Battle of Bi

Date	597 BC
Location	Bi, near modern day Xingyang, Henan Province
Result	Chu victory, hegemony of King Zhuang of Chu

Belligerents

Chǔ

Jìn

Commanders and leaders

King Zhuang of Chu, Sunshu Ao, Zi Zhong, Zi Fan

Xun Linfu, Shi Hui, Zhao Shuo

Strength

Unknown

Casualties and losses

Unknown

The Battle of Bi (Chinese: 邲之戰; pinyin: Bì zhī Zhàn) was fought during the Spring and Autumn period in 597 BC, between the major states of Chǔ and Jìn. Occurring three and a half decades after the Battle of Chengpu, where Jin decisively defeated Chu, the battle was a major victory for Chu, cementing the position of its ruler King Zhuang as a hegemon among the states of the Zhou Dynasty.

The states of Jin and Chu were both among the most powerful of their time, but while Jin was considered a legitimate Zhou state in terms of culture and lineage, the state of Chu - whose territory encompassed many non-Chinese cultures in the middle Yangtze River - was considered a half-civilised state at best.

Jin-Chu rivalry last came to a head with the decisive defeat of Chu at the Battle of Chengpu, where Duke Wen of Jin became hegemon among the states; after the death of Duke Wen, Chu attempted to reassert its position with northern campaigns, but the presence of Zhao Dun as premier of Jin rendered them unwilling to risk direct conflict.

This situation would change dramatically with the death of Zhao Dun in 601 BC, as well as the death of Duke Cheng of Jin the following year, followed by that of Zhao's successor Xi Que () in 598 BC. King Zhuang made use of the resulting instability among the Jin leadership, and personally led a campaign northward.

King Zhuang targeted the state of Zheng, which was an ally of Jin, and successfully forced Zheng to switch allegiance to Chu. Meanwhile, Xun Linfu, the new commander of the Jin armies, led his forces to relieve Zheng, only to learn of the surrender of Zheng en route, while camped along the northern bank of the Yellow River. This created a rift among the Jin commanders, about whether to meet the Chu forces in battle.

At the same time, Chu's armies retreated by 30 li and decamped, awaiting the Jin offensive.

Xun Linfu, after hearing of Zheng's switch of allegiance, was in favour of retreating; however, his adjutant Xian Hu, maintaining that it would be cowardly to avoid battle as the hegemonic state, led his own troops across the Yellow River without instructions. This forced the rest of the army to follow suit.

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Wikipedia