our armies. If the Qi army can defeat the Chu army, then you can take the crown and go." The states of Qin and Zhao cheered in unison, with King Huiwen of Qin and King Wen of Zhao shouting: "Agreed! The strong should be the Hegemon, one-on-one!"
