Chapter 21: The Beginning of the Jin Hegemony

As the saying goes, "The arrogant dragon will have cause to repent; excess cannot last long." Under the leadership of Duke Xiang of Jin, the Jin army had defeated the feudal lords of the four directions one by one. However, no matter how powerful Jin became, it could not remain invincible forever. In the third year of Duke Wen of Lu (624 BCE), Duke Xiang of Jin once again united with allies such as Song, Chen, Wei, and Zheng to crush Shen, an ally of Chu. In retaliation, Chu besieged Jiang, an ally of Jin. Although Duke Xiang dispatched troops to rescue Jiang, the mission failed, and eventually, both Jiang and Liao were annexed by Chu.

The expansion of Chu’s influence served as a wake-up call for Jin, warning them that the powerful state in the south, though temporarily dormant, had by no means submitted to Jin’s authority. Should Jin show even the slightest slack, its position as hegemon could easily change hands. At this critical juncture, Jin suffered another severe blow: the passing of veteran ministers who had followed Duke Wen of Jin in building the state's foundation—Zhao Cui, Luan Zhi, Xian Qieju, and Xu Chen.

The fall of these "stars" resulted in more than just a reduction in military strength; more importantly, the sudden political vacuum triggered a fierce power struggle among the Jin elite. In particular, the rivalry between the Zhao family (descendants of Zhao Cui) and the Hu family (descendants of Hu Yan) planted the seeds for future instability and the eventual decline of Jin's hegemony.

Due to the lack of capable commanders, Duke Xiang was forced to reduce his formidable five armies down to three, then select talented individuals from the ranks of the nobility to lead them. Among these positions, the Commander of the Central Army—effectively the Marshal—held a role akin to a prime minister, wielding supreme military and political power. It was the most important office in the state, and the competition for it was fierce. The two focal figures were Zhao Dun of the Zhao family and Hu Shegu of the Hu family.

Zhao Dun was the eldest son of Zhao Cui, but he was not born or raised in Jin, and his background was quite complex. During the turmoil caused by Li Ji, when the sons of Duke Xian of Jin were either killed or forced into exile, Prince Chong'er escaped the pursuit and fled to the Di state, the homeland of his mother. The ruler of Di treated Chong'er well, gifting him two daughters, Shuwei and Jiwei, from the captured Chidi tribe leader. To secure the loyalty of his followers, Chong'er kept the younger sister, Jiwei, for himself and gave the elder, Shuwei, to Zhao Cui. Shuwei later gave birth to Zhao Dun.

After Chong'er returned to Jin to ascend the throne, his loyal followers were rewarded. When the ruler of Di heard of his ascension, he sent Jiwei, who had stayed in Di for seven years, to Jin. However, Zhao Cui's wife, Shuwei, was not included. By then, Duke Wen had already married his own daughter to Zhao Cui, and they had three sons. Seeing Jiwei return, Zhao Cui longed for Shuwei, the woman who had shared his hardships, but he feared the disapproval of his current wife, the Jin princess. He left the matter unresolved.

Upon learning of the situation, the princess displayed great magnanimity, saying, "Please send for Shuwei, or others will think you are a man who forgets the old for the new." With her consent, Zhao Cui brought Shuwei and Zhao Dun back to Jin. Later, the princess even relinquished her position as the primary wife in favor of Shuwei and designated Zhao Dun as the legitimate heir to the Zhao family.

Although Zhao Cui was a meritorious minister, the Zhao family’s roots in Jin were shallow, and they struggled to compete with the established nobility. The Hu family, to which Hu Shegu belonged, was different. Originally of the Ji surname, they shared the same ancestry as the rulers of Jin, only later adopting the surname "Hu" after their ancestor was enfeoffed at Hu. By the time of Hu Shegu’s grandfather, Hu Tu, the family was even more prominent; Hu Tu’s two daughters had married Duke Xian of Jin, making both Duke Hui and Duke Wen the grandsons of Hu Tu. Furthermore, Hu Tu’s sons, Hu Mao and Hu Yan, had accompanied Chong'er into exile for years. Hu Tu himself was executed for refusing to betray Chong'er. The Hu family was deeply entrenched in Jin and held the profound trust of Duke Wen, a trust inherited by Duke Xiang.

Consequently, during the military review at Yi, Duke Xiang appointed Hu Shegu as Commander of the Central Army and Zhao Dun as Deputy Commander. However, this was not the end of the struggle, but the beginning. Yang Chufu, Duke Xiang’s tutor, supported the Zhao family. Hearing that Zhao Dun had been passed over, he hurried from Wen to urge the Duke, arguing that Zhao Dun was a capable minister and that "employing the capable is for the benefit of the state."

Valuing his tutor's opinion, Duke Xiang held another review at Dong and swapped the positions: Zhao Dun became the Commander, and Hu Shegu the Deputy. Hu Shegu, having lost his position due to a few words from Yang Chufu, grew to hate him deeply. Later, during the struggle to install a new ruler, he lost to Zhao Dun again. In a fit of rage, he had Yang Chufu assassinated. The innocent tutor thus became a sacrifice in the power struggle. The crime was quickly solved, and the assassins were executed. Realizing he would soon be exposed, Hu Shegu fled to the Di state.

Seeing his rival gone, Zhao Dun was pleased and ceased pursuing the matter of the assassination. He even sent Hu Shegu’s family and possessions to the Di state, ensuring he would live there for the rest of his life. Thus, the Zhao-Hu power struggle ended with a total victory for the Zhao family. Later, when asked who was more virtuous, Zhao Cui or his son Zhao Dun, a wary Hu Shegu remarked: "Zhao Cui was like the winter sun, shining on all things and warming the body; Zhao Dun is like the summer sun, scorching and impossible to escape."

After consolidating power, Zhao Dun worked diligently, implementing a series of reforms in administration, law, and social policy. These included establishing regulations, revising the penal code, resolving backlogged cases, capturing runaway slaves, mandating the use of contracts in economic activities, improving people's livelihoods, rectifying the hierarchy, and promoting the talented. These measures perfected the state’s political structure and became standard practice in Jin.

In the sixth year of Duke Wen of Lu (621 BCE), Duke Xiang of Jin passed away due to illness. His legitimate heir, Crown Prince Yigao, was still a mere child, unable to govern. When Duke Wen had died, Duke Xiang was already an adult, capable of managing the state and leading armies, which had avoided a succession crisis. But with Duke Xiang’s premature death, the state was left with a young ruler and a suspicious court, sowing the seeds of internal strife and marking the end of the illustrious era of the "Wen-Xiang" hegemony.

On his deathbed, Duke Xiang was deeply worried about his young heir. He summoned Zhao Dun and entrusted the boy to him, saying, "If this child proves capable, I have received his blessing; if he is not, I shall hold you responsible from the grave."

Zhao Dun, however, did not take these words to heart. Following the Duke's death, he convened the court to discuss the succession. Zhao Dun argued that in these troubled times, the state needed an adult ruler; Prince Yigao was too young, and a young ruler would invite instability. With the Qin state to the west, Chu to the south, and the Di to the north all watching for an opportunity, any internal disorder would lead to national ruin.

His words resonated with the ministers, who were either veterans of Duke Wen’s era or old nobles—none wished to see Jin fall into chaos. They agreed to bypass Prince Yigao and appoint an older ruler. The candidates were the Duke’s two younger brothers, Prince Yong and Prince Yue. Prince Yong, supported by Qin, was a favorite of the late Duke, while Prince Yue, a grandson of Duke Mu of Qin, had been living in Chen.

Zhao Dun pushed for Prince Yong, citing his virtue and his strong ties to Qin, arguing that allying with Qin would secure the state. Hu Shegu, still bitter from his defeat, argued for Prince Yue, hoping to challenge Zhao Dun’s influence. When the Zhao family insulted Prince Yue’s mother and character, the debate reached an impasse. Zhao Dun, acting unilaterally, sent officials to fetch Prince Yong and assassins to kill Prince Yue. Prince Yue was murdered in Pi. Hu Shegu, defeated once more, retaliated by killing Yang Chufu and then fled to the Di state, marking the final exit of the Hu family from Jin politics.

Meanwhile, the late Duke’s wife, Lady Muying, wept daily before the court, holding the young prince and accusing the ministers of abandoning their duty. She eventually confronted Zhao Dun directly, reminding him of his promise to the late Duke. Haunted by her pleas and the fear of the late Duke’s spirit, the ministers defected from Prince Yong. Zhao Dun led the army to defeat the Qin forces at Linghu, effectively blocking Prince Yong’s return.

With the young Duke Ling installed, Zhao Dun held absolute power, even summoning the lords of Qi, Song, Wei, Chen, Zheng, Xu, and Cao to a covenant—the first time a Jin minister had ever presided over such a meeting. However, internal conflicts among the ministers continued, and Jin slowly lost its dominant position, descending into a period of weak rulers, autocratic ministers, and endless internal strife.