Changes kept erupting within the Shang Dynasty, while the battles beyond its borders grew ever more tense.
The anxiety of the war situation made Di Xin's temperament even harder to predict. One day, on a sudden whim, he decided to summon the other four regional lords to come and pay him homage.
The moment those words were spoken, they threw everyone into a panic.
The rulers and sovereigns of the feudal states possessed their greatest strength only within their own lands. Once they entered another feudal state, not only could they not fully wield their power, they would also be constrained by the land and national fortune of that territory.
Ordinarily, feudal states sent representatives to offer court homage.
When rulers or sovereigns went to another land, aside from going to war, there was basically only one possibility: being taken captive.
Everyone within Yin-Shang believed that Di Xin's move would provoke the lords of the four directions.
What happened afterward was somewhat beyond everyone's expectations, yet also perfectly reasonable. Jiang Huanchu, the Eastern Lord and Di Xin's father-in-law, was the first to step forward in firm support. Chong Houhu, the Northern Lord, did the same. Much like the Huang Family from before, he was one of Di Xin's utterly devoted loyalists.
Two of the Four Lords had already agreed. E Chongyu, the Southern Lord, was rather straightforward by nature, and seeing that the situation was amiss, he too declared that he was willing to go.
That left Ji Chang, the Western Lord, who naturally had no other choice.
As the ruler of Zhou State, Ji Chang knew very well that although the Shang Dynasty's fortune was in turmoil, it had not yet reached the point of mountains exhausted and rivers spent. If he refused, the other side would certainly launch