70 The Way of Heaven

A4.20|21

After King Wu conquered Yin, two years later, he asked Jizi why the Yin Dynasty had fallen. Jizi could not bear to speak ill of Yin, so he only talked about how the survival and the destruction of a country would like. King Wu felt the shame, so he asked about the Way of Heaven.

King Cheng became ill, the whole country has not come altogether yet, and the princes and ministers were all afraid. So they held a divination with reverence, and Duke Zhou then performed purification and fasting, and made himself a hostage in place of King Wu. King Wu recovered, but died later, then the Crown Prince Song succeeded him, and became King Cheng.

武王已克殷，后二年，问箕子殷所以亡。箕子不忍言殷恶，以存亡国宜告。武王亦丑，故问以天道。

武王病。天下未集，群公惧，穆卜，周公乃祓斋，自为质，欲代武王，武王有瘳。后而崩，太子诵代立，是为成王。

69 Horses Grazing by the South of Mountain

A4.19

King Wu summoned the rulers of the nine states, and climbed the hill of Bin to overlook at the city of Shang. When King Wu arrived at Zhou, he could not sleep at night. Duke Zhou Dan came to where the King Wu stayed at and asked, "Why can't you sleep?" The King Wu said, "I tell you, Heaven did not favor the Yin Dynasty. Ever since I was born sixty years ago, the wild deers had been grazing and wild geese had been flying all over the fields. If it wasn't that Heaven has not favored Yin, all my accomplishment wouldn't be done as of today. Heaven has established the Yin Dynasty and enlisted 360 talented people. Though they didn't not make much achievements, but they kept Yin to this day. And I have not yet secured the protection of Heaven, so how could I have time to sleep!" King Wu continued, "To secure the protection of Heaven, one must follow the will of Heaven and sort the evils out and demolish them all, just like what happened to King Zhou the Tyrant of Yin. I have to work hard day and night to ensure the peace and stability of my western land. And all kinds of things have to be done until our morality can be manifested everywhere. From the bend of Luoshui River to the bend of Yishui River, the terrains fit to be settled down and no sweat, and this is where the Xia people used to live. I looked southwards and saw the Sandu Mountains. To the north, I saw the Taihang Mountains. Looking back, I saw the Yellow River. I also observed the Luoshui River and the Yishui River. They were all not far from the Heaven.” So he ordered to build Zhou in Luoyi, and then left. He also ordered the war horses to be released to the south of Huashan Mountain, and the cattle used to pull carriages to be released to the area of Peach Trees. He also ordered the weapons to be put away, reorganize the troops and implement the demilitarization, to show the world that arms will be no longer used.

武王徵九牧之君，登豳之阜，以望商邑。武王至于周，自夜不寐。周公旦即王所，曰：“曷为不寐？”王曰：“告女：维天不飨殷，自发未生于今六十年，麋鹿在牧，蜚鸿满野。天不享殷，乃今有成。维天建殷，其登名民三百六十夫，不显亦不宾灭，以至今。我未定天保，何暇寐！”王曰：“定天保，依天室，悉求夫恶，贬从殷王受。日夜劳来定我西土，我维显服，及德方明。自洛汭延于伊汭，居易毋固，其有夏之居。我南望三途，北望岳鄙，顾詹有河，粤詹雒、伊，毋远天室。”营周居于雒邑而后去。纵马于华山之阳，放牛于桃林之虚；偃干戈，振兵释旅：示天下不复用也。