63 White Fish and Red Bird

A4.13

In the ninth year, King Wu offered sacrifices to King Wen in Bi. Then he went east to inspect the troops and arrived at Mengjin. He made a wooden altar for King Wen as a deity, loaded it on a cart, and offered it to the troops. King Wu called himself Prince Fa, indicating that he was following King Wen's orders to conquer and did not dare to act arbitrarily. So he warned the Sima, Situ, Sikong, and other commanders: "All people being serious is being truely creditable! I don't know much, but my ancestors had ministers with great virtues, so I inherited the merits of my ancestors, and the court has clearly defined rewards and punishments to recognize the merits of my ancestors.” Finally, he set the troops forth to the conquest. Grand Tutor Shangfu ordered: "Gather you all, you will be given boats, and those who are late will be beheaded!" King Wuwang started to cross the Yellow River. When the boat was in the midstream of the river, a white fish jumped into King Wu's boat. King Wu leaned over and picked up the fish and did a sacrifice ceremony. After crossing the river, a ball of fire fell from the sky and landed on King Wu's roof, and it turned into a crow of red color, and made a rumbling sound when landing, shuddered clouds. At that time, the princes came to Mengjin for a gathering unexpectedly amounted to eight hundred. They all said, "It is time to attack Zhou the Tyrant." King Wu said, "You do not know the will of heaven. It is not possible yet." So he returned.

九年，武王上祭于毕。东观兵，至于盟津。为文王木主，载以车，中军。武王自称太子发，言奉文王以伐，不敢自专。乃告司马、司徒、司空、诸节：“齐栗，信哉！予无知，以先祖有德臣，小子受先功，毕立赏罚，以定其功。”遂兴师。师尚父号曰：“总尔众庶，与尔舟楫，后至者斩。”武王渡河，中流，白鱼跃入王舟中，武王俯取以祭。既渡，有火自上覆于下，至于王屋，流为乌，其色赤，其声魄云。是时，诸侯不期而会盟津者八百诸侯。诸侯皆曰：“纣可伐矣。”武王曰：“女未知天命，未可也。”乃还师归。