Yu the Great was the founding emperor of the Xia Dynasty, which lasted for over 400 years. The last emperor of the Xia Dynasty was Jie of Xia, a tyrant infamous in history.
The Shang Dynasty, which succeeded the Xia, ruled China for approximately 600 years. By the time of King Zhou of Shang, the dynasty was in decline and facing turbulent times.
King Zhou of Shang was also a tyrant. He neglected state affairs and spent his days indulging in luxury and debauchery, living a drunken and dissolute life.
One year, Su, a vassal state of the Shang, presented a beautiful woman named Daji to King Zhou, who became particularly fond of her. Daji had a peculiar temperament. To please her, King Zhou ordered the construction of a large pool filled with wine, with trees planted around it and strips of meat hanging from the branches. He then commanded many young men and women to bathe in the wine pool, chasing and playing. Anyone who could leap from the pool and bite the meat hanging from the branches would receive a reward. This is historically known as the "Pool of Wine and Forest of Meat."
Daji enjoyed watching this spectacle and would laugh every time. To keep Daji amused, King Zhou held these games almost daily.
To extort wealth from the people, King Zhou constructed a large building in his capital, Zhaoge, specifically to store money collected from all over the country. This towering structure was called the Deer Terrace. He also built a large warehouse to hoard grain taken from the common people.
The people lived in misery, so they began to rise in rebellion. Whenever there was resistance, King Zhou sent troops to suppress it, causing masses of people to flee to neighboring states in search of survival. This, in turn, allowed neighboring states to gradually grow stronger.
King Zhou also used brutal suppression against his own ministers. Anyone who disobeyed him would lose their head. Knowing Daji enjoyed novelty, he invented a torture device to execute people for her amusement. This device was a hollow copper pillar. The condemned person was tied to the pillar, and fire was lit inside the hollow pillar, heating the copper until it glowed red. The victim, bound to the pillar, would writhe in agony before being roasted to death.
Daji enjoyed watching the suffering of the victims before their death, and she would laugh at the sight. To keep Daji smiling, King Zhou found reasons to execute people daily for her entertainment. This cruel punishment was called "the Roasting Pillar."
One of King Zhou's upright ministers, Mei Bo, was deeply dissatisfied with the use of the "Roasting Pillar" to kill people. Regardless of his own safety, he advised King Zhou to abolish this cruel punishment.
King Zhou not only ignored Mei Bo's advice but also smiled and said to him, "Actually, the 'Roasting Pillar' isn't cruel, and the dead don't suffer much. If you don't believe me, you can try it yourself." After saying this, he frowned, waved his hand, and ordered the palace guards to drive Mei Bo toward the hollow copper pillar with spears. They stripped Mei Bo of his clothes and bound him to the pillar. Mei Bo screamed in agony as he was roasted by the red-hot copper.
King Zhou looked at Mei Bo and said, "Well, it's not as cruel as you imagined, is it?" Then he ordered the guards to release Mei Bo.
Mei Bo said to King Zhou, "Your Majesty, the Roasting Pillar is extremely cruel. A ruler should be benevolent. What you are doing is heinous! If this continues, the people will surely rebel against you, and the Shang dynasty will be destroyed by your hands."
Upon hearing this, King Zhou flew into a rage, waved his hand, and ordered the guards to bind Mei Bo to the pillar again and re-ignite the fire.
Mei Bo said to King Zhou, "Your Majesty, please grant me one request: let me be the last person to suffer the Roasting Pillar. Then I will die without regret."
At this moment, all the ministers in court knelt down together to plead for Mei Bo.
King Zhou said to the ministers, "Alright, for your sakes, I will spare him the Roasting Pillar. Instead, I will have his head cut off, then his body chopped into minced meat. You all shall taste the half-cooked minced meat and remember Mei Bo's lesson. From now on, do not slander me recklessly."
After the guards executed Mei Bo, they chopped his body into minced meat, placed it on a plate, and distributed it among the ministers to eat. Who among the ministers dared to refuse in King Zhou's presence? They had no choice but to close their eyes and eat the human minced meat.
Mei Bo's death terrified all the ministers, and no one dared to advise King Zhou again.
To intimidate the surrounding vassal states, King Zhou summoned three feudal lords—Ji Chang, Jiu Hou, and E Hou—to the capital, assigning them to oversee the various feudal lords across the country. These three held the title of "Fang Bo." If any feudal lord rebelled domestically, the overseeing "Fang Bo" would lead troops to suppress the rebellion.
Not long after the three "Fang Bos" and their families moved into the capital, King Zhou once visited Jiu Hou's home. Seeing that Jiu Hou's daughter was beautiful, he subtly suggested that Jiu Hou send her to the palace to become his concubine.
Jiu Hou dared not refuse and reluctantly sent his daughter to the palace. However, Jiu Hou's daughter already knew King Zhou was a corrupt ruler. After entering the palace, she always treated King Zhou indifferently, her face filled with sorrow every day. Once, King Zhou ordered her to laugh, threatening to kill her if she didn't. She said to King Zhou, "Kill me. Being by your side is more painful than death."
In a fit of anger, King Zhou had her killed.
When Jiu Hou received the news of his daughter's death, he burst into tears. Unfortunately, this was discovered by Fei Zhong, a favorite minister of King Zhou who had been planted near Jiu Hou, and he immediately reported it to King Zhou. King Zhou summoned the three "Fang Bos"—Jiu Hou, E Hou, and Ji Chang—to court. Ji Chang sensed that this summons was perilous and claimed illness, unable to attend.
Jiu Hou, E Hou, and the other ministers all attended court, and the atmosphere in the golden hall was extremely tense. Everyone felt a great disaster was imminent.
King Zhou said to Jiu Hou, "I was the one who killed your daughter. You cry—doesn't that mean you are dissatisfied with me?"
Jiu Hou defended himself, saying, "Your Majesty, I cried because I lost my daughter. This is only natural human emotion..."
King Zhou said, "You know about natural human emotion, but have you forgotten the etiquette between ruler and subject? It seems you disrespect your sovereign. Guards, take him away and execute him!"
Upon hearing this, E Hou immediately knelt down and pleaded for Jiu Hou, saying, "Your Majesty, Jiu Hou crying for his daughter is indeed natural human emotion. I beg you, for this old minister's sake, spare Jiu Hou's life..."
King Zhou not only ignored E Hou's plea but also roared, "Rebellion! All of you are rebelling! You dare to plead for a rebel—take him away and execute him too!"
King Zhou killed Jiu Hou and E Hou, then had their bodies cut into "dried meat" and "minced meat," sending it to be eaten by the Western Duke Ji Chang.
Ji Chang, in front of the royal envoy, ate the "dried meat" and "minced meat," saying to the envoy:
"Minister Ji Chang kowtows to thank the king for his gift. Jiu Hou and E Hou rebelled against the king, so they got what they deserved..."
After the royal envoy left, Ji Chang wept bitterly for the tragic deaths of his two old friends, while also feeling fortunate to have avoided disaster himself. From then on, Ji Chang feigned illness at home, never leaving his house. He knew that even this wouldn't prevent him from meeting the same fate as Jiu Hou and E Hou, so he secretly sent someone back to his own state of Zhou, instructing his son Ji Fa and minister San Yai to find a way to rescue him.
As Ji Chang had predicted, soon King Zhou moved against him, though he didn't kill Ji Chang immediately. Instead, he arrested him and threw him into prison.
When Ji Fa, the son of the Western Duke Ji Chang, heard the news of his father's imprisonment, he immediately gathered all the treasures of the state—fine horses, gems, and jade—and selected many beautiful women. He sent the Zhou minister San Yai to present these gifts to King Zhou and express his loyalty.
King Zhou accepted the gifts and San Yai's plea, releasing the Western Duke Ji Chang from prison. Ji Chang left the prison that very day and returned to the state of Zhou with San Yai.
After returning to Zhou, Ji Chang immediately began training his army and developing agriculture and animal husbandry, quickly making his state strong. The neighboring states of Zhou also began to submit to Zhou one after another.
As Zhou grew stronger, it had the power to challenge the Shang Dynasty. At this time, some tribes in the east of the Shang territory, seeing the Shang state weakened, began to repeatedly invade and provoke small-scale wars. The Shang Dynasty faced threats from the powerful Zhou state in the west and invasions from tribes in the east, caught in a dangerous pincer.
To stabilize the domestic situation, King Zhou mobilized all his troops to launch an offensive against the eastern tribes. Originally, King Zhou had agreed with the western state of Zhou that during the Shang's eastern campaign, Zhou must remain neutral and not move its troops. However, when King Zhou was fighting in the east, Zhou immediately launched an attack on the Shang, forcing the Shang to fight on two fronts. By this time, the Western Duke Ji Chang had passed away. His son Ji Fa carried his father's spirit tablet, claiming to avenge his father, and led his troops eastward.
King Zhou's uncle, Bi Gan, sensing the urgency of the situation, risked his life to urge King Zhou to quickly recall the troops from the eastern front and return to defend the Yellow River, preventing the Zhou army from crossing.
King Zhou reluctantly accepted Bi Gan's suggestion and began withdrawing some troops from the eastern front. However, before the Shang defensive forces reached the eastern bank of the Yellow River, the Zhou forces on the western bank had already withdrawn. Zhou then sent an envoy to King Zhou, saying, "Our march toward the Yellow River was merely an exercise. We hope Your Majesty won't take it to heart."
At this time, because some troops had been withdrawn from the eastern front, the situation in the east became tense again. King Zhou immediately ordered the troops returning to defend the Yellow River to turn back, abandon the defense of the river, and continue reinforcing the eastern front.
Bi Gan said to King Zhou, "This won't do, Your Majesty! Zhou's withdrawal is meant to deceive us. As soon as our river defense troops turn back, they will immediately cross the Yellow River. If this happens, the Shang Dynasty will fall."
King Zhou became angry and rebuked him, "Last time you said Zhou would cross the Yellow River, so I listened to you and sent troops to guard the river. Now the Zhou troops have already retreated, and both banks of the Yellow River are peaceful. You still won't let me reinforce the eastern front. Do you deliberately want me to retreat on the eastern battlefield? What are you really thinking?"
Bi Gan said, "I've followed Your Majesty for so many years. Don't you know my intentions?"
This remark enraged King Zhou, who said, "I truly don't know what you're thinking. Since you claim to be a loyal minister, let me see your heart!"
At King Zhou's command, the guards threw Bi Gan to the ground, used a sharp knife to cut open his chest, and took out a heart dripping with blood.
Not long after King Zhou killed Bi Gan, King Wu of Zhou, son of the Western Duke Ji Chang, led his army across the Yellow River and advanced steadily toward the Shang capital.
King Zhou wanted to recall the troops from the eastern front to defend the capital, but it was too late. In desperation, he hastily assembled prisoners of war and released convicts from prison, forming them into temporary units to fight the Zhou army. This motley crew had no real fighting spirit; they already hated King Zhou, and in this critical moment, who would fight for him? During the battle, they defected en masse, turning against the palace guards escorting them and becoming the vanguard of the Zhou forces. As a result, the Shang army completely disintegrated and was utterly defeated.
When King Wu of Zhou led his troops into the capital of Zhaoge, King Zhou knew his downfall was inevitable. He knelt on the Deer Terrace, where treasures were stored, and set a great fire, hoping to end his life along with his wealth. In the end, the fire only ended the life of this tyrant, while the jewels and jade stored on the Deer Terrace were preserved, becoming the property of the new master.
Thus, the Shang Dynasty's rule over China ended, and a new dynasty—the Zhou Dynasty—began, with its first ruler being King Wu of Zhou.