Chapter 10 9 Jiang Taigong Fishing

After Pan Geng's death, there were eleven more kings, and the last king was called Zhou (sound zhou). Zhou turned out to be a very intelligent and courageous man.In his early years, he personally led troops to fight Dongyi in a long-term war.He was very talented in military affairs, and he was victorious in many battles. Finally, Dongyi was pacified, and the culture of the Shang Dynasty spread to the Huai River and the Yangtze River Valley.In this matter, Shang Zhou played a certain role.However, in the long-term war, the consumption was also great, which increased the burden on the people of the Shang Dynasty, and the people's suffering became deeper and deeper.

Like Xia Jie, Zhou only knew how to enjoy himself, and he didn't care about the life and death of the people.He built palaces endlessly. He built a magnificent "Deer Terrace" in his Bedu Chaoge (now Qi County, Henan Province), in which he stored all the gold and silver treasures he found; Huge warehouses, called "juqiao", piled up the exploited grain.He poured the wine into the pool and hung the meat like a forest.He and his favorite concubine Daji (Dayin da) lived a life of extravagance.He also used various cruel punishments to suppress the people.Whenever the princes betrayed him or the people opposed him, he would arrest them and roast them to death on a red-hot copper pillar.This is called the penalty of "paoluo" (sound luo).

Zhou's brutal behavior accelerated the demise of the Shang Dynasty.At this time, a tribe in the west was prospering day by day, this is Zhou. Zhou Ben is an ancient tribe.At the end of the Xia Dynasty, this tribe was active in what is now Shaanxi and Gansu.Later, due to the invasion of nomadic tribes such as Rong and Di, the leader of the Zhou tribe, Gugong Danfu (亶音dan), led the Zhou people to migrate to the plains under Qishan (now northeast of Qishan County, Shaanxi) and settle down. By the time Ji Chang (later known as King Wen of Zhou), the grandson of Gugong Danfu, succeeded to the throne, the Zhou tribe was already very powerful.King Wen of Zhou was a capable statesman.His life was the exact opposite of King Zhou's.King Zhou liked to drink and hunt, and punished the people indiscriminately.

King Wen of Zhou forbade drinking, forbidding nobles to hunt, and ruining crops.He encouraged the people to raise more cattle and sheep, and more food.He also humbly received some talented people, so some talented people came to him. The Zhou tribe became stronger and was a great threat to the Shang Dynasty.A minister, Chonghou Hu, spoke ill of King Wen of Zhou in front of King Zhou, saying that King Wen of Zhou had too much influence, and that this would be detrimental to the Shang Dynasty. King Zhou issued an order to arrest King Wen of Zhou and imprison him in Yuli (in the area of ​​Tangyin County in today's Henan Province, 羑 sound you).The nobles of the Zhou tribe presented many beautiful women, horses and other treasures to King Zhou, and gave many gifts to King Zhou's trusted ministers.

King Zhou smiled happily when he saw the beauty Zhenbao, and said, "Just one can redeem Jichang." He immediately released King Wen of Zhou. King Wen of Zhou saw that King Zhou was fatuous and brutal and lost popular support, so he decided to crusade against the Shang Dynasty.But he lacks a person with military ability to help him command the battle.He secretly tried to find such a talent. One day, King Wen of Zhou took his son and soldiers to hunt on the north bank of the Wei River in a chariot.On the edge of the Wei River, he saw an old man sitting on the bank of the river fishing.A large group of people passed by, but the old man just pretended not to see him, and still quietly caught his fish.King Wen looked very strange, so he got out of the car, walked up to the old man, and chatted with him.

After some conversations, it was known that his name was Jiang Shang (also known as Lu Shang, "Lu" was the fief of his ancestors), and he was a capable man who was proficient in the art of war. King Wen was very happy and said: "My grandfather once told me that there will be a great and capable person to help you make the Zhou family prosperous in the future. You are exactly such a person. My grandfather has been looking forward to you for a long time." After all, let Jiang Shang go back to the palace together. The old man straightened his beard and followed King Wen into the car.

Because Jiang Shang was the person King Wen's grandfather hoped for, he was later called Taigong Wang; in folklore, he was called Jiang Taigong. Tai Gongwang was a good helper of King Wen of Zhou.While advocating production, he trained soldiers and horses.The power of the Zhou clan is growing.Once, King Wen asked Tai Gongwang: "I want to conquer a tyrant, which country do you think we should conquer first?" Taigongwang said: "Let's conquer Mixu first." Some people objected to him, saying: "The king of Mixu is very powerful, I'm afraid he can't beat him."

Tai Gongwang said: "Mr. Mixu abused the people, and he has already lost popular support. Even if he is ten times more powerful, there is nothing to be afraid of." King Wen of Zhou sent troops to Mixu, but before the battle began, the people of Mixu rioted first.Their king, who was wearing a secret beard, joined King Wen. Three years later, King Wen sent troops to conquer Chongguo (in today's Fengshui County, Shaanxi Province).It was the largest vassal state in the west of the Shang Dynasty. King Wen destroyed Chongguo, built a city wall there, and established a capital called Fengyi.Within a few years, the Zhou clan gradually occupied most of the areas ruled by the Shang Dynasty, and more and more tribes belonged to King Wen.

However, King Wen of Zhou did not complete the cause of destroying business.When he was planning to conquer King Zhou, he fell ill and died.