In winter and October, Chu Shi learned. Song Xianggong received the battle report and immediately ordered to send out his division to meet the enemy. At this time, Ziyu had resigned from the position of Da Sima due to health problems; According to Ziyu's suggestion, Song Xianggong changed Gongsun Gu to the Great Sima. Gongsun Gu is the grandson of Song Zhuang Gong and the cousin of Song Xianggong, and he is a cool-headed, thoughtful, and energetic person.

Gongsun Gu said: "Heaven has abandoned the Great Shang for a long time, and the monarch will not be pardoned by God if he still tries to revive the old dynasty." It is better to avoid the enemy's edge and hold on to it in order to wait for the opportunity. ”

Song Xianggong said: "At this time, you can't meet the Chu army, and the widow won't attack Zheng in the first place!" ”

Gongsun Gu said: "If you must go to war, the minister thinks that you should ask for help from the Qi State." Although Qi Hou was annoyed by our country's unauthorized attack on Zheng, it was not too late to save the relationship. The Marquis of Qi is lustful, and the ministers are greedy for money; It is impossible that we will not achieve our goal by bribing the monarchs and ministers of Qi with our wealth. If the Qi division is out, the Chu army will retreat. ”

Song Xianggong said: "Da Sima should still think about how to fight, and it is not the overlord's work to win with bribes." ”

Sixty miles south of Shangqiu, there is a small river called "Hongshui". In late October, the Song army reached the north bank of Hongshui, and the Chu army arrived on the south bank later, and the two armies confronted each other across Hongshui. On the morning of November 1, the Song army retreated ten miles according to the agreement, and the Chu army began to cross the river.

When the Song people saw a pass as they retreated, Gongsun Gu suggested that the main force be moved behind the pass, and at the same time deploy troops on the high ground on both sides and establish a defensive line on the north side of the pass to block the enemy's attack. However, Song Xianggong did not agree, but moved the army to an open area far from the pass and fought directly with the enemy army face to face.

The vanguard of the Chu army had already come ashore and began to assemble on the open field left by the Song army. Gongsun Gu said: "I am outnumbered. Our side has completed the formation, but the enemy army has not completely landed, and if we attack at this time, the Chu army will be defeated. ”

Song Xianggong said: "No, the agreement in the war book is not like this. ”

The Chu army has completely landed and is nervously arrayed. At this time, Gongsun Gu, who had always been known for his calm and steady, could not hold his breath, and he eagerly requested an immediate attack, wanting to disperse the enemy army before it formed a column. However, Song Xianggong, who has always been impetuous and rash, seemed very calm, and was not moved by the enemy and Gongsun Gu at all, but only ordered to continue waiting.

However, that abnormal situation was in keeping with his usual stupidity, and his stupid decision not only deprived the Song army of its chance to win, but also caused his own death.

It was not until the enemy army was fully prepared for the battle that Song Xianggong ordered the drumming to be beaten, and the Song army met the enemy's dignified formation head-on with weak soldiers. This kind of action was like a mantis arm as a car, and the Song army was immediately crushed by the enemy's powerful force.

Song Xianggong was shot in the thigh by an arrow in the confusion, and due to excessive blood loss, he quickly withdrew from the battle. For the rest of the time, the Chu army was not fighting, but capturing slaves and looting property.

The Song army suffered less serious casualties (because the defeat came too suddenly), but many were captured; The camp was also looted. The defeated army was defeated for dozens of miles before it stopped, and the Chu army was too busy looting and disposing of the spoils of war to pursue.

Later, the Chu people decided to magnify the results of the Battle of Hong and aggravate the defeat of the Song State. They gave their captives and other spoils of war to the Zhuxia state, and even the Lu state received a generous gift. The princes did not dare not accept the gifts of the Chu State, but once they accepted them, they became the enemies of the Song State.

King Chu Cheng did not return to China directly, but was invited by Zheng Wen to Xinzheng. This was the only time in his life that King Chu Cheng visited the vassal states, and his arrival earned enough face for the people of Zheng Guoren.

Zheng Wengong mobilized the entire Xinzheng people, and the ceremony of entering the city was grand and magnificent, and the people cheered to the guard of honor and expressed their gratitude to the Chu army for beating the Song army. King Cheng of Chu must be at the forefront, and Duke Wen of Zheng must follow closely behind. At the banquet that followed, Zheng Wengong called Wen Mi (Chu Chengwang's sister) and a pair of twin daughters to meet Chengwang.

The little sisters were young and had just arrived at the age of Jilu, and the two inherited all the advantages of their parents. When King Cheng saw it, the whole person suddenly seemed to be struck by lightning. He finally didn't make too outrageous actions on the spot, just stretched out his hands and said, "Good nephew and daughter!" Come! Uncle hug! ”

The next day, King Chu Cheng was about to leave, and he asked Wen Mi to take his niece to the barracks to take a look. King Chu Cheng took them on a tour of the military camp and showed them the ears cut off from the corpses of the Song people. The horrible stuff has rotted and discolored, giving off a disgusting smell. The women couldn't help but hide their faces and retreated, but finally did not vomit on the spot.

After the visit, King Chu Cheng said to his sister that he would take his nieces to Chu to play for a few days. Wen Mi was shocked, she never expected her brother to have evil thoughts about her daughters; She knelt down in front of King Chu Cheng and pleaded with him, and the children didn't know why, so they also knelt beside their mother. But King Chu Cheng was unmoved, and forcibly separated his mother and daughters.

At that time, someone said: "The king of Chu is so depraved, and the state of Chu will not pose a threat to the Central Plains." ”

The arrow wound on Song Xianggong's leg was very serious, he received the best treatment, and he also suffered great pain, but the wound never healed.

The Song people not only suffered huge property losses, but also had to endure greater bereavement.

The Song people cursed Xianggong and said, "It was a fool's decision that caused the country to suffer a crushing defeat and caused us to lose our relatives; It was Heaven that turned him into a paralyzed man, so that he could no longer harm the country. Even if his father became the second Duke of Qi Huan, the people of the country would not get any benefit - people would either die because of him, or become slaves of greed. ”

Ziyu dragged the sick body to visit Song Xianggong, and Xianggong said: "Many people question Gu's order, but the ancients did not inflict secondary damage on the enemy, did not capture the elderly and children, and did not rely on the pass to block the enemy. Although the widow is ruined, he will not attack the enemy army that is not in formation. ”

Ziyu said: "Jun doesn't understand war at all. The strong enemy cannot spread the array because of the pass, and it is the heavens that sponsor us; Isn't it okay to stop the enemy here? Even so, the minister was still afraid that he would not be able to defeat the enemy! Moreover, the powerful countries in the world today are all opponents of the Song State; Although the enemy is old, he is still an enemy after all, so what is there not to capture the enemy?

"The officers taught the soldiers how to fight, and instilled in them the spirit of honor, with the sole purpose of killing the enemy. The enemy is wounded but not killed, but he can still fight, so why can't he kill twice? If you can't bear to hurt again, it's better not to hurt; Have mercy on the old and weak, and then give in to the enemy!

"Govern the country with righteousness, and use soldiers with odds. Taking advantage of the enemy's opportunity to stimulate the morale of our army is the two best treasures of combat; Dangers and obstacles can be used by our army, and the drums can inspire the courage of the soldiers. ”

Although the Song State suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of Hong, the country's disaster still did not end. In the spring of the twenty-third year of the reign of Lu Xi Gong (BC637), the Duke of Qi Xiaogong sent troops to attack the Song Dynasty under the pretext that Song Xianggong "set up another mountain and destroyed the alliance".

The battle became the last straw that crushed Song Xianggong's spirit and health, and although he did not go crazy, he had completely collapsed. Song Xianggong cherished a utopian dream that was destined to be unrealizable, took his own will as the core, disregarded the actual situation and national interests, and insisted on going his own way, and finally pushed the Song State into the abyss of disaster.

Five years after the death of Duke Huan of Qi, chaos in the world reappeared: the Central Plains had no owner, and Zhuxia was divided; Rong Di rose up, Jing Chu expanded northward, and the Song State lost all its allies.

The monarch is incompetent, and all the people are sacrificed. Song Xianggong could not succeed, but it affected Song Guochengren. The reason why there was still a breath left in his chest was because he had not yet seen the person who could save the Song Kingdom.

At this moment, Jin Gongzi Chong'er appeared, and he escaped from the Qi State, preparing to return to China to seize the throne. Song Xianggong eagerly summoned Chong'er and entrusted the safety of the Song State to the future overlord of China.

Those who can save the Song Kingdom will be able to calm China. In the summer of May, Song Xianggong died.