Battle of Bi The Battle of Bi ( ) 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 . Background . 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 . Campaign . 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 . Battle . 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 . Meanwhile , on the Chu side , King Zhuang was intimidated by the presence of the Jin army ; even his commander Sunshu Ao was initially in favour of retreat . Wu Can , a Chu commander , advised against this , citing the inexperience of Xun Linfu as the supreme commander , the rashness of Xian Hu as adjutant , and the conflict between the Jin commanders . King Zhuang thus resolved to face down the Jin army , even though negotiations for a truce continued between the two armies . The battle began only when two generals from the Jin army , dissatisfied at Xun Linfu ' s hesitation , decided to provoke the Chu forces . King Zhuang personally pursued the generals ; Xun Linfu sent a force to escort the two generals back to Jin lines , but the rolling dust from this relief force was mistaken as a general advance by the Jin army . Fearing that the king could be cut off by the army , Sunshu Ao immediately ordered a general advance from the Chu army ; this unexpected attack overwhelmed Jin forces , which then collapsed and were routed . King Zhuang , upon winning the battle , led his generals to water their horses from the Yellow River ; a request to pursue and destroy the remnant forces was rebuffed on the grounds that , with the humiliation of Chengpu avenged , there was no need for more slaughter .