Chapter 46: Duke Jing of Qi’s "Anti-Jin Alliance"

Duke Jing of Qi always cherished the dream of reviving the hegemony once held by Duke Huan of Qi. Driven by this lofty ambition, he diligently attended to state affairs, cherished his subjects, and appointed officials based on merit alone, causing Qi's national strength to grow with each passing day. In foreign relations, Duke Jing maintained a dignified and confident posture; when confronting the dominant power of the time, the State of Jin, he vigorously upheld Qi's image as a great state.

On one occasion, Duke Jing traveled to Dongcheng in the State of Jin to offer congratulations to the newly enthroned ruler, Duke Zhao of Jin. During the banquet, the two sovereigns engaged in a pitch-pot game. Duke Zhao took the first turn, and Zhonghang Wu, a Jin official, offered this praise: "In our domain, we have an abundance of meat, and wine as vast as the waters of the Huai River. Should our ruler successfully pitch the arrow, our State of Jin shall become the supreme leader of all feudal lords." What was originally intended as a simple game was thus transformed by Zhonghang Wu's words into a contest of national prestige between the two states.

When Duke Zhao of Jin took his turn, he indeed hit the target, drawing thunderous cheers from all the civil and military officials. It was now Duke Jing's turn. Taking the arrow, Duke Jing declared: "We have meat as vast as mountain ranges, and wine as vast as the Meng River. Should I successfully pitch this arrow today, I shall replace the ruler of Jin as the hegemon." With that, Duke Jing released his arrow and struck the target dead center. This covert contest of strength between Qi and Jin during the banquet vividly demonstrated Duke Jing's refusal to submit to the strong and his ambition to enrich the country and strengthen its military.

The reason Duke Jing dared to challenge Duke Zhao in the pitch-pot game was precisely because Qi's national strength was growing day by day, a might that would become even more apparent during the subsequent internal turmoil within Jin.

Just as Duke Zhao of Jin began to feel that the rivalry for hegemony between Jin and Qi was growing increasingly unmistakable, turmoil struck the State of Chu: King Ling of Chu was assassinated, and King Ping ascended the throne. Believing this to be the optimal moment to consolidate Jin's hegemonic status, Duke Zhao led the armies of five among the Six Ministries to station themselves in the State of Wei, notifying the other feudal lords to prepare for the formation of a new allied coalition.

With the consent of King Jing of Zhou, Duke Zhao sent envoys to sound out Duke Jing of Qi. Realizing that Qi's current military strength could not yet rival that of Jin, Duke Jing felt compelled to comply with Jin's demands. He told the envoy, "Whether or not to join the alliance is entirely up to you great states; we of Qi have no choice but to obey. Go back and report to Duke Zhao of Jin that I will most certainly attend the alliance." When the envoy relayed this response, Duke Zhao proceeded to Pingqiu, where he and the rulers of the other feudal lords inspected Jin's war chariots and reviewed its troops. Witnessing the formidable strength of Jin, all the feudal states were deeply shaken.

During this process, Duke Zhao discovered that some among the feudal lords harbored ulterior motives toward Jin, having joined the alliance merely out of fear of Jin's might. Through this Grand Assembly at Pingqiu, Duke Jing keenly perceived that a considerable gap still existed in military strength between Qi and Jin. If Qi were to break completely with Jin and turn into an enemy at this juncture, it would only drive the six prominent ministerial clans of Jin to unite even more closely, and a united Jin was invincible to all.

It was precisely at this historical juncture that an opportunity for Qi's revitalization presented itself before Duke Jing. At that time, the influence of the Six Ministries within Jin was immensely powerful; the six major clans of Han, Zhao, Wei, Zhi, Fan, and Zhonghang controlled the imperial court, reducing the sovereign to a mere figurehead. However, these six clans lacked internal unity and harmony, and power struggles erupted among them with great frequency. A conflict arose between Zhao Yang, a descendant of Zhao Cui of Jin, and Handan Wu, a descendant of Zhao Su. Zhao Yang had Handan Wu put to death, whereupon Handan Wu's descendants led their retainers in revolt, prompting Zhao Yang—who controlled the government—to lead troops in an attack on Handan.

Subsequently, the Fan and Zhonghang clans—who shared kinship ties with Handan Wu among the Six Ministries—assisted Handan Wu's descendants in intercepting Zhao Yang. This provoked the dissatisfaction of other clans within the Six Ministries, leading the Han and Wei clans to assist Zhao Yang in defeating the Fan and Zhonghang clans. When news of this internal turmoil in Jin reached Qi, the Tian clan of Qi, acting out of its own self-interest, instigated Duke Jing to come to the rescue of the cornered Fan and Zhonghang clans. As the *Records of the Grand Historian: Hereditary House of Prime Minister Tian of Qi* records: "Tian Qi wished to create chaos and build a faction among the feudal lords. He therefore persuaded Duke Jing, saying, 'The Fan and Zhonghang clans have repeatedly rendered favors to Qi; Qi cannot afford not to rescue them.' Thereupon, he dispatched Qi to provide assistance and transport grain to them."

Duke Jing actively courted other feudal states that harbored hostility toward Jin, re-established an alliance of his own, and declared himself hegemon, thereby gaining a nominal advantage in the quest to restore Qi's hegemony.

Duke Jing's first step was to win over the states of Zheng and Wei. As the *Zuo Commentary, Seventh Year of Duke Ding* records: "In autumn, the Marquis of Qi and the Earl of Zheng formed an alliance at Xian, and levied troops for an assembly from Wei. The Marquis of Wei wished to rebel against Jin, but his grandees opposed it. He dispatched Beigong Jie to Qi, and said privately to the Marquis of Qi, 'Detain Jie in order to provide a pretext to invade us.' The Marquis of Qi followed this counsel, and they formed an alliance at Suo."

The *Zuo Commentary, Ninth Year of Duke Ding* notes: "In autumn, the Marquis of Qi attacked Yiyi of Jin... Jin's chariots numbering a thousand were stationed at Zhongmou. The Marquis of Wei intended to pass through Wushi, and consulted the tortoise shells for divination; the cracks appeared scorched. The Marquis of Wei declared, 'This will do. Half of the Wei chariots shall face them, and my own guards shall face the other half; we are evenly matched.' Thereupon, they passed through Zhongmou. The people of Zhongmou wished to attack them. Chu Shipu of Wei, who was an exile in Zhongmou, said, 'Though Wei is small, its ruler is present, so it cannot be easily defeated. The Qi army has grown arrogant after capturing the city, and its commanders are of low rank; if we meet them in battle, they will surely be defeated. It is better to follow Qi.' Thereupon, they attacked the Qi army and routed it. The Marquis of Qi presented the towns of Zhuo, Mei, and Xing to Wei."

During the Battle of Yiyi, the State of Wei assisted Qi in attacking the State of Zheng, yet the combined forces of the two states still proved no match for Jin. Nevertheless, out of gratitude for Wei's unreserved assistance, Qi ceded the three towns of Mei, Xing, and Zhuo to Wei. Following the defeat, Duke Jing even personally pushed the funeral cart for those who had perished in the battle.

Later, Duke Jing and the Marquis of Wei formed another allied coalition, joining other feudal states in a punitive expedition against Jin. "The Marquis of Qi and the Marquis of Wei met at Qianhou to rescue the Fan clan. Their armies, together with Kong Yu of Wei and the people of Xianyu, attacked Jin and captured Jipu." During this period, aside from Wei and Zheng joining the alliance organized by Qi, even the State of Lu—which had traditionally maintained good relations with Jin—joined the fold. However, Lu's participation was a matter of last resort; viewing Jin as its greatest existential threat at the time, Lu had no choice but to briefly submit to Qi in order to cope with Jin. The two states subsequently met at the Jiagu Alliance, an event that firmly established Qi's hegemonic domination over Lu.

As the *Zuo Commentary, Tenth Year of Duke Ding* records: "In summer, the Duke met the Marquis of Qi at Zhuqi, specifically at Jiagu. Kong Qiu acted as master of ceremonies. Li Mi said to the Marquis of Qi, 'Kong Qiu understands ritual but lacks courage. If we order the people of Lai to use weapons to coerce the Marquis of Lu, we will certainly achieve our ambition.' The Marquis of Qi followed this advice. Kong Qiu escorted the Duke backward and stated: 'Let the soldiers halt! The rulers of two states have met in friendship, yet you use barbarian captives to disrupt it with weapons. This is not how the ruler of Qi should issue commands to the feudal lords. The distant barbarians should not interfere in the affairs of the Xia, the uncouth tribes should not throw the civilized states into disorder, captives should not violate covenants, and force should not coerce friendship—before the spirits this is inauspicious, in virtue it is a transgression of righteousness, and toward humanity it is a breach of propriety. My lord must not act thus.' Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Qi hastily called off the attempt."

The four states of Qi, Zheng, Wei, and Lu formed an alliance to plot a strategy for eliminating Jin. Numerically speaking in terms of supporting feudal states, Qi undoubtedly held the upper hand. However, the three states allied with Qi possessed limited territory and weak military strength, serving merely an auxiliary role in offensive operations. Moreover, a large part of their motivation for joining the alliance stemmed from fear of Qi's might rather than any genuine desire to aid Duke Jing. Coupled with the fact that Qi chose to launch its offensive during the internal strife of Jin—giving rise to suspicions of taking advantage of another's misfortune—Qi held no moral high ground either. Restoring the hegemony of Duke Huan's era could never be achieved merely through existing strength and alliances; the failure at the Battle of Yiyi had in fact foreshadowed the ultimate doom of Duke Jing's grand enterprise of revitalization.

Although Duke Jing organized the "Anti-Jin Alliance" and launched several campaigns against Jin without ever truly defeating the superpower or replacing it as the universally acknowledged hegemon of the feudal lords, these successive chaotic skirmishes allowed Qi to capture vast tracts of territory along the borders of Jin. This greatly expanded Qi's borders and substantially enhanced its national power.

Yet, just as Duke Jing harbored ambitious dreams of further expanding his hegemony, a domestic political upheaval utterly shattered his aspirations into nothingness. The root cause lay in the late Spring and Autumn period, when the ducal houses of all the feudal states were in decline while the influence of the hereditary ministerial families was on the rise. The Tian clan of Qi had achieved tremendous growth through the series of reforms aimed at enriching the country and strengthening the military, which were jointly promoted by Duke Jing and Yan Ying, eventually accumulating the strength to expel the ducal house and monopolize supreme power in Qi.

Following the death of Duke Jing, Tian Qi of the Tian clan instigated a coup d'état, sidelining the other two major ministerial families of Qi—the Gao and Guo clans—and seizing sole control of the state's highest authority. Over the ensuing decades, the power of the Tian clan grew progressively greater, culminating ultimately in the historic usurpation known as "Tian's Replacement of Qi."