爰启封疆:春秋前期楚国经略南阳盆地史事考述

Exploiting the Boundary: The State of Chu’s Operation of Nanyang Basin in the Early Spring and Autumn Period

春秋前期,楚国利用地理优势迅速崛起,在蚕食、吞并南阳盆地诸国之后,采取了因地制宜的经略政策。一方面,迁置部分旧国宗族于异地进行管理;另一方面,在原地置县设尹,纳入楚国直辖范围,并存续旧国的宗族组织,不绝其祀。经过数十年的经略,南阳盆地成为楚国重要的政治、经济、军事基地,并在楚国北上争霸的过程中发挥了重要作用。对春秋前期楚国经略南阳盆地史实的简要梳理,可以从宏观上把握江汉之间的地缘政治格局,深入了解南阳盆地这一地理单元在春秋时期的重要战略地位及其在楚国北向发展中的重要作用。

In the early Spring and Autumn period, Chu State took advantage of its geographical advantages to rise rapidly. After nibbling and annexing the states in the Nanyang Basin, it adopted appropriate policies to consolidate its rule. On the one hand, part of the old clans were moved to other places for management. On the other hand, the original place was set up and governed with the county system, under the direct jurisdiction of Chu State, while continuing to preserve the old clan organization and sacrificial rituals. After decades of management, the Nanyang Basin became a crucial political, economic and military base of Chu State, and played a crucial role in the process of Chu’s northward march into the Central Plains to compete for supremacy. Through a brief review of the historical facts related to Chu State’s operation of the Nanyang Basin in the early Spring and Autumn Period, we can grasp the geopolitical pattern at play between the Yangtze River and the Hanjiang River from a macro perspective and gain a deeper insight into the strategic position of the Nanyang Basin in the Spring and Autumn Period and its important role in the northward development of Chu State.