53 Zhou is here

A3.34|35

After the death of King Wuwang of Zhou, Wugeng, Guanshu, and Caishu rebelled. King Chengwang ordered Zhougong to execute them, and Wezii was established in the Song State to continue the ancestral worship as a descendant of the Yin.

Taishigong the Grand Historian said: “I compiled Qi's deeds based on the Songs of Shang. Since Cheng Tang all the historical materials come from the Book of Shang and the Book of Songs. Qi's surname was Zi. His descendants were given fiefs and took the names of their fiefdoms as their surnames. They included Yin, Lai, Song, Kongtong, Zhi, Beiyin, and Muyi. Confucius said that the Yin people had very good chariots and they admired the color white.

周武王崩，武庚与管叔、蔡叔作乱，成王命周公诛之，而立微子于宋，以续殷后焉。

太史公曰：余以颂次契之事，自成汤以来，采于书诗。契为子姓，其后分封，以国为姓，有殷氏、来氏、宋氏、空桐氏、稚氏、北殷氏、目夷氏。孔子曰，殷路车为善，而色尚白。

52 King instead of Emperor

Records of the Grand Historian 3 

Annals of the Yin Dynasty 

A3.33

The Tyrant Zhou's promiscuity became more and more serious. Weizi repeatedly advised, but the Tyrant refused to listen. So Weizi discussed with Dashi the Grand Tutor and Shaoshi the Junior Tutor and finally left the Tyrant. Bigan said, "As a minister in service of his majesty, you must give your life to advise." So he tried his best to persuade. Tyrant said angrily, "I heard that the heart of a saint has seven chambers." So he ordered Bigan's chest to be cut open to see his heart. His uncle Jizi was very frightened and pretended to be crazy and became a slave. Tyrant then imprisoned him. The Grand Tutor and Junior Tutor of Yin fled to Zhou with sacrificial utensils and musical instruments. King Wuwang of Zhou then led the princes and troops to attack the Tyrant. And the Tyrant also sent troops to resist Wuwang's army in Muye. On the Jiazi day, the tyrant's soldiers were defeated. He fled, climbed up the Deer Terrace, put on clothes decorated with precious jade, jumped into the fire and burned himself to death. King Wuwang of Zhou then cut off the tyrant's head and hung it on a white flag. And He ordered Daji to be killed. He released Jizi, closed Bigan's tomb, and honored Shang Rong on the door of his house. He also gave the Tyrant's son Wugeng a fiefdom, asking him to continue worshipping the ancestors of the Yin Dynasty and ordering him to follow the decrees of Pangeng. The Yin people were very happy. So King Wuwang of Zhou became the Son of Heaven. Because the descendants of the Yin Dynasty demoted the title of emperor and called themselves kings, King Wuwang of Zhou made the descendants of the Yin princes and subordinate to Zhou.

纣愈淫乱不止。微子数谏不听，乃与大师、少师谋，遂去。比干曰：“为人臣者，不得不以死争。”乃强谏纣。纣怒曰：“吾闻圣人心有七窍。”剖比干，观其心。箕子惧，乃详狂为奴，纣又囚之。殷之大师、少师乃持其祭乐器奔周。周武王于是遂率诸侯伐纣。纣亦发兵距之牧野。甲子日，纣兵败。纣走入，登鹿台，衣其宝玉衣，赴火而死。周武王遂斩纣头，县之白旗。杀妲己。释箕子之囚，封比干之墓，表商容之闾。封纣子武庚禄父，以续殷祀，令修行盘庚之政。殷民大说。于是周武王为天子。其后世贬帝号，号为王。而封殷后为诸侯，属周。

51 The Warlike King of Zhou

A3.32

After his return, Xibo just secretly cultivated virtue and did good deeds. Many princes rebelled against Zhou the Tyrant and joined Xibo. Xibo's power gradually grew, and Zhou the Tyrant's power was gradually losing. Zhou the Tyrant’s son Prince Bigan tried to weigh in his opinions but Zhou the Tyrant would not listen. Shangrong was a virtuous man, and the people loved him, but Zhou the Tyrant dismissed him. When Xibo marched against and conquered the State of Ji, Zhou the Tyrant's minister Zuyi heard about it and blamed Xibo's Zhou (周) State. He ran to Zhou (纣) the Tyrant and said: "Heaven is bringing an end to our Yin dynasty, the great men and the tortoise do not venture to foretell any good fortune. It's not that the previous kings did not help us, but because the king was licentious and tyrannical, and cut himself off from heaven, so heaven abandoned us and made it impossible for us to live in peace. If we don't know the will of Heaven in advance, how could we act according to the common law? Now there isn't a single one of our people who doesn't want the dynasty to perish, they all are saying, ‘Why hasn't the majesty of heaven descended? Why hasn't the will of heaven come yet?' What are you going to do now?" Zhou the Tyrant said, "Wasn't I born with the protection of heaven?" Zuyi came back and said, "Zhou the Tyrant can no longer be talked to." After Xibo died, his son Zhou Wuwang (周武王), the Warlike King of Zhou (周), went on an eastern conquest. When he came to Mengjin, 800 princes betrayed Yin and allied with the Zhou (周) army. The princes all said, "It's time to take down the tyranny of Zhou (纣)." King Wuwang said, "You don't know the will of heaven." So he went back.

西伯归，乃阴修德行善，诸侯多叛纣而往归西伯。西伯滋大，纣由是稍失权重。王子比干谏，弗听。商容贤者，百姓爱之，纣废之。及西伯伐饥国，灭之，纣之臣祖伊闻之而咎周，恐，奔告纣曰：“天既讫我殷命，假人元龟，无敢知吉，非先王不相我后人，维王淫虐用自绝，故天弃我，不有安食，不虞知天性，不迪率典。今我民罔不欲丧，曰‘天曷不降威，大命胡不至’？今王其柰何？”纣曰：“我生不有命在天乎！”祖伊反，曰：“纣不可谏矣。”西伯既卒，周武王之东伐，至盟津，诸侯叛殷会周者八百。诸侯皆曰：“纣可伐矣。”武王曰：“尔未知天命。”乃复归。