Battle of Chengpu The Battle of Chengpu ( ) took place in 632 BC between the State of Jin and the State of Chu and its allies during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history . It was the first great battle in the protracted conflict between the states of the Yellow River valley , and the states of the Yangtze River ( Chang Jiang ) valley . The Jin victory confirmed the hegemony of Duke Wen and checked Chu ambitions in the north for at least a generation . Background . Following the death of Duke Huan of Qi in 643 BC , the state of Chu steadily extended its influence northward , absorbing half a dozen smaller states as its satellites . In 636 BC , Chong ' er , a ducal prince of Jin , after spending fifteen years in exile traveling throughout numerous states , came to power as Duke Wen of Jin with the help of Duke Mu of Qin . Duke Wen assumed a position of leadership among the states and instituted numerous domestic reforms . In the years leading up to 632 BC , conflict between Jin and Chu became increasingly public and was characterised by frequent shifts in alliances between the various small states that lay in a narrow band of land between the two larger states . King Cheng of Chu struck at the State of Song , the ally of Jin most accessible from the south , in the winter of 633 BCE . In retaliation , an expeditionary force under Duke Wen marched south in the spring of the following year and occupied the States of Wei and Cao , both satellites of Chu . The two sides sought out alliances in the following months . The States of Shen , Xi , Chen and Cai , all immediately contiguous to Chu , sided with King Cheng , as well as the more distant State of Lu . Prelude . As promised by Duke Wen to King Cheng during his exile in Chu , the Jin army retired " three days march " ( 退避三舍 ) ( 45 km ) before camping on the plain of Chengpu on the border of Wei and Cao , awaiting a decisive battle The retirement also linked the Jin forces up with Qi and Qin reinforcements . Only the central force of the Chu under Prime Minister Ziyu ( 子玉 ) was made up entirely of Chu troops . The left wing under Zixi incorporated soldiers from Chu ' s close satellites Shen and Xi . The right wing under Zishang comprised completely a separate detachment from the armies of Chen and Cai , perhaps numbering around a third ( ? ) of the entire force . The Jin force was expanded before the expedition from two armies into three : the upper , the central and the lower ; these three were then regrouped into wings before the battle : the upper army at the right wing under commander Hu Mao and vice - commander Hu Yan , lower at left under Luan Zhi and vice Xu Chen , central remained at centre under Xian Zhen and vice Xi Zhen . Duke Wen did not direct or engage in the fighting . Battle . On the fourth day of the fourth month of 632 BC , the rival forces met . The battle commenced with the advance of both wings of the Jin army . The Chu right wing was reckoned to be the weakest and Xu Chen , commander of the Jin left wing , attacked . Xu armoured his chariot horses with tiger skins and launched an urgent , vigorous assault on the Chu right wing . The attack was rapidly successful , scattering and demolishing the enemy wing completely . The Jin left then became a holding force , fixing the Chu center and preventing it from attacking the Jin centre or aiding the Chu left wing , since in either case the Jin left would have taken it in the flank and rear . Meanwhile Hu Mao ' s Jin right wing had skirmished with the enemy , faked a retreat and carried with them the two great banners of the Jin commander - in - chief himself . The Chu left , made up of levies from the states of Shen and Xi , thought that the Jin right wing had lost and Ziyu ordered a pursuit . A contingent of chariots under Luan Zhi swept in front and dragged tree branches to raise a dust cloud and thereby obscure the movements of Hu Mao ' s men who were circling and reforming . The Jin left aided by the Jin center continued to maintain their positions against the Chu center . Though the Jin centre was temporarily disordered by an intense whirlwind , it was effective in preventing the Chu center from supporting its left wing . As the Chu left advanced , it was caught in the flank by Duke Wen ' s bodyguards , composed of the sons of noble clansmen and sons of his close followers and thus flanked by the Jin central army . Meanwhile the entire force of the Jin right wing completed its recircling and was supported on its right by Luan Zhi ' s chariots to join the assault . The Chu left was completely destroyed . Seeing both his wings enveloped , Ziyu ordered a general retreat . Evaluation . The Battle of Chengpu is probably the biggest of the Spring and Autumn Period and definitely the most detailed in the " Zuo Zhuan " . Nevertheless the location of the battle remains obscure : two inconclusive possibilities are the vicinity of Chenliu County , Henan and the southwest area of Juan County , Shandong . After returning to the north , Duke Wen was recognised by the King of Zhou as first among the feudal lords . A multi - state conference at Jiantu in 631 BC headed by Duke Wen confirmed their support for the Zhou royal family and swore a covenant of alliance . The battle , however , was not effective in the long term in restricting the power of Chu .