The ancestors of Chu people were the legendary Zhu Rong and Zhuan Xu, but they were not a system with the Yellow Emperor. The history books think that Zhuan Xu is the grandson of the Yellow Emperor, but there is no basis (the history books classify all ethnic groups into the Yellow Emperor system, even the Huns, which is obviously not credible). Zhuan Xu, the ancestor of Chu, first lived in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. He is a branch of the Dongyi nationality, taking birds as totems. Because of his meritorious service, he was awarded the title of Levin (Qixian), and the Chu people moved to Shangqiu, Diqiu (Puyang), Chuqiu (hua county), Xiong and other places.
Chu is also called Jing, which is also a thorn. Why take Chu as the number? Tsinghua bamboo slips "Chu Ju" recorded that Li Xiong was dystocia by Chu Xianjun's wife and died suddenly after caesarean section, but Li Xiong survived. Later, the wizard wrapped her abdomen with thorns and buried her. In memory of her, people called her Chu. When did Chu rise? At present, there is no literature. "Shang Fu" praised Wu Ding's contribution to the Jing-Chu War in Shang Dynasty, and wrote that "Wei Ru Jingchu lived in the south of the Yangtze River". At least in the Shang dynasty, Chu was already a big country in the south.
Later, with the rise of Zhou, Chu became its ally. Later, Chu was named "Viscount". However, Chu already existed, and the conferring of the Zhou Dynasty only recognized his power. Subsequently, Chu became the enemy of the Zhou Dynasty. After Zhou Wuwang's death, all ethnic groups in Dongyi joined forces with the "Three Governors" and Wu Geng to launch an anti-Zhou war, among which Chu people were also a branch of Huai people. After Duke Zhou's crusade, Huaiyi moved south again. For example, Guo Xuren moved to the middle reaches of the Huaihe River, while Chu people moved to the Hanjiang River Basin.
The territory of the Zhou Dynasty (Zhou Xuanwang period)
Since then, the kings of the Zhou Dynasty have been at war with Xu and Chu. King Zhao of Zhou conquered Chu three times, the first time in vain, the second time "Han lost six divisions" and the third time "returned from southern tour", that is, the whole army was wiped out and eventually died in the south. During Zhou Muwang's period, Xu Guoqiang was a big country. "Rebecca is located in the east of Han Dynasty, a land of 500 miles, and it is benevolent. Thirty countries ceded territory to the DPRK.". At this time, Guo Xu posed a threat to Zhou and Chu, so he joined forces with Chu to attack Guo Xu. Finally, "King Jingwen ... mobilized troops to attack Xu and destroy him". After the decline of Xu, Chu dominated the south. According to Records of the Historian, Chu was king in the Western Zhou Dynasty, which was tied with the Zhou Dynasty.
The bear said, "I am a barbarian, and I don't swear by the name of China." He likang, the eldest son, the king of punishment, Zhong Zihong, the king of Hubei, and the second son, the king of Zhang, are all on the river in the land of Chu people. And, strongmen, bears are afraid of cutting Chu, and they also go to be kings. -"Historical Records"
During the period of Zhou Xuanwang, the war broke out in the Zhou Dynasty. On one occasion, Zhou Xuanwang sent magic to lead 3000 people to the south to conquer Chu, which was successful. The Book of Songs Cai Mao wrote: "It is quite splendid to agree with Fang Shu and conquer armadillos." At that time, Zhou Xuanwang enfeoffed some governors in the upper reaches of Jianghan as the front line against Chu, collectively known as "Hanyang Zhuji". In the early Spring and Autumn Period of Zhou Dynasty, the rule of Zhou Dynasty collapsed, and Chu took the opportunity to annex "Hanyang Zhuji".
Ancient Chu script (inscription of Chu Gong to Zhong)
Although Chu was very powerful, the Zhou Dynasty still called him "Zi Chu", which made Chu Wuwang very unhappy. In the early Spring and Autumn Period, Chu Wuwang said to King Zhou, "I am a barbarian. Nowadays, all the princes rebel and invade each other or kill each other. I have my own family, and I want to see the politics of China. Please pay tribute to the royal family in my name. " But Zhou Wang wouldn't listen. So Chu strengthened its attack on the Central Plains. 7 10 years ago, "Cai Hou and Zheng Bo met Deng and feared Chu". In 678 BC, Chu began to attack Zheng, the strongest country in the Central Plains. "Biography of the Ram" commented: "The friendship between South Yi and North China, China, is endless". Later, in order to deal with Chu and others, Guan Zhong played the banner of "respecting the king and rejecting foreign countries".