Shang Zhou Defeated at Lutai Fen
（36）
King Zhou of Shang was confident that he would win. He had just left the central tent with his chariot team and had yet to reach the front line. He still didn't know that at this moment, a huge change had already taken place in the front array. The more he and Fei Zhong rushed forward, the more chaotic the battle formation became. He was still cursing, but he already felt that something was wrong. The battle formation of the Shang army was in a chaotic state, and the situation was difficult to control. King Zhou of Shang still did not know why this situation had occurred.
The vanguard of the Zhou army had already arrived in front of King Zhou's chariot.
King Zhou's central convoy and Lu Shang's vanguard convoy were fighting.
Then, the Martial King's convoy arrived. At this moment, the Shang formation began to fall into chaos. Zhou Jun's convoy charged forward. When the two teams of carriages gathered together, King Zhou of Shang could not hold on any longer. He said to Fei Zhong,"Go back to the tent."”He drove away first.
Fei Zhong followed behind. When they were about to reach the tent, another group of Zhou army carriages rushed out from behind the tent and charged towards them.
It turned out that Bi Gonggao and San Lei had rushed in from the back of the formation. Taking advantage of the empty formation of the Shang army and the adjustment of the Shang formation, they had rushed straight into the main tent.
King Zhou was shocked. He looked around and saw that there were only a few chariots left. Most of them had been scattered or overturned by the Zhou army. Although there were still many chariots left, they were all trying their best to resist.
The three carriages of the Zhou army rushed over. The central formation of the Shang army could not withstand this kind of attack and began to panic. The central formation of the Shang army was finally completely broken.
King Zhou of Shang felt strange,'My Great Shang has so many soldiers, many times more than the Zhou army. Why are there Zhou soldiers everywhere?' He was puzzled, but he was afraid of being surrounded. He turned to the coachman and the guards and said,"Rush out, quickly." He forced the chariots to clash with the outside, and the few chariots of the guards around him also followed suit.
At this moment, the battlefield had turned into a situation where the Shang army was trapped and wanted to break out.
King Zhou of Shang charged left and right, but he still could not charge out. He shouted,"Fei Zhong, hurry up and rush out with me."”He turned around and saw that Fei Zhong's chariot had fallen behind. It was not trapped by the Zhou army, but surrounded and attacked by the slaves and prisoners of the Shang Dynasty. Seeing this, King Zhou of Shang panicked.
At this moment, Yu Sheng, who had rushed over, shot an arrow at the beautifully decorated shield on King Zhou's carriage.
King Zhou of Shang hurriedly drove his chariot to clash again. In the panic of the clash, the yellow cover fell to the ground and was immediately run over by the surging chariot. King Zhou's chariot finally came out. It turned out that his chariot was covered in yellow and was the target of the Zhou army's attack. All the Zhou army followed the orders of King Wu and charged straight at King Zhou's chariot. Now that they had lost their cover and their target, it was difficult for the Zhou army to attack. Only some of the chariots near the Martial King recognized King Zhou's chariot and continued to pursue and kill.
King Zhou's chariot took advantage of the chaos to rush out of the encirclement and drive up a hill. When they reached the top of the slope, they turned around and saw that the place where the Shang army had set up their formation was now a sea of people. The Shang army was in chaos. The chariots of the Shang soldiers could be seen being attacked from all directions. Some were chariots and soldiers of the Zhou army, while others were slaves and prisoners of the Shang Dynasty. Seeing this scene of struggle, King Zhou's heart turned cold. He did not expect these slave prisoners to become the main factor in his defeat. Sigh, the situation was already gone. He had to return to the capital quickly. King Zhou of Shang had not had time to look at the way back when the Zhou army caught up again.
Lei Zhen didn't know King Zhou of Shang, so he just charged at the carriage. He charged straight at King Zhou's chariot. His momentum was too fierce, and he charged past from the side. At the same time, he swept his bronze spear and dragged a guard beside King Zhou out of the chariot.
King Zhou of Shang hurriedly ordered the coachman to drive the carriage. It made a small turn and drove towards the opposite side of the hill.
Lei Zhen didn't turn around to chase after King Zhou's chariot. He ran into the chariot of the Shang army and was busy fighting again.
Not long after, King Wu, Lu Shang, and Duke of Zhou all caught up and met Lei Zhen head-on.
King Wu asked about King Zhou's whereabouts, but Lei Zhen could not answer.
The Martial King stopped at the top of the slope and saw a few chariots fleeing in a hurry among the crowd on the road to the east. He guessed that it might be the chariot of King Zhou of Shang who was escaping, so he led the chariot team to chase after him.
The sun was almost setting on the west side of the mountain. The slanting sunlight cast shadows on the figure and the car, stretching out to the front as if the shadow had already crossed the chariot and was chasing the fleeing car in front.
On the plains of Muye, the two armies were engaged in a chaotic battle. A wave of saber lights and halberd shadows, and the sound of battle shook the heavens and the earth, causing dust to churn. The sunlight in the west seemed even more dim and bleak. The chariots sped along, some fast, some slow. The soldiers on foot did not show any weakness and attacked the other party with the weapons in their hands. Many people had fallen, and blood flowed all over the ground. The war chariot collapsed, and its broken body scattered in all directions. Warhorses neighed and charged in all directions.
The two sides did not last long. Because of the counterattacks of the slaves and prisoners, at first, there were only a small number of slaves. Then, more slaves gave up resisting the Zhou army and turned around to attack the Shang army. Gradually, the slaves gathered into a powerful force to cooperate with the Zhou army's offensive. The Zhou army's offensive gradually took the upper hand, and the situation quickly turned one-sided.
The Shang army began to show their lack of numbers and strength in this sea of people. The Shang soldiers gradually couldn't hold on any longer and retreated. The Shang army behind saw that King Zhou had already escaped from the battle circle to the east, so they also followed suit.
As the Shang army headed towards the east, the Zhou army and the slave prisoners followed closely behind.
The center of the battlefield began to move. A stream of people from the Muye Plain flowed eastward. This stream of people grew larger and longer. Soon, the sea of people turned into a stream of people, rolling eastward. This was the Zhou army and the slaves chasing the Shang army, shifting the center of the battlefield to the pursuit path.
The Shang army completely fled, and the Zhou army pursued. The slaves and prisoners assisted in intercepting them and chased them down. On the road from Muye to Zhaoge City, a fierce battle of pursuit and killing unfolded.
Time slowly passed. The sun had already set, and its light had disappeared. The two armies that were running or chasing were fighting for time, fighting for the right to live or die. They did not notice that the day was about to end and the mysterious night was about to fall, enveloping the battle scene.
King Zhou of Shang was escaping. Due to his fast speed, the chariot's jolting made him feel very uncomfortable. He had only run for a short distance when he heard the sounds of fighting coming from behind him. He turned around and saw dust rolling over. He guessed that the Shang army might have been defeated and the Zhou army was desperately chasing after them.
King Zhou of Shang could not help but feel a wave of sadness in his heart. The more anxious he was, the slower the horse ran. He saw that the four horses were drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. It turned out that the horses had not rested for the entire day since they set off from the capital in the morning. They were so tired that they did not have the strength to lift their hooves. The carriage slowed down, and King Zhou of Shang was even more shocked. He was deeply afraid that King Wu would catch up. Fortunately, the capital was right in front of them, and they could escape into the city immediately. As long as they entered the city, they could resist for a while. They could wait until tomorrow.
The pursuers were getting closer and closer, and the distance between them was slowly shrinking. King Zhou of Shang wished he could step into the city.
When they were about to reach the moat, King Wu, Lu Shang, and Zhou Gongdan's carriages caught up and started fighting with the guards and armored chariots behind them.
King Zhou's chariot had just passed the wooden bridge in a hurry. King Wu's chariot also passed the chariots of several guards and followed King Zhou's chariot onto the wooden bridge.
The chariots of the Shang and Zhou armies crossed the wooden bridge, fighting as they crossed. The soldiers guarding the bridge could not tell that those were the Zhou army and those were the Shang army. They did not know what to do and were all stunned by the situation in front of them. But soon, they understood. Everyone shouted and fled in all directions.
The stream of people and vehicles moved to the moat outside the city, slowly gathering into a small circle of people. The wooden bridge was too small, and the chariots, horses, and horses were all pushed up. The two armies were fighting each other in chaos. The chariots of the Shang soldiers were pushed over or occupied one by one, and the Shang soldiers were killed beyond recognition. Broken chariots and corpses filled the moat. This sea of people slowly shrank, flowing into the city through the wooden bridge or stepping on the moat filled with corpses. Shouts and shouts shook Zhaoge, the capital of Shang.
Night had fallen, adding to the gloomy atmosphere in Zhaoge, the capital of Shang.
King Zhou of Shang knew that he had returned from today's battle with a great defeat. The Zhou army had chased him into the city. The situation was over. He felt a hundred times more ashamed. He rushed to Deer Terrace and met Daji in front of the main hall. She was busy instructing the palace maids to prepare the banquet and move the food. King Zhou of Shang hurried over and said without waiting for Dayi to ask,""The great power is gone. Quickly die with me so that you won't be insulted by the Martial King.”
Da Yi saw King Zhou's actions and knew that the Shang army had been defeated. However, she asked King Zhou,""I, Wang Hongfu, am blessed and will definitely defeat the Zhou army. Why do you say that?”
King Zhou of Shang shouted,"The Zhou army is chasing into the city. They will come to Deer Terrace immediately." Beloved Consort, hurry up and die with me. Although we can't share happiness in life, we can also die together in trouble.”As he spoke, he pulled Daji's hand and walked towards the palace.
Da Yi believed that Great Shang's momentum had been exhausted and the Zhou army would arrive soon. She thought that she was a woman. Who cared about the Shang army and Zhou army? It was a blessing to be able to beg for life. He broke free from King Zhou's hand and ran out.
King Zhou of Shang did not pay attention. Seeing that Da had already fled, he said grandly,"I didn't expect you to still want to live.”He took a step forward and swung his spear at Daji. Looking at Dayi's body that was slowly turning around and falling down, King Zhou of Shang could not help but laugh out loud. He threw the dagger-axe at Daji and staggered inside. He laughed as he walked. He came to the main hall, where he was often happy, and his body swayed as he bumped into the "meat forest". He picked up a lamp and threw it away, picked up another lamp and threw it away again, throwing it around aimlessly, taking dozens of lamps off their shelves and throwing them in all directions. The hall was on fire. The fire grew bigger and bigger. King Zhou of Shang was still giggling as he tossed the lamp. He said,""Great Shang, Great Shang, I have done my best, I have done my best.”He ran back and forth in the hall, as if he was wandering in a fire array.
At this moment, King Wu, Lu Shang, and Duke of Zhou Dan led the Zhou army into Deer Terrace and rushed towards the main hall. Yu Sheng saw a yellow flag swaying in front of the hall under the starlight. He took out his bow and arrow and shot at the flagpole. After a few arrows, the pole made a buzzing sound. The seventh arrow broke the pole and the yellow flag fell to the gray ground. The group walked up the steps of the main hall.
The hall was burning in flames. King Wu, Lu Shang, and Duke Dan, who were standing on the steps in front of the hall, saw King Zhou of Shang in the fire. The soldiers of the Zhou army gathered around and silently watched the fire. No one made a sound, only the sound of the fire baring its fangs and brandishing its claws. In the end, King Zhou of Shang was swallowed by the fire.
Lu Shang looked at the fire. The light reflected off his gray hair and beard, making him look even whiter than silver. He thought to himself that King Wen's career had taken decades, two generations of hard work, and blood and sweat to finally come true at this moment. This fire burned King Zhou to death. Who knew how difficult it was to light this candle?
The Martial King looked at the rising flames. He knew that he had completed the path his father had guided him on. He had already defeated King Zhou of Shang, so he would have to rely on himself to walk down the road from now on. Destroying an old world was difficult, but building a new world was even more difficult. He unconsciously chanted,"For heaven to conquer Zhou, for heaven to conquer Zhou."”
Zhou Gongdan was in front of the fire. The light from the fire shone on his excited face, giving him a rosy glow. He didn't know the complicated thoughts in his brother's mind. He guessed that since King Wu and Father Shang were so quiet, they must be thinking about tomorrow's new plan.
Yes, Lu Shang was thinking about tomorrow.
The Martial King was also thinking about tomorrow.
What would it be tomorrow? The main force of the Shang army was about to return to the capital, and what kind of situation would the Zhou army face?
The Martial King thought to himself that tomorrow would be the beginning of a new and even more arduous undertaking.………。
The End of the Book
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