110 Three Hundred Men

A5.23|24|25 

In the twelfth year of Duke Mu of Qin (648 BC), Guan Zhong and Xi Peng of Qi died. 

Jin was struck by drought, people came to Qin for food aid. Pi Bao advised Duke Mu not to aid, but instead to take advantage of the famine to attack the state of Jin. Duke Mu asked Gongsun Zhi, who replied, "Years of famine and harvests are just in the cycle, so we cannot deny them food." Duke Mu then asked Baili Xi, who answered, "Yiwu offended you, but what crime have Jin people committed?" Therefore Duke Mu adopted their advice and gave Jin grains, transported either by boats or vehicles, continuously from Yong to Jian. 

In the fourteenth year, Qin suffered from famine and asked Jin for food aid. The King of Jin discussed the matter with his ministers. Guo She said: "We should take advantage of the famine in Qin and attack, and we will surely have big success." The King of Jin followed his advice. In the 15th year, the State of Jin sent troops to attack the State of Qin. Duke Mu gathered troops and let Pi Bao lead the army to fight in person. On the Renxu day of the ninth month, the Qin army fought against the Jin army led by Yiwu the Duke Hui in Han. The King of Jin broke away from his army and came alone to fight the Qin army. On his way back, his horse got stuck in the mud. Duke Mu and his men chased on fast horses but failed to capture the King of Jin and were instead surrounded by the Jin army. Duke Mu was attacked by the Jin army and injured. At this moment, there were three hundred men rushed over, who had stolen Duke Mu's horse as food at the foot of Mount Qi. Regardless of the danger, they broke through the encirclement of the Jin army, rescued Duke Mu, and surprisingly caught the King of Jin alive. Sometime before, Duke Mu lost a good horse, which was caught and eaten by more than 300 villagers from Mount Qi. The officials arrested them and prepared to execute them according to law. Duke Mu said: "A gentleman will not harm people for the sake of the livestock. I have heard that eating horse meat without wine drinking will harm your body." So he gave them wine to drink and pardoned them. Now, these three hundred people heard that the Qin was attacked by Jin, they all requested to join the Qin army. Therefore, when they saw that Duke Mu was in trouble, they took up weapons and risked their lives to save him, in order to repay the kindness of being pardoned for stealing and eating the horse. After Duke Mu captured the King of Jin and returned, he issued an order to the whole nation: "I will fast and prepare to sacrifice the King of Jin to the Emperor of Heaven." When the King of Zhou the Son of Heaven heard this, he said, "The King of Jin and I have the same surname." He so requested that the King of Jin be exonerated. When Yiwu's sister, Duke Mu's wife, heard the news, she put on mourning clothes, went barefoot to Duke Mu, and said, "I can't even save my own brother, I am such a shame to my royal husband?" Duke Mu said, "I captured the King of Jin, which I thought was a great achievement, but now the King of Zhou the Son of Heaven is begging for mercy for him, and my wife is also sad for him." He then made an alliance with the King of Jin, which promised him to go back home, allowed him to stay in the most luxurious guest room, and enjoy the top-level food service with seven trios of livestock. In November, Qin sent the King of Jin back to his country. Yiwu offered the land of Hexi and sent Crown Prince Yu to Qin as a hostage.The Qin State married a girl from the royal family of Qin to the crown prince Yu of Jin. At that time, Qin's territory had expanded eastward to the Yellow River. 

十二年，齐管仲、隰朋死。

晋旱，来请粟。丕豹说缪公勿与，因其饥而伐之。缪公问公孙支，支曰：“饥穰更事耳，不可不与。”问百里傒，傒曰：“夷吾得罪于君，其百姓何罪？”于是用百里傒、公孙支言，卒与之粟。以船漕车转，自雍相望至绛。

十四年，秦饥，请粟于晋。晋君谋之群臣。虢射曰：“因其饥伐之，可有大功。”晋君从之。十五年，兴兵将攻秦。缪公发兵，使丕豹将，自往击之。九月壬戌，与晋惠公夷吾合战于韩地。晋君弃其军，与秦争利，还而马騺。缪公与麾下驰追之，不能得晋君，反为晋军所围。晋击缪公，缪公伤。于是岐下食善马者三百人驰冒晋军，晋军解围，遂脱缪公而反生得晋君。初，缪公亡善马，岐下野人共得而食之者三百余人，吏逐得，欲法之。缪公曰：“君子不以畜产害人。吾闻食善马肉不饮酒，伤人。”乃皆赐酒而赦之。三百人者闻秦击晋，皆求从，从而见缪公窘，亦皆推锋争死，以报食马之德。于是缪公虏晋君以归，令于国，齐宿，吾将以晋君祠上帝。周天子闻之，曰“晋我同姓”，为请晋君。夷吾姊亦为缪公夫人，夫人闻之，乃衰绖跣，曰：“妾兄弟不能相救，以辱君命。”缪公曰：“我得晋君以为功，今天子为请，夫人是忧。”乃与晋君盟，许归之，更舍上舍，而馈之七牢。十一月，归晋君夷吾，夷吾献其河西地，使太子圉为质于秦。秦妻子圉以宗女。是时秦地东至河。