The Case of Duke Xiang of Zheng's Surrender to King Zhuang of Chu and the King's Clemency

In 597 BCE, during the Spring and Autumn period, King Zhuang of Chu led a military campaign against the State of Zheng. After a three-month siege, the capital fell. Duke Xiang of Zheng, bare-chested and leading a sheep in a ritual of absolute submission, came out to meet the conqueror. He humbly accepted full blame and declared his willingness to obey any command. Many Chu officials urged the king to annex Zheng and erase its statehood. King Zhuang, however, reasoned that a ruler who could so humble himself must retain the trust of his people, making the state resilient and difficult to govern if annexed. He ordered a withdrawal of thirty li and granted Zheng peace, preserving its ruling house and autonomy as a tributary. The incident became a celebrated example of restraint and magnanimity in ancient Chinese political ethics.

King Zhuang of Chu rejected calls for annexation, decided to spare Zheng, and concluded a peace agreement that left Zheng's ruling lineage intact while acknowledging Chu's suzerainty.

The core dispute revolved around whether the conquering Chu state should exploit its military victory to annex Zheng permanently or show mercy by allowing it to survive as a vassal. The debate juxtaposed immediate territorial gain against the long-term moral authority and political stability that clemency could confer upon Chu's hegemony.

King Zhuang's decision was widely interpreted as a paragon of benevolent overlordship, aligning with the early Confucian ideal of "preserving perishing states and restoring broken lineages." It bolstered Chu's prestige among the Zhou feudal states, shaping later discourse on just war and the moral obligations of a hegemon.