Chen State began to decline from the twelfth lord of the tenth generation Chen Huangong period, and continued to the 24th year of Chen Mingong (478 BC), and was finally destroyed by Chu State. There are different statements about the year when Chen State was destroyed, so it is necessary to clarify.
In the information about the history of the State of Chen, there is a "coincidence" saying that the year of the fall of the State of Chen was the same as the year of the death of Confucius . "The Chen Family of China" records: "In the 24th year of Duke Chen Min, Confucius died. In that year, King Hui of Chu attacked the north with his troops and killed Duke Chen Min, and then destroyed Chen and became the one. Chen was destroyed. At that time, King Jing of Zhou was , and King Jing of Zhou was forty-one year Renxu (479 BC)." The above article mistakenly made the 24th year of Duke Chen Min, so the year of the fall of the State of Chen was the same as the year of Confucius' death. According to the volume of "The Ten Thousands of the Ones" in the "Huaiyang Historical and Cultural Series": "In 479 BC, King Hui of Chu sent troops to the north to attack, killing Chen Min Gong, and classified Chen as a county of Chu. At this point, Chen State declared its destruction." It is clearly stated that the year when Chen State was destroyed by Chu was 479 BC, that is, the 23rd year of Chen Min Gong. The 1991 edition of the "Huaiyang County Chronicles" also holds this statement: "In the 41st year of King Jing of Zhou (479 BC), in July of the 23rd year of Duke Min of Chen, King Hui of Chu killed Duke Min of Chen, and the State of Chen was destroyed and the county was razed." Although the records in "The Same Root of Ten Thousands of Surnames" and "Huaiyang County Chronicles" do not indicate that the same year as Confucius died, it actually implies this. Confucius died in 479 BC and was well-known and had no objection. There is a clear record of this in "Zuo Zhuan": The summer of the 16th year of Duke Ai of Lu, Confucius passed away on April 11. This year was verified by historian Cui Shu: "In 479 BC, the 41st year of King Jing of Zhou, the 16th year of Duke Ai of Lu, the 11th month of the Zhou calendar, that is, the 11th month of the second month of the Xia calendar, Confucius died of illness on seven days, and was 73 years old." This theory is widely recognized by contemporary Confucius scholars such as Kuang Yaming. The "coincidence" of "the same year" quoted above
is based on "Records of the Grand Historian". "Records of the Grand Historian: The Family of Chen Qi" records: "In the 23rd year of (King Chen Min), Ye Duke attacked Bai Duke , and Bai Duke committed suicide. In the 24th year of (King Chen Min Duke) King Hui of Chu restored the country and attacked the north with his troops, killed Chen Min Duke, and then destroyed Chen. In that year, Confucius died." In this statement, the 24th year of Chen Qian Duke, that is, 478 BC. However, what makes people wonder is that the "Chinese Chen Family", "The One Whose Rank" and "Huaiyang County Chronicles" all identify the year of the fall of the Chen State and the year of Confucius' death as 479 BC, which is inevitably confusing. Where did the year when the fall of the State of Chen come from 479 BC? It is neither recorded in "Zuo Zhuan" nor in "Records of the Grand Historian". If you read "Records of the Grand Historian·Chen Qi Family", the author believes that it evolved from "this year" to "the same year". The person who holds this theory probably comes from the following considerations:
1. "Records of the Grand Historian" said in the same year that it meets the psychological needs of people in Chendi
Chendi was once a place where the sage Confucius lived for four years to teach Confucianism, which further strengthened the image of this country of etiquette since Chen Hugong . It is reasonable that local people hope to have more connections with their master Confucius and enjoy their glory. Taishigong has the saying of "the same year". The three articles such as "Chinese Chen Family" "follow the flow" have evolved into the saying of "Records of the Grand Historian: The Family of Chen Qi". It is understood that the year of the fall of the State of Chen was one year ahead of the year 479 BC, and it is determined as the same year as Confucius' death, regardless of whether it conforms to historical facts or not.
2. The "Zuo Zhuan" Confucius's death year is recognized as
Comparing with the "Zuo Zhuan", it can be found that the "Records of the Grand Historian: The Family of Chen Qi" is indeed incorrect in the records of Confucius' death year. Despite this, the Chen people were still willing to choose the "same year" theory of "Records of the Grand Historian", but they had to follow the records of "Zuo Zhuan", so the year when the Chen Kingdom was destroyed was one year ahead of the year, and it was set in 479 BC. This move not only respects Confucius's death year in "Zuo Zhuan", but also takes care of the "same year" in "Records of the Grand Historian", forming a "triple-of-comparison".
In order to have a clear understanding of the year of Confucius' death and the year of the fall of Chen State, it is necessary to quote another record of the situation before and after Chen was destroyed by Chu:
"Zuo Zhuan•The Sixteenth Year of Duke Ai" records: "Xia, April is already ugly, and Confucius died." It also records: "I followed Ye Gong. I sent my country to attack Bai Gong. Bai Gong ran to the mountain and hanged him." This means that in the summer of the 16th year of Duke Ai (479 BC), Confucius passed away on April 11.Then it was recorded: "Ye Gong Shen Zhuliang (Zhen Yin Gu) and the people attacked Bai Gongsheng , Bai Gongsheng fled to the mountain and hung himself to death."
Regarding Chu's destruction of Chen, Zuo Zhuan made the following records: In the 17th year of Duke Ai of Lu, "During the rebellion of Chu, the Chen people held it together and invaded Chu. After Chu was Ning, Wang Tozhi, and Yin Ji of Wucheng, sent the commander to take Chen Mai. The Chen people resisted it and were defeated. Then they surrounded Chen. In the autumn, in July, the Duke of Chu, the commander of the commander of the commander of the Chu State, the commander of the commander of the Chu State was defeated. "It means that when the turmoil of Bai Gong invaded Chu State, the State of Chen relied on its accumulation and attacked Chu State. After the state of Chu was stable, King Hui of Chu sent troops north to attack Chen Xuanzong. The result of divination was that Gongsun Chao led his army to good luck, so he sent him to lead his troops to seize the wheat from Chen State first. The Chen people failed to resist, and the Chu army surrounded the Chen State. In the 17th year of Duke Ai of Lu (478 BC), on the eighth day of the seventh month, Gongsun Chao led his troops to destroy the State of Chen.
clearly learned from the quotation that the Chen State was destroyed, which clearly stated that Confucius died in the year before the Bai Gongsheng Rebellion was pacified, and Chu sent troops to destroy Chen in the year after the Bai Gongsheng Rebellion was pacified, and it was a year and four months apart, and it would never be the same year. The statement in "Records of the Grand Historian" is wrong.
In order to have a clear comparison of the differences in different statements, the following is shown in the figure:
