In the first month of the third year of Lu Chenggong (BC588), envoys from Lu, Wei and other countries visited the Jin State in accordance with the covenant and informed the Jin State of their participation in the Shu Alliance; The envoy emphasized that their own countries were forced to submit to the state of Chu out of desperation, and their hearts were still loyal to the state of Jin.

Jin Jinggong told the envoy that if the nations could not prove their loyalty by deeds, he would think that the above words were mere pretexts and lies; The nations not only betrayed the alliance, but also deceived the Jin state.

Jin Jinggong continued: "The widow has decided to punish the betrayer, and this betrayer is Zheng Guo. The widow also asks you to keep your covenant and go with the Jin army; Otherwise you will be the next to be defeated. ”

In February, the Jin, Song, Lu, Wei, and Cao allied forces attacked Zheng. The Jin army stopped as it marched to Zheng Guo's Boniucheng to wait for the alliance to arrive at the designated location.

At the pre-war meeting held by Zheng Xianggong, Gongzi Qiji said: "Although the coalition army is huge and numerous, the strength of each country is still insufficient when the ranks are counted separately. Now that Lu, Song, Wei, and Cao Cong are marching towards Zheng at different times and on different routes, we can concentrate our forces on crushing one or two enemy armies, so that the Jin people's plan cannot be completed. ”

After some discussion, Zheng Guoren decided to attack the Lu army, which was the most active, the most fast, but very weak.

Zheng Xianggong sent Gongzi Yan (Ziyou) to set up an ambush in the city east of Xinzheng. When the Lu army passed through a small town called Qiu Yu near Yancheng, they were ambushed by the Zheng army, and many "passing soldiers" were captured by the enemy; Although Gongsun Yingqi struggled to escape, he was so frightened that he did not dare to lead Zheng alone without friendly troops.

However, the Zheng coalition army also achieved certain results and captured many Zheng people. The coalition forces then declared the end of the fighting, and then returned to their divisions. Zheng Guoren also claimed that he had not lost, and Huang Xu was also ordered to present prisoners of war to the Chu people.

After the ceremony of presenting the prisoners, the king of Chu held a banquet to entertain the envoys of Zheng State. Zianti made special use of the warm atmosphere, and under his drive, the banquet set off one small ** after another; Everyone also became relaxed and casual due to the alcohol and the lively scenes.

Zi picked up the wine lord, stretched out his hand to signal the doctors to be quiet, and then toasted to the king of Chu Gong and said: "Although there are many princes in the world, there is no one who can serve Chu faithfully and diligently than Zheng." In order to reward Zheng Guo, and also to show the princes the king's heart, Chu State should protect Zheng Guo's interests to the greatest extent so that other countries can attach themselves to our country! ”

The young king was overwhelmed by alcohol, and he was already dizzy at this time. He patted the table and laughed, "Uncle said it well! Bugu likes Zheng Guoren like this, hahaha! This glass of wine is to Uncle Zheng and the emperor's master! ”

The doctors responded one after another, raised their glasses and drank them all, only Zizhong was angry and unmoved. The Chu people later speculated that Zi Yan and Huang Xu had secretly reached a deal, because since Huang Xu's envoy, Zi Yan has become the spokesperson and protector of Zheng Guo.

After Huang Xu returned to China, he reported to Zheng Xianggong the results of his envoy to Chu. Zheng Xianggong said: "Zheng Guo's interests are the greatest but two: one is Song, and the other is Xu. Xu Guo relied on the alliance with Chu to treat Zheng Guo as nothing, which is the biggest disrespect to Zheng Guo! Now that Chu Jun has a promise, then let's take Xu Guo first! ”

In the summer of that year, Zheng Gongzi abandoned his illness and led an army to invade Xu. Xu Guoren said: "Xu and Zheng Alliance, why are you adding troops to your allies? The prince abandoned the disease and said, "Your country has been serving my country for a hundred years, why don't you even see a messenger now?" The widow sent me to find out the answer. Xu Guoren knew that Zheng Guoren was using the past to make trouble, so he no longer answered questions, but actively defended on the one hand, and sent envoys to Chu State to accuse Zheng Guo.

In the summer of that year, the exchange of prisoners of war and corpses between Jin and Chu was held as scheduled, and the Jin people exchanged the remains of Gongzi Guchen and Xiang Lao for Zhishou's son Zhifu.

Zhigang (the twelfth general of the Jin Kingdom) embodies all the excellent qualities that a nobleman should have, and is an impeccable man in morality and courage. Far from dishonoring himself and his family, Zhigang's capture brought him great fame, as the Jin people knew that he had returned to the battlefield to wash away the shame and crimes of his subordinates.

Jin people said: "He can stay out of the way, return to China safely, inherit his father's throne, and enjoy the glory of life; As for those who violated the military law, they would be tried and punished by the Sima Administration. But he did not hesitate to lead the scholars to wash their sins with blood and save them from humiliation, which is the spirit of responsibility of the Jin people. ”

Zhigang also won the respect of the Chu people, who, in addition to restricting his personal freedom, still made him live the same life as he did in the Jin Kingdom. The ministers of the state of Chu also came to visit him from time to time and established friendships with him—they all knew in their hearts that sooner or later Zhigang would become the most powerful figure in the Jin state.

The king of Chu Gong said to Zhi Gang at the farewell banquet: "The state of Chu has imprisoned you for ten years, do you resent me?" ”

Zhigang said: "The two countries are at war, and the minister is incapable, so he was captured by the big powers. It is your favor that the great nations did not use my blood to provoke me to return to my home and die; Who can I resent against? ”

The king of Chu Gong continued: "Then you should thank me? ”

Zhigang replied: "For the sake of social stability and the stability of the people's lives, the two countries put an end to the hostilities between the two sides, and each released prisoners of war to express their friendship and sincerity; But the minister didn't make much contribution to it, and he didn't know who to thank. ”

The king of Chu Gong then asked: "After you return to China, how will you repay me?" ”

Zhigang replied: "There is no virtue and no resentment, and I don't know what to repay." ”

The anger of the King of Chu Gong came up, and he decided to entangle to the end: "Even so, you have to give Bugu an answer!" ”

Zhi Gang said: "With the spirit of the king, the criminal minister was able to return to the Jin Kingdom. If the widow puts me to death, I will die and be immortal; If the widow pardons me and hands me over to my father, who asks the widow for advice and puts me to death in the ancestral temple, I will still be dead and immortal.

"If the widow still refuses to allow me, let me inherit the head of the prince, take charge of the military, and lead the army to defend the territory, and the foreign ministers will not dare to violate their duties even if they encounter the army of a great power; I will do my best to die, and I will not dare to have two hearts, so as to fulfill the courtesy of a courtier. That's how I repay you. ”

The king of Chu said: "The Jin state has such a figure, and the state of Chu cannot compete with it. So he sent him away with a great gift.

The Jin people welcomed Zhigang back to China as a triumphant hero. Jin Jinggong held a grand welcome ceremony for him, and Zhigang sincerely pleaded guilty. Jin Jinggong immediately pardoned Zhifu, but Zhishou came again to ask for permission to execute his son. Jin Jinggong said: "If the master kills his son, no one will dare to risk his life again." ”

When Zhi Fu was in the state of Chu, he had a close relationship with a certain Zheng merchant. The two had formulated a very dangerous escape plan, that is, to hide Zhigang in the cargo and take him out of the Chu State. But before the plan could be implemented, the king of Chu sent him back.

The merchant soon came to the Jin Kingdom, and Zhigang, appreciating his loyalty and bravery, regarded him as his own family and provided him with many opportunities to make money.

But Zhigang's kindness disturbed the merchant, who said, "How dare I accept a reward without merit?" I'm just an ordinary person, and I can't ruin the reputation of a gentleman by greedy for money. So he dealt with the business in the Jin Kingdom, left Jiangdu, and never stepped into the Jin Kingdom again in his life.