66 The Death of Zhou the Tyrant

A4.16

When Emperor Zhou the Tyrant heard that King Wu was coming, he too sent out 700,000 troops to meet up. King Wu sent his teacher Shangfu and a hundred men to lead the army, and sent a large number of soldiers to rush to Emperor Zhou the Tyrant's army. Although the army of Zhou the Tyrant was large, but none of them had the heart to fight, and they all wanted Wuwang to rush in. All of the Tyrant's soldiers turned their weapons around and attacked the Tyrant instead, clearing the way for King Wu's army. King Wu marched forward in a great gallop, and the Tyrant's army was immediately defeated and rebelled on spot. The Tyrant run back to the top of the Deer Tower, covered himself with pearls and jade, and set himself on fire and died. King Wu held a large white flag to command the princes, and the princes all bowed to King Wu. Then King Wu bowed to the princes, and the princes all bowed to the King Wu in return. King Wu arrived at the Shang State, and the people of Shang were waiting in the suburbs. So King Wu sent his ministers to tell the people of Shang: "May Heaven give us peace!" The Shang people all bowed and bowed again, and King Wu also bowed in return. Then he went in and got to the place where Zhou the Tyrant died. King Wu shot arrows at the Tyrant by himself, and after three shootings, he got off the chariot and hit the Tyrant with a sword lightly, and then cut off his head with a yellow axe, and hung it on a large white flag. Afterwards he came to the chambers of two concubines of the Tyrant, both of whom had committed suicide. King Wu shot three more arrows at them, hit them with a sword, beheaded them with a black axe, and hung their heads on the small white flag. King Wu then went out back to his army.

帝纣闻武王来，亦发兵七十万人距武王。武王使师尚父与百夫致师，以大卒驰帝纣师。纣师虽众，皆无战之心，心欲武王亟入。纣师皆倒兵以战，以开武王。武王驰之，纣兵皆崩畔纣。纣走，反入登于鹿台之上，蒙衣其珠玉，自燔于火而死。武王持大白旗以麾诸侯，诸侯毕拜武王，武王乃揖诸侯，诸侯毕从。武王至商国，商国百姓咸待于郊。于是武王使群臣告语商百姓曰：“上天降休！”商人皆再拜稽首，武王亦答拜。遂入，至纣死所。武王自射之，三发而后下车，以轻剑击之，以黄钺斩纣头，县大白之旗。已而至纣之嬖妾二女，二女皆经自杀。武王又射三发，击以剑，斩以玄钺，县其头小白之旗。武王已乃出复军。

65 Muye

A4.15

On the morning of the Jiazi day of February, King Wu arrived at the outskirts of Shang and swore an oath to his troops. He held a yellow axe in his left hand and a white flag ornamented with ox tail in his right hand, and used them to command. King Wu said, "You have worked hard on the journey, my soldiers from the west!" King Wu continued, "Ah! My friendly monarchs, Situ the Minister of Education, Sima the Minister of War, Sikong the Minister of Works, and other Ministers, and the Chief of Thousands, the Chief of Hundreds, as well as the Yong people, the Shu people, the Qiang people, the Mao people, the Wei people, the Lu people, the Peng people, and the Pu people, please raise your halberds, line up your shields, and hold up your spears. And let us swear an oath together." King Wu said, "The ancients often said, 'A hen does not crow at the dawn. A hen’s dawn leads to a family ruined.' Now Zhou the Tyrant only listens to whatever his concubine says, he has given up the sacrifices to his ancestors and no longer cares about them. He has abandoned the affairs of state and does not employ his brothers. Instead, he has summoned criminals and fugitives from all countries, and he respects them, values ​​them, trusts them, employs them, and indulges them. He was rampant among the people, and as a result, the politics of the Shang was controlled by treacherous and cunning people. Today, I will respectfully carry out the punishment from heaven. Today we go to attack Zhou the Tyrant. Every six or seven steps forward, we must stop and reorganize the team. Try hard, soldiers! Each stab must not exceed four, five, six, or seven times. You must stop and reorganize the team. Try hard, soldiers! I hope everyone will be brave and powerful, just like tigers, bears, jackals, and chi. We will be fighting in the suburbs of Shang, and don't attack those who come to surrender, have them obey the orders of us who come from the west. Try hard, soldiers! If any of you don't, the punishment of death will be waiting for you. " After the oath, the princes' army that came to meet had 4,000 chariots and all lined up together in Muye.

二月甲子昧爽，武王朝至于商郊牧野，乃誓。武王左杖黄钺，右秉白旄，以麾。曰：“远矣西土之人！”武王曰：“嗟！我有国冢君，司徒、司马、司空，亚旅、师氏，千夫长、百夫长，及庸、蜀、羌、髳、微、纑、彭、濮人，称尔戈，比尔干，立尔矛，予其誓。”王曰：“古人有言‘牝鸡无晨。牝鸡之晨，惟家之索’。今殷王纣维妇人言是用，自弃其先祖肆祀不答，昏弃其家国，遗其王父母弟不用，乃维四方之多罪逋逃是崇是长，是信是使，俾暴虐于百姓，以奸轨于商国。今予发维共行天之罚。今日之事，不过六步七步，乃止齐焉，夫子勉哉！不过于四伐五伐六伐七伐，乃止齐焉，勉哉夫子！尚桓桓，如虎如罴，如豺如离，于商郊，不御克奔，以役西土，勉哉夫子！尔所不勉，其于尔身有戮。”誓已，诸侯兵会者车四千乘，陈师牧野。