Jining, a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Shandong Province, is located in the southwest of Shandong Province, bordering Linyi City to the east, Heze City to the west, Zaozhuang City and Xuzhou City of Jiangsu Province to the south, and Tai'an City to the north. Jining has a long history and culture, and is one of the important birthplaces of Chinese civilization, Confucian culture, Shuihu culture and canal culture. The founders of Confucianism, the Most Holy Confucius, the Yasheng Mencius, the Fusheng Yanhui, and the historian Zuo Qiuming, were all born here. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period, the capital of the State of Lu, Qufu, was in the area of qufu city in present-day Jining City, Shandong Province. Moreover, at that time, in addition to the State of Lu, there were at least 4 small countries in the area of present-day Jining City. And this, of course, is an important reason for the profound historical and cultural heritage of Jining. So, the question is, the 5 small countries in the Spring and Autumn Period are all located in the area of present-day Jining City, do you know?
1. Lu Guo
The State of Lu (1043 BC – 255 BC), a zhou royal prince of the Zhou Dynasty, surnamed Lu (鲁氏), was a marquis, and the first monarch was Lu Gongbo, the son of Zhou Gongdan, the younger brother of King Wu of Zhou. Since the Duke of Zhou wanted to stay in Hojing to assist King Cheng of Zhou, he let his eldest son Bo Yan take his place and establish the state of Lu with the title of "Lu" in the early fiefdom of the Duke of Zhou, with the capital of Qufu. At first, the territory of the State of Lu was small, "the territory was not more than a hundred miles", and later because it successively annexed the surrounding small countries, it was able to become a big country of "Five Hundred Miles". For the State of Lu, when the national strength was at its strongest, the territory stretched from Mount Taishan in the north, Xuhuai in the south, the Yellow Sea in the east, and the Dingtao area in Shandong in the west. Of course, for the State of Lu, its main area is still in the area of present-day Jining City, Shandong Province, such as qufu, the capital of the state of Lu, which is in the area of qufu city in present-day Jining City, Shandong Province.
For the State of Lu, the territory also included ningyang in the south of Tai'an, Shan County in the east of Heze, Yuncheng, Linyi and other cities and counties. An important vassal state controlling the East for the Zhou Dynasty. The period of the Duke of Lu Huan, the Duke of Luzhuang, and the Duke of Lu was the most powerful period of the State of Lu, and once competed with the great powers such as the State of Qi and the State of Chu. Of course, throughout the Spring and Autumn Period, the overall strength of the State of Lu was still weaker than that of the State of Qi, the State of Qin, the State of Chu, the State of Jin, and other major powers. In the Warring States period, the territory of the State of Lu was constantly shrinking. In the end, in the late Warring States period, the State of Lu was completely destroyed by the State of Chu, thus bidding farewell to the great stage of history.
2. Ren Guo
For Ren Guo, the territory was mainly in the area of Rencheng District in present-day Jining City, Shandong Province. It can even be said that the name Rencheng originated from the Ren state in the pre-Qin period. According to the Records of historical materials such as the Zuo Chuan, Ren Guo was the first prince of the Yellow Emperor as Yu Yang, and his descendants took the name of the country as their clan and became the Ren clan. In this regard, in the view of many historians, the specific date of the founding of the State of the Wind surname Ren is no longer available, but it should be earlier than the Xia Dynasty.
Ren Guo was the bridge between the Xia Dynasty and the east, and its geographical location was very important. "Taikang lost the country" Shaokang fled with his mother to his mother's hometown of Renguo, and grew up to be based on Renguo, so when "Shaokang Zhongxing" was borrowed, Shaokang borrowed renguo's army to regain the throne. The state of Ren was once strong, and during the reign of King Xia, the Wind surname Taihao and the Wind surname Ren allied with tang to fight against King Tang of Shang, and they were defeated and destroyed. King Taigeng of Shang restored the kingdom during the reign of King Taigeng.
In the Spring and Autumn Period, the Ren state went into decline and could only be attached to the great powers of the State of Qi, the State of Jin, and the State of Chu. In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang sent a large army to attack. In this battle, the State of Qi surrendered to Qin, and ren Guo also surrendered without a fight. Of course, because Ren Guo was too weak, he naturally could not be compared with the Seven Heroes of the Warring States. After the fall of the Ren dynasty, the Qin Dynasty established Rencheng County in the area, which eventually became the Rencheng District of Jining City today.
3. The Kingdom of Qi
The State of Qi, a viscount state, historically known as the State of Qizi, was a vassal state of the State of Lu. The monarch of the state of Qi was a surname of Cao and a viscount. The geographical location is about the territory of Zoucheng City in present-day Jining City, Shandong Province. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the State of Yi was divided into the State of Yi, the State of Xiao Guo, and the State of Abuse, which is what historians call the "Three Kingdoms of Yi Division".
During the Spring and Autumn Period, the Duke of Qi Huan promoted hegemony and was supported by the State of Qi. And this, of course, is also an important reason why the State of Qi was able to gain a foothold between the State of Qi and the State of Lu. In 614 BC, Duke Wen of Yi moved his capital to Yu (in present-day south of Mount Yi in Zoucheng) and established a new capital (see Zuo Chuan Wen Gong Thirteen Years), and it was not until the Warring States period that the state of Yi was destroyed by the State of Chu.
Fourth, the polar country
The State of Ji (極国), a vassal state of the Western Zhou Dynasty, was in Jinxiang County, in present-day Jining, Shandong Province. For the Extreme State, at first it was a vassal of the State of Lu, and in the second year of the Spring and Autumn Period (721 BC), Lu Guoqing's doctor Zhan Wuxiao led a large army to destroy the Extreme State. Therefore, it is very obvious that after entering the Spring and Autumn Period, the Polar Kingdom was wiped out. And this is undoubtedly an important embodiment of the lack of binding force on the surrounding princely states after king Zhou Ping moved east to Luoyi.
Wu Qichang's "Genealogy of the Jin Wen Clan" believes that the "遽" in the Jin wen is this extreme country. According to the Spring and Autumn Left Commentary on Justice, Du prenotated that "pole, vassal small country", it can be seen that the pole country is not a princely state surnamed Ji. There are also many historians who say that the Polar State is a princely state established by the Rong people.
The "Spring and Autumn And Hidden Duke II" records that the Sikong wuwu of the State of Lu invaded the capital of the Extreme State. The "Second Year of Zuo Chuan And Yin Gong" supplements this record, Sikong Wufeng attacked the Extreme Capital, and The Lu Guo Doctor Fei Yu 's father (Fei Bo) "won the victory". The Qing Dynasty scholar Yu Fan's "Tea Room Sutra", according to the "Fifteen Years of Zuo Chuan Wengong": "Where the victorious country is destroyed", it is pointed out that the destruction of the country can be called "victory", then here Fei Yu's father "shengzhi" is the meaning of the destruction of the extreme country.
5. Mao Guo
Mao Guo, the monarch is the surname of Ji, the viscount. Duke Zhou's son Mao Shu (Mao Shu) was enfeoffed in the state of Mao, in the area of present-day Jinxiang County, Jining, Shandong Province. After the establishment of the Western Zhou Dynasty, the princely state of Mao was enfeoffed. Mao Guo was a direct descendant of the Duke of Zhou, so his status was quite high. The state of Mao was adjacent to the state of Lu, which was sealed by the eldest son of the Duke of Zhou, and the state of Mao was sealed by the third son of the Duke of Zhou, so it is very obvious that the state of Mao and the state of Lu were brotherly countries and had a relatively close relationship. However, the demise of the Mao state actually has a certain relationship with the state of Lu.
In this regard, the Southern Song Dynasty's "Tongzhi Erliu Yiguo Clan" clearly recorded: "Mao Clan, after the Duke of Zhou also." Present-day Jeju is also. Descendants take the kingdom as their clan. The "Left Biography" Yang Bojun notes that Mao Guo "The ancient city is in Mao Township, Jinxiang County, Jinning City, Shandong Province, and later belongs to Qi", that is, it is located in the area of Jining Jinxiang, Shandong. The "Archaeological Record of Continuing Shandong" and the "Spring and Autumn Chronicle of the Names of the Lords and the Writing of the Table of Existence and Destruction" all hold the same opinion.
According to historical records such as zuo chuan, during the Spring and Autumn period, the state of Lu attacked the state of Zou (邾国), and the Duke of Yiyin was unable to defeat the state of Lu and was forced to pay tribute and pay tribute. For the State of Lu, he did not dare to do anything to the State of Lu, but he sprinkled his anger on the country of Mao, the brotherly country of the State of Lu. Therefore, in anger and shame, duke Yin then sent a large army to destroy the neighboring Mao state, which was destroyed in the Spring and Autumn Period. In addition, the Mao state existed for about 450 years, after the fall of the Mao state, the descendants of the Mao state took the name of the country, called the Maodi clan and the Mao Cheng clan, which were later simplified to the single surnames Mao, Mao, and Suga, and the prince of the Mao state was the ancestor of the Mao surname.