Cao Mo was a man of Lu who served Duke Zhuang with his courage and strength. The duke was fond of displays of power. Cao Mo served as a general of Lu and fought against Qi, only to be defeated three times. Fearing the consequences, Duke Zhuang offered the territory of Suiyi as tribute in exchange for peace—yet he reinstated Cao Mo as general.
Duke Huan of Qi agreed to meet Duke Zhuang at Ke to seal a covenant. Once the two dukes had sworn their oath at the altar, Cao Mo seized a dagger and held Duke Huan hostage. None of Duke Huan's attendants dared move. "What would you have of us?" they asked. Cao Mo replied, "Qi is strong and Lu is weak, yet you have invaded Lu outrageously. Now if Lu's city walls were to crumble, they would press upon Qi's borders—consider this carefully." Duke Huan promised to return all of Lu's occupied territories.
When he had given his word, Cao Mo flung down his dagger, descended the altar, and took his place among the ministers, his composure unchanged, his manner as before. Duke Huan flew into a rage and wanted to break the agreement. Guan Zhong said, "We cannot. To abandon our trust among the vassal lords for the sake of petty gain, and to forfeit the aid of the realm—there is no wisdom in that." Thus Duke Huan restored all the territories Qi had taken from Lu, and the lands lost in Cao Mo's three defeats were entirely recovered.
One hundred and sixty-seven years later, the affair of Zhuan Zhu occurred in Wu.
Zhuan Zhu was a native of Tangyi in Wu. When Wu Zixu fled from Chu to Wu, he recognized Zhuan Zhu's exceptional abilities. Wu Zixu secured an audience with King Liao of Wu and pressed the case for attacking Chu. The king's nephew, Prince Guang, objected: "Wu Yuan's father and elder brothers were all killed by Chu, yet he advocates attacking Chu only to settle a personal vendetta—he cannot possibly be acting in Wu's interest." The king therefore dropped the matter.
Wu Zixu knew that Prince Guang intended to assassinate King Liao. He reasoned: "This Guang harbors private ambitions within; he cannot be moved by appeals to external affairs." Accordingly, he introduced Zhuan Zhu to Prince Guang. Guang's father was King Zhufan of Wu. Zhufan had three younger brothers: the second was Yuji, the third Yimi, and the youngest Jizha. Knowing that Jizha was a man of virtue, Zhufan did not designate an heir apparent. Instead, he arranged for the throne to pass in turn to each brother, intending eventually to vest the kingdom in Jizha. When Zhufan died, the throne passed to Yuji; when Yuji died, it passed to Yimi; and when Yimi died, the throne should have passed to Jizha, but Jizha fled and refused to accept it. The nobles of Wu therefore enthroned Yimi's son Liao as king.
Prince Guang declared: "If succession follows the line of brothers, then Jizha should reign; if it must pass to a son, then I—Guang—am the true heir and should be king." He therefore secretly gathered conspirators to secure the throne.
When Guang had secured Zhuan Zhu, he treated him as a valued guest. Nine years passed, and King Ping of Chu died. King Liao of Wu wished to take advantage of Chu's mourning period and sent his two younger brothers, Prince Gaiyu and Shuyu, to lead troops in a siege of Chu's Quan. He also sent Yanquan Jizi to Jin to observe how the vassal states would react. Chu dispatched forces that cut off the supply routes of Wu's generals Gaiyu and Shuyu, preventing the Wu troops from returning.
Prince Guang said to Zhuan Zhu, "This moment must not be missed—what are we waiting for? Moreover, I am the rightful successor and should be king—even if Jizi were to return, he could not dethrone me." Zhuan Zhu replied, "King Liao can be killed. His mother is aged, his sons are young, and his two brothers are away leading troops against Chu, leaving his rear exposed. Now Wu is besieged from without by Chu and lacks resolute ministers within—so he is helpless against us." Guang bowed his head to the ground and said, "My body is yours."