activa-t Chapter 1 Young Master
Chapter 1 Young Master
"Heaven sees as my people see; Heaven hears as my people hear." — Book of Documents
Mengjin was a good ferry crossing along the Yellow River, not far from Chaoge. In order to test his appeal and gauge the attitudes of the various vassal states and the reaction of the Shang king, King Fa of Zhou took advantage of King Zhou of Shang's military campaign in the southeast and led tens of thousands of troops eastward to Mengjin to convene a meeting of vassal states from all over the world.
In a short time, the surrounding states responded one by one, and in the end, eight hundred vassal lords rebelled against Yin and came to the alliance.
However, Ji Fa was not happy at this moment. Jiang Shang, whom he respectfully addressed as "Master Shangfu," said:
"Although there are eight hundred lords at the alliance meeting, they are all small and weak states. No major powers have come to participate, and no talented individuals from Chaoge City have come to join us..."
At this point, Ji Fa sighed deeply, "Now is not the time to attack Emperor Zhou."
Jiang Shang nodded in agreement: "The wise man Zigan is still involved in the government affairs of the Shang state. The powerful lords are in awe of him, so they dare not come to the alliance meeting. The time is not yet ripe. We should go back and wait."
Just then, someone suddenly came from outside the tent to report: "Zhang Zhao, a wise man from the Shang Kingdom, has brought his entire Zhang clan to seek refuge with our king!"
Upon hearing this, Ji Fa was overjoyed: "I've heard that Zhang Zhao is a renowned sage in Chaoge, deeply loved by the people of Yin. After the sage Shang Rong was dismissed by Emperor Zhou, Zi Gan suggested that Zhang Zhao be put in charge of the rites and music of the Shang state. However, like Shang Rong, he was dismissed again for repeatedly remonstrating with Emperor Zhou. Now that such a talented and virtuous man has come to serve me, how can I be negligent? Quickly, invite him in!"
A handsome young man with a slender build was led into the tent by his attendant.
"Zhao greets Your Majesty."
As soon as the young man bowed, Ji Fa immediately leaned over, pulled Zhang Zhao to sit down, and scrutinized this renowned sage with intense eyes. Then, he humbly inquired:
"I should be very happy that Duke Zhao has come from Chaoge to seek refuge with me. Although the Shang state has lost the Mandate of Heaven, its military strength is still very strong, and wise men like Zigan are still in charge of the government. I am very worried about this. I wonder if Duke Zhao has any advice for me?"
Zhang Zhao, to be precise, is named Zhang Jianyue; Zhang Zhao is his name in this world.
Zhang Zhao hadn't expected Ji Fa to get straight to the point. He sighed and replied:
"Emperor Zhou is tyrannical and has lost all the Mandate of Heaven. Zigan, as the king's uncle, has repeatedly advised against it to no avail. I can already see the end of the Shang Dynasty. I do not wish to aid and abet Zhou's evil deeds, so I have brought my people to seek refuge with Your Majesty."
Zhang Zhao paused, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Upon arriving before Your Majesty's tent, I observed that the lords outside were mostly minor regional rulers, primarily from Guanzhong and the Jianghan region. Such forces are insufficient to contend with the Shang Kingdom. I hope Your Majesty can send spies to Chaoge to gather intelligence, and then return to Qizhou to reorganize the military and accumulate strength, awaiting the opportune moment."
"The Peng Kingdom was forced to migrate because their ancestors were conquered by the Shang King, so they are full of resentment towards the Shang Kingdom. The Pu Kingdom has been oppressed by the Shang Kingdom for a long time. As long as Your Majesty attacks Emperor Zhou, these two kingdoms will definitely raise troops to follow the royal army and jointly attack the Shang Kingdom."
"Yong State in Liangzhou and Shu State are powerful states along the Yangtze and Han Rivers. They are both powerful vassal states. If they can also follow Your Majesty to overthrow Emperor Zhou, then the great cause can be accomplished."
The Book of Documents, in the chapter "The Oath at Mu", records the story of the eight states following King Wu in his campaign against King Zhou.
Zhang Zhao is simply releasing this list based on his memory.
But as soon as he said that, the tent fell silent.
Ji Fa had only asked for advice out of habit, and did not expect this wise man from Chaoge to come up with any earth-shattering strategies immediately.
However, Zhang Zhao not only analyzed the current alliance of feudal lords, but also pointed out the movements and positions of the four states of Yong, Shu, Peng, and Pu. These states are located to the south and southwest of Qizhou. Some have close ties with Qizhou, while others have always acted independently. Even the old ministers around Ji Fa may not be able to sort out the attitudes of these states so clearly.
He couldn't help but re-examine the young man in front of him.
"Duke Zhao, residing in Chaoge, knows so much about the affairs of the world," Ji Fa couldn't help but exclaim. "Now that I have Duke Zhao's assistance, isn't this like a fish finding water?"
Then, he respectfully bowed to Zhang Zhao, who dared not accept it and quickly stopped him, saying, "Your Majesty is the ruler of a country. How can you so easily bow to a subject like me? Wouldn't that make me seem like a subject deserving of death?"
After saying this, Zhang Zhao knelt down and kowtowed, looking as if he was begging for forgiveness.
Upon seeing this, Ji Fa hurriedly rose and helped Zhang Zhao up with both hands, speaking earnestly, "What are you doing, Lord Zhao? I, Ji Fa, am eager to find worthy men; how can I blame a virtuous minister for a mere formality? Please rise!"
Zhang Zhao did not refuse. After saying "Your Majesty is benevolent," he stood up and stood with his hands at his sides, secretly relieved.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't nervous if I traveled back three thousand years to face King Wu of Zhou.
Fortunately, although he was not a history major in his previous life, he had a wide range of interests. He had a large amount of knowledge in his mind, including the Records of the Grand Historian, the Book of Documents, the Bamboo Annals, and various historical novels and storytelling performances from later generations.
With the original owner's memories and knowledge, dealing with the current situation is not difficult.
Jiang Shang stroked his beard and smiled, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Zhao with profound insight: "Zhao Gong is truly a wise man sent by Heaven to assist Your Majesty in establishing an everlasting legacy!"
Zhang Zhao turned to the old man, who was later revered as the patriarch of military strategists, and respectfully bowed, saying, "I dare not accept such a bow."
Ji Fa, who was standing to the side, pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Duke Zhao just said that I should return to Qizhou to reorganize the military. In your opinion, should this Mengjin alliance be dissolved?"
"Exactly," Zhang Zhao said frankly. "The alliance has already achieved the momentum of thousands of lords coming to submit. Your Majesty has used this to see who is willing to follow, who is watching from the sidelines, and who has ulterior motives. Now that Zigan is still in the court and the main force of the Shang Kingdom has not been damaged, it is difficult to predict the outcome of a rash eastward advance. It would be better to retreat for the time being and conserve our strength."
Ji Fa glanced at Jiang Shang, who nodded slightly.
"Very well," Ji Fa said, slamming his hand on the table. "Then we will do as Duke Zhao says and withdraw our troops back to Qizhou in three days. If Duke Zhao does not mind, I am willing to treat him as Junior Tutor. I only ask that Duke Zhao assist me as he would Shangfu!"
Zhang Zhao felt a chill run down his spine. In the Zhou Dynasty, the title of Junior Tutor was an extremely high honor, although the position was only below the Three Dukes and had no actual duties.
But he was just a commoner who came here from a merchant family, yet Ji Fa treated him as a junior tutor. How could he not be moved?
He rose and bowed, saying, "Zhao, how dare I disobey your command?"
[Ding~ You have completed the historical milestone - Observing the Military at Mengjin]
You have become the Junior Tutor of Qi Zhou, highly valued by King Wu of Zhou, Ji Fa. Your name is etched in history, your clan reputation has increased by 5000, and you have obtained the item—Celestial Rank Celestial Phenomenon Card.
Celestial Phenomenon Card: After use, it can trigger various celestial phenomena at random times. The time spent each time will vary depending on the effect, and the specific effects are uncertain (e.g., meteorite fall, earth dragon overturning, celestial dog eating the sun, etc.).
Dream Message: 3/3 (Currently unavailable)
The voice that rang in his mind made Zhang Zhao secretly breathe a sigh of relief. This was the game panel that had come with him from another world, called My Family Simulator. The condition for activating it was to participate in an important historical event.
This was his true purpose in bringing his entire clan to seek refuge with King Wu.
However, he did not expect that he would be given a celestial phenomenon card simply for completing the Mengjin military observation.
The Celestial Card is a very precious item. I never managed to get it when I played the game in my previous life, but I never expected to get it now.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
"Heaven sees as my people see, Heaven hears as my people hear. If the people have erred, the blame lies with me alone, and I will certainly go to the capital." — *The Book of Documents*, "The Great Oath"
"Huayang and Heishui are located in Liangzhou (Shaanxi, the Sichuan Basin, Hanzhong, and parts of Yunnan and Guizhou)"—Shangshu·Yugong
"The King said: Alas! My allied ruler, with his ministers: the Minister of Education, the Minister of War, the Minister of Works, the Assistant Ministers, the Masters, the commanders of a thousand men and a hundred men, and the people of Yong, Shu, Qiang, Mao, Wei, Lu, Peng, and Pu. Raise your spears, straighten your shields, and prepare your swear." — *The Oath of Mu* (Book of Documents)
"After King Wu completed his three-year mourning period, he inspected his troops at Mengjin to divine the intentions of the feudal lords in their campaign against King Zhou." — Commentary on the "Tai Shi" chapter of the Book of Documents
"In the ninth year of the king's reign, he inspected the troops at Mengjin. Wen Zhao heard of this and offered his services." — Records of the Grand Historian, Annals of Zhou
"The Junior Tutor, Junior Preceptor, and Junior Protector are called the Three Sovereigns. These two officials promote moral virtue, illuminate heaven and earth, and assist the ruler." — Book of Documents, Zhou Dynasty, Chapter 22