Before Jin Xiangong died, he established Li Ji's son Xi Qi as the crown prince and entrusted the prince to the doctor Xun Xi. After Xi Qi succeeded to the throne, he couldn't convince the public, so Dafu Rick contacted a group of ministers to kill Xi Qi, so Xun Xi set up Zhuo Zi, the son of Li Ji's sister, to succeed him, and this time Rick not only killed Zhuo Zi, but also Xun Xi.

After killing Xi Qi and Zhuozi, Rick and others sent people to Di Guo to welcome the exiled son Chong'er back to China and succeed to the throne. Chong'er thought that the situation was uncertain at this time, and Di Guo did not have enough strength to support his return to China and succeed to the throne, so he politely refused Rick and said: "I disobeyed my father's order and escaped from the Jin Kingdom, and my father died and could not return to China as a son of man to mourn, so what face do I have to return to China now?" Ask Dr. Rick to set up the other sons. ”

The messenger went back to report Chong'er's words to Rick, so Rick went to Liang to welcome Gongzi Yiwu back to China. Gongzi Yiwu was very happy and planned to return to the Jin Kingdom to succeed him, but the ministers around him persuaded him: "There is still a prince in the country who can be established as the king, but Rick has gone abroad to find someone to succeed him, and there must be fraud in it." Now that the Qin State is strong and has outstanding prestige among the border countries, it is better to ask the Qin State to send troops to escort us back to China. ”

So Gongzi Yiwu sent someone into Qin with generous gifts, asked Qin Mugong to send troops to escort him back to the Jin Kingdom, and promised Qin Mugong: "Sincerity can be established, please cut off the eight cities in the west of the Jin River and Qin." At the same time, he wrote to Rick and promised: "If you are sincere, please seal your son in the city of Fenyang." Qin Mugong listened to Gongzi Yiwu's conditions and felt that it was worth it, so he happily sent troops to send Gongzi Yiwu back to Qin, and Rick got the promise of giving him a fiefdom, so he sincerely welcomed Gongzi Yiwu. Under the balance of the tripartite forces of Qin, Qi, and Jin, Gongzi Yiwu successfully ascended the throne in the Jin State and was the Duke of Jin Hui.

However, after Jin Huigong ascended the throne, he crossed the river and demolished the bridge, not only did not give Rick a fiefdom, but cut his power, and later worried that Rick would collude with the exiled son Chonger to seize the throne, so he simply killed Rick. At the same time, he refused to assign the eight cities of Hexi to Qin according to the previous agreement, so he sent the doctor Pi Zheng to envoy Qin to apologize to Qin Mugong: "At the beginning, the king promised you the land west of the river, and now he is fortunate to be established, and he wants to fulfill his promise as promised." However, the ministers objected that the land of the Jin State was left by the previous monarch, and the monarch was in exile, so how could he give it to the Qin State without authorization? The monarch could not argue, so he had to send me to apologize for his crimes, and the land could not be assigned to the Qin state. ”

Pi Zheng was originally Rick's henchman, he heard the news that Jin Huigong killed Rick when he went to Qin, on the one hand, he was glad that he had escaped, but on the other hand, he was worried that he would encounter accidents after returning to China, so he wanted to use the hand of Qin to get rid of Jin Huigong's wings and get rid of his confidant ministers Lu Nephew and Yin Rui. Pi Zheng found Qin Mugong and said: "The people of the Jin Kingdom actually don't want to welcome Gongzi Yiwu, but hope that Gongzi Chonger will return to China to be the monarch, and Yiwu can ascend the throne is the protection of Qin." Now he broke his agreement with Qin and killed Rick, which is all a conspiracy of traitors Lu nephew and Yin Rui. You might as well use the high-ranking official Houlu to lure Lu Nephew and Yin Rui to the Qin State, and when Yiwu loses his left and right hands, you can naturally help Chong'er return to the Jin State to take the throne. ”

Qin Mugong was deeply dissatisfied with Jin Huigong's behavior of breaking his word and fattening, and also saw that the Jin State ruled by Jin Huigong would not get close to Qin. However, Lu nephew and Yin Rui were keenly aware of the deception and did not fall for it easily, they suspected that Pi Zheng had a problem, so they asked Jin Huigong to kill him. Pi Zheng's son Pi Bao fled to Qin and asked Qin Mugong to send troops to attack Jin, Qin Mugong knew that Pi Bao just wanted to avenge his father, and did not promise him, but secretly took him in Qin.

Soon after, the Jin State encountered a severe drought and sent people to the Qin State to borrow grain. Pi Bao persuaded Qin Mugong not to lend grain to the Jin State, and he could take this opportunity to crusade against the Jin State. However, Baili Xi pointed out that the people were innocent and should not let the people of Jin have no food to eat because of Jin Huigong's rudeness, so Qin Mugong decided to lend grain to Jin State. A few years later, the Qin state also encountered a famine and borrowed grain from the Jin state. Who knew that the Jin State not only did not borrow grain, but took advantage of the crisis of the Qin State to raise troops to attack, Qin Mugong was angry and appointed Pi Bao as a general, and personally led the troops to fight back.

The armies of Qin Mugong and Jin Huigong encountered in Korea, and Jin Huigong took the lead and rushed to the forefront of the battle array to fight with Qin, but when he returned, the horse fell into a mud pit. Seeing this God-given opportunity, Qin Mugong hurriedly led his entourage to chase after Jin Huigong, but it was too late, and he was besieged by the Jin army instead. Thanks to three hundred warriors loyal to Qin Mugong, they fought desperately into the siege and not only saved Qin Mugong, but also captured Jin Huigong.

Qin Mugong took Jin Huigong back to China, and along the way declared that he would use Jin Huigong as a sacrifice to the heavens. Zhou Tianzi felt very uneasy when he heard about this, thinking that Jin Huigong and himself were of the same clan as Ji and should help each other, so he pleaded with Qin Mugong for Jin Huigong.

Qin Mugong's wife, Mu Ji, was the daughter of Jin Xiangong and the elder sister of Jin Huigong, and she was very worried when she heard that her husband had captured her younger brother and had to escort him back to China as a sacrifice. So Mu Ji broke the kettle and took the prince Ganghong and his daughter Jian Bi and a pair of children to the high platform, and the feet were covered with firewood. He also sent someone to greet Qin Mugong in mourning clothes and told him: "Heaven has sent disasters, so that the two countries of Qin and Jin have to fight each other, if you bring the king of Jin back to Qin, then I can only commit suicide to thank you, please decide." ”

Qin Mugong originally hated Jin Huigong deeply and was unwilling to let him return to China easily, but Zhou Tianzi actually sent someone to intercede for him in person, and his wife threatened him with death, which made him very embarrassed. A minister advised Qin Mugong and said: "The king who captured the Jin State can only benefit the Qin State if he treats him with courtesy and sends him back in a beautiful manner, and if he is killed, then what good will it do us?" Some people objected, thinking that Jin Huigong did not pay attention to faithfulness, and letting him go back would still become a disaster for the Qin State. In the end, Zisang said: "We are powerless to destroy the Jin State now, and if we kill its monarch at will, we can only deepen the hatred between the two countries and make each other hostile." For the sake of today, it is better to put the monarch of the Jin State back and let their crown prince come to the Qin State as a proton. Qin Mugong agreed.

After this turmoil, Jin Huigong no longer dared to violate the agreement with the Qin State, and after returning to China, he quickly sent the crown prince to the Qin State as a proton, and he did not dare to provoke the Qin State easily.

Due to the betrayal of Qin by Jin Huigong and his son Jin Huaigong, Qin Mugong supported Chong'er who was in exile and returned to China and became the Duke of Jin Wen. With the support of the Qin State, the Duke of Jin Wen not only succeeded smoothly, but also implemented a series of policies that benefited the country and the people, under the governance of the Duke of Jin Wen, the Jin State developed rapidly, and the Duke of Jin Wen also became the second overlord after the Duke of Qi Huan, which was recognized by the Emperor of Zhou and obeyed by the princes of various countries.

In the twenty-ninth year of the reign of Lu Xi (631 BC), Duke Wen of Jin planned to send troops to attack Zheng Guo, which was not obedient to the Jin State, so he sent the doctor Hu Yanhui and the prince Hu sent by Zhou Tianzi, the Song State Doctor Gongsun Gu, the Qi State Doctor Gui Father, the Chen State Doctor Yuan Taotu and the Qin State Doctor Xiaozi to discuss the crusade against Zheng Guo in Zhai Quan. At the meeting, it was decided that the Jin army would send troops to attack Zheng alone in the second year to test the situation, so Jin Wengong sent an army to garrison in Hanling, and invited Qin Mugong to send troops to besiege Zheng State.

When the Zheng government and the opposition saw Chen Bing, the two great powers of Qin and Jin, outside the city, they were all terrified, thinking that Zheng Guo was about to perish. At this time, Zheng Guo's doctor, Yi Zhihu, found Zheng Wengong and said: "Now that the country is in a critical situation, please use the Candle Martial Arts to meet Qin Jun, and this crisis will definitely be solved." "Zheng Wengong was already six gods and no master at this time, and when he heard the fox say this, he personally went to invite Candle Zhiwu to come out of the mountain. Who knew that Candle Zhiwu excused himself and said: "The minister is young and strong, and he is not as good as others; Now that I'm old and weak, I can't do anything anymore. ”

Zheng Wengong knew that Candle Zhiwu was complaining that he had not been able to reuse him earlier, so he sincerely apologized and said: "I failed to appoint you early, and now the situation is critical, I came to ask for your help, this is really a widow's fault." However, if Zheng Guo perishes, it will not be good for you, so please help me once. Seeing that Zheng Wengong was sincere and anxious, Candle Zhiwu couldn't bear to watch Zheng Guo being destroyed by Qin and Jin, so he agreed to Zheng Wengong's request.

Because Zheng Guozheng was besieged and did not dare to open the city gate easily, Candle Zhiwu could only choose to tie a rope around his waist and slowly hang himself from the top of the city to the outside of the city after nightfall, and after landing safely, he quietly went to the Qin camp to ask to see Qin Mugong. After seeing Qin Mugong, Candle Zhiwu said to him: "Qin and Jin have surrounded Zheng State, and the destruction of Zheng State is just around the corner. However, you also understand that it is not easy to occupy distant land as a frontier for a long time from other countries, and your dispatch of troops this time is nothing more than destroying Zheng State to increase the land of neighboring countries. The increased power of your neighbors is equivalent to the weakening of your power, which is not taken by the gentleman. If you are willing to spare Zheng Guo, in the future, your envoys will travel to and from the East, Zheng Guo will definitely provide you with all the necessary needs, and it will not do you any harm. ”

"What's more, you once gave benefits to the king of Jin, when he promised to give you Jiao and Fang, but he crossed the river in the morning and returned home, and built a wall to defend you in the evening. Where is the time when a person like the king of the Jin State is satisfied, if he succeeds in conquering the Zheng State in the east and expands his territory, he will definitely expand his western territory wantonly. When the time comes, if it does not damage the Qin State, where else can the Jin State go to obtain land? Whether you want to do anything to harm the Qin State for the benefit of the Jin State, please think about it more. ”

Qin Mugong listened to Candle Zhiwu's words and felt that from the perspective of Qin State, it was indeed not a good idea to attack Zheng State, so he gave up the original battle plan and turned to privately form an alliance with Zheng State. In addition, the generals Qizi, Fengsun, and Yang Sun were left to help Zheng Guo strengthen his defense and defend against the attacks of the Jin army, while Qin Mugong himself led his troops back to Qin.

This is the famous Candle Wu Retreat Qin Division.

When the news reached the Jin military camp, Hu Yan asked for troops to pursue the Qin army, but Jin Wengong refused his request: "If it weren't for the strength of the Qin State, we wouldn't be where we are today." Relying on the strength of others, but turning against each other, this is unkind; It is unwise to lose an ally of a friend; It is not a force to replace a uniform plan with a haphazard attack. Let's withdraw our troops and go home. After the Jin army retreated, in order to ease the relationship with the Jin State, Zheng Wengong set up the prince Lan of Ben Jin as the crown prince to show goodwill to the Jin State. After this incident, the alliance between the Qin State and the Jin State began to have a gap.

The three Qin generals who stayed behind in Zheng were very angry when they heard that Zheng Guo had taken refuge in the Jin State instead, so Qizi sent someone back to tell Qin Mugong: "Zheng Wengong asked me to take charge of the key to the north gate of the capital, please quietly lead the troops here, I will open the north gate and let the Qin army in, so that they can definitely occupy their capital." Qin Mugong felt that the opportunity could not be lost, so he went to ask the old minister Uncle Jian's opinion, but Uncle Jian objected: "Zheng Guo has a long way to go, if you send an army to attack, the army will be exhausted and exhausted after it arrives. Moreover, after marching thousands of miles, Zheng Guo will definitely hear about this and take precautions as soon as possible, and when the time comes, we will work an expedition, and the effort will not be thankless, and the soldiers will definitely be resistant. I'm afraid it won't work. ”

However, Qin Mugong was so confused by the bright prospect of attacking the capital of Zheng Guo that he couldn't listen to Uncle Jian at all, and insisted on sending Meng Mingshi, Xi Qishu, and Bai Yibing to lead the army. The Qin army marched all the way to the east, borrowing the way to the Jin State, and then passing through the north gate of the capital of the Zhou Dynasty, Wang Sunman stood on the city tower and observed the Qin army for a while and said: "The Qin army is rash and does not understand etiquette, rash and rash will have courage and no strategy, and if you do not understand etiquette, you will be isolated and helpless, and you will be isolated and helpless when you enter a dangerous situation, and you have courage and no strategy, how can such an army not fail!" ”

However, this scene happened on the tower of Luoyi City, the three generals of the Qin army did not know, they were still marching all the way, and soon entered the slippery country, at this time, Zheng Guo's merchant Xiangao took twelve oxen to go to the capital of the Zhou Dynasty to sell, and met the Qin army on the way, I heard that such a strong army was about to attack Zheng Guo, Xiangao was suddenly very worried, after repeated thinking, Xiangao finally came up with an idea.

Xiangao came to the camp of the Qin army with his twelve oxen, claiming to be the envoy of Zheng Guojun, and the three generals of Qin were shocked when they heard this: the Qin army was going to sneak into the capital of Zheng Guo without the knowledge of Zheng Guoren, and then open the north gate by Qizi and let the Qin army enter the city, but if Zheng Guo already knew that the Qin army was coming, how could he hand over the key to the north gate to Qizi? In this way, it can only be fruitless.

So the three generals looked at each other, not knowing what to do, so they could only invite Xian Gao into the camp to ask about the situation. Seeing the three generals, he saluted one by one without humility or arrogance, and then said: "The monarch of our country heard that your country has come from thousands of miles away to crusade, so he sent me to bring twelve oxen to comfort the soldiers of your country. ”

After meeting the generals of the Qin army, Xiangao hurriedly sent someone back to Zheng Guo to report the news, Zheng Mugong got the news and hurriedly made all the defensive preparations, and drove out the three generals who had stayed in Zheng State to help defend Qin before, Qizi, Fengsun, and Yangsun. After Meng Mingshi knew about it, he sighed and said: "Zheng Guo has already taken precautions, if we attack according to the original plan, we will definitely not be able to win, and there is no backup after besieging it, so let's withdraw our troops and go back." In this way, Zheng Guo's businessman Xiangao relied on his extraordinary wisdom and courage to save Zheng Guo from another crisis of national destruction.