In the early morning of February 1046 BC, a large army of about 50000 people stopped here after another night of rapid marching. 70 miles ahead is the capital city of the Shang Dynasty, Chaoge. Now, they can no longer continue to advance, because what is blocking them is the army of Shang King Zhou, who shouted for tsunami from hundreds of thousands of mountains. The two armies were in a state of tension, and a major battle was imminent.
At this time, the sky was low, the clouds were dark, the wind was blowing with rainstorm, sweeping across the vast land. The weather was extremely bad, and the leader of the army personally conducted divination. However, the divination omens showed that the expedition was unlucky, and all the omens seemed to be prophesying, which was against the will of heaven. At a critical moment in history, this tribal leader defied fate and decisively ordered the army to continue advancing. A brutal battle, described by historians as a bloody struggle, was about to begin.
Zhouyuan, Baoji City, Shanxi Province
This is two villages located at the border of Qishan County and Fufeng County in Baoji City, Shaanxi Province. Since the 1970s, this has been an important excavation site for Chinese archaeology. For a long time, a large number of divination bones and precious national treasures such as bronze ware have been unearthed here. This is the birthplace of Zhou culture – Zhouyuan, the capital of Western Zhou.
To this day, the origin of the Zhou ethnic group is still uncertain, but it can be confirmed that this is the starting point for the Zhou people to appear on the stage of Chinese history and create a brilliant civilization. The poem “Mian” in the collection of poems from the Zhou Dynasty, the Book of Songs, specifically records the Zhou people’s contributions to their tribal leader, Gu Gongdan (d) ǎ n) The Story of My Father Moving to Zhouyuan under His Leadership, Gu Gongdan (d) ǎ n) My father came to the court and led the West Water Margin to Qixia.
Around the Wu Yi period of the Shang Dynasty, it was originally settled in Bin (b) ī n) The Zhou people of the land were unable to withstand the invasion of the Rong and Di tribes. They crossed the Qishui River, crossed the Liangshan Mountains, and arrived at Zhouyuan at the foot of Qishan. On this land of Zhouyuan, several generations of Zhou people have hidden themselves and worked tirelessly to plan the great future of the Zhou ethnic group.
Professor Zhu Fenghan from Peking University: The Zhou people originated there and underwent a long process of development, including the further maturation of their own culture. In that region, they had connections with many ethnic groups in the Bronze Age in the northwest region. The Zhou people in that area, especially after passing through the ancient Gongdan father, Wang Ji, and later, especially during the Wenwang era, had a very practical step by step preparation for the conquest of commerce. Therefore, Zhouyuan should be a strategic base for the Zhou people to prepare for the conquest of commerce.
After moving to Zhouyuan, the people of Zhou officially took up the idea of suppressing commerce. This is another poem in the Book of Songs, which is written in the “Palace of Rites”: the grandson of Houji, the actual Wei Prince, residing in the Yang of Qi, and the actual beginning of Jianshang. Hou Ji is the ancestor of the Zhou people, and the great king here is Gu Gongdan (d) ǎ n) Father, it means: ever since Gu Gongdan (d) ǎ n) After his father led the Zhou tribe to move to Qi, he began planning to eliminate merchants. Gu Gongdan (d) ǎ n) My father led the Zhou people to open up land here, build city walls, palaces, and establish an official system. As a subsidiary of the merchants of Dayi, Xiaobang Zhou became increasingly powerful.
Professor Zhu Fenghan from Peking University: The origin of the Zhou people’s idea of suppressing commerce should have been very early, at least during the reign of Wang Ji (Ji Li). Later on, we saw that he was called Wang Ji. Of course, it can be said that he did not claim to be a king, or it may have been posthumously conferred by later generations. However, he became independent and became a kingdom to replace commerce. I think there should have been this idea during the reign of Wang Ji. Of course, you can say that Gu Gongdan (d) ǎ n) Father, he moved to Zhouyuan and built Zhoubang to strengthen himself, but Keshang may not have had this confidence at first.
According to historical records, the father of Gu Gongdan had three sons, and he intended to pass on the throne to his younger son Ji Li. After observation, he believed that Ji Li’s son Ji Chang would be a key figure in the rise of the Zhou people. In order to give way to Ji Li, his eldest son Tai Bo and second son Yu Zhong fled to Jingman. They cut off their tattoos, built city walls, established a country, and became the ancestors of the Wu state. After Gu Gongdan’s father died, Ji Li took office and was soon killed by the Shang king. His son Ji Chang succeeded him, which was the Zhou Wenwang, who was revered by many Confucian scholars and feudal emperors in later generations, and came into the hands of Zhou Wenwang. The Zhou ethnic group was thriving and their comprehensive strength was advancing rapidly. Although the Zhou ethnic group was becoming increasingly powerful, they still persisted in keeping their guard and gaining the trust of their suzerain country. King Zhou of Shang conferred the title of Xibo on King Wen of Zhou, making him the ruler of the Shang West and entrusted him with the power of conquest, This was in line with King Wen’s intention, so King Wen of Zhou waved his hand and pointed his sword, causing several vassal states of the Shang Dynasty to immediately disappear. He first marched into the northwest and successively conquered the northern states of Canrong, Mishu, and others. Then, he launched a frontal attack on the two states of Li and Qi, cutting off the left flank of the Shang Dynasty and capturing the strategic stronghold of Chong in the southwest direction of the Shang Dynasty. This directly threatened the capital of Shang, Chaoge, and opened up a channel for the Zhou army to advance eastward. As a result, the southern, northern, and western sides were all within the Zhou’s sphere of influence, and Zhou was already in a favorable situation where there were two out of three parts of the world. King Wen of Zhou never forgot the revenge of Shang for killing his father. He concealed himself and appeared to submit to Shang, but secretly accumulated strength and intensified preparations to destroy Shang.
In Zhouyuan, King Wen of Zhou respected the elderly and showed kindness to the young, governing with virtue and respecting the virtuous and virtuous. He won the support of many feudal lords. According to the Annals of the Zhou Dynasty in the Records of the Grand Historian, the rulers of Yu and Rui had a dispute over land and sought arbitration from King Wen of Zhou. Upon entering the Zhou territory, it was discovered that the people of Zhou were humble to each other. The people who cultivated the land were humble to each other, and the people who walked gave way to each other. The two rulers witnessed all of this and were very ashamed, so they returned to their respective countries and humbly conceded to each other’s previously disputed land. After this incident spread, many feudal lords were even more convinced by King Wen’s rule of virtue. Under the rule of King Wen, the people of Zhou flourished day by day, but the world was still ruled by merchants. In order to achieve great success, King Wen also needed to assist talented individuals who had achieved their own hegemony.
Zhu Fenghan: In the Book of Songs, there is a poem dedicated to praising his deeds in the “King of Wen” of the “Da Ya”. He should be the last leader of the Zhou people who laid the foundation for their suppression of commerce in the history of the Zhou people.
Wang Zhenzhong, member of the academic department of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: The Zhou people themselves believed that their orders began with King Wen, and it was fate that replaced you. This fate began with King Wen, so it also reflects the position of King Wen in the minds of the Zhou people and in the history of the Zhou Dynasty.
Lv Xinzhe, a descendant of the colorful shadow puppetry in Xinxiang City, Henan Province
L ü Zhuang Village, where L ü Xinzhe is located, is a well-known shadow puppetry village. As the inheritor of L ü’s colorful shadow puppetry, L ü Xinzhe has been playing shadow puppetry for half his life. Now, L ü Xinzhe will celebrate his 100th birthday. The old man decided to perform a story about a centenarian in Chinese history for the villagers. L ü Xinzhe’s disciples found a shadow puppetry figure who had been suppressed for decades from a dusty shadow puppetry box. This figure is the famous L ü Shang in history, commonly known as Jiang Taigong or Jiang Ziya by the people. As night fell, the shadow puppetry was set up in the village, and a shadow puppetry of King Wen pulling a carriage was being performed.
King Wen pulled a cart is a legend that has been passed down for thousands of years in the folk. It tells the story of King Wen, a scholar, and a virtuous person. When King Wen heard that Lv Shang (Jiang Ziya) was living in seclusion by the Wei River, he drove there one day. When King Wen came to the south bank of the Wei River, he saw an old man with white hair sitting by the river, absent-minded, fishing. When King Wen saw that he only put on the fishing hook and did not put on the bait, he felt very strange and started talking to the old man. The old man who was fishing on the Wei River was Lv Shang. During their conversation, King Wen saw that Lv Shang had extraordinary skills and had seen people, so he invited him to serve and assist Zhou Bang. Lv Shang was a test of his abilities. King Wen earnestly asked him to pull a carriage for him and Fang Yun to embark on the journey. King Wen was eager to personally pull a carriage for Lv Shang, and the two of them left the Wei River together.
King Wen of Zhou gained the power of L ü Shang like a tiger adding wings. After that, with domestic and foreign affairs, the power of the Zhou Dynasty was greatly increased. When all conditions were ripe, King Wen of Zhou made a bold and adventurous move, which was to relocate the capital from Qixia and establish a city between the Fengshui and Weishui rivers, known as Fengyi. Since Qixia moved eastward and settled here, King Wen of Zhou’s intention to move eastward is no longer clear. In this way, the Zhou clan has basically completed the preparation for the decisive battle against the merchants, and it is only a matter of timing to defeat Zhou and eliminate the merchants. However, the more it was like this, the more cautious King Wen of Zhou became, and his prestige greatly increased. Many feudal lords came to show goodwill to him, but he was very low-key and showed more respect to Zhou. The more treasures he paid tribute to Zhou, the more he relaxed his vigilance. In the second year of the capital’s relocation, King Wen Ji Chang passed away, and his son Ji Fa succeeded him. This was King Wu, and Lv Shang continued to assist him.
Wang Zhenzhong: If in the early days, the Zhou people mainly laid the foundation and established base areas in Zhouyuan, during the reign of King Wen, they continued to develop eastward, clearly to replace Shang and control the eastern territory.
King Wu of Zhou ascended to the throne, taking his father King Wen as an example, inheriting the cause created by his predecessors, following established strategic policies, and further implementing them. He continued to appoint Lv Shang as the Grand Tutor, with the assistance of wise men such as Duke Dan, Duke Zhao, and Duke Bi of Zhou. This way, talents gathered and each sought their own positions, and Zhou’s politics flourished, with more and more vassals and stronger power. In contrast, the Shang Dynasty was more isolated. In order to facilitate the attack on the Song Dynasty and eliminate the Shang Dynasty, King Wu decided to relocate the capital again, moving the capital of Zhou from Feng to Hao located in the southwest of Shaanxi. What was King Zhou of Shang doing while King Wen and King Wu were eagerly preparing for all this?
Zhou was fond of drinking and drinking, often indulging in pleasure all night long. He held various large-scale banquets in the palace, performing various music, dances, and games. He had people dig many large pools and fill them with wine, providing thousands of people with excessive drinking. He also had people hang cooked meat, which looked like trees, and people could easily reach out and eat it. Zhou was strong and addicted to women. He especially favored the beautiful woman Daji, obeyed her every word, and was obedient to everything. He relied on his own rule to be bestowed by fate. He also had far sighted and kind-hearted officials, invent cannons, torture, and persecute his subjects, and added to the writing of future generations. Through ink painting, King Zhou of Shang almost became the most tyrant of all time. To be honest, King Zhou of Shang was not just cruel. At the beginning of his reign, he also worked hard and made some achievements.
Zhu Fenghan: There are some last rulers in Chinese history who seem to have been demoted very low. In fact, the last rulers, including those like Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, were actually individuals who were very hardworking, talented, and even brave. For example, King Zhou of Shang was recorded in historical books as a very powerful and heroic person, but there are still very few records. Moreover, there are other historical books such as “Records of the Grand Historian Yin Benji”, and in some records of the Eastern Zhou people, this King Zhou of Shang is a relatively violent person.
The debauchery and unruly behavior of King Zhou of Shang accelerated the downfall of the Shang dynasty, and all the feudal lords were afraid of him, thus alienating him. People rebelled and became estranged, further weakening the rule of the Shang dynasty. The entire Shang city was in chaos, with no deities (q í) worshipped, no ancestral temples managed, and ministers engaging in treachery and deceit. Those who violated the law were not punished. Once any dynasty reached this point, the dynasty was not far from collapse. Shang was not completely unaware of King Wu’s ambition, but the long-term Dongyi Rebellion provided Zhou with the opportunity for smooth development. The disaster of Dongyi has always been a major concern for Shang, and Zhou was not completely unaware of it. After ascending to the throne, the entire country launched an attack on Dongyi. The outcome of this long and arduous battle took decades to determine, and Zhou laughed until the end. However, by this time, the national strength of the Shang Dynasty had been exhausted, and the magnificent kingdom had become an empty shell. To some extent, it can be said that, It was precisely because of the Eastern Barbarians’ Rebellion that the entire Shang Dynasty was completely restrained, resulting in a great emptiness in the kingdom’s military strength on the western front. As the saying goes, if one were to lose the other, Zhou could only watch helplessly as Zhou’s strength continued to grow in the western expedition. Shang and Zhou continued to deteriorate day by day, while the other improved day by day.
In order to test his appeal, test the attitudes of various feudal states and the reactions of King Zhou of Shang, King Wu decided to hold a large-scale military exercise, which was the famous Mengjin Military Observation in history. At the Yellow River Ferry, King Wu saw the boats neatly arranged, with high morale, and was very happy. As the boat reached the center of the river, a silver white fish suddenly jumped into the boat. King Wu said, “The Yin people revered white, which seemed to be a symbol of their downfall.” He bent down and grabbed the fish to offer sacrifices to the sky, and the army went ashore. Suddenly, a red meteor cut through the sky, fell from the sky, and landed on the house where King Wu lived, constantly rotating. “Finally, it turned into a crimson crow and kept chirping, which was considered an auspicious omen at the time. As a result, morale was greatly boosted, and the Zhou army marched straight in, targeting Meng and Jin. They hated the various feudal lords of the Shang King and Zhou, and upon hearing that King Wu had sent troops, Thinking that the time had come to destroy the merchants, they all went to assist in the battle, and unexpectedly gathered 800 lords at once. However, King Wu found that several large lords had not come, so he still withdrew his troops and returned, continuing to accumulate strength and wait for the opportunity.
Zhu Fenghan: On the surface, it seems like he was going to fight, but King Wu of Zhou himself felt that his destiny was insufficient, that he had not truly received it. The details of this are unknown, perhaps because there was divination at that time, and what else is not recorded in the literature is that he felt that he had not fully received it. Of course, it could also be that he felt that the military preparation and strength preparation were not complete enough, or that he used this behavior to test the reaction of the Shang Kingdom to his military accumulation behavior.
Wang Zhenzhong: He saw eight hundred feudal lords responding to him and saw the direction of the people’s hearts throughout the world.
After several generations of hard work, the Zhou people’s national plan was finally implemented. Two more years later, King Wu decided to send troops to attack the Shang dynasty. Such an important military action, King Wu of Zhou, who believed in fate, naturally wanted to divine. However, the omen said that this attack on the Shang dynasty was not auspicious, and King Wu was hesitating. Coincidentally, at this moment, the sky was covered with dark clouds and the wind was howling, sweeping everything. This further exacerbated King Wu’s doubts. King Wu once again remembered the fate of the Shang dynasty, which was commissioned by God. Can I violate the fate of the Shang dynasty now? At a critical moment, Lv Shang stood up and said that Zhou was already vulnerable and the opportunity was not to be missed. Please make sure to send troops according to the original plan. Lv Shang’s clear attitude facilitated King Wu’s final decision to send troops.
Zhu Fenghan: We haven’t seen any documents from the Western Zhou Dynasty. That is to say, there are so obvious celestial phenomena and calamities recorded in the true records of King Wu’s suppression of commerce during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. I think there are more memories of this during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, which is related to the timing of the development of ancient Chinese astrology. We currently do not have a very accurate basis for knowing what theories people in the Western Zhou Dynasty had about astrology. However, the literature records that there were many favorable or unfavorable celestial phenomena for King Wu’s suppression of commerce during that time. The two theories are even completely opposite, some say it was very favorable, while others say it was not. I think these are some posthumous records from people in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and even some criticisms, not necessarily from King Wu’s time. The actual situation.
Kouma Village, Mengjin County, Luoyang City, Henan Province
Kouma Village is an ancient village located on the banks of the Yellow River in Mengjin County, Luoyang City, Henan Province. It has a history of thousands of years. The first recorded military exercise in China took place in this inconspicuous small village, where King Wu held his Mengjin military observation. Back then, King Wu and eight hundred feudal lords formed an alliance here. Only two years later, King Wu and various feudal lords fighting against merchants met here again.
In January 1046 BC, King Wu led an army of 300 chariots, 3000 elite warriors, and 45000 armored infantry to attack the Shang Dynasty from Haojing (located in the west of Chang’an District, Xi’an City). After a 25 day march, the troops arrived at Mengjin Ferry, where the feudal lords had formed an alliance two years ago, and joined forces with friendly armies from various feudal lords who came to assist in the battle. Unlike last time, more feudal lords and kingdoms came to the alliance, making the anti Shang forces even stronger. Many rulers of these kingdoms personally led troops, with a total force of over 50000 people. Unexpectedly, a series of natural disasters occurred on the way to conquer Zhou. The Huaidi River flooded and the Gongtou Mountain collapsed. When passing Xingqiu, something unlucky happened again. A gust of wind and rain broke the flagpole into three sections, and then it rained heavily for three days and three nights. King Wu hesitated even more. He asked Lv Shang whether God had inspired us to warn us that our destiny cannot be violated and that we should not cut merchants. Lv Shang said that the flagpole was broken into three sections, which was God’s reminder that we should be divided into three routes, and the heavy rain for three days was God’s special purpose to wash weapons for us King Wu was comforted by Lv Shang and ordered the king to move on. Facing the declining situation, Zhou was blindly optimistic, because he believed that the fate of heaven still supported him. At this time, God had not abandoned him, He had known about the invasion of the Zhou army into the capital, but did not pay enough attention to it. At this time, the news of the comprehensive victory in the conquest of the Eastern Barbarians returned to the capital, which made Zhou proud and ecstatic. The Chaoge City was filled with joy, and the Chaoge was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations to celebrate the victory. Therefore, how to deal with the Zhou army was not on the agenda at all. The celebration of the conquest of the Eastern Barbarians lasted for many days, until the Zhou army arrived outside the Muye City, and it was only then that the feast of the Shang Zhou monarchs and their ministers was startled to disperse.
Zhu Fenghan: There have been many scholars discussing the era of King Wu’s suppression of commerce since ancient times. Everyone has verified the era of King Wu’s suppression of commerce from various aspects, using this literature and inscriptions from the calendar, and even because King Wu’s suppression of commerce was accompanied by many celestial phenomena. Some of these celestial phenomena were recorded by later generations, and of course, after some screening, there were also some calculations. Therefore, the current result is that in the previous section, many scholars generally adopted the theory of the Xia Shang Zhou Chronology Project, which should have been formed in 1046 BC. However, this theory should be said to be a phased view.
The Battle of Muye, which took place in the area south of Qi County in Henan Province and north of the Weihe River, is one of the famous battles in ancient China where less won over more. Since the Western Zhou Dynasty, the Battle of Muye has been circulating in folk imagination, and many legendary colors have draped a mysterious veil over it. From time to place, people are constantly exploring the true face of distant history.
Researcher of the Bigan Cultural Research Association in Weihui City, Henan Province – Hode Zhu: We are currently located in the eastern suburbs of Weihui City, Henan Province, at the border of Qi County and Weihui. The area under our feet is the core area of the famous Muye Battle that occurred three thousand years ago. At that time, King Wu of Zhou advanced from the west, King Zhou of Yin sent troops from the Chaoge, and the two armies met at this place. A brutal war broke out in this place. The reason why this place is called Muye is a broad geographical concept in the past, with the outskirts called Jiao, the suburbs called Mu, the outside of Mu called Ye, and the outside of Mu called Lin. This historical book records that the Chaoge… 70 miles south is the land of pastures.
Muye Battle Site, Shangle Township, Weihui City, Henan Province
Nowadays, this open field lies on the northern plain of Henan on the banks of the Yellow River. In early spring, green malt has just emerged from the field, and the verdant cotton fields are like a vast stream of history. Who can imagine a battle that occurred here more than 3000 years ago and is recorded in history.
On the day of Jiazi in the first month of 1046 BC, King Wu led a 50000 strong army to annihilate the Shang Dynasty, with Chen’s army in Muye, setting up a decisive battle against the Shang army. At this time, the main force of King Zhou of Shang was still on the way to conquer the Eastern Barbarians and would not be able to return to the savior for a while. Faced with such a dangerous situation, King Zhou of Shang pondered and pondered over it. He was worried that the delay in the war would lead to a change in his regime. Therefore, at a critical moment in history, the fierce and brave Zhou made a decision to go to the battlefield in Muye to fight against the Zhou army. History has proven that this was a wrong decision.
Chen Xiangling, a professor at the National Defense University of the People’s Liberation Army of China: At that time, when King Zhou saw the other party coming over, he initially believed that his power was actually quietly changing, and he didn’t have too much or too much attention to him. He was still using troops in Dongyi. If I saw that you posed the greatest threat to me, then I would first focus on dealing with you. This is because I did not attach importance to him strategically. At the same time, when the other party came over, what to do was done, so I temporarily assembled an army of 170000, including prisoners and slaves, to make up for him. Army, so a force of 170000, we say they are all a mob.
Huojia County, Xinxiang City, Henan Province, Alliance Mountain
This is Lianmeng Mountain, located 2 kilometers east of Huojia County in Xinxiang City, Henan Province. Lianmeng Mountain is named after the various feudal lords who set up altars here to pledge their allegiance before the Battle of King Wu’s Conquest of Zhou and the Muye. According to records, King Wu’s army of conquering Zhou marched to the southwest bank of Qingshui on the edge of the Muye battlefield, and Ningyi in the Yin Ji region was in the area of Lianmeng Mountain. The army mobilized troops to repair the area, and the feudal lords decided to use soil to build platforms and altars to express their oath of alliance. On the dawn of the fourth day of the second month in the Yin calendar, King Wu ascended to the stage and swore his oath before the battle. King Wu loudly counted the heinous crimes committed by King Zhou of Shang. He told the soldiers that it was time to punish Zhou on behalf of heaven. King Wu’s oath of oath was overwhelming and highly inspiring, which immediately boosted morale. This war The mobilization order is the “Mu Shi” in the Book of Documents. The Ya Orchestra of the Central Conservatory of Music has restored the ancient pronunciation of “Shangshu Mushi” based on the sound, rhyme, and tone of ancient sounds.
After the pre war mobilization, King Wu of Zhou ordered a total attack on the Shang army. Three hundred chariots, three thousand warriors, and forty-five thousand infantry appeared from the horizon, like a hurricane sweeping towards the Shang army on the flat ground. Although the army of King Zhou of Shang was as numerous as ants, the vanguard of the Shang army, composed of slaves and prisoners of war, not only did not advance but also defected one after another, killing the Shang army and paving the way for the Zhou army. The Shang army was in chaos and could not break down. In an instant, the Shang army collapsed and collapsed, with over 100000 people retreating like a tide. King Wu pursued the victory and marched straight to the old nest of Zhou, singing in the morning. As a result, the sun had not yet risen to the sky, and the battle of the pastoral fields was determined by the confrontation below.
Wang Zhenzhong&Zhu Fenghan: The Battle of Muye came to an end so quickly and easily, and this was mainly due to the popular will of his army. Is it necessary for King Wu of Zhou to defeat the Shang dynasty? In terms of battles alone, there is still uncertainty, because at that time, King Zhou of Shang’s military strength was not weak. With such a large number of soldiers, he launched a counterattack and scattered. In terms of war, one was military, and the other was later called popular sentiment. First, you had to become famous and represent public opinion. The victory of King Wu in defeating the Shang dynasty may have been achieved not only through military efforts but also through political and ideological accumulation. The concept of war, which emphasizes the justice of war, has been continued to our day.
The scorching sun and disheveled Shang King Zhou, with his remaining soldiers and defeated generals, hastily fled from the pasture back to Chaoge City and hid in Lutai. The people rebelled and left, and Shang King Zhou truly became a lonely family. Perhaps even now, Zhou still does not know why his ancestors, who had believed in the fate for 600 years, completely abandoned him. Merchants believe that the fate of the gods only determines everything in reality. As long as they sincerely worship the gods and make generous sacrifices to them, they can forever protect the fate of the Shang Dynasty, making it enduring and enduring for eternity. They firmly believe in the fate of the gods until the last moment of Zhou’s downfall, and it remains unchanged. Under the setting sun, the army of the Zhou people rushed in like a tide, surrounding Lutai in groups. He knew it was difficult to escape now. King Zhou of Shang put on a treasure robe adorned with jade and stones, piled up all the treasures he usually collected by his side, and piled up sacrificial firewood beside him. With a big fire rising, Zhou finally glanced at the sunset sinking into the horizon. For six hundred years, the Shang Dynasty sank into darkness with the sunset and him.
The Tomb of King Zhou of Yin in Qi County, Hebi City, Henan Province
The tomb of King Zhou of Yin on the west bank of the Qi River, 8 kilometers east of Qi County, Hebi City, Henan Province. Legend has it that after the death of King Zhou, Wu Geng, the son of Zhou, followed the order of Zhou to be buried in the Qi River after his death. He ordered people to cut off the Qi River and bury him by erecting a hole on the riverbed. Later, due to the eastward movement of the river, the riverbed gradually eroded and lowered, and the tomb of King Zhou only exposed its embankment. Now, this huge earthen tomb has been lying quietly on the bank of the Qi River for more than three thousand years. The former tombstone no longer exists, and later generations have erected a new tombstone here to hang it. Although the stone tablet stands tall, the tomb is desolate and smoke filled with thorns and hazelnuts, and few people pay attention to it. With sighs and sighs, people cannot help but feel deeply moved. King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty Being stubborn and obstinate, indulging in debauchery and brutality, ultimately becoming a defeated ruler of a country, this is also fate.
Zhu Fenghan: The replacement of Yin and Zhou was the Zhou people’s victory over Shang, known as the Zhou Wu Revolution. The term revolution was actually still used later on, and revolution was actually a manifestation of fate, because it replaced him in accepting it.
Wuwang Temple, Huojia County, Xinxiang City, Henan Province
This is the Wuwang Temple, located 80 kilometers away from the tomb of King Zhou of Yin. The Wuwang Temple is located at the highest point of the Lianmeng Mountain in Huojia County. After the fall of Zhou, the Seven Heroes were in conflict and the war continued. People reminisced about the past and missed the achievements of King Wu in defeating Zhou. Therefore, they built the Wuwang Temple on the Lianmeng Mountain to feel the magnificent oath taking scene of King Wu’s army against Zhou. Nowadays, on February 19th every year, a large number of pilgrims come here to worship and commemorate King Wu. Because it was on this day, King Wu stepped into the commercial capital – Chaoge City. After entering Chaoge City, King Wu held a grand ceremony in the imperial temple of the Shang Dynasty. In the ceremony, King Wu announced his acceptance of the mandate of heaven to replace the rule of the Shang Dynasty. He swore to the merchants, and the cruel rule of King Zhou of Shang changed the will of heaven. He only punished Zhou, not all merchants. He hoped that merchants would accept the rule of the Zhou people and live and work in peace and contentment, In mid April, King Wu established a sacrificial chamber in the Shang capital to declare victory to his ancestors and ancestors.
A new dynasty has opened a new page, with the succession of dynasties and the rise and fall of history, leaving us to ponder for a long time. The largest and heaviest bronze ware discovered so far by the Simu Wu Dafang Ding was cast by merchants to worship their ancestors. Today, the Dafang Ding still exists, and the Shang regime has become history.
Zhu Fenghan: Although the Shang and Zhou dynasties seem to be the replacement of two dynasties in the pre Qin period, China’s pre Qin history is quite magnificent. It is because the Western Zhou dynasty replaced the Shang dynasty that many of them underwent significant changes. For Chinese society, for example, politically, the structural form of this country is different. The Shang kingdom’s (territory) is a relatively concentrated area of territory. After the Zhou people conquered the Shang dynasty, they not only occupied the original territory of other Shang dynasties, but also some Zhou people, with their greater momentum, mainly controlled larger territories, so they adopted feudalism. This feudalism was indeed true during the reign of King Wu of Zhou. Speaking of King Wu of Zhou, he started. At least King Wu of Zhou had this idea, Moreover, the feudal system of the Zhou Dynasty also laid the foundation for the later so-called unified multi-ethnic country. Therefore, the replacement of the Shang and Zhou dynasties underwent significant changes due to the implementation of the political system, and of course, there were other aspects. In terms of ideology and culture, the Zhou people’s concept of destiny was not present in the minds of merchants.
The Zhou people have always referred to themselves as Xiaobang Zhou, while referring to Shang as Dabang Yin and Dayi Shang. Zhou’s manpower, material resources, and cultural level were far inferior to Shang, but ultimately conquered Shang and established a new political authority. This unexpected historical development prompted the Zhou people to pursue historical thinking. What is fate, and why did the powerful Shang Dynasty, which claimed to control it, fall to the ground with a crash? Is fate reliable? In the “Da Ya Dang” of the Book of Songs, the people of Zhou gave the answer in the voice of King Wen. Destiny is impermanent, and even if it can make the country rise and prosper, it may not necessarily end well. The Xia Dynasty lost its destiny and perished, and even if the Shang Dynasty did not learn from it, it also perished. Heaven was the leader of the lower people, born with the people, and established a ruler for the people. Heaven valued the virtues of the Yin Shang Dynasty and bestowed it on you. However, you did not cherish it and roared at China. Therefore, heaven changed its original promise and destroyed the Shang Dynasty. Therefore, the downfall of the Shang Dynasty was self inflicted. The people of Zhou believed that it was the virtue of King Wen who sent heaven to fulfill the miracle of replacing the merchants of Dayi with the small state of Zhou. Therefore, in order to maintain the destiny of heaven forever, it is necessary to match virtue with heaven and pay attention to respecting virtue and protecting the people.
Wang Zhenzhong: When the reasons and lessons of the downfall of merchants arise, they will develop their own corresponding governance methods, which breaks the decisive factor of blindly believing in God during the Shang Dynasty.
Zhu Fenghan: He not only claims that he is destined to rule this world, but also has a moral standard for whether he can obtain it. He demands that his Zhou people and nobles respect their virtues in order to receive the blessings of heaven. Therefore, in my opinion, his religious view is further politicized to serve politics. This view of destiny has a profound impact on the later historical dynasties of China.
The heavens of the Zhou people are the natural world, that is, the sky that covers the four fields. In the eyes of the Zhou people, the heavens are high and silent, but they have a clear understanding of everything, who is good and who is bad. Only then can they have the mandate of heaven and revolution, authorization and collection of power. More importantly, the heavens are the gods of all people, fair and impartial. The heavens use virtue as the standard to choose monarchs for the people. It is this simple view that breaks the previous concept of divine power supremacy and begins to pay attention to human efforts. The reverence for respecting morality and protecting the people has become a thought in Chinese history. Liberation, as a warning to the world, has always shown future generations that fate is the will of the people, that destiny cannot be violated, that the will of the people cannot be resisted, and that those who lose virtue will perish.
90 Seconds of History: Golden Vine Chamber
This famous Han Dynasty portrait brick records a timeless story. Zhou Gongfu became king in 1043 BC. During the critical illness of King Wu of Zhou, his younger brother, Zhou Gong, prayed devoutly to the previous king. As long as King Wu of Zhou could recover from his illness, he was willing to die on his behalf. Zhou Gong placed the memorial in the Golden Vine Chamber and advised the left and right not to speak out. However, King Wu of Zhou still passed away, and Crown Prince Song succeeded him as King Cheng of Zhou. Duke Zhou, as regent, took over the overall situation, but King Cheng of Zhou did not believe him, leading to Duke Zhou’s retreat to the East. Duke Zhou’s retreat dispelled the suspicion of King Cheng and his ministers. However, a rebellion arose, and when the Zhou Dynasty encountered natural and man-made disasters, King Cheng of Zhou heard the prayers of Duke Wu of Zhou when he was seriously ill. He personally opened the Golden Vine Chamber and obtained Duke Zhou’s strategy. The sincere heart of Duke Zhou towards the Zhou Dynasty was finally influenced, and King Cheng of Zhou thus began the timeless tale of Duke Zhou assisting King Cheng.