Chapter Sixty-Nine: King Wu Condemns Jie for Seven Deadly Sins 1

The situation in the Nine Yi territories remained unclear, while at this very moment, Grand Tutor Ranlong of Great Xia, accompanied by his five formidable generals and an army of 220,000, first quelled the combined forces of Goulong and Kunwu. Without pause after a long and arduous journey, they arrived and directly surrounded the lands of both nations, proclaiming the royal decree of King Jie: time waits for no man, the chaos of the Nine Provinces has been incited by villains. He soothed the main commanders of both armies and dispatched envoys to inform the monarchs of Goulong and Kunwu. Thus, the two nations were pacified.

Meanwhile, in Shangqiu, it was the moment of gathering strength for a grand offensive. King Wu Cheng Tang ascended the high platform, swore an oath, and publicly denounced King Jie’s seven cardinal crimes, declaring them to all under heaven.

King Wu Cheng Tang stood atop the platform, while below him the chief civil official, the Grand Commander of the Six Guardians, fiercely penned down Cheng Tang’s words.

On the platform, King Wu Cheng Tang loudly proclaimed judgment: “The Heavenly Emperor cherishes His people and earnestly appoints Shang Tang to rid them of violence and restore peace to all provinces beneath the heavens. The lords of the Nine Provinces rise in rebellion to punish the tyrant King Jie—not for the sake of conquest, but to end his cruelty and depravity, the corruption of ministers, the torture of loyal generals, rejection of wise counsel, and ruthless brutality. These seven crimes alone suffice to chill the hearts of all the people under heaven. Now, amid the turmoil of the Nine Provinces, the people survive only by scraping by, forced to leave their homes, wandering across the four seas, with no place to settle—a deep shame for the Son of Heaven. Thus, Shang Tang, in accordance with the will of Heaven, declares a righteous crusade, leading the lords of the Nine Provinces to overthrow Xia Jie and rescue the suffering masses, saving countless lives.”

“Moreover, this day, Shang Wu will notify the four seas, advance upon Zhenxun, capture King Jie to appease the people's grievances. Now, as flames of war rise across the Nine Provinces, it is a sign of wrath shared by both mortals and gods. Let me, with the lords of the Nine Provinces, jointly attack Great Xia, relieve the people’s suffering, and restore justice to all under heaven!”

The citizens, elders, and families gathered beneath the walls of Shangqiu were deeply moved, discussing amongst themselves: “The virtue of the Lord of Shang is renowned throughout the four seas. Marshal Guan Longfeng has forsaken darkness for light, turned his allegiance to justice, and his dedication is truly for the public good. We, half-buried in yellow earth, with hardship etched in our bones—if we do not offer ourselves, we would be traitors to our land!”

The people of Shang voiced their consensus, and soon the whole city was abuzz.

The Five Heroes of Mount Song stood behind Cheng Tang, secretly astonished. At this moment, clad in armor and ready for battle, they seemed like five celestial generals, imposing and valiant.

Outside the city, the united armies of the Nine Provinces converged upon Shangqiu, thirty thousand soldiers stretched as far as the eye could see, organized and disciplined, their strength rivaling even the million-man might of Great Xia.

The people of Shangqiu clamored to open the city gates, crying, “With one heart, we pledge to offer Zhenxun and together welcome our lord’s sacred virtue!”

On the city walls, Right Chancellor Yi Yin rejoiced, for such momentum was like a rainbow; before the battle even began, both soldiers and citizens were brimming with morale.

Left Chancellor Zhong Hui, seeing this, hastily issued orders to the generals: “Only ten thousand troops may advance; the rest are to camp at Mingtiao and not step beyond the three gates of Zhenxun Yangcheng within ten li. Those who have not entered the gates are forbidden to slaughter indiscriminately. Anyone who breaches the gates without permission will be executed as a warlord by decapitation!”

King Wu donned his armor and cape, entering the fray, while the Five Heroes of Mount Song guarded behind him—his left and right arms. After Zhong Hui established military orders, Cheng Tang led ten thousand soldiers straight for the three gates of Zhenxun Yangcheng.

By sunset, the ten thousand troops had passed Mount Song, crossed the Yellow River, traversed Nanze, and reached Mingtiao.

Marshal Guan Longfeng stayed behind at Mingtiao River with two hundred thousand soldiers, waiting in readiness.

King Wu Cheng Tang and his ten thousand warriors marched with grand momentum, shaking Great Xia to its core!

At the three gates of Yangcheng, urgent orders were dispatched to the palace. Upon hearing reports of Cheng Tang leading the lords of the Nine Provinces in a joint uprising, King Xia Jie was stunned by the overwhelming force, as if divine troops had descended, their battle cries thunderous, ten thousand soldiers charging with unmatched vigor.

King Jie realized that Cheng Tang’s actions amounted to open rebellion. Only twenty thousand troops remained in Zhenxun; Grand Tutor Ranlong had taken thirty thousand to quell the Four Heroes, leaving the garrison insufficient to counter the current Shangqiu forces.

Thus, within his tilted palace, King Jie, furious, pushed aside two concubines and immediately issued decrees to the commanders of the three gates, ordering them to defend to the death until Grand Tutor returned. He also sent urgent orders to the four border lords and Grand Tutor Ranlong, who was pacifying the Four Heroes, to await Ranlong’s return and then mobilize the full might of Great Xia to purge the Shang rebels completely.

If Grand Tutor Ranlong succeeded in pacifying the Four Heroes, Great Xia would command a million troops. But as the internal conflict was unresolved, mobilizing such forces was impossible, leaving King Jie anxious and fearful.

Within Yangcheng, the people were panicked. King Jie held his troops back, and each gate commander had less than twenty thousand soldiers—five thousand per gate—glaring with fierce resentment at the overwhelming Shangqiu army.

The gate commanders gathered before the Gate of No Return; Lady Shangguan Wan’er was absent, leaving only the Six-Eared General, Wu Qigong, to observe.

Within Yangcheng, the Seven Star Tower was closed for the first time, its lights extinguished, appearing as an empty palace, devoid of inhabitants.

The string of unusual events left both King Jie and the people of Yangcheng anxious, fearing the gates would fall. With Grand Tutor Ranlong absent, the opportunity for the Shang rebels to breach the city was ideal.

Yet, despite the perfect chance to exploit the situation, Cheng Tang chose to halt his advance at ten li from the three gates, sending an envoy to Yangcheng to seek audience with King Jie.

Among the entering citizens, guests of the House of Yi were hidden, for during wartime, people could enter the city but not leave, providing an opportunity for the House of Yi. Their purpose was to inform the people of Yangcheng that King Wu Cheng Tang was benevolent and wished to avoid suffering, preferring a direct confrontation with Great Xia's million-strong army.

This move sowed discord among the Xia army and civilians; within Yangcheng, the people's hearts were in turmoil, longing to welcome King Wu Cheng Tang into the city.

At this moment, the Shang envoy was ambushed by King Jie’s royal guards on the way to the palace—an oversight by Right Chancellor Yi Yin, who had not anticipated King Jie’s decisive cruelty. Undoubtedly, King Wu Cheng Tang’s arrival had enraged the king, who, unwilling to be overthrown, vented his fury by killing the envoy.

Just then, a border messenger rushed to the palace, crawling and tumbling before King Jie, kneeling: “Your Majesty, the four border nations have united in battle, Grand Tutor Ranlong is returning to the capital. Please quell your anger!”

“Hahaha! Excellent, truly excellent! In this court, only the Grand Tutor has never disappointed me!” King Jie laughed loudly, assured that the crisis was no longer a crisis.

King Jie finally reflected deeply, repenting his past: ‘Perhaps, I should not have indulged in debauchery. If not for the Grand Tutor’s support, in this time of national peril, with the national advisor vanished and the Grand Tutor fighting on all fronts, I am deeply ashamed.’

Though a sovereign with grand ambition, King Jie now found himself powerless, regretting ever letting outsiders into the Eastern Lands. With internal and external threats—distrusting the national advisor, wary of princes—the situation was dire. If he did not awaken now, when Cheng Tang led the lords of the Nine Provinces against Great Xia, even with the Grand Tutor, he might not withstand the united forces.

Returning angrily to the Hall of Dragon Virtue, King Jie issued three decrees: First, summon the national advisor, for the great war was imminent, and order the witches of Seven Star Tower to support the three gates; Second, instruct the lords of the Nine Provinces outside the gates to dissolve their alliance, promising that those who surrendered would not be punished; Third, command the Nine Yi lords to attack the Shangqiu coalition.

From this moment, King Jie became truly sober, calmly analyzing the situation and wisely mobilizing all forces. Yet, events had slipped beyond his control, and the times had changed irreversibly.

Outside the three gates, King Jie’s decrees soon arrived, but the lords of the Nine Provinces had already sworn to jointly overthrow him—until death.

One wonders what King Jie would think, knowing none of his decrees had any effect.

After his decrees were read, the Shang Tang camp established itself along the banks of Mingtiao River, making no further advance.

By calculation, Grand Tutor Ranlong would return in another day.

Thus, the great battle would not erupt today. The gate commanders, not having received King Jie’s decrees, dared not attack rashly.

...

Meanwhile, the war among the Nine Yi was especially fierce.

Su Su and Su Moran, en route to Yang Yi, received news from Golden Sparrow of Feng Yi: it turned out that the Five Lords had not rebelled, but were under the control of the witch Ga Luo of Seven Star Tower. Golden Sparrow conveyed further accurate intelligence: Dan King of Xuan Yi was not truly controlled by Ga Luo, but pretended to be, secretly approaching Lion King to gather intelligence on Yang Yi's battle plans.

With this, Su Su gained confidence in confronting Yang Yi. Though outwardly outnumbered, the other five lords were not true traitors—defeating Ga Luo would free them.

The coalition of two tribes marched upon Yang Yi, crossing mountains and rivers, entering the grasslands. Su Su ordered the armies to form ranks—Dog Yi and Wolf General arranged their troops in three columns as vanguard, rows of wolf soldiers howled with valor.

Feng King of Feng Yi led fifty thousand troops, arrayed behind the wolf generals, wings spread in five rectangular columns as the rear guard. Each column was organized in its own camp; from above, their imposing spirit after a long march was truly admirable!

At the front stood Su Su, flanked by Su Moran and the Feng King. Su Su gazed toward the camp ten li ahead and called loudly: “Uncle Lion King, your niece Su Su is here, awaiting your challenge!”

In the distance, the Yang Yi camp had long been prepared. Opposing them were thirty thousand troops, neatly arrayed in six divisions: archers, cavalry, infantry, catapult operators, and chariot teams, each commanded by one of the six tribal lords. Lion King’s cavalry division occupied the central position, with Lion King He Qilie standing at the forefront in golden lion armor, wearing the Lion King’s helmet, carrying a Tiger’s Head Blade, and seated upon a golden red lion.

Beside him, the witch Ga Luo of Seven Star Tower sat elegantly on another golden lion, a smile touching her lips as she observed both armies.

Today’s battle was perfectly timed.

On the grasslands, the terrain favored neither side, making it an ideal location for both armies—a fair contest.

Lion King He Qilie advanced a few paces, raising his voice: “For the sake of past kindness, I will not fight the Empress. Let Qingqiu’s Su Twelve step forward to face me!”

Su Moran had anticipated this—seeing Su Su’s recent breakthrough, Lion King had no desire to risk defeat, so he chose Su Moran, whose cultivation was not superior, as his opponent, ensuring enough confidence not to lose face before both armies.

Though Su Su was fully prepared, after yesterday’s parting with Hao Dan, she had no backup plan and could only face adversity head-on. The witch Ga Luo’s power was mysterious and formidable—Su Su, even if victorious against adversity, would pay a heavy price for the slightest chance of success.

Su Moran laughed and loudly replied: “As uncle and niece, I gladly accept your challenge, Uncle Lion King! Should I prevail, I hope you will disband the five tribal armies and return them to their clans, avoiding further entanglement.”

Lion King He Qilie laughed rather than grew angry, shouting: “This time, I will show no mercy—life and death are in the hands of fate, and weapons know no pity!”

With these words, Lion King He Qilie charged forth, his mount as swift as lightning, reminiscent of a steed struck by thunder, racing forward. Su Moran, smiling calmly, floated forward to meet him. Seeing Su Moran without a mount, Lion King drew his Tiger’s Head Blade, leapt from his golden lion, and slashed fiercely at Su Moran.

Facing such an assault, Su Moran glanced coldly and summoned his treasured artifact—the Hundred-Feather Wind God Fan. A streak of purple-gold and white light traced a beautiful arc, landing skillfully in Su Moran’s hand.

This fan was crafted from the feathers of the Purple-Gold Roc, the Far-Traveling White Crane, the Northern Sea Azure Luan, and the Chaos Vulture, forged together. The feathered fan was as strong as steel, inscribed with celestial script for added power, and when combined with magic, could unleash unmatched might.

Thus, the two stood face to face.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Lion King He Qilie unleashed a barrage of blade strikes, but Su Moran’s artifact, not of the mortal realm, possessed formidable defense. The Tiger’s Head Blade could do little damage against it.