Battle of An

By early 6th century BC, Jin and Chu had become the two most powerful states in China, with many other states constantly shifting between their spheres of influence. The last major battle between Jin and Chu before the Battle of An was the Battle of Bi in 597 BC, in which Chu was victorious. By 589 BC, Qi was aligned to Chu, while Wey was aligned to Jin. Lu, which had been Chu-aligned, realigned itself to Jin in 591 BC.

In spring 589 BC, Duke Qing of Qi invaded Lu, its neighbor to the south. Duke Mu of Wey then sent an army led by Viscount Huan of Sun [zh], Viscount Cheng of Shi [zh], Viscount Cheng of Ning [zh], and Xiang Qin (向禽) to invade Qi in support of Lu. This army was defeated by Qi at Xinzhu (新築).

Viscount Huan of Sun then went to Jin to seek aid, as did Zang Xuanshu [zh]. Both looked to Minister Xi Ke, Viscount Xian of Xi, as he had considerable military influence. Duke Jing of Jin granted Xi Ke an army, the center force of which was commanded by Xi Ke himself. The upper army and the lower army were commanded by Shi Xie, Viscount Wen of Fan [zh] and Luan Shu, Viscount Wu of Luan [zh], respectively. Additionally, Han Jue, Viscount Xian of Han [zh], became the Master of the Horse. The Jin army set out and rendezvoused with the Wey army, led by Viscount Huan of Sun, the Lu army, led by Jisun Xingfu, Viscount Wen of Ji [zh], and the Cao army, led by Prince Shou of Cao [zh]. The commanders of each of these four armies were, in fact, the four emissaries who were humiliated by Duke Qing of Qi during their earlier visit. The allied forces entered Qi territory and encountered the Qi army, led by Duke Qing of Qi, at Shen (莘).

On 28 May, 589 BC, the allied forces reached Mt. Miji (靡笄山). When Duke Qing of Qi sent an envoy to request for battle, the Jin commanders responded:

Lu and [Wey] are the brothers^[a] of Jin. They came to notify us: ‘That great domain had been day and night relieving its rancor in the territories of our humble settlements.’ Our unworthy ruler could not bear their distress and sent a group of his subjects to plead with your great domain, charging that we should not let our chariots and troops remain long in your territory. We can only advance; we cannot retreat. The command from you, my lord, shall have no cause to be dishonored.^[3]

Duke Qing of Qi then replied that his army would do battle, with or without permission.

The next day, the two armies engaged at An. During the battle, Xi Ke was wounded by an arrow. He complained about his wound and intended to retreat, but Xie Zhang [zh], his chariot driver, urged him to bear the wound, citing his own multiple arrow wounds. Zhengqiu Huan (鄭丘緩), the spearman of Xi Ke's chariot, then implied Xi Ke's importance in the allied army by telling Xi Ke about how he had to push the chariot through difficult terrain, while Xi Ke noticed nothing. He then acknowledged Xi Ke's wound, but Xie Zhang, interpreting this as agreement with Xi Ke, questioned his intent and rebutted that the chariot, as the heart of the army, must move together with the army's banners and drums, which he compared with eyes and ears. After encouraging Xi Ke to brace himself more, Xie Zhang, who claimed that only one man was needed to control a chariot, grasped all its reins together with his left hand and beat the war drum on the chariot with his right. The chariot's horses raced forward, and the allied troops followed. The Qi army was defeated, and Jin forces pursued the Qi army around Hua Hill three times.

Han Jue of the Jin forces was pursuing the Duke of Qi on his chariot when Bing Xia (邴夏), the Duke of Qi's chariot driver, urged the Duke of Qi to shoot Han Jue, who appeared to him as a nobleman. The Duke of Qi, refusing to shoot him on the grounds of ritual propriety, shot the two men to the sides of Han Jue instead. Then, the Duke of Qi, in an attempt to confuse the pursuers, switched places with Feng Choufu (逢丑父), his chariot's spearman who stood to his right while Han Jue bent over to adjust the corpse of his attendant to his right. As the two chariots approached the Springs of Hua (華泉), the Qi chariot became caught in the midst of trees and stopped. Feng Choufu, whose arm was bitten by a snake, was unable to free the chariot, so the Jin chariot caught up with it.

Han Jue captured who he thought was the Duke of Qi, but not before bowing to him twice and presenting to him a wine cup and a jade disk. Feng Choufu then ordered the real Duke of Qi to fetch water from the Springs of Hua, allowing him to escape. Han Jue presented Feng Choufu to Xi Ke as the Duke of Qi, but Xi Ke, who knew what the Duke of Qi looked like, recognized that Han Jue had captured one of his servants. Xi Ke then spared Feng Choufu's life^[b], claiming:

It is inauspicious for us to put to death a man who does not balk at death if it will let his ruler escape. I will pardon him to encourage those who serve their lords.^[3]

The Duke of Qi searched for Feng Choufu to no avail. He then returned to Linzi, the Qi capital. When he reached the city gate, he cried to the guards that the Qi army had been defeated. A woman nearby, who the guards were shoving away, asked the Duke about whether or not the Duke survived, not knowing the true identity of the Duke. After the Duke answered to the affirmative, she then asked about the leader of the spearmen, to which the Duke answered to the affirmative as well. The woman said, "“If the ruler and my father have escaped harm, what more can I ask?” and then ran away. The Duke later found out that the woman was the wife of the "leader of fortifications," and granted her a settlement named Shiliu (石窌).