2. Chu was founded at the junction of Henan, Shaanxi and Hubei, probably in Danjiangkou reservoir area. Before the Spring and Autumn Period, Chu was a powerful country between Jianghan, but it may only be the role of regional hegemon, and the territory under effective direct control is not large.
3. The chaos caused by the demise of the Western Zhou Dynasty gave Chu a chance to rise. In the era of Chu Wuwang, Chu began to expand its power southward along the Hanshui River, probably to Yicheng and Xiangyang. Chu may have occupied Nanyang basin around 700 BC, marked by the demise of Shen Guo. At this time, Chu should be equivalent to Nanyang, Xiangyang and Shiyan today. Yes, as long as it occupies three prefecture-level cities, it will be a first-class power at that time.
4. Chu's expansion to the north is easier to understand, probably to continue to eliminate Xinyang Zhumadian. Therefore, it is said in the history books that there are teachers in Chu who apply for interest, but it is difficult to continue northward, because Luoyang has the royal family of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, so they can ask for it casually. In the northeast, after taking Pingdingshan Xuchang, Zhengzhou could not be established for hundreds of years, because there was gold behind Zhengzhou, and Zheng was the mascot of hegemony. Therefore, at this time, the State of Chu developed laterally eastward, and captured south-central Henan and most parts of Anhui. About 500 years ago, I met the rising State of Wu in Jiujiang, Nanchang.
5. expansion to the south, that is, expansion to Hubei, is not recorded in detail in the history books. People often overestimate the existence of Chu in the south. For example, they think that Hubei is the main area of Chu culture. They often think that the whole of Hubei, including Hunan, is Chu. They don't know the significance of Henan or Anhui to Chu culture, or Jianghan Plain is the core of Chu culture. They don't know that the core of Chu culture has been in Nanxiang Basin for at least 500 years. People often speculate on a series of ancient place names in Chu Tainan. Generally speaking, at that time, Chu State was probably seriously digesting Yichang and Jingzhou, and Yun Mengze estimated that it was still Wang Yang. It is uncertain whether Britain is so southern, let alone south of the Yangtze River.
6. In the mountainous area to the west, the State of Chu expanded and attacked the Hanshui River in Danxi, and won Shangluo, which made him feel at home with the State of Qin, leaving an allusion to the dynasty. Going against the Hanshui River into Ankang, it is estimated that you will not reach Hanzhong. Hanzhong county in the later Chu state is not Hanzhong today.
7. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the expansion of the State of Chu began in a county in Xichuan, with the first easy and then difficult, the first fast and then slow, giving priority to areas with fertile land, large population and great political and economic influence, or absorbing undeveloped areas into wasteland. Finally, it occupied most of Hubei and Anhui, south-central Henan, southeast Shaanxi and parts of Jiangsu and Jiangxi. As for the Chu State in the Warring States Period, northern Zhejiang, the whole of Jiangsu, most of Jiangxi and parts of Shandong may be added.
1, name of country
(1) Chu has been called Chu, Jing, and Jing Chu since ancient times. Why is Chu called "Chu"? Professor Luo, vice president of China Pre-Qin Historical Society and doctoral supervisor of Wuhan University, revealed that the name of Chu actually originated from the death of the "mother of the country" of Chu.
(2) "Jing" and "Chu" both mean deciduous shrub Jing. But as the name of a country, are these two words as simple as "Vitex negundo"? In July, 2008, Tsinghua University alumni donated a batch of bamboo slips of the Warring States Period, * * * 2,388 pieces, which were called "Tsinghua Bamboo Slips" and were of great value. Some experts said that "this will greatly change the face of the study of ancient history in China, and its value is incalculable".
(3) As an expert in Chu culture and Chu bamboo books, Luo participated in the academic discussion of Chu bamboo books. According to its introduction, "Songs of the South" is one of the bamboo slips of the Qing Dynasty, in which there is a passage that records the cave bear of Chu Xianjun: the wife of the cave bear is tough, and it is very difficult to give birth to Li Ji, but she died in childbirth after caesarean section, and Li Ji survived. After Yan Li's death, the wizard wrapped it with Vitex negundo (originally "Chu") and buried it. To commemorate her, later generations called their country "Chu".
(4) Why should we solemnly commemorate a wife of Chu Xianjun who died by caesarean section during childbirth? Luo said that according to Chu's bloodline, her husband and the son she bought with her life were the leaders of Chu, became the founding fathers of Chu, and started the foundation of Chu for 800 years.