Obtaining Bad News at Shang Zhou's Banquet
（27）
Jiao Li hurried to Lutai.
That night, King Zhou of Shang was holding a banquet in the main hall of Lutai. This Deer Terrace was built in the north of the capital, with a circumference of three miles. The towers and pavilions above were connected, and the pavilions looked at each other. They were all carefully designed and built. The carved beams and painted buildings looked very beautiful. It felt elegant and quiet in it. This was King Zhou's villa, which was specially used for fun. In the main hall of Lutai, there was a meat forest and a wine pool specially built for King Zhou of Shang to drink and entertain for a long time. Tonight, King Zhou of Shang once again led a group of civil and military officials to sing and dance in the meat forest and wine pool. They raised their glasses and drank to celebrate the victory of the Eastern Expedition to Huaiyi. In the afternoon, when he received the news of the victory in the Eastern Expedition, King Zhou was so happy that he danced around. After several years of fighting, there were finally results. He immediately gathered the officials and came to Deer Terrace Pavilion with a high morale, causing a ruckus until night fell.
When Jiao Li arrived, he was drunk.
At this moment, King Zhou of Shang was watching the song and dance with his eyes wide open. In order to liven things up, Dayi personally led the group of beauties in the palace and danced happily. King Zhou of Shang laughed out loud. The ministers in the palace hall laughed along with King Zhou. The laughter was accompanied by singing and dancing. The music shook the hall, shook the entire Deer Terrace Pavilion, and shook the night sky.
Fei Zhong even raised his cup and took the lead to loudly praise King Zhou's merits and prestige. King Zhou of Shang nodded repeatedly and laughed even more happily.
At this moment, a servant barged into the main hall and glanced at King Zhou. After hesitating for a moment, he braced himself and walked to King Zhou's side in fear. He reported,"The envoy has returned to court and is waiting for instructions outside the door.”
King Zhou of Shang was in high spirits. He waved his hand impatiently and said stiffly,"Go down. Don't disturb me." He turned around and drank another cup of wine. He said to the two rows of ministers on his left and right,"Today's victory in the Eastern Expedition is a blessing from the heavens. Tonight, all the ministers are here to celebrate. Come, this king will take the lead and drink three more cups to celebrate.”
With a whoosh, all the officials raised their glasses and said in unison,"I, Wang Tianfu, wish my king good health.”Fei Zhong's voice was particularly loud and clear in the noise, causing King Zhou of Shang to smile in satisfaction at him. He finished three glasses of wine in one go.
King Zhou of Shang added,"In order to make everyone happy, I will give you a gift of gold coins."”As he said that, he turned around and was about to order the servant to bring it up, but he saw that the original servant was still bowing. King Zhou's face darkened and he asked angrily,"Why are you still here? Hurry up and go down.”
The attendant trembled and mustered up his courage to report,"The official, Jiao Li, is waiting outside for my king's orders. He said that he has extremely urgent news to report to my king.”As he spoke, he continued to bow his body without moving.
When King Zhou of Shang heard this, he muttered,""This old fellow is so annoying. Can't you report it tomorrow?”
"Reporting to my king…" The attendant still wanted to complain.
King Zhou waved his hand again and said decisively,""Go, ask him to come and have a celebratory drink. To celebrate the victory. If you have something to do, wait until tomorrow…"
Before he could finish his sentence, His Highness became noisy. The envoy Jiao Li hurriedly walked into the hall, passed through the dancing music team in the hall, and walked to the table of King Zhou of Shang. He bowed and said,"Reporting to my king, this envoy has very important news to report.”
King Zhou of Shang opened his drunken eyes that were already red. Anger rose from his chest." You…"”She pointed at the plastic lid and was angry that he had dared to barge into the hall and ruined her mood. She choked on her words.
Daji, who was leading the palace maids in the dance, saw that the dance team had been disrupted by the glue li's sudden movement. She waved her sleeves resentfully, signaling the palace maids to retreat. She returned to King Zhou's side unhappily and said to him,""This old fellow is really a disappointment. If it wasn't for the fact that he was afraid of evil on a joyous day, he wouldn't have spared him.”Her coquettish voice carried a terrifying power.
After hearing Daji's words, King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty came back to his senses and continued his interrupted conversation with Jiao Li,""You can leave first. If there's anything, report it tomorrow. I miss you for following me for a lifetime. I won't care about your mistake of barging into the main hall. You can go down and have a celebratory drink.”As he spoke, he waved his hand and made a forgiving gesture.
Jiao Li bowed again." Thank you for your gift, Your Majesty. However, the news I brought back is extremely urgent. Please let me report it first."”Then, he glanced at King Zhou of Shang and raised his voice, saying to King Zhou,""My king, King Wu of Zhou has already led his troops east…”
King Zhou of Shang saw Jiao Li's unyielding look and forcefully resisted the report. He suppressed his anger and impatiently interrupted Jiao Li, saying,"Look, our dynasty has already won the Eastern Expedition. The army returned to the capital in triumph that day. He did not need the support of a Martial King. Didn't this king want you to order the Martial King to guard the Zhou Country and guard West Earth well? Our dynasty has a strong military force, so why do we need the weak soldiers of the West?”He turned to Fei Zhong and said with a smile,"Aichen, don't you think so?"”
"That's right. My king has a wise foresight, and everything is as easy as the palm of his hand. I really don't know what's going on. I'm so poor that I can't make a fuss at this festive feast. I think…"
Before Fei Zhong could finish his sentence, Da Yi immediately added,"In my opinion, this is asking for a forfeit. It was better to let the plastic Li wake up and not be old and muddle-headed again.”
King Zhou of Shang was already unhappy in his heart. When he heard the two of them sing in unison, he provoked his anger towards the plastic tripod and casually replied,"Yes, alright."
Jiao Li faced King Zhou of Shang and listened to Daji and Fei Zhong's words. He could not bear it anymore and had long forgotten about his life and death. He shouted loudly,"Not good! Report to my king! The Martial King has led his troops to attack our country!"”
"Nonsense." King Zhou of Shang saw that Jiao Li was still pestering him and was really angry." Since you dare to joke about this king.”
"My king, the Martial King has really led his troops to attack our country. I have an appointment here. It was agreed that the battle would be held outside the capital on the day of Jiazi. This is the document." As he spoke, he quickly took out a piece of bone and raised it above his head with both hands.
The attendant placed the bone on King Zhou's table.
King Zhou of Shang took a look and his expression turned from anger to bewilderment. He turned to look at Fei Zhong and Dayi." This…"”
Da Yi said angrily,"Old man, you're a good messenger." How could a mere Zhou army dare to fight against Great Shang? Perhaps you're leading the way for the Zhou army to sneak attack the thousands of treasures on my king's Deer Terrace. Now he was using excuses to get out of the relationship. Hmm, I don't think Zhou Jun will succeed."
Fei Zhong added,"My king. This envoy was called Shang Chen and might be connected to the Zhou Country. He was really the leader who had led a tiger into the house. He should be punished."
"Do you know your sins?" King Zhou of Shang shouted when he heard that.
"I am loyal and dutiful. He rushed back to deliver the letter. I don't know where to start." Jiao Li argued and wanted to report again.
King Zhou of Shang slapped the table and said,""You should have been punished for barging into the main hall. Who knew that you would stop my joy time and time again and report the military situation indiscriminately. Why would the Zhou Country, which has always submitted to us, suddenly send troops to fight with our army? It's all your nonsense. I don't know where you got these bones to deceive me. Today, I will punish you to correct the rules of the court. Someone come." King Zhou of Shang shouted, and two rows of armored soldiers ran up from both sides, holding copper spears. He stood behind the plastic tripod and listened to orders. The ministers on both sides were terrified and watched the development of the situation.
King Zhou of Shang ordered," Bring the plastic li to the palace.”
Jiao Li knew that his life was in danger, so he made up his mind. He shouted to King Zhou of Shang," The Zhou army crossed the Yellow River eastward and headed straight for our Shang Capital. They have already arrived at Tunshuiluo. They have agreed to fight outside the capital on the day of Jiazi.”
Hearing this, King Zhou of Shang was furious and interrupted Jiao Li,""What nonsense. Tomorrow is the 60th day. You…"
Jiao Li was not afraid and said,"This is absolutely true." I have no regrets in my death, but it is a pity that my king will miss the opportunity to make preparations.”As he spoke, he refused the armored soldier's hold. He flicked his sleeves and turned to walk out of the hall. Two rows of armored soldiers followed behind.
The ministers in the hall looked at each other. The hall was instantly silent, so quiet that it was difficult to breathe.
At this moment, a person rushed into the hall and shouted as he ran,""Report to my king, report to my king." He ran all the way to the hall and knelt in front of King Zhou's table. He panted and said,""Reporting to my king." He then turned to look at Fei Zhong.”She took a deep breath and said,"The scouts have confirmed that King Wu of Zhou is leading an army to attack the capital. The army was only a hundred miles away from the capital. Please, my king, my lord, make preparations quickly." He paused and coughed.
Fei Zhong stood up and asked his steward,""Is this news true?"
"Master, it's true." The steward replied and couldn't help but glance at King Zhou of Shang. Seeing that King Zhou was stunned, he asked Fei Zhong,""Master…"
"Alright, I know," said Fei Zhong impatiently. You can go back first." Fei Zhongyan sent his butler off. He thought about it and was stunned for a moment. This time, it was like a thunderbolt that shocked him, King Zhou of Shang, and all the ministers in the hall. There was silence again, so quiet that it made one's heart tremble.
After a moment, King Zhou of Shang finally woke up. At this moment, he was half drunk and was a little flustered. He quickly asked,"Then what should we do?" It seemed like he was asking himself, but it also seemed like he was asking someone else.
Daji, who was standing at the side, sneered and said," What should we do? I'm afraid that the Western Zhou Kingdom has limited military strength. What's there to be afraid of?" It was just a matter of time.”
"When water comes, it will be covered with earth. I'm afraid it will end up like Gun's flood control.”King Zhou of Shang shook his head and began to seriously care about this problem. "Fei Zhong, quickly help me make a decision.”
"Call him back and ask him in detail.”Fei Zhong felt that the situation was getting serious and started to worry." Quickly pass on the order to bring him back to the plastic tripod.”
Jiao Li was in the hall. He thought that once he walked out of the palace gate, he would definitely die. His footsteps gradually slowed down as he thought to himself. He had already completed his mission of delivering the letter and had no more worries. It was better to think about how to escape. Who knew that when he was about to reach the palace gate, he was called back to the palace. He didn't know what had happened just now. He thought that King Zhou of Shang had been kind enough to summon him back, so he used this opportunity to tell King Zhou of Shang about the Martial King's appointment in detail. This time, the ministers of the Shang Dynasty in the hall had no choice but to believe his words.
King Zhou and the ministers then asked about the specific situation of the Zhou army.
Jiao Li could only briefly describe what he had seen.
Fei Zhong said to King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty,"No wonder King Wu of Zhou looked down on our dynasty. It's all because of my incompetence." He was sent to Zhou Country, but he did not know the actual situation of Zhou Country. When he went to the Zhou army, even the number of people in the army could not be estimated. It's really a big mistake."
Da Yi had long been dissatisfied with Jiao Li and deliberately took this opportunity to get rid of him. After hearing Fei Zhong's words, she added,"It's hard to say if the envoy's heart is still on this dynasty's side. Why not cut it open and see if it was black or red?”
"Yes." King Zhou of Shang echoed Daji and said,""Take the plastic tripod down."
All the officials were moved by Jiao Li's loyalty. They stood up and knelt in front of the table to plead for Jiao Li.
Fei Zhong thought that it was hard to provoke so he went with the flow and said to King Zhou,""Now that the Zhou army is at the city gates, it's time to recruit people. Don't let this unlucky thing affect our army's luck and morale. Please wait until the enemy line, then look at the red heart and black heart of the plastic Li.”As she spoke, Chao Dayi smiled lewdly.
Seeing Fei Zhong say this, King Zhou of Shang turned around to ask for Dayi's opinion. Seeing Dayi's unfilial expression, he said,"Alright, on account of the ministers pleading for mercy, although the death penalty is spared, it is difficult to escape punishment. The envoy of the Zhou Country did not complete this king's decree. Take him down and chop off his ten toes as a warning. Chase him out of the court and demote him to a commoner."
When Jiao Li heard the order, he couldn't help but smile. His old life was still saved. He thought of his wife and Shuhua and sighed in his heart. However, he was still very happy. He could finally reunite with his wife and Shuhua and her daughter. When the war was over, he would find a place to stay and live a few days in peace. He would enjoy his old age. Thinking of this, he naturally smiled even more happily.
The ministers and officials in the hall discussed animatedly, and the atmosphere was very tense. Fei Zhong said to King Zhou of Shang," It is said that the great merchant Hou Ban is an envoy sent by King Wu of Zhou. He has been staying in our capital for a long time. He might be a spy who has been spying on our country. Send troops to capture him first. We will use his blood sacrifice flag to raise the morale of our army.”
"Capture him." King Zhou of Shang said angrily,"There's no need to catch him. He'll be beheaded on the spot." Don't sacrifice the flag. Guards, quickly bring people to carry out the order." As she said that, she stood up in a panic and knocked over the table, splashing the delicacies on the table onto Daji, who was dressed in a demonic manner, and also dirtying her own clothes. He couldn't care less about Daji's resentment as he waved his hand and shouted,"Remove the feast, remove the feast, hurry up, hurry up. All officials, stay behind to discuss the matter."
For a moment, the hall was in chaos. The banquet was quickly dismissed. The officials sat back down. Only then did the hall quieten down. It was so quiet that it was in stark contrast to the lively scene of wine glasses and singing and dancing just now.
King Zhou of Shang sat on the chair that had just been moved over. He looked at this and that, then said to Fei Zhong,""Although our main force is on the way back to the capital, we still need three days to get back. Now that the enemy was at the gates, what should he do?”
One of the officials said,"Our king can hold the city and wait for the army to return to the capital before fighting the Zhou army."”
"It's a good plan, but Zhaoge City doesn't have any defensive facilities. We haven't even built the city wall.”As King Zhou spoke, he remembered his usual negligence. He thought that the world was peaceful and the country was powerful. There was no need to strengthen the defense of the capital. Now, he was about to suffer a loss. If the Zhou army really besieged the capital, they could easily break into the city. The more he thought about it, the more afraid he was.
Fei Zhong had already recovered his vitality and regained his usual prestige. He said to King Zhou of Shang,"My king need not panic." The other King Wu's army did not even have tens of thousands of soldiers. And by the time they arrived at the capital, they were already exhausted and exhausted. Our army can select elites and use this opportunity to gain the upper hand. We can take the initiative to attack before the Martial King recovers his strength. This tactic of using offense as defense would definitely win.”
"Lead the army to attack.”Another official said," Our dynasty has been fighting against Donghuai Yi for many years. We have sent out reinforcements many times. We have already sent out all the reserve troops in the country. Only the old and weak are left.”
Another official said,"Don't be afraid. There were at least tens of thousands of soldiers in the country. There were also tens of thousands of prisoners. Today was the moment of life and death. "I, Wang Kesong, will issue an imperial decree to pardon these criminals. Then, I will take out the weapons in the warehouse and distribute them to these prisoners. I will gather them into a military force. There will be tens of thousands of them. He would then mobilize all the men in the country to be banished to the army. This way, he could gather an army of hundreds of thousands. With this powerful momentum, defeating the Zhou army in one fell swoop would not be a problem.”
Fei Zhong continued,"I am willing to lead this army to meet the enemy and share the burden of my king."”
"No, in order to boost morale, this king will personally lead the army to defeat the Zhou army. I'll let the Martial King know the strength of my Great Shang Dynasty and know how powerful I am.”King Zhou of Shang was filled with confidence and said,"We must let the Martial King have a taste of his father's suffering, and then let him die with an understanding.”As he spoke, he said to the courtiers,"Pass on this king's decree. All the men in the country are banished to the army." The prisoners in the prison were all armed and organized into an army. Quickly distribute the weapons in the warehouse. This matter was carried out overnight. Tomorrow morning, he would definitely organize the army. Wait for me to lead this army to meet the enemy.”After giving his instructions, he told Fei Zhong,"My beloved minister, stay here and discuss the matter of tomorrow's expedition."”Then, he loudly encouraged,"Ministers, do your best. When we defeat the Zhou army, we will reward you according to your merits." Alright, let's move immediately."
The Deer Terrace Palace was in chaos. The officials left one after another to carry out their tasks. Soon, torches were lit everywhere in Zhaoge City, illuminating the city. Not a single star could be seen in the dark night sky, as if the constellations in the sky had been moved to the ground and to Zhaoge City under the rule of King Zhou of Shang Dynasty.
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