Before the Battle Between King Wu and Shang Zhou
（33）
When King Zhou of Shang entered the battlefield of Muye, it was already past noon. King Zhou of Shang ordered the follow-up troops to quickly enter the battlefield and urged the troops that passed by in front of him. He didn't wait for them to get into formation and took the lead to lead a group of civil and military officials to the front of the formation. King Zhou of Shang ordered the soldiers who were still shooting arrows to stop. Then, he drove to the open space between the two formations and shouted at Zhou's formation,""Ji Fa, listen up, quickly come to the front of the formation and answer.”
King Wu and Lu Shang were on the hill, watching the Shang army's formation closely. At the same time, they sent out a few small formations to attack. After the chaos, the Shang army gradually lined up in an orderly formation. There was a human wall in front of them. Bronze halberds, gleaming blades, piercing eyes, some slanted, some standing, the people in the front row even had their weapons tilted or raised high.
King Wu said to Lü Shang," Shang Fu, look at the Shang Formation. I didn't expect King Zhou of Shang to be so old and stupid. He could still arrange such an orderly military formation. You really can't underestimate him."”
"The Shang army has more people than our army. The army formation seemed to be more orderly and in line with the rules of combat, but the clothes of the soldiers were extremely messy and different. One look and one could tell that they were a motley crew. In this regard, our army should fight quickly to shake the morale of the army and take advantage of the chaos to win.”Lu Shang said as he began to observe the situation carefully. Because at this moment, there was a huge commotion in the Shang formation.
"Yes." The Martial King faced the Shang Formation." Look, when should we attack? Oh." He pointed at the empty space in the middle of the Shang army formation and brought out more than ten chariots. They stopped at the empty space in the middle of the two formations. Then, he heard King Zhou's hoarse but loud shout.
Lu Shang said,"Martial King, go and answer him. We can use this opportunity to get closer to the Shang formation and observe it carefully."”
"Let's go." The Martial King responded to Lu Shang's words and walked down the hill first. Lu Shang followed closely behind. The two of them boarded the chariot and drove out from the gaps in the formation.
The Martial King led five chariots in a herringbone formation and arrived at the front of the formation. The Martial King was at the sharp point of the formation. In a short while, he faced King Zhou's chariot.
When King Zhou of Shang saw King Wu coming out of the formation, he drove over. He shouted,"Traitor, you're so bold. Today, I'll definitely let you know the strength of my Great Shang Dynasty and the power of King Zhou."”
The distance between the two cars was getting closer and closer. They could already see each other's faces, eyes, and eyebrows.
Hu Sheng, who was on the Martial King Chariot, was nervous and excited as he held his weapon. He was prepared to charge forward and protect the Martial King and Lu Shang.
However, when the two cars were a few steps away from each other, they stopped at the same time and confronted each other.
King Wu inherited his father's ambition and wanted to avenge the hatred of the world. He was more ambitious and eliminated the evils of the world. When he saw King Zhou of Shang, he gritted his teeth and was burning with anger. Seeing King Zhou of Shang getting closer and closer, he could not help but feel nervous from hatred. The moment that my father has been waiting for all his life is right in front of me. Can I successfully complete it? In the past, he had led envoys to pay tribute and had seen King Zhou of Shang. He had only seen King Zhou of Shang sitting in the palace in dazzling robes from afar. It was the first time in his life that he had seen King Zhou of Shang so close. Only then did he realize how mighty King Zhou of Shang was. Although he was old and gray, his face was glowing red, making him look even more youthful. Unexpectedly, King Zhou of Shang, who indulged in wine and sex, ignored the government, and killed without blinking, had such a look. King Wu sighed in his heart and ordered the coachman to stop the carriage so that he could attack King Zhou with a still stance if he continued to rush over.
King Zhou of Shang saw King Wu of Zhou coming out of the battle array and galloping straight towards the empty space in the middle. He thought of King Wu not guarding the Western Regions properly but leading troops to rebel. For a moment, he was so angry that his face lit up. It turned from gray to white, then from white to purple, and then from purple to red. After a while, he forcefully suppressed his anger. Although King Zhou of Shang was old, he was still in good spirits. He knew that the traitor was in front and the enemy was in danger. He could not underestimate them. His past experience told him that he should be calm and collected in battle to command wisely. He quickly ordered the coachman to stop the chariot that had just become impulsive. In this way, King Zhou of Shang and King Wu of Zhou were facing each other at a close distance.
King Wu of Zhou suppressed his emotions and calmly watched King Zhou of Shang who killed without batting an eyelid, the executioner who imprisoned his father and brother.
King Zhou of Shang was so excited that he almost lost control of himself. It was more accurate to say that he was so angry that he almost lost control. It was not easy for him to suppress his temper that was about to explode. He knew that this King Wu of Zhou in front of him was no longer the King Wen of Youli. Behind this King Wu of Zhou was a well-organized military formation with powerful military strength. They were waiting for an opportunity and order, and would immediately surge over like a flood. King Zhou of Shang waited for a moment. In this short confrontation with King Wu of Zhou, it was as if he had experienced a long-term contest, a contest of decades. It was a contest of willpower, intelligence, and even a contest of virtue. It was like a silent and chilling confrontation. King Zhou of Shang had already experienced the tenacious perseverance of the Martial King from his eyes. However, he still did not believe in the existence of this Martial King in front of him. The situation before him reminded him that he had to regain his senses and pay attention to the Martial King who was not far away from him. He could not be too flustered. He immediately put on the might of a king and pointed at the Martial King, shouting angrily,""Ji Fa, why didn't you guard West Earth? Why did you bring so many troops here? I will punish you for leaving your post without permission.”His arm was swinging straight as he pointed. His gray beard was shaking, and it looked especially silver under the sunlight. Without waiting for King Wu to reply, King Zhou continued,""Hurry up and go back. Don't line up in my territory and show off your might. I don't want to be punished by the heavens like what happened to your father.”
When King Wu heard King Zhou of Shang mention his father, he couldn't take it anymore and had no choice but to speak. He said in a loud voice,"It is the king who is punished by heaven." Killing the innocent, extorting the people and princes, building Deer Terrace, and singing and drinking with Daji all day long, thus destroying the ancestral sacrifices and disrupting the ancestral rites and music, such a king should be punished by heaven.”As King Wu spoke, he recalled his father's imprisonment and the hatred of his brother's life being boiled. He could not help but raise his voice and condemn passionately,"The people of West Earth can't stand your brutal rule. Today's army is here to punish you, King Zhou. The Great Shang Dynasty has fallen into the hands of a ruler like you. It is corrupt and declining, and its fate is over. Today will be your doomsday."
"You, how dare you." When King Zhou of Shang heard this, he was enraged again. He waved the halberd in his hand, wishing he could slash the Martial King's body. His voice became even hoarser," You traitor, how dare you belittle our Great Shang Yin Dynasty. I want your life today." As he spoke, he was about to drive the chariot forward.
Fei Zhong, who was behind him, saw that if King Zhou rushed over, he would be at a disadvantage. He immediately interrupted and said,"People of Zhou Country live in the West Earth, how dare they speak so boldly? I, King Zhou of Shang, advised you to return your troops with benevolence and righteousness. You should be grateful. Why are you still talking back and not knowing how to appreciate kindness?”As he spoke, he drove to King Zhou's carriage and said to King Wu,""My king is magnanimous and forgives the past. Please return to the army. Otherwise, when our Great Shang army charges over, we will slaughter your corpses and leave nothing behind.”As he spoke, Fei Zhong turned around and waved his hand, pointing at the Shang army behind him. In the Shang formation, the soldiers in the front row were in a commotion, and a few small formations were buzzing. Fei Zhong hesitated for a moment, but his bewilderment immediately turned into confidence. He said to King Wu,""Our soldiers can't take it anymore and are about to rush over. As long as my King Zhou gives the order, your Zhou army will immediately be annihilated here.”
Fei Zhong's interjection immediately raised King Zhou's spirits.
King Zhou of Shang calmed down and said to Lv Shang, who was beside King Wu,""Lu Shang, you traitor of Great Shang, you old fart. How could he dare to deceive the masses and take King Wu hostage to attack Great Shang? To take revenge? Wasn't this like an egg hitting a rock? Quickly come to your senses and advise King Wu to return to the west to protect your lives and preserve the strength of the Zhou army to defend the West Land.”
When Lu Shang heard King Zhou mention his name, he said bluntly,""Fortunately, King Zhou still remembers my name, but the world is ever-changing. Who knew that you, a cruel king, did not govern the way for heaven, nor did you seek blessings for the people. You made great contributions and fought in Huaiyi for years. You also listened to the words of Daji's wife and put the country behind your head. You only know that Fu Shilu Tai made obscene sounds and indulged in wine and sex. Now the whole world hates him. King Wu of Zhou sought good fortune for the vassals. Virtue and benevolence were the best in governing the country. He wanted to carry out justice on behalf of heaven, crusade against King Zhou and eliminate tyranny, and create good fortune for the people and vassals. Today, we are sending troops to the east to crusade against the tyrant and eliminate evil for the world.”As he spoke, he pointed at Fei Zhong." These treacherous officials have messed up the government and violated etiquette. They are in cahoots with the tyrant. The heavens will punish you today."
"It's simply the opposite." King Zhou of Shang was so angry that he couldn't stand it anymore. He stomped his feet and shouted,""Quickly kill these rebels." Then, he drove his car toward Martial King. Fei Zhong, who was at the side, also urged the carriage to go side by side.
The Martial King calmly held the bronze spear in his hand and faced the charging King Zhou of Shang. He resisted and counterattacked at the same time.
Fei Zhong charged towards the flank of the Martial King and joined forces with King Zhou's chariot to attack the Martial King's chariot.
Lu Shang hurriedly held his bronze halberd and guarded the other side as he fought with Fei Zhong.
The war chariots behind the Martial King immediately rushed forward. The triangular formation of five war chariots formed a straight line, and at the same time, they began to surround the Martial King.
When King Zhou of Shang saw his chariot rush into King Wu's chariot formation, he immediately realized that such a single vehicle impact would cause a great disparity in strength and would be disadvantageous to him. He hurriedly ordered the coachman to drive around, turn around, and get out of King Wu's herringbone formation of five chariots. He drove back to the Shang formation while waving his bronze spear angrily and shouting. His hoarse voice made it difficult to hear what he was shouting.
Fei Zhong's pincer attack on King Wu's chariot failed. He quickly turned the chariot around and accompanied King Zhou back.
Hu Sheng, who was beside King Wu, saw the two carriages approaching and was about to raise his spear to help. However, King Wu happened to be in front of him, so he could not use his bronze spear. Seeing that Lu Shang and Fei Zhong were also fighting, he could not help even if he wanted to. He could only nervously watch from behind King Wu and Lu Shang. After a gust of wind passed, in the blink of an eye, King Zhou turned his carriage and left. Hu Sheng quickly pulled out an arrow and shot it, but it hit the back of King Zhou's carriage.
King Zhou of Shang turned around and pulled out the arrow. He broke it into two and said to King Wu,""Today, I will make you Zhou Jun like this arrow, never to return.”As he spoke, he threw the arrow to the ground.
Before Hu Sheng could fire his second arrow, a rain of arrows came from the chariots of the generals and officials in the Shang army, blocking the Martial King's pursuit. The five chariots of the Martial King had already gathered together, and the armored soldiers also fired back. The two sides shot at each other, and the arrows made a series of sounds. Some of the arrows hit the car's side board, and some hit the horses, causing the horses to hisse and struggle in pain.
Seeing the vanguard, the carriages of the two kings clashed. The war chariots on both sides began to move forward. Zhou Zhen's chariots met King Wu's five chariots. They listened to King Wu's command and stopped again.
King Zhou of Shang also ran back to the main formation. The chariots of the ministers behind him followed closely behind. King Zhou of Shang was still so angry that he was about to faint. He turned around and said to Fei Zhong,"It's really infuriating. When we counterattack later, we must capture Ji Fa and cut him into pieces to vent my anger.”
"We will definitely defeat the Zhou army and capture Ji Fa. The Zhou army had come from afar, and such a military formation could not withstand a single blow.”" Yes," Fei Zhong replied. After the collision just now, he had already sensed the hidden power of the Zhou army." However, we have to let the Zhou army attack first. When they had exhausted their spirit, they could organize a counterattack. At that time, victory would be as easy as turning the palm over.”
The two chariots drove straight to the central command tent that had just been arranged. Soon after, the chariots of the ministers also arrived. Everyone entered the tent and took their positions, waiting for King Zhou's orders.
King Wu returned to the formation and said to Lu Shang,""I didn't expect King Zhou of Shang to still be so awe-inspiring.”
"No." Lu Shang immediately added,"This is anger making one lose their mind. Didn't you see it just now?" The Shang formation was in chaos for a while. I saw it. If the Shang formation isn't arranged properly, we can definitely break it apart.”
When King Wu and Lu Shang arrived at the hillside, Duke of Zhou Dan had also arrived.
Duke Dan of Zhou said to King Wu,"The vanguard of the Shang army is an infantry army. Judging from their clothes, they are all ragged people. It could be slaves or prisoners. Their formation was not secure and could be easily broken through. Big brother, let me try.”
King Wu said," Wait, we'll talk about it later. We'll first study the countermeasures before we arrange the offensive.”Uncle Guan and Uncle Cai came and asked about the situation of the attack just now.
After King Wu gave a brief explanation, he confidently said to everyone,"Victory or defeat depends on this move. Everyone, please listen to the tune." As he spoke, he began to arrange a new attack deployment.
The closer he got to the battlefield, the more excited Yu Sheng became. When he entered the camp and faced off against the Zhou army, he had no choice but to use his rationality to suppress this excitement. He maintained his composure and silently followed the commander's orders, supervising the order of his troops. However, he still couldn't help but look at the Zhou army again and again. He really wanted to see where the Martial King was.
Once, when he was looking at it for a moment, he was lost in thought. Genzi came to his side and whispered,""What are you looking at? Do you want to see the Zhou army on the other side?"
"Oh." Yu Sheng was shocked. Seeing that it was the root, he said without hiding,""Look at the formation of the Zhou army and the posture of the Zhou people. When the time comes, we can act according to the situation."
Genzi said,"This is the first time I've seen such a neat formation." Have you seen their Martial King?"
"No, I haven't. I was just about to take a look." Yu Sheng looked at Zhou Zhen again. Genzi also looked at Zhou Jun with him. In the middle of the formation was a group of people with a red flag behind them. Yu Sheng guessed that it was the command center. Those people might be the Martial King and the Imperial Preceptor. However, he was a little further away and could only see small figures. If he could get closer, he might be able to determine whether that person was a Martial King or a State Preceptor based on their figures and movements. Yu Sheng knew that although he was alone in the Shang army, he was facing the Zhou army under the command of King Wu and Imperial Preceptor. When the two armies attacked, the hundred generals he led could help the Zhou army. This would play a huge role. He could take action to accelerate the collapse of the merchant formation.
"Genzi, how was your contact with those officers?" Yu Sheng asked.”
When Genzi heard the question, he said in high spirits,"They are all slaves with a bitter life. Like me, they hate King Zhou of Shang and these cruel slave owners. I told them that the people of Zhou don't kill slaves and love slaves very much. I told them to wait for an opportunity to escape with us, and they agreed. Who wouldn't be happy to do such a good job?" Genzi smiled and said,"The poor people are all melons on the same vine. Everyone's heart is the same." When do we take action?" He looked at Yu Sheng with concern.
"Let's wait." While observing the formation, Yu Sheng said,""We have to wait for the right time. He would strive to escape alive. Now, there was the Zhou army in front and the Shang army behind. "If we run forward, the ones in front will think that we're the ones charging forward. It's not good for us to fight. Moreover, the Shang army behind us will still attack. We have to think of a good way." Yu Sheng had been thinking about this question in his mind. How could he run over and join the Zhou army? He did some calculations. There were at least five to six hundred people around him who had already conspired. As for the slaves and prisoners who harbored hatred, there might be many more. Once he took action, more people would definitely join him.
At this moment, a troop of war chariots rushed out from the center of the merchant formation and stopped in the open space between the two formations. Following that, a small formation of chariots charged out from the Zhou army. The two chariots were facing each other at a relatively close distance. It turned out that King Wu of Zhou and King Zhou of Shang were conversing in front of the battle formation and had come into contact in the middle of the empty space in front of the battle formation.
At this moment, Yu Sheng clearly saw King Wu of Zhou and Lu Shang, who was in the same carriage. He also recognized Hu Sheng, who was beside the Martial King. He grew excited and stared for a long time. At this moment, the people in the formation were also watching the conflict between the two chariots with concern. Therefore, Yu Sheng's actions did not arouse the suspicion of others. He patted Genzi's shoulder and pointed at the Martial King.
"King Wu of Zhou is much younger than King Zhou of Shang." The white-haired old man beside him should be the state preceptor.”
"It's him." Yu Sheng answered happily and smiled proudly.
"What are they doing?" Genzi didn't understand the conversation between the two armies and asked in confusion when he saw the two chariots stop in the middle of the open space. At this moment, King Wu of Zhou and King Zhou of Shang were conversing. Then, the chariots of both sides started to move. Genzi quickly poked Yu Sheng, who was in a daze, and said,""Look, they're fighting. It was King Zhou of Shang who attacked first. Hai, King Wu of Zhou isn't weak either."
Yu Sheng was watching attentively. He was afraid that the Martial King would be at a disadvantage. He thought to himself that there was no need to trouble the Martial King and the Imperial Preceptor to charge in front of the battle. With him, King Zhou of Shang, such an old and foolish ruler, it was easy to deal with. As long as the armorers were mobilized, it would be enough. However, he could also tell that King Zhou of Shang was still very powerful. Those few attacks were displayed. He was worried about the Martial King. At this moment, both sides retreated to their respective formations. Seeing that King Wu and Imperial Preceptor had returned safely, Yu Sheng heaved a sigh of relief. He saw Genzi pounding his fists and stomping his feet, so he quickly tried to persuade him,""What's the rush? We'll have a good show when the army charges. We're ready, we're just waiting for the right time.”
The Shang formation was in a commotion, which also affected Yu Sheng. He was in the square formation on the left. After a commotion, he stabilized himself. The small square formation moved to the left again before it stabilized. The people around him looked at Yu Sheng. Some of them asked softly what they should do next. Yu Sheng signaled for everyone to calm down, then asked Genzi to take care of his small square formation, and then squeezed towards the hundred troops on the left. He wanted to use this opportunity to contact more people around him and expand his influence.
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