Chapter 35- Jiang Ziya Forgives and Helps the Invading Chao Brothers

We're setting the scene in the capital change. It's a moment of, well, total crisis for King Zhu. He's facing the rise of Wes Chi, led by the famous strategist Jiang Shang. That's right. And the source material we're digging into today, it really details this perfect storm. You've got a major defection shaking things up. A big one. A panicked military council completely split on what to do. And then this big military mission that follows. Supposed to be reconnaissance, right? Just scouting. Supposedly. But it ends up being this, well, spectacular and pretty humiliating failure. So our mission for you, the listeners, is to kind of unpack why this regime, which seems so powerful, I mean, superhuman generals, vast resources, why it was already, you know, basically doomed. Exactly. This isn't just about battles. It's about how fate, maybe divine fate, bumps up against human plans. And maybe how political rot, that moral corruption, can just completely undermine even the best generals in a civil war like this. Okay. So let's get into it. We should probably start with the man who had the, let's say, unenviable task of defending the dynasty at this point, Grand Tutor Wen Zong, Wen Taixu. Right. And Wen Zong, he's not just some general in the sources, is he? He's painted as the Shan Dynasty's, like, ultimate weapon. Almost a wizard general. Oh, absolutely. Disciple of our Lady Jin Ling of Bayou Palace. That's serious supernatural credentials we're talking about. Yeah. So this is a guy who wasn't operating on the same level as regular soldiers. The texts say he mastered the five elements, could reverse seas, move mountains. His abilities were, well, legendary, according to the accounts. Predicting victory just by, like, reading the wind, figuring out the whole military situation by analyzing dirt. Seriously powerful stuff. He sounds like the most powerful asset the Shang had, militarily, spiritually, the whole deal. Pretty much. Yet, despite all these incredible, almost god-like powers, he fails. Big time. Fails to recapture the defecting general, Huang Fei Hu. And the reason given. He was repelled by something called the Divine Sand from the true Lord of Virtue. Yeah, the Divine Sand. It sounds mystical, obviously, but it signals something really important. The forces backing the Zhu Dynasty, Wes Chi, they already had superior supernatural protection. Okay, so outside forces are working against him. Right. But the failure wasn't just external. It triggered this huge internal moment of realization for Wen Zhang himself. Wait a second, though. If he's got these amazing powers, reading the wind, the soil, shouldn't he have seen this coming? Why is he only realizing the cosmic clock ran out, you know, after he fails to grab one general? That's a great point. And that's what makes his reflection so interesting. He doesn't blame the sand or say, oh, I messed up. No. When he gets back to the capital, Shej, he looks at everything that's happening, and he concludes his failure was down to yin and yang crossing. Which is basically a mythological way of saying. The whole cosmic order is flipped. He realizes, and this is the key quote, that heaven's number had already reverted to the Lord of Zhu. Fate had switched sides. Wow. So the dynasty's chief defender, their ultimate weapon, basically realizes the war is already divinely decided against them. And his skill, no matter how great, doesn't matter anymore. Yeah. Imagine being that commander. It's got to be profoundly crushing. Utterly demoralizing. And it's like, as soon as he accepts this spiritual defeat, the bad news just starts flooding in. Militarily. He gets back to Chou, probably wanting to rally the troops, fight fate anyway. He's just immediately hit with report after report, disaster after disaster on the battlefield, confirming everything he just realized. A cascade of collapse, you said. What were they? Okay, so first, Lingtong Pass. We hear Zhao Yun killed Zhang Feng and managed to free Huang Feihu, the guy Wen Zong failed to catch. Okay, strike one. Then, Tong Pass. Huang Feihu himself kills Chen Tong. Then Tuanyun Pass, another general, Chen Wu, killed. It's just falling apart pass by pass. And then maybe the worst blow, psychologically. Qipai Pass. Huang Feihu's own father, Wang Gun, lets his son pass through to join Wes Kee, a total betrayal from within the ranks. Ouch, that's got to sting. Family turning against the dynasty. Right. And then finally, icing on the cake, an urgent distress message from Han Rong at Cishui Pass, basically saying the last major defensive line is buckling. So every line of defense is just crumbling. And not just from invasion, but from the inside out. Betrayal, commanders getting killed. It sounds like the whole structure is rotten. Exactly. It's the sound of a dynasty collapsing internally. So facing that reality, Wen Zong has to somehow put aside his, you know, divine despair and actually lead a war council. Right back to the practicalities. Strategy time. And this is where that spiritual realization just slams head on into his political duty. Wen Zong, even though he knows fate's against him, he's furious. Understandable. He talks about his solemn duty that each that heavy, critical responsibility given to him by the last king, the dead king, protect the dynasty. It's like the ultimate promise. So driven by this oath, he basically says, forget fate. We attack Ennebue. A massive, punitive campaign against Wes Chi. He's going to go down fighting as a loyal minister. Exactly. But then General Lu Xiang steps up and he brings a big dose of cold, hard, non-magical reality to the table. Okay, the pragmatist arrives. Very much so. Lu Xiang basically tells the Grand Tutor, hold on, we're stretched way too thin. What are his arguments? Logistics. Pure logistics. He points out, look, the South is already fighting Yishun. The East is tied up with Jiang Wenhuan. We're fighting on multiple fronts already. The troops are exhausted. Makes sense. And the killer argument, the money. The treasury is, quote, empty and money and grain are insufficient. There's nothing left to fund a massive new offensive. So sending the main army out now would just finish them off through exhaustion, basically. Wes Chi wouldn't even have to do much. That's Lu Xiang's point. He pushes for strong defense instead. Let's hold the five passes, reinforce King Long and Jimeng passes, save our resources, and maybe Wes Chi will overextend themselves later. It's that classic skilled in both defense and offense idea. Secure the base first. Conserve strength. Right. But Wen Zong pushes back. He rejects that caution. Why? Because he's not just looking at numbers, he's looking at the talent on the other side. Ah, the quality of Wes Chi's leadership. Exactly. He says we cannot wait. Delaying just gives Wes Chi time to get organized under their star players. Who does he single out? Nangong Shi, described as brave throughout the three armies, Sanyu Sheng, the strategist with a hundred plans, basically a political genius, and of course, Jiang Sheng, the master strategist, the guy whose side fate or heaven seems to be on now. The very same. Wen Zong uses this really potent phrase, if one step is empty, a hundred steps are empty. We can't afford any slip up, any delay, because the guys on the other side are just too good. We have to prepare immediately. So you've got this clash, sacred duty versus financial ruin, honor versus logistics. How do they resolve it? Well, the council is stuck, right? So they land on a compromise, actually suggested by Lu Xiong, the cautious one. Okay, what's the middle ground? No massive army mobilization, not yet. Instead, they'll send just one or two generals to scout West Key, figure out how ready they actually are before committing everything. A reconnaissance mission, makes sense. Seems prudent. It seems prudent. So General Chow Tien immediately volunteers, says he'll take his brother, Chow Lei, and go check things out. His specific mission, explore the reality in falsity, see what West Key is really up to. Okay, volunteer step up, sounds good. How many men do they take for this scouting trip? Ah, well, this is where the Shang dynasties, let's call it arrogance, just blows the whole compromise out of the water. The sources say Chow Tien takes a formidable force. How formidable? Like a few hundred? A thousand? Thirty thousand. Thirty thousand? For a scouting mission? Mm-hmm. Yep. Thirty thousand men. It's completely nuts. It's like sending a nuclear submarine to check if your neighbor's lights are on. That completely defeats the purpose of scouting. It's not subtle. It's basically an invasion force. Exactly. It shows the Shang mindset. They couldn't even think about reconnaissance without it being this massive show of force. It immediately gives away their hostile intent and, you know, uses up resources they supposedly didn't have. And I bet this massive scouting party wasn't exactly quiet. Oh, the sources paint a picture. Roaring cannons, shaking drums. The men are like fierce tigers leaving the mountain. The horses like water dragons, banners flying, armor shining. It was a huge spectacle. Magnificent, maybe, but stealthy. Not a chance. So, obviously, Wes Kee notices. Instantly. We're told Jiang Ziya is just sitting in his administrative hall, and he's completely surprised by the thunderous noise of an approaching army. Wasn't expecting it. Not at all. He asks, why is Chiang Tang raising troops to invade? Which confirms it right there. Chow Tien's mission failed its primary goal, subtle intelligence-bathering, the second they marched out with that huge, noisy army. Okay, so they arrive, this massive force. What do they do? Set up camp? Try to observe quietly from a distance? Nope. They see Wes Kee, and it looks to them like they're unprepared for a big assault. So Chow Tien and Chow Lei decide, forget caution, let's issue a challenge. Seriously? They ditch the whole scout idea and just decide to fight? Pretty much. Chow Lei rides out to the front and demands Wes Kee's surrender. And this leads us to that ideological showdown you mentioned earlier. Who comes out from Wes Kee? Nan Gong-Shi accepts the challenge, the same guy Wen Zong was worried about, the one known for his bravery. Okay, so Chow Lei issues the challenge. What's his demand? Standard military threat, basically. Hand over the rebel Hong Fei-Hu immediately, or we'll destroy you, your city will be flattened, etc. Pretty standard stuff for the time, I guess. Yeah. How does Nan Gong-Shi respond? Does he call his bluff? He does something much smarter and much more devastating. He completely ignores the military threat. Doesn't even address the 30,000 soldiers. What does he do instead? He launches into this long, incredibly detailed public takedown of King Zhu's moral failures. He basically uses the king's own evil deeds as a weapon. The propaganda angle. Woo, yeah! Weaponizing the corruption Wen Zong already says. Exactly. And it's not vague stuff. He lists specific horrific crimes mentioned in the sources, accuses King Zhu of hazing ministers, literally mincing them into paste, of killing another minister, Yuan Shi. Gruesome. He talks about the Paolao, that infamous torture device the greased, heated, bronze pillar officials were forced to walk across until they burned alive. God, yeah, I've read about that. Horrific. And the snake pit, the chaipin, throwing people into pits of poisonous snakes. These aren't just insults. They're specific atrocities being laid bare in front of Chow Lei's army. He's undermining their entire reason for being there. What else? He hits closer to home, talking about King Zhu killing his own uncle just to test his loyalty, building the ridiculously extravagant Lutai Pleasure Tower while the kingdom suffered. Just piling on the evidence of tyranny. And then the ultimate charge, destroying the five cardinal relationships. Which basically means shattering the whole moral and social order, specifically mentioning the abuse of ministers' wives. It's a fundamental attack on the king's right to rule. So Wes Kee isn't just fighting war, they're framing it as, what, a moral crusade. Precisely. Nan Gong-Shi follows up by saying Wes Kee rules through benevolence, through filial piety, and look, he says it's working. He claims two-thirds of the kingdom already submits to West. Righteousness is winning hearts and minds, is the message. Wow, so he just completely sidestepped the military threat and went straight for the moral jugular in front of the invading army. Their morale must have just plummeted. You have to imagine it did. He wasn't just talking trash. He was articulating why the Shang Dynasty deserved to fall, using the king's own actions. That public condemnation was probably more damaging than any weapon. Okay, so after this verbal destruction, do they actually fight? They do. The duel starts between Chao Lei and Nan Gong-Shi. It goes for about 30 rounds, the sources say. Was Chao Lei any match? Not really. It seems Nan Gong-Shi was clearly the superior fighter. Chao Lei is quickly described as being reduced to strength exhausted, tendon strained. He's completely outclassed. So Nan Gong-Shi finishes him off. He doesn't kill him. He uses a feint, a trick, the source calls it a Po Zhan, an opening or flaw, catches Chao Lei completely off guard, captures him alive, ties him up with rope, and just drags him back into West Chi as a prisoner. Just like that. The whole massive 30,000 man scouting mission ends with one of the commanders captured after maybe an hour. Pretty much. Total failure. Utter humiliation. Right after Azu General Nan Gong-Shi captures one of the brothers, Chao Lei, he's brought before Xia, and instead of being humble or scared, Chao Lei just stands there and wow, he really lets fly with an insult. He does more than just refuse to kneel. He tries to basically shatter Xia's authority right there in front of everyone. Calls him a small person who used to weave fences and sell flour, a real public jab at his origins. How big a deal was that insult calling him a fence weaver, especially in front of this newly formed army? Did it actually risk undermining him? Oh, it was a very calculated, very strategic insult. See, Xia rose purely on merit, right? Not birth. And the text even says his own generals were sort of snickering secretly. If Xia lost his cool or got defensive, well that could have fractured everything. He needed the perfect response. And he'd find it. He addresses the insult directly, says it doesn't shame him, then immediately brings up the example of Yi Yin. Yi Yin, who was also a commoner before becoming this key minister for Qingtang, a revered ancient ruler. Exactly. That reference is pure gold for the Zhu argument about meritocracy. He's invoking this old idea of meet late or early talent gets recognized eventually, regardless of where you start. By linking himself to Yi Yin, he's essentially saying, look, my worth is proven by what I do, not who my parents were. It completely shuts down that potential dissent among his own team and boosts his authority based on ability, vital for a rising power like Zhu. That's quite a lesson in leadership, isn't it? Turning an attack on your background into a defense of your core principles. But initially, Xia orders Cao Li executed. Was that just for show, to seem tough? Or was it like setting the stage for what comes next? Probably a bit of both. He had to show he wouldn't tolerate that kind of public challenge. But yeah, the ultimate goal seems to have been recruitment all along, which is why Huang Feihu, the witching king, steps in right away. Ah, OK. So Feihu stops the execution, argues Cao Li should be spared, turned to their side, says he could provide an arm strength later, and Xia agrees immediately. It shows that for Zhu, mercy and recruitment were maybe more valuable tools than just simple revenge. Absolutely. And once the execution is off the table, the game shifts. It's no longer about punishment. It's about persuasion. Feihu takes center stage, addressing Cao Li, who is now, finally, on his knees. Feihu's pitch is fascinating. He doesn't just talk ideals. He says Cao Li is basically ignorant of timing, terrain, and the will of the people. So what were the main sort of practical points he used to argue for defection? Well, Feihu uses his own recent defection as proof, which lends a lot of weight. First, he hits the military reality hard. He says Zhu already controls, what was it, two parts of the, three parts of the empire. The momentum has shifted. The regions don't respect King Zhu anymore. So he's basically saying, look at the map, continuing with Shang is just a bad bet. Pretty much. The numbers are against them. Second point is about King Zhu himself. Feihu describes his power as fleeting, like old strength and spring chill. It looks strong on the surface, maybe, but it's fundamentally weak and fading. And the king's crimes. Feihu argues they guarantee this conflict won't end until Shang falls. Then comes the moral justification, linking King Wu's virtue to the ancient sages, Yao and Shen, tying it all back to the mandate of heaven, saying this change is, well, historically and morally necessary. And the final punch is personal. It's his own story. He points out his title change from the Wucheng king who defends the nation to the one who opens the nation for Zhu. He's essentially saying, look, I was Shang's biggest defender, and even I switched. That proves the world is turning towards Zhu. Wow, that is really persuasive. And it works. Chaolay is convinced. The text says his heart bright and meaning clear. He surrenders. But then he worries. He's like, will Xia actually forgive me after I insulted him so badly? And Xia's response seals the deal. He accepts the surrender, states clearly that killing those who surrender is unrighteous. It sets a standard. Zhu rewards conversion. So Chaolay is welcomed in, becomes one of the court, and he even promises to recruit his brother, Chaotian, who's still outside the city. OK, and this is where we hit that major twist. Chaolay's conversion seems genuine, politically speaking, but it immediately runs headlong into this much deeper personal conflict. Exactly. This is the core tension of the whole story. Political duty versus family loyalty, filial piety. Chaolay meets his brother, Chaotian. And Chaotian is absolutely furious, calls him a deserving-to-die villain for being swayed by Feihu's clever words. And the reason for that, anger cuts right to the bone, doesn't it? Chaotian reveals the real problem. Their parents, wife, children, they're all still back in the Shang capital, Chaozhi. If the brothers defect openly, King Zhu will execute the entire family, instantly. So their political choice is kind of irrelevant because of this family obligation. Filial piety is paramount. It trumps pretty much everything else in this context. So Chaotian cooks up a scheme to try and save the family. Chaolay has to go back and tell Xia that Chaotian needs a formal invitation from a top general, specifically Huang Feihu, to come into the camp. And this request has two goals, right? One, it gives Chaotian the perfect setup for an ambush. And two, it lets the brothers pretend they were just following King Zhu's orders all along, which hopefully protects their family back in Chaozhi. Precisely. It's a pretty clever double-cross attempt, designed to lure a really valuable target like Feihu out into the open. But they seriously underestimated Zhang Xia. Right. The moment Chaolay comes back with this request for a formal invitation, Xia pauses. And his comment is just perfect. So your older brother requires an invitation. He gets it immediately. The text says, I knew the trickery of this villain. Xia saw right through it. He knew these were military men. The sudden demand for aristocratic ceremony, it just screamed deceit. But instead of calling them out right then, he plays along. He decides to turn their own trap against them. So he agrees to send Huang Feihu, just like they asked. But then he activates this, like, triple-layered counter-plan. Can we break that down? It sounds really complex. Why three groups? How did he know where they'd go? Yeah, this is where you see his genius for anticipation. He figures out their intent capture Feihu and their likely next move. Flee back towards the Shang border passes as fast as possible. So he needs forces ready at the ambush spot and along that escape route. OK, so Feihu and Chaolay go together. They're basically the bait. Correct. Then, the first response team, Xinjia and Xinyan, they leave quickly with a note telling them exactly where to intercept the fleeing Shang troops' Dragon's Mouth Pass. He anticipates the escape path. And the third layer, what's that for? That's Nangong Shi, the general who caught Chaolay in the first place. He gets a second note, telling him to wait in the Qishan area. Now, this is key. Qishan is rugged, unfamiliar territory for the Shang guys. It's a natural choke point for anyone just fleeing randomly through the mountains if the main escape is blocked. Wow. That's incredibly precise deployment. Xia wasn't just guessing they'd double-cross him. He predicted the ambush location and the only two logical escape routes. Which is exactly why the ambush itself works for the chaos, but falls apart immediately after. Feihu walks right into the trap. Chaotian yells, sees him. He's captured, stripped, bound. Chaotian's thrilled, thinks he's scored this huge win, orders a fast retreat to the passes. That celebration lasts, what, about 35 miles? Maybe 11, 12 miles? Because bam, they run straight into the first counter trap. Xinjia and Xinyan are waiting at Dragon's Mouth Pass. And it's instant chaos. Xinjia takes on Chaotian. Xinmyan rescues Feihu, who is, understandably, furious and humiliated. Chaolei sees the whole plan is blown and just bolts. He flees the scene immediately. Feihu, now free, quickly captures Chaotian. And Feihu's taunt is just great, reminding Chaotian this was all part of Xia's plan. You cannot escape the marvelous scheme and excellent calculation of Prime Minister Jian. But it's not quite over for Chaolei, the original defector. He's running scared, lost in the Shiki Mountains. Then, around the second watch, maybe midnight, 1am, he stumbles onto a main road. And runs right into Nangong Shi, who's been patiently waiting in the Qishan area, just like Xia ordered. The final layer of the trap springs shut. So the two brothers, caught by their own plan, are dragged back before Xia at dawn. Xia congratulates his generals, basically saying, See? Told you so. It did not go beyond my expectation. He underlines his victory by ordering them both executed, dismissing them as children or juniors. Wait, why execute them now? He must know by this point there's more to it. Is this another strategic move? Oh, absolutely. This feels like Xia's final play to get the absolute truth out of them, cutting through any lingering political excuses. Because as Chaolei is being dragged off, he cries out, Injustice. Xia pulls him back, asks how such an obvious plot could possibly be called injustice. And that's when Chaolei finally breaks. He confesses everything. The whole deception wasn't about loyalty to King Zhu at all. It was purely about trying to save their parents back in Chaozhou. They were actually convinced by Feihu's arguments for Zhu, but they felt trapped. They couldn't join Zhu without sacrificing their family. And this confession changes the game again. Xia confirms the family situation with Huang Feihu. He realizes he's not dealing with simple treachery anymore, but with this profound conflict of loyalties, driven by filial piety. It's a human constraint, not just political maneuvering. The final resolution is just brilliant. Xia pardons them, but it's conditional, strategic. Right. He lets Chaotian go as a gesture of good faith, but he keeps Chaolei as a Xi, essentially a hostage, to ensure cooperation. Then he sends Chaotian back to Chaozhou, but with a letter, with specific instructions from Xia. Their new mission, now officially sanctioned by Zhu, is to figure out a safe way to get the entire family out of the Shang capital.