Shen Zhou was furious and announced the punishment result to Song Zhaogong on the spot. Since the monarch could not be punished, Shen Zhou tied up one of Song Zhaogong's relatives and beat him severely. This history of humiliation became an unhealable wound in the hearts of the Song people.

Song Wengong ordered Shen Zhou to be brought to the court, and Hua Yuan's huge round eyes immediately shimmered: "Yo! Isn't this Meng Zhuzhi's Zuo Sima! You were afraid that the Song people wouldn't find you, so you took the initiative to send it to the door! ”

Hua Yuan turned to Song Wengong and continued: "The etiquette of 'passing through the state and borrowing the way' is written in the "Zhou Li", and even if the Son of Heaven's envoy travels, even if it is through a small country, this etiquette must be observed. The Chu people are shameless, if they tolerate the provocation of the Chu people and let go of Shenzhou, it is equivalent to admitting that the Song State is no longer a country, but a county of the Chu State; If Shen Zhou is killed, the state of Chu will go out to destroy the Song Dynasty. Since the left and right will perish, it is better to kill the envoy and start a war! ”

Song Wengong thought for a while, and immediately ordered Shen Zhou to be executed, handed over his head to the deputy envoy, and expelled the mission.

When King Chuzhuang heard the news, he was furious, and he jumped up and walked out of the bedroom briskly. King Chuzhuang's action was very fast, and the attendants were immediately in a hurry: the petty officer in charge chased him into the courtyard to put on his shoes, the sword in charge chased him out of the road before he put the sword on him, and the driver chased him until the market before picking him up in the car.

The captain of the guard asked, "Where is the king going?" King Chuzhuang said, "If you go out of the city, you can go anywhere." ”

In autumn and August, the Chu division went north. When the Song people got the news, they immediately destroyed the farmland and wells outside Shangqiu, demolished houses, cut down trees, and evacuated the population, striving not to leave a single stitch and thread for the enemy. The Song people showed optimism about the prospects of the war, believing in their own strength on the one hand, and the Jin people on the other hand, believing that the Song state would not be put in danger. While the Song people stepped up their preparations for war, they sent envoys to the Jin Kingdom to ask for support.

In September, the Chu division entered the hinterland of the Song State and surrounded Shangqiu. Zheng, Chen, and Xu took the initiative to provide a large number of baggage and miscellaneous labor for the Chu army; King Chuzhuang sent an envoy to Lu to "report the situation", but Lu Xuangong was very sluggish.

Meng Xianzi (Zhongsun Contempt) was anxious, and said to Lu Xuangong: "I heard that the reason why a small country can avoid being destroyed by a big country is because it can respectfully serve a big country: always ask questions when there is nothing to do, and make contributions when there is something. Otherwise, once it comes to the point of being defeated, it will be too late to do anything. Now that Chu Jun is in the Song Dynasty, the princes of the Central Plains have also expressed their attitudes, so please make plans in advance. ”

Lu Xuangong thought that Meng Xianzi was reasonable, so he went to see King Chuzhuang with a large number of gifts.

At this time, in the eyes of Chu Jun, Shangqiu had been built into a giant monster: it had a sturdy shell like a snapping turtle, powerful minions like a tiger and a wolf, and a stubborn and stubborn heart like a donkey.

The Chu army first cleared all kinds of obstacles set up outside the city, and after the preparations were completed, they erected ladders and launched siege engines to attack the city walls. After several tentative attacks, the Chu people realized that the enemy's defenses were almost invulnerable, and they could really be called "impregnable".

Wu Shen said to the king of Chuzhuang: "Everyone in the world thinks that the combat effectiveness of the Song army is inferior to that of the Zheng army. However, in history, the Song army once broke through Xinzheng, but the Zheng army never broke through Shangqiu; This is enough to prove that Shangqiu's defense is far stronger than Xinzheng's.

"King Cheng once commanded several armies to besiege Shangqiu, but in the end he returned in vain. Therefore, if you want to defeat the Song Kingdom, you can't use 'attack', but 'trap'. The grain harvest in the Song Kingdom this year was poor, and the city was crowded with displaced people, and the food consumption was huge. Therefore, as long as the Song people run out of food and the enemy is unable to defend, Shangqiu City will be self-defeating. ”

So in the days that followed, the Chu army did not launch a large-scale offensive, and most of the time on both sides was spent in a state of confrontation with each other.

In the spring of the fifteenth year of Lu Xuangong (BC594), the people of the Song Dynasty began to taste the bitterness of food shortage. When the Jin army arrived, Song Wengong was irritable, and then ordered Le Yingqi to go to the Jin Kingdom for help. Le Yingqi performed a variety of makeup techniques, changed several identities, and went through various hardships to reach the Jin Kingdom.

At this time, the Jin State was preparing for a war against the Lu State, but Jin Jinggong was moved by Le Yingqi's words and planned to go out to save the Song Dynasty. Seeing that Jin Jinggong was going to change his original plan, Doctor Bozong immediately stood up to oppose it.

Bozong said: "The road to save the Song Dynasty is far away, and there is Zheng Guo in the middle, which confirms the old saying: 'Although the whip is long, it is not as long as the horse's belly.'" 'Heaven is favoring the Chu State, although the Jin State is strong, how can it go against the will of Heaven? Therefore, it cannot compete with the state of Chu. The proverb says: 'The high is in the heart, and the river is dirty; The mountain hides the disease, and Jinyu hides the flaws. It is the way of heaven for the king to endure humiliation, and it is better for the prince to wait for the opportunity. ”

Jin Jinggong thought about it again and again, but still adopted Bozong's opinion. However, in order to stabilize the Song people, the Jin people lied that they would immediately go to the rescue, and sent messengers to convey this lie to the Song people.

Jin Jinggong summoned the doctor Xie Yang and said: "The widow ordered you to go and inform the Song people: 'The Jin army has learned that it will arrive in the Song Kingdom in a few days. 'Ask the Song people to persevere to the end! The road to the Song Kingdom is difficult and dangerous, so the master should be more careful! ”

Why did Jin Jinggong send Xie Yang, probably because Xie Yang had more experience in being captured than others (Xie Yang was captured by the Zheng people in the Battle of Beilin fifteen years ago).

Sure enough, Xie Yang, despite his caution along the way, was captured when he infiltrated Zheng Guo. Zheng Ren did not hesitate to send him to the Chu military camp.

After King Chuzhuang saw Xie Yang, he first asked about the plans of the Jin people. Xie Yang replied proudly: "The Jin division will soon arrive in the Song Kingdom, preparing for a decisive battle with the great powers, and it will be a shame!" ”

King Chuzhuang's heart sank to the bottom, and then he bribed Xie Yang with a high-ranking official and asked him to change his rhetoric. Xie Yang initially disagreed, but made a hint that "it is still negotiable". King Chuzhuang then began to increase the price, three times in a row.

Xie Yang finally exhaled and said: "A word from a foreign minister can make the king gain a country, if the foreign minister does it, the king will not break his word when the time comes!" King Chuzhuang said: "If Bugu breaks his promise, let God punish me!" ”

Xie Yang walked out of the barracks and ascended to the nest car, and shouted hoarsely at the sergeants on the city wall: "Song people, listen! I am Xie Yang, the envoy of the Jin Kingdom, and I am on the order of the widow to deliver a message: the widow has gathered all the troops and will set off in a few days. You must stay the course! Can't surrender! ”

The Chu people were furious and immediately cut the rope of the nest car, and the carriage fell to pieces with the sound of the howling wind, and Xie Yang also fell to the ground in the exclamation of the Song people. He only hugged the nest car pillar at the last moment and slowed down the falling speed before he fell to his death on the spot. The Chu people rushed up and dragged Xie Yang, who was stumbling and delirious, with only half his life left, on the chariot and back to the barracks.