The Zhou Army Retreats to the Battlefield
（32）
The Martial King paced back and forth countless times. He had already left a clear trail on the ground. He then walked to Lu Shang's side and looked down at Lu Shang, who was sitting cross-legged. Lu Shang was concentrating on the front. King Wu could not help but follow Lu Shang's gaze. The mountain slope was densely packed with military formations, and between each small formation, there would occasionally be one or two soldiers shuttling through. These messengers passed messages to strengthen the communication between the formations. This was the so-called strict battle formation. King Wu thought to himself that even though his troops had gone through all sorts of difficulties over the past few days, they had finally arrived at Muye on time. He got a proper rest. He also knew that although King Zhou of Shang was cunning and scheming, due to his old age, his indulgence in wine and women had increased his arrogance. They have already mobilized the people of the country to resist. This was exactly what Zhou Jun wanted. What the Martial King was most worried about was King Zhou of Shang defending the city. Now, it seemed that this worry could be eliminated. Father Shang was after all resourceful and wise, just as he had expected. Thinking of this, he looked at Lu Shang with admiration. Father Shang's hair and beard were all white, and he was also old, but the older he got, the more energetic and intelligent he became. At such an old age, he still worked tirelessly to supervise the army and assist his father for decades. It could be said that he had contributed his entire life's energy.
The Martial King continued to pace, his thoughts still churning non-stop. Up until now, everything had gone according to plan. Everything that had happened was within expectations and had come true one by one according to the temple's plan. It seemed to be going smoothly, but this did not make people feel relieved. At this moment before the enemy, the Martial King's heart felt heavy. Right now, it was the eve of the decisive battle, and every move was related to victory or defeat. As the ruler of a country, he had to be cautious.
King Wu felt that time was difficult to endure and gradually felt a little irritated. His footsteps inadvertently sounded crisp and loud. He wondered what problems he would encounter next. The army of King Zhou of Shang would soon appear in front of them. The decisive battle between the two armies was imminent. The final victory was still in the hands of this final struggle. The outcome was worrying. He always felt that things that would happen in the future were mysterious. He was afraid that if there was a slight mistake in his plan, it would affect the great event. It was difficult for him to calm down.
Zhou Gongdan walked up the hill and sat down beside Lu Shang. Like Lu Shang, he was watching the army formation below the hill. The two of them sat quietly for a while before Lu Shang said to him,"You can stay here.”
It was almost noon, and the fog had dispersed. The cloudy sky occasionally revealed the face of the sun. Unexpectedly, the weather had turned sunny.
The men who had been sent out to spy on the news had returned, and the two carriages were speeding up the hill through the gaps in the small square formation. The sound of galloping horses and wheels alerted the soldiers. The soldiers were all excited, and the formation began to move.
After listening to the report, King Wu said to Lu Shang,""I didn't expect King Zhou of Shang to send so many people. The main force of the Shang army was far away in the southeast, so they wouldn't return so quickly. Why are there so many troops?" The Martial King raised his concern.
Lu Shang pondered for a moment and said,"According to the report, the army is not in good shape. It might have been put together at the last minute." It was easy to assemble a large team in Shang City. However, I'm also quite surprised that there are more than 150,000 people.”"The most important thing now is to go all out and strive for victory. He could first send an elite troop to attack the Shang army when they arrived on the battlefield, to create a false sense of confusion for the enemy, and at the same time reduce their morale.”
"Alright." King Wu said loudly and turned around to call his attendant,"Tell Bi Gonggao, San Lei, Lei Zhen, Uncle Cai, and Uncle Guan to come here.”Soon, everyone arrived at the hillside one after another.
King Wu said to his men,"The Shang army is almost at the front. We have to be prepared to face the enemy. Immediately organize the army. They waited for the order to attack.”
Lu Shang said,"Victory or defeat depends on this move. Today was a good day. It was a sixty-year-old day, and the weather was good. We must fight with all our might. The only way out was to win and not lose.”
King Wu continued," Retreating is equivalent to being wiped out. Moreover, our country will also be plundered. It would be very difficult to restore the country in the future. The current situation could not be compared to what happened to his father back then. I hope everyone will work hard. We'll wait here for King Zhou of Shang to arrive.”He pointed at the open ground in front of him and said,""Right now, send a small force to attack the enemy's front line. When the enemy arrived at Muye, they would be caught off guard. He was the first to gain the upper hand and kill the enemy with his spirit. Bi Gonggao and San Lei would carry out this mission.”
Facing the two of them, King Wu said word by word,""You will lead thirty chariots and three thousand soldiers. The attack must be fierce and fast. When the enemy is advancing, disrupt their formation. Then, when the enemy is organized to counterattack, pretend to be defeated, disperse and quickly retreat from the scene of the conflict, and gather in the south mountain valley to ambush. After noon, when the Shang army is in chaos, attack from behind. At the same time, it must be fierce and ruthless. Go straight to the location of King Zhou in the middle of the army. Cooperate with the frontal attack and pincer attack King Zhou. Do you remember? Ah!"
"Remember!" Bi Gonggao replied and excitedly repeated the mission again. Then, he glanced at San Lei. The two of them looked at each other and smiled.
Before the two of them turned around, King Wu added,""We have to grasp the degree of impact first. When the Shang army regains consciousness, you must retreat as soon as possible. Save the troops for the afternoon attack.”Then he said to San Lei,"You are a surprise army. As the military says,'Use the right to unite, and use the strange to win.' It all depends on this move of yours. If he used it well, he could make a great contribution.”
" I know. Don't worry, Martial King." Bi Gonggao replied. He and San Lei bowed to King Wu at the same time. Then, they turned around and bowed to Lü Shang." Father Shang, don't worry. We'll definitely complete the mission."”
"Alright, go and prepare." King Wu said.
"For the cause of the Zhou Country and for the will of King Wen, you all should work hard. Guys." Lu Shang added. "Gather your troops and attack from the northern slope of the mountain.”
Seeing the two of them leave, Lu Shang smiled at the Martial King to express his approval.
King Wu said to the people who stayed behind,"The remaining problem is the frontal attack." Everyone reorganized their troops and waited for orders. Remember, listen to your commands." He turned back to look at Lei Zhen and said,""Lei Zhen will stay in the central army. Uncle Guan and Uncle Cai were on the right, and the marquises of Chen and Cao Shuang were on the left. Keep in touch with each other and pay attention to the command flag of the central army.”
As soon as the Martial King finished setting up the formation, Bi Gonggao and San Lei had already begun to move out with their troops. The assault team went around the left corner of the hill from the back of the formation and rushed forward. From afar, it looked like a small stream of people rushing forward. The Martial King, Lu Shang, and the people on the hill looked at the departing troop with concern, silently praying.
Not long after, there were faint sounds of impact and fighting ahead, mixed with the sound of drums, making it seem intense and chaotic. This voice tugged at the heartstrings of everyone on the hillside. The Martial King stood at the front and watched. Lu Shang couldn't sit still anymore. He stood on a protruding mound beside the Martial King. The people behind him were infected by the tense atmosphere and subconsciously followed suit. Everyone wanted to stand forward, hoping to see the battle in the distance.
At this moment, Ray Zhen could not hold it in anymore. He shouted at King Wu,"Look, the battle is so intense. Big brother, why didn't you send me to go but left me here? Do you want me to accompany you here to plan and stare?”He stomped his feet behind Martial King and said,""I'm a person who likes to fight and kill. I'm not the material to plan and use my brain. Didn't Big Brother use the wrong person?"
The Martial King turned his head and glared at Lei Zhen, then looked at Lu Shang.
Lu Shang was still focused on the front. At this moment, there was an even more intense battle cry. He could vaguely hear a heavy crash.
King Wu said,"Shang Fu, I should have sent a few more people." The vanguard is also very important."
"Yes, I should have gone too. Strength in numbers. We can give it a vicious blow." Lei Zhen continued, his voice especially loud.
"Don't worry, this is just the opening sequence. The good show is yet to come." Lu Shang finally turned around and answered, but he was intentionally targeting Lei Zhen's question. He didn't seem to give a direct answer." Your big brother has a plan. That was why he arranged it this way. Bi Gong and San Lei could charge and defend, they were both first-class generals. King Wen could often send Bi Gonggao to patrol the border and rest assured to let San Lei guard Chongcheng. He would never make the wrong choice.”He turned around and said to Lei Zhen,"That's like you. You just can't hold your breath." Your big brother will arrange for you to fight later. Don't be anxious." Although he said that he did not need to be anxious, he was actually the most anxious and worried in his heart.
King Wu turned to Lu Shang and said,"I didn't expect the vanguard of the Shang army to come so quickly." It was already Muye. Father Shang, we need to have lunch soon." Otherwise, it will be too late." He turned around and said to everyone,"Everyone, go and prepare for the battle.”
"Yes." Lu Shang replied and turned around to say to everyone,"Everything will proceed according to the previous arrangement. However, it was an hour earlier. Everyone, go and prepare. Ah, work hard." Finally, he shouted loudly and waved his fists excitedly, as if he had become ten years younger.
Bi Gonggao and San Lei's assault team charged forward bravely, charging into the vanguard of the Shang army. This small group of elites charged forward with all their might. The sound of thunder was heard, and the vanguard of the Shang army was scattered.
Just as San Lei was exchanging blows with the Shang army, King Meng of Shang Zhou, who was leading his troops forward, came to his senses and hurriedly said to Fei Zhong,""It's almost noon. The vanguard should prepare to face the enemy." As soon as he said that, there was a shout of killing. The herald reported," The vanguard has been attacked by the Zhou army. The team has scattered. King Zhou, please take measures."”
King Zhou of Shang said,"The vanguard is still the garrison of Shangdu City. How could it be scattered? However, they had already made contact with the enemy. The battlefield was right in front of them. Pass on my order, the guards of the central army will go to help.”King Zhou of Shang looked ahead in the carriage and pointed at the open space in front of him.""What's the name of that place?"
"Muye is in front of us. My king once came here to hunt.”Fei Zhong replied,"The Zhou army…"”Just as he said this, he paused. He was afraid that his straightforwardness would make King Zhou unhappy, so he was thinking about how to phrase it.
The herald looked at Fei Zhong, then at King Zhou of Shang, and added,""The Zhou army has already formed a formation on the hillside over there. Now, they were attacking the troops they had sent out.”He tried his best to lower his voice, but at the same time, he had to control it so that King Zhou could hear him clearly.
"Oh, what's there to be afraid of? Order the middle army to rush to the left front and hold the corner of the formation. Tell the rear army to follow and spread out their formation to the right. With the might of my army, I will definitely be called the barbarians of West Earth. Today, I will die in Muye.”King Zhou of Shang ordered loudly and turned to Fei Zhong,""Minister, you said that the Zhou army overestimated themselves and dared to attack our Great Shang. Wasn't this too self-deceiving? The king rebelled against the king. The traitor of the heavens is too heartless."
Before Fei Zhong could answer, the herald who had just left returned. The chariot stopped beside King Zhou's chariot and shouted,""Reporting to my king, just now the Zhou army attacked our vanguard, causing our vanguard to suffer heavy losses.”
"Did the Middle Corps catch up?" Fei Zhong asked anxiously.
"The Central Army Guards arrived and defeated this army. The Zhou Army scattered and fled. It was still the guards of the central army who were good at fighting.”At the end, the herald even praised.
At this moment, the shouts of killing slowly died down. Another war chariot was approaching. It was the herald of the Central Guards, reporting,""We've already scattered the Zhou army's assault troops and stabilized the vanguard. The vanguard was entering the open ground of Muye. May my king give the order for the next step?"
"Carry out the order just now," King Zhou of Shang said happily.”He turned around and said to the guard carriage behind him,"Tell the rear team to follow quickly."”
King Zhou of Shang led his chariot to the place where the vanguard troops of the two armies had just attacked. He saw hundreds of corpses lying on the ground, weapons scattered everywhere, and a few broken chariots. He couldn't help but ask,"How many people were there in the Zhou army just now?" The answer was about 5,000 people.
King Zhou of Shang thought," We lost so many soldiers at the beginning. This shows that the Zhou army is still good at fighting. We can't underestimate them." "More than half of my current army is made up of prisoners, slaves, and prisoners. Why don't we let them resist for a while and exhaust the strength of the Zhou army? Then, we'll send the guards to counterattack. This arrangement is more appropriate. He turned around and told Fei Zhong about this idea.
Fei Zhong pretended to know the specific tactics of the battlefield and praised King Zhou's idea.
King Zhou of Shang happily called the herald over and ordered the army composed of prisoners of war, slaves, and prisoners to be sent to the front line and arranged in front of the Shang army. He thought that he could use the Shang army to urge these people to fight. When the Zhou army was tired, they could counterattack. This was a good idea. He was secretly proud of his idea.
Yu Sheng, who was in the rear, was leading his hundred troops and marching in the army. He had no idea about the battle in front of him. He only received the order to enter quickly. Judging from the rapid movements of the messengers, it could be seen that the battlefield was approaching and the atmosphere was tense. Just as Yu Sheng was thinking, the commander gave the order that the vanguard had already met the enemy and that the rear troops should be prepared. Hearing this, Yu Sheng became excited. He didn't expect the Martial King to arrive so soon. Where was this place? He carefully observed the surrounding scenery and finally recognized that this was Mu Ye. Starting a war in a place like Muye really had far-reaching significance. He had to fight well in today's battle and strive to make a great contribution. He turned around and called Genzi over, reminding him,"The battlefield is about to arrive. Everyone, be ready at any time. Act according to the situation and listen to my instructions.”
Genzi understood and quickly went to inform the others. They quickly followed the main group to Muye. The vanguard had already set up a formation. The rear army followed.
Yu Sheng followed the thousand-man commander's instructions and led his troops into the camp. When the army formation was formed, they realized that their team was at the front. Looking around, he saw that there were also groups of slaves, prisoners, and captives. Yu Sheng thought that King Zhou had arranged these people in front to make them work for the Shang Dynasty. The Zhou army was in front, and the Shang army was behind. What should they do next? Yu Sheng quickly thought of a countermeasure. Should he charge directly at the Zhou army or the Shang army? The Shang army had so many people, would they be able to successfully counterattack? If they went to the Zhou army, the Shang army would be right behind them. If they failed to go to the Zhou army, they might be killed by the Shang army first. But no matter what, he had to take action. Time was tight, and he could not think too much. Yu Sheng looked at the formation of the Zhou army in front of him and felt a sense of familiarity. Martial King, Father Shang, I'll see you soon. However, the Marquis had already died in the line of duty for the country. I, Yu Sheng, am still alive. I will definitely complete the mission. He wondered if King Wu knew that the main force of the Shang army was on the way back to the capital. If he did not attack quickly and defeat King Zhou, it would be difficult to win when the main force of the Shang army arrived. The weather is good now. King Wu, Imperial Preceptor, hurry up and launch an attack before the Shang army has finished setting up their formation. I've already contacted many people who can support us. He missed her and was excited.
When King Zhou of Shang saw that the formation of the Zhou army on the hill in front of him was very neat, he felt a little timid and could not help but shiver. He had been fighting all his life and was proud of his talent and intelligence. He had indeed established a brilliant performance. Later on, his life was too extravagant, and he was getting old, so he gradually did not ask about the war. The Eastern Expedition to Huai Yi had been going on for many years and had greatly reduced the strength of the Shang army. The national treasury was also empty. Although Lutai paid huge taxes, this could not fill the treasury of the country. The small country of Zhou in West Earth was now facing off against each other. In just a few years, Zhou had become so powerful so quickly. It was amazing. King Zhou of Shang thought about it and watched from afar. He saw his own army, a dense human formation, surging into the camp like a stream of water. This stance was clearly much larger than the Zhou army. The might of the past and the comparison in front of him had restored King Zhou's arrogance. He thought," Our army now has more than 170,000 people. With more people, we have more strength. Why should we fear the Zhou army? With our own wisdom, we can definitely defeat King Wu, a remote person from the West. Moreover, the Zhou army has come from the east. After thousands of miles of climbing and trekking, the army is tired and exhausted. They will be vulnerable." As he thought about it, King Zhou of Shang said to Fei Zhong,"Order the rear troops to enter the camp immediately."”
The Shang army quickly arranged their formation. The slaves and captives were driven to the front, squeezed together like a human wall, forming the front line of the Shang army. Behind them, the soldiers of the Shang army guarded the front and urged the front. The soldiers of the Shang army were still entering the camp. For a moment, the drums thundered, and the army formation echoed with a dull sound. Flags fluttered across the plains. The two armies of Shang and Zhou were in formation on the plains of Muye. Both sides were in a tense confrontation. Both sides had entered a state of preparation and accumulation of strength before the battle. Both sides were waiting to accept this decisive battle that would determine their survival.
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