564 Royal Mandate (1/2)
The state of Western Zhou.
This was one of the 800 feudal states and sat in the northwest of Shangyi. The lands of Western Zhou were vast and shared borders with the lands of Xiyi and Quanrong.
Generations of Western Zhou Marquises had been ambitious and worked on expanding their lands towards the West. They encouraged population growth and built up the state's military forces. The combined efforts of these Marquises had turned Western Zhou into the most powerful Shang feudal state.
The current Marquis of Western Zhou was said to be a sage descended from the heavens. According to a legend, his birth was marked by the appearance of colourful clouds that took the forms of tortoise shells and yarrow stalks, sacred items that were used in divination.
The previous Marquis of Western Zhou was said to have been afraid of censure by the Shang and threw his newborn into the river. A large number of golden carps had surrounded the wooden basin that the infant had been placed in, in the formation of a golden lotus.
Upon witnessing this miraculous sight, the old Marquis changed his mind. He named his son Li and saw to it that he was well brought up.
When Li grew up, his genius became apparent. He had the gift of fortune-telling and was extremely accurate in his predictions. He conducted deep research into ancient texts and devised a new art of divination known as the Yi Dao. This had led to the creation of the School of Yi and Li was henceforth known as Sir Yi!
Fang Yuan was impressed with these achievements and had even thought that Li was a son of destiny, a person destined to lead the way out of the chaos.
”Master...once we make it past the mountain ahead of us, we will arrive in Western Zhou!”
Hei Zhong shouted from atop his horse.
”I've scouted the road ahead and found that not only have the roads been paved, but the inns are also larger than those found in Shang. It seems like this is a place where the people live and work in peace!”
”Hehe…”
Fang Yuan chuckled coldly upon hearing Hei Zhong's words.
Western Zhou was a mere feudal state with a land area smaller than that of Shang. How did it manage to spur on development to such an extent?
Also, by enjoying a high standard of living in Western Zhou and attributing it to the Marquis's greatness, where would that leave King Shang?
To a unified empire like the Shang Dynasty, the supersedence of regional loyalties over national loyalties was a portent of calamity.
”I've heard that the Western Zhou state has moved against the Quanrong and Xiyi states several times in recent years...once powerful, these two barbarian states have fallen into crises after Western Zhou had taken a great deal of food, metal, women from them. Meanwhile, the people of Western Zhou lived in comfort. The Marquis even devised policies such as the criminalisation of infanticide, compulsory marriage at 15 years of age as well as the material incentivisation of childbirths….”
It was Ge Nie who had a good knowledge regarding the affairs of Western Zhou.
”Even within Shangyi, there are people who actively spread the word about the virtuousness and accomplishments of the Marquis!”
War usually began with the spreading of words.
This was a lesson from later history that the people of this era had not yet grasped.
”The Sage Sir Yi?”
As Fang Yuan passed through the border of Western Zhou, his eyes flashed with a new light.
”Alright, let me take a look at what you have achieved!”
...
The capital city of Western Zhou.
Colourful clouds converged high up in the heavens. The goddess Nuwa[1] stood among the clouds and looked down at the bustling city.
”The heavenly mandate...is with Zhou! There are two obstacles that stand in the way of its ascension!”
Nuwa looked towards the western lands of Western Zhou and saw a violent battle taking place.
”The Quanrong and Xiyi states are the largest threats to Western Zhou's development. They will have to be destroyed in order for Western Zhou to move on!”
Nuwa pondered for a moment before waving her fair hand and sending some colourful clouds over to bless the Western Zhou troops.
After she was done, she shifted her gaze to the southeast.
'The military strength of Western Zhou is barely half that of Shang. In order to fulfil Zhou's destiny of overthrowing the Shang, the Dongyi and Jiumiao states will have to occupy the majority of the Shang army such that the imperial capital will be left undefended. In this way, Western Zhou would have a valuable opportunity!'
Having made sense of the heavenly mandate, Nuwa disappeared into the clouds.
A rock bathed in colourful lights fell out of the skies and descended upon Western Zhou.
In the royal palace.
The Marquis Li of Western Zhou had the look of a gentle old man and was occupied with his tortoise shells and hexagrams at that moment.
He lifted the charred tortoise shells excitedly.
”The frontlines have managed to break the Quanrong army? In such a short time?”
Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he stood up and left the palace.
”Kaboom!”
The skies shook as a strange occurrence took place. With a blinding flash, an object surrounded by colourful lights fell to the earth.
Soldiers standing all around had their mouths agape as they witnessed the sight. The servants fell to their knees in a fearful reverence.
”Isn't that the direction of...Qi Mountain?!”
The Marquis of Western Zhou stared in the direction of which the rock was heading and passed down an order.
”Get the horse carriages ready...we are going to Qi Mountain now!”
...
”Master…”
Fang Yuan and company had witnessed the fall of the colourful object as well.
”Could it be that Western Zhou is favoured by the heavens?”
Ge Nie may be knowledgeable but he was still a product of the ancient era. The occurrence of this strange event had dazed him.
Fang Yuan gave him a hard whack with the hilt of his sword.
”What are you waiting for? Go check it out!”
Fang Yuan had arrived at a silent conclusion.
'My senses can't be wrong. It must have been Nuwa's doing. It seems like she has been working hard to propel the rise of the Marquis…'
'Also...I'm sure that such a sensational event would have caught the attention of the Ancient One!'
A phenomenon of such a scale would definitely lead to repercussions all over the world!