Chapter 575: Flood
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Many things were happening at Muye.
The soldiers of the anti-Shang alliance were standing in phalanxes. The main body was made up of the warriors of Western Zhou while thousands of chariots were lined up at the fore.
These were the essentials of feudal wars. According to the messengers, most of Shang's chariots had followed Prince Pan to battle in the lands of the Dongyi.
The feudal lords were all reassured to know that.
However, they took a collective double take when they caught sight of the Shang army.
"Roar!"
A flag depicting the Black Bird flew up high on its mast. A dark mass formed over the horizon and surged ahead like a wave. It was the Shang army with its soldiers all dressed in black. From the looks of it, they numbered more than 10000?
"Dum! Dum!"
The war drums let out thunder-like rumbles as the frontlines of the Shang army stirred.
"The aura of the Shang Dynasty lives on even now...this is obvious from the way King Xin was able to arm 10000 citizens and slaves so easily!"
The Marquis stood on a hill and gazed down upon the scene. He let out a sigh and broke out into laughter immediately after.
"Father, what are you laughing about?"
Young Master Wu felt his palms become sweaty as he observed the tight-knit formation of the Shang army.
"I'm laughing because even though the Shang Dynasty possesses some energy remnants, the Shang King is going to ruin everything."
The Marquis continued to chuckle.
"If the Shang King had decided to defend Shangyi from behind the walls, we would actually have a hard time laying siege to the city. They might even be able to drag on the battle until reinforcements arrive. Now, however, the Shang army is courting destruction by bringing the battle to the open country!"
There was a clear difference between trained soldiers and farmers as well as slaves!
The Marquis knew that even though the slaves looked impressive in their tough suits of armour with sharp halberds in their hands, they mostly had blank looks on their faces.
They might be able to win a straightforward clash but when battle strategies were factored in, they probably would not even stand a chance against a motley crew assembled from the anti-Shang alliance army.
"Wu, pass on my orders. I want the Western Zhou soldiers to move up to higher ground at the rear of the formation. The other feudal lords will attack with their respective units!"
The Marquis raised his sword and said authoritatively.
"Yes, Father!"
Young Master Wu went off to deliver his orders. Before long, the war drums from both sides boomed. Thousands of chariots from the anti-Shang alliance charged towards the Shang army like a spearhead.
The Shang soldiers began to panic when they saw the enemy chariots approaching.
"No one is to retreat! Anyone who attempts to retreat will die!"
Kim Xin roared as he led a charge on a chariot.
"Descendants of the Black Bird, charge!"
The Great Witch followed close behind the Shang King. He slit his wrists with a knife and let his blood drip to the ground.
"Warriors, receive my blessings! The energy remnants of the Shang Dynasty is with you!"
The chants of the Great Witch imbued the Shang men with a sudden courage and even the most cowardly slaves shouted ferociously as they all prepared to clash with the enemy chariots.
At the same time, the Great Witch began to age rapidly. He had transformed into a feeble old man in the blink of an eye and passed away while kneeling in prayer.
Even though he was the Great Witch of the Shang Dynasty and had only used a simple psychological suggestion technique, the burden of utilising it in a battle with divine stakes had caused him to die immediately.
Besides, there was no guarantee that the psychological suggestion technique would have worked. The key to its effect lay in the fact that the Shang soldiers had the intention to fight in the first place. Their morale was also boosted when they saw that their King was leading the charge personally.
If these conditions had not been met, such an effect would not have been possible even if the Great Witch sacrificed himself.
"Whoosh!"
The wheels of the chariot thundered on as the two waves of soldiers clashed violently with each other.
"Die!"
King Xin hollered in a fury as he brandished his golden dagger-axe and decapitated the enemy soldier in front of him.
As they watched the Shang King cut down all the soldiers that lay in his path, the Shang soldiers charged towards the chariot formation of the enemy with a renewed vigour. After a while, it actually looked like the Shang foot soldiers were gradually pushing the enemy chariots back. It was incredible.
"Fighting in a war requires courage!"
Fang Yuan stood among the clouds and observed the battle taking place below him. The Shang Dynasty was making its last stand.
No matter what, the Shang King will die!
This was a prerequisite for nature to run its course. Even Fang Yuan was powerless to alter the fate of the Shang King.
'To alter the course of nature is the same as dealing with a flood. Facing it head-on would cause one to be overwhelmed by its power. The only way was to discharge it layer by layer and to reduce its strength gradually until the course could be reversed!'
Fang Yuan's eyes shone with a golden light. It was as if he had been enlightened and had already seen the truth behind the fates.
"Father!"
Young Master Wu felt a chill as he watched the battle rage on.
"Don't worry!"
The Marquis cast a sweeping glance at the battlefield with a cold smile.
"The Shang Dynasty is immoral. I shall call upon divine retribution to help me punish them!"
"Divine retribution?" Young Master Wu looked at his father warily. Had his father been possessed?
"Kaboom!"
In the next moment, a thunderous sound burst out from the edge of the battlefield. It sounded like the gallop of 10000 horses.
"Whoosh!"
A vast body of water had been released into the battlefield.
King Xin, who had been busy butchering one of the enemy generals, was stunned by the sight.
The flood crashed into the Shang army and the units of the feudal lords. Screams filled the air as even the bravest warriors were cowed by the forces of nature.
The Shang army, who had gained the upper hand, was smashed into pieces.
King Xin barely managed to escape with his life under the protection of his personal guards.
Behind him, the Western Zhou soldiers who had avoided the flood by moving to higher ground walked along the path of the water flow and gave vicious bearings to Shang soldiers who had fallen into the water.
"The heavens are out to get me!"
King Xin spat out a mouthful of blood as he retreated back to Shangyi with a group of soaking and bedraggled Shang soldiers.
"Tsk tsk...this is the work of humans and demons acting in collusion!"
Fang Yuan could see that it was the Five Elements Purple Phoenix who had assembled a group of demons to manipulate the water source. This had caused the spectacular flood.
"Charge into Shangyi and capture King Xin alive!"
The Marquis unsheathed his sword and shouted out his command red-faced.
"Charge into Shangyi and capture King Xin alive!"
"Charge into Shangyi and capture King Xin alive!"
The morale of the Western Zhou soldiers was greatly boosted and they charged towards Shangyi.
Young Master Wu observed the events with his heart feeling as cold as the winter snow.
'The flood not only destroyed the Shang army but many of our allied soldiers drowned as well. Father had used them as bait and sacrificed them in order to reduce the future threat of the feudal lords...'
The Western Zhou army was riding on the waves of their victory and advanced into the city of Shangyi virtually unopposed. They charged straight into the palace.
Unfortunately, they were too late.
Thick black smoke rose from the inside of the imperial palace. At his wits' end, the Shang King had decided to self-immolate!
The military discipline of the armies in the past paled in comparison to that of the modern armies.
Whether it was the royal armies or rebel forces, they all had the tendency to loot conquered cities.
It didn't take long for plumes of smoke to rise from everywhere in the wealthy city of Shangyi. The city had become hell on earth.
"Wu!"
The Marquis had entered the city only to see the extent of the destruction. He frowned.
"Restrain the soldiers immediately. The remnants of the Shang army have not been wiped out yet. How can we let our guard down?"
What the Marquis meant was that even in looting and pillaging, there must be rules and discipline.
"Yes, Father!"
Young Master Wu bowed.
"Also...bring me King Xin's body. If you can't find it, then at least give me a charred corpse so that I can offer a sacrifice to the heavens and officially receive the heavenly mandate!"
The Marquis had somewhat changed his tone of speech.
"Sigh…"
Fang Yuan watched on silently.
Amidst the thick smoke, the wretched Black Bird that had been guarding Shangyi with its last breath had finally faded away into green smoke.
"The heavenly mandate…"
Fang Yuan closed his eyes.
Even though he had detached himself from these affairs, he felt a sense of loss.
...
Southwards from Shangyi.
"Father...Shangyi!"
The Shang host of 50000 was approaching the city. Prince Pan immediately noticed the ruined state of the city and his eyes bulged.
They had received a confirmation of Western Zhou's invasion along the way back which had led in an acceleration of the return march. Still, they had been too late.
"My Prince! It isn't too late. Please launch a counterattack as soon as possible!"
Ge Nie reminded the Prince.
"One more thing...the Western Zhou army is aided by the demonic Phoenix. Other than my master, no one else can match its power!"
"Alright!"
Prince Pan wiped the tears from his face and ordered that the incense burner that Fang Yuan had given to him be lit up on the table.
"Pan sincerely begs you to intervene, Mister Fang!"
After that, without caring whether Fang Yuan had responded or not, Prince Pan looked towards Shangyi with bloodshot eyes.
"Charge into Shangyi! Revenge! Revenge!"
"Attack!"
The 50000 soldiers he had brought along with him were the able-bodied men of Shangyi. Upon seeing their home up in flames, they went berserk.
"Dum! Dum!"
The war drums sounded and the world seemed to shake.
Young Master Wu felt his heart sink and broke out into a cold sweat when he saw the approaching host.
"Prince Pan and his army have returned from their southern expedition...in such a short time! Prepare for engagement now!"
Unfortunately, his orders were disseminated too slowly.
The Western Zhou army had expended its energy in the recent battle and had already splintered into a disorderly mess as they sacked the city.
Even if Sun Tzu[1] came back to life to lead this army, he would have been of no help.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The Shang army charged into Shangyi and went after the Western Zhou soldiers.
The had lived in Shangyi all their lives and were familiar with every nook and cranny. They were also supported by the survivors in the city. As a result, they swept throughout the city virtually unopposed.
"Father! We can't hold them back any longer. Let's retreat out of the city!"
Young Master Wu ran back in a windblown state and saw that the Marquis was gripping tightly onto the railing of his chariot. His knuckles had turned white.
"Impossible...the heavens were supposed to favour Western Zhou. Why is this happening…"
The Marquis muttered and ground down on his teeth so hard that blood seeped out of his mouth.
"Let's leave now, or it'll be too late!"
Young Master Wu made a decision on the spot and led the bedraggled Western Zhou army out of the city.
At the same time, the flag of the Black Bird flew up on the ragged city walls once more. The people of Shang cheered.
"Great!"
Fang Yuan was heartened at the sight.
King Xin had paid for the previous crimes of the Shang Dynasty with his life.
The course of nature could not be reversed but it could be altered slightly by making minute changes to the details.
The death of King Xin represented the peak of Western Zhou power. Now, the only way for them was down.
Prince Pan now possessed a powerful army, the support of the populace as well as the advantage of being in his home ground. If he still managed to fail at the end of the day, Fang Yuan would have nothing left to say.
"I've won my gamble...the impact made on this world by the heavenly will is subtly ever changing. Nothing is definite!"
Fang Yuan lifted his head to see that a new Black Bird had been reborn in the fire. The Black Bird let out a long shriek.
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[1]: Ancient Chinese military strategist who wrote the Art of War