At this time, the messenger of the left army sent the news of the defeat, and the messenger also said that the Duke of Jin Wen should hide in a place that was not heavily defended, and at the same time asked Ziyu to attack. Ziyu said that the overall situation had been decided, Xu Chen had returned to the vicinity of the Jinzhong army, and the Chu people had no chance of winning the war.

Zixi took a break to prepare for a breakthrough, but the Jin people did not give him this opportunity, and they acted quickly, as if they had rehearsed many times. The infantry of the Jin people was in the front, the chariots were in the rear, and the cavalry of the auxiliary troops was distributed on the periphery.

After the siege was completed, the Jin people set fire to the mountain, and the hill suddenly became a huge hornet's nest with thick smoke, and the Chu army, which had just been given a chance to breathe, rushed down the hillside in panic. The Chu army broke through the first line of defense of the Jin army with difficulty, and those who were lucky enough to break through were chased and shot by the cavalry on the periphery. Only a few people, including Zixi and Ziyue, rushed out, and most people had no choice but to surrender.

Xianzhen felt that the resistance of the enemy's left army was getting weaker and weaker, so he drew part of his army to reinforce Xu Chen (because he heard that the lower army was still confronting Ziyu). By this time, the sun had already set to the west, and Ziyu saw that the enemy was gathering more and more, so he ordered a fire, and the army retreated under the cover of the smoke of the fire and the night.

The Battle of Chengpu, which lasted only one day, ended with the complete defeat of the Chu army. This battle was prepared for four years by Duke Wen of Jin, and by the three generations of princes of the Jin Kingdom, it took forty-six years to prepare (starting from the entry of Duke Wu of Jin into the Jin Kingdom).

The Jin army marched into the Chu camp to rescue and loot the spoils that had not been burned by the fire, and they made great gains: miscellaneous servants and wounded soldiers who could not escape in time, many cattle and horses, grain, grass and baggage all became trophies.

The Jin army rested in Chengpu for three days, squandering the grain left behind by the Chu people, while the Duke Wen of Jin was busy compensating the soldiers who were killed and wounded in battle, and rewarding those who made meritorious contributions. After that, he sent envoys to the Eastern Zhou and the vassal states to announce this important news, and informed the king of Zhou Xiang and the princes to go to Jiantu to participate in the alliance.

But Jin Wengong still looked worried. The doctors all persuaded him, saying that the state of Chu had been defeated, what else did you have to worry about? Jin Wengong said: "But Ziyu is still alive!" As long as he is there, the widow can't help but worry, and he is the only one who can fight against the Jin Kingdom. ”

Ziyu led the defeated army to retreat to Liangu City, which is a small city outside Fangcheng Mountain, and the specific location can no longer be verified. Ziyu ordered Cheng Daxin and Doujiao to bring the army back to China, and he was ready to commit suicide here.

Shen Xi's children suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of Chengpu, and less than seventy percent of them were able to return alive. The whole city of Shen County is silent, people cry day and night, and those who have not suffered from mourning have also stopped all entertainment activities, and the whole Shen County has turned into a city of mourning.

King Chu Cheng was still in Shen County at this time, and he faced Cheng Daxin and Doujiao, with a thick layer of frost on his face: "What about Ziyu?" Where is he? ”

Cheng Daxin said: "Dechen is now Lian Gu Cheng, he wants to commit suicide, but the minister said: 'Suicide is equivalent to killing, it is against the king's order, you should wait for the king's order.'" Therefore the retainers sent their servants to listen to the king's commands. ”

King Chu Cheng sent someone to bring a message to Ziyu: "If the doctor enters Fangcheng, how will he face Father Shenxi?" ”

After King Chu Cheng announced the order, he dispersed. Lu Chen told Xue Jia the news. This order was both expected and very surprising to him. He said, "Why didn't my father dissuade the king?" Have you forgotten Fan Wu's fallacy? It is not a pity for the vassals to die, but I am afraid that the woe of the king will begin here. ”

It turned out that when King Chu Cheng was young, King Chu Wen once took him, Ziyu and Zixi to meet a famous wizard (that is, the person known as "Fan Wu"). Fan Wu's accurate prophecies brought him great prestige and greater danger, so King Wen of Chu placed him under protection (effectively house arrest) and stipulated that only people of higher status could see him.

When Fan Wu saw the three children, he wept and said, "Even if the king kills me, I must tell the truth: these three children will be extremely rich, but they will not get a good death, so please do what they want!" ”

After that, King Chu Wen often warned the three of them to be united and mutually beneficial, and not to harm each other; When one person is in trouble, others must be saved: to save others is to save oneself.

Remembering this past, he immediately returned to the palace and said to King Chu Cheng, "Has the king forgotten Fan Wu's prophecy and the admonition of the previous king? If Dechen dies, who will be next? If Yishen dies with him, the situation will be even more serious! Besides, although Dechen is stubborn and self-serving, if he gets the assistance of a wise man, he will definitely be able to wash away his shame with blood, why kill him to aggravate the victory of the Jin State and the defeat of the Chu State? ”

King Chu Cheng almost collapsed to the ground, and he sent an envoy again to stop Ziyu from committing suicide.

Ziyu, Zixi, and Zishang wore mourning clothes and disheveled hair, and locked themselves in a simple room. Ziyu cried all day and stayed awake all night, as soon as he closed his eyes, he saw the dead souls of Shenxi's disciples, and the souls surrounded him and said, "Lord Lingyin, you brought us out, but we can't find our way home, please take us back!" ”

A few days later, Ziyu couldn't bear the torment in his heart, and he calculated that the king's messenger was about to arrive, so he decided to commit suicide early. He said: "Before his death, the first doctor Mo Ao said in a serious way: 'If the defeated die, please start with me.'" Now he was in the same situation as him, and he finally understood the meaning of his words.

"The Chu army is so strong that it has no rivals in the world; The Chu army was defeated only because of the incompetence of the generals and their ignorance of the principles of cautious warfare. The vassals disobeyed the king's orders and were doomed to defeat. I hope that the generals in the future can take me as a model, and the death of the minister will be meaningful. ”

Zixi and Zishang did not object, Zixi decided to commit suicide with Ziyu, while Zishang planned to bury the two before dying. The three of them bathed and changed their clothes, changed into funeral clothes, and said goodbye to each other. Ziyu and Zixi hanged themselves.