On the tenth day of the Battle of Muye, in the Shang capital, Chaoge.
Chaoge City was a city that welcomed the rising sun and flourished with each passing day.
Bathed in the warm sunlight of the rising sun, the Shang army set off from the southern gate, marching majestically towards Muye. The army consisted of more than forty thousand mutants, a hundred thousand slave crossbowmen, ten thousand Imperial Guards, six thousand royal guards, and twelve war elephants. The total number of soldiers was more than one hundred and fifty thousand.
The appearance of the Shang war elephants for the first time shocked Ouyang Shuo and the other lords.
The war elephants wore armor made of rhinoceros hide and hardwood. They had bronze masks on their faces and sharp spears were tied to their tusks. On the war elephant's back was a wooden battle tower shaped like a chariot. There was a driver, two archers, and two halberd-wielders on it.
Such a huge beast armed to the teeth was like a human bulldozer on the battlefield. No one could stop it. Wherever the war elephant passed, it would leave a trail of blood.
The only pity was that there were too few war elephants. Most of the elephant formations were still fighting against Dongyi in the east. Otherwise, the chariots of the Zhou army would not be a problem.
If the Imperial Guards were the elites of the Shang Dynasty, then the royal guards were the elites of the elites. They had followed the Shang King, King Xin, and fought hundreds of battles in the south. The royal guards were all descendants of nobles. They were the true soldiers of the Shang Dynasty and were loyal to the Shang King.
The soldiers of the Imperial Guard Army and the Royal Guards were filled with righteous indignation at the rebellion of Zhou and the vassal states. They were determined to use the spears in their hands to defend the glory of the Shang Dynasty. Their morale was high and their fighting spirit was boiling.
The people of Chaoge lined up at the city gate to send off the soldiers. Both the Imperial Guards and the royal guards were the true soldiers of Chaoge. They were the true members of the Shang clan and could not be compared to the slave army.
The Shang King, King Xin, personally led the army on a chariot inlaid with gold and silver gems.
The mighty army had banners fluttering in the wind, spears and spears standing in great numbers, and the military was solemn. Row after row of the army passed through the southern gate and walked on the official road to Muye City, stirring up waves of dust.
The people on both sides of the road spontaneously danced to pray to the gods to send off the army. They prayed to the ghosts and gods to protect the soldiers who went to war, so that they could all return safely. That was because their parents, wives, and children were waiting for their sons, husbands, and fathers to return home and reunite with them.
Di Xin sat on the golden chariot and waved at the people, attracting cheers. Although their king was cruel, stubborn, and temperamental, their king had made great contributions to the war and did not abandon his people. Instead, he personally led the army into battle. This was enough to win the support of the people.
When rows of slaves armed with crossbows appeared, the commoners cried out in alarm. As the last slavery dynasty in China's history, the status of slaves in society was very low. They were captives, commodities, goods, and livestock. The only thing they weren't treated as "people".
One could imagine what kind of impact it would have on ordinary people, merchants, nobles, and slave owners when such a group of non-humans were equipped with crossbows and trained into an army.
If not for the fact that the Shang Dynasty was at a critical moment, there would definitely be a large group of people standing up to oppose the Shang King's actions. That was because it had already violated the vital interests of the nobles and slave owners.
The slaves who were selected from the 700,000 slaves were relatively strong and obedient. They walked cautiously in the formation, frightened and uneasy. They felt very uncomfortable under the gazes of the people around them. It was as if they were walking naked on the street.
They were far from adapting to their new identities.
General Er Lai, who was a slave, walked at the front of the crossbow army. This ferocious looking general with outstanding martial arts skills and incomparable strength was also warmly welcomed by the people.
Walking at the back was the mutant army. Although the cavalry had suffered some losses in the previous battle, it was still the most powerful army and walked at the front of the army.
Following closely behind the cavalry troops were the 20,000 saber and shield troops. One by one, they marched to the same rhythm and passed through the South City Gate. The magnificent appearance of the army and the exquisite armor were all moving.
The army walked on the official road, and they couldn't see the end of it. The front army had already reached Muye, but the rear army had yet to pass through the southern gate of Chaoge City. The official road was filled with rows of soldiers, and there was no room for pedestrians.
It was not until three in the afternoon that the last row of saber and shield soldiers reached Muye.
Muye was just a small city. The city walls were dilapidated and low. They were simply made of yellow soil and did not have any defensive capabilities. However, as the last gate to the capital of Chaoge City, Muye was so important.
The army did not enter the city and directly set up camp in the southern suburbs. Rows of tents occupied the plains, high slopes, and valleys in the southern suburbs. They were densely packed and almost surrounded the entire Muye City.
At this time, the southern suburbs were already beyond recognition. Trenches that were one meter wide and two meters deep covered the entire front of the southern suburbs. The distance between each trench was less than a hundred meters, and the overall length was more than a thousand meters. It almost prevented the chariots from charging. Such a trench would not affect the cavalry's attack.
The Shang King, King Xin, stationed in Muye City and used it as the temporary command center for the army.
The citizens of Muye City, including the 600,000 slaves, had all been moved to Chaoge City to avoid wasting the rations stored in the city. At the same time, it was also to guard against the spies of the Zhou Dynasty. The entire Muye City had become a military fortress. Other than the soldiers, there were only logistics personnel in charge of the rations.
The royal guards took over the security of the government office to ensure the safety of the Shang King Xin.
That night, King Xin gathered all the generals in the government office to discuss the formation for the next day. As the representative of the mutants, Ouyang Shuo was fortunate enough to attend the military meeting.
In fact, Ouyang Shuo had already become the favorite of the Shang King Xin. His status had far exceeded the authority of the mutants. Many of his suggestions were accepted by the King Xin.
Of course, many of Ouyang Shuo's plans were backed by Ju Sheng.
…
Meng Jin, Yong, Lu, Peng, Pu, Shu, Qiang, Wei, and Hou finally arrived with their troops.
After gathering all the feudal vassals, King Wu of Zhou and the feudal vassals held an anti-Shang vow in Meng Jin.
During the vow, King Wu of Zhou issued a declaration against the Shang King. He listed six crimes of the Shang King. The first was drunkenness. The second was not using the nobles. The third was using petty people. The fourth was listening to women. The fifth was believing in the heavens. The sixth was not paying attention to the sacrifices.
A small country in the west under the rule of the Shang Dynasty had publicly accused its king of crimes. Even his drunkenness was included in the list. This showed how hypocritical the Zhou Dynasty was. They were clearly rebelling against their superiors. Yet, they wanted to portray themselves as the embodiment of justice.
After that, a grand ceremony was held. King Wu of Zhou and the other tribal leaders swore an oath to destroy the Shang Dynasty. The sacrificial ceremony was also conducted using living people. However, the sacrificial offerings were replaced with Shang Dynasty captives.
After the sacrificial ceremony, the soldiers headed straight for Muye.
Western Zhou's army consisted of 300 chariots, 3,000 royal guards, and 45,000 armored soldiers. This was a real army. The soldiers were well-trained and experienced. They were well-trained and well-equipped. In addition to the feudal vassals, the total number of soldiers was 70,000. In addition, there were over 50,000 mutants.
Even so, the weapons and equipment of the Zhou army were far inferior to the Shang army. The Shang Dynasty's bronze smelting and manufacturing standards were extremely high. The bronze weapons and armors they produced were of high quality and far superior to the Zhou army.
This was especially true for the infantry armors. The Shang army had already popularized armor made of bronze and rhinoceros skin. In particular, the bronze helmet was the standard equipment of the Shang army at that time. Its structural design, manufacturing process, product quality, and defensive power were second to none in the world of the same period.
However, the Zhou army only had ordinary leather or wooden armors. Even the nobles and guards of the Zhou army did not have bronze armors. The two were incomparable in terms of defensive capabilities.
Of course, compared to the slave army that had no armor and only a bronze dagger-axe, the Zhou army was much stronger than the slave army in history.
Zhou and the Shang were arch-enemies.
Among them, there was the feud that the Shang royal family had with King Wu of Zhou for three generations. There was also the battle for territory, population, and sovereignty between the two countries because the Shang had repeatedly sent troops to attack the Zhou Dynasty.
Therefore, be it the royal family of the two countries or the commoners, both sides had always been vile. By the time of King Wu of Zhou, the entire Western Zhou had accumulated a blood feud against the Shang for at least a hundred years.
This time, Western Zhou had staked everything on this one gamble. They had mobilized all the available military forces in the country. Therefore, the people of Zhou had no way out. If they were defeated, the consequences would be unimaginable. The morale and morale of the army, from the King Wu to the soldiers, was extremely high and unified.
The vassals also sent out the most elite and powerful regular army of their country.
Since the founding of the Shang Dynasty, they had constantly conquered neighboring countries, tribes, and ethnic groups. Their main purpose was to expand their territory and plunder people. Other than increasing the number of slaves and expanding production, the other important purpose of plundering people was to obtain living sacrifices for divination and worship or for the nobles to be buried with them.
Yin Shang's theocratic rule was extremely strict and often required living sacrifices. These "materials" were also particular about "quality". Most of them had to be young and strong. This meant that they needed a large number of living people. Therefore, the Shang Dynasty frequently and severely robbed people. Moreover, the entire Shang clan worshipped and believed in violence and military force. Against the surrounding tribes and countries, especially in the west, most of them resorted to direct and simple violence.
This eventually led to these ethnic groups being filled with unforgettable hatred towards the Shang. Once the time was ripe, they would do anything to take revenge. The morale and morale of the Shang army were the same as that of Western Zhou.
The royal family of the Western Zhou Dynasty had always been gentle and virtuous. As a result, the three generations of the royal family of the Western Zhou Dynasty had great influence both within the country and among the surrounding tribes, royal families and people. Therefore, they were able to rally the support of many.
The mighty army flowed along the Wei River and headed straight for Muye. The flags of the various vassal states fluttered in the wind, showing their determination to rebel against the Shang. This was a group of enemies with a blood feud.
A flock of birds flew across the gloomy sky, leaving behind endless loneliness. (To be continued.)
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