Chapter 8 2. Don’t repeat the same mistakes

The power of the king is granted by heaven, which is the product of sorrow. Back then, there must have been a question that bothered King Wu and Duke Zhou: Why did victory come so quickly? The "Shangshu" said that "the former disciples turned against the enemy", that is, when the enemy troops sent by King Yin Zhou arrived at the front line, they turned their guns and turned to attack himself.Victory is of course quick. However, some people have questioned this matter, because there is a sentence "blood is flowing" behind "the former apprentice turned his back".Pestle (read like Chu) is a stick.Now that Zhou's troops had fought back, war would not have been possible. How could there be rivers of blood so that sticks and hammers could float?That's why Mencius said, "It is better to have no books than to believe in all books."

So, which one is credible, the defection of the former disciples or the bloodshed? All believable.Because of the comparison of the strengths of the two sides, King Wu's defeat of Zhou was somewhat overconfident.It was only because Jiang Taigong insisted that he decided to take a gamble.Without the uprising of Yin and Shang soldiers, complete victory would have been impossible.Later, it succeeded in one fell swoop, but it was smooth sailing.Therefore, "blood flow drifting" in local areas is entirely possible.In fact, not all troops will revolt, there will always be "Yin stubborn".

This is to ask: Why did King Yin Zhou's army defend against the enemy "rebel against the former disciples"? Of course, Yin Shang was "unpopular". Why are Yin Shang unpopular? Because "do not treat people as human beings". Is that right? yes.The evidence is "human sacrifice" and "human sacrifice". What is "human sacrifice"?It is the burial of a living person and the use of human beings as funeral objects.What is "human sacrifice"?It is the sacrifice of living people and the use of human beings as sacrifices.Funeral objects existed in primitive times, but most of them were utensils.There were also victims in primitive times, but they were all animals, such as horses, cows, sheep, pigs, dogs, and chickens.These animals are called "animals" when they are being raised, and "animals" when they are about to be killed, and they are collectively called "animals".For sacrifices, the pure ones are called "sacrifices", the whole ones are called "sacrifices", and together they are called "sacrifices".The use of "human sacrifice" for sacrifices is to treat people as animals; the use of "human sacrifice" for burial is to treat people as utensils, which are typical "not treating people as people".

In the world, there are such inhumane and appalling things? Have.For example, the Maya, Teotihuacan, and Aztecs in America all practiced human sacrifice.The method is that four strong priests knock the person unconscious, and then take out the beating heart and offer it to the gods.The most solemn sacrifice of the Aztecs required about 20,000 such hearts.Therefore, in 1487 AD, it took the priests four days and four nights to complete the ceremony to celebrate the completion of the temple. Is this also the case for human sacrifices in Yin and Shang Dynasties? Maybe!Because these Americans are likely to be descendants of the Shang Dynasty who traveled across the ocean.The ceremony of sacrifice of living people may have been brought from China by them.At least, there are both literature records and archaeological discoveries about the sacrifices and sacrifices of people in the Yin and Shang Dynasties. The evidence is overwhelming and beyond doubt.

This is of course unpopular. What's more, Yin and Shang's sacrifices were extremely frequent, not to mention that not only slaves and commoners, but also nobles were sent to the altar.Because nobles "have a higher price", one is worth ten thousand.Of course, it was the slaves who killed the most, such as the captured barbarians.In fact, since King Yin Zhou's direct lineage troops were far away in the eastern theater, it was these prisoners of war who were never regarded as human beings that were improvised to deal with King Wu of Zhou.They were "cattle and horses" when they worked, and "beasts" when they sacrificed, and now they are used as "cannon fodder".

A lesson in blood! Obviously, if the nascent regime wants to achieve long-term stability, it must do the opposite.Since the reason for the collapse of Yin and Shang was "not treating people as people", the victorious Zhou must "treat people as people". A precocious new idea and concept sprouts. This is "people-oriented".