In the eyes of the feudal lords and nobles, King Zhou's response seemed pale and powerless.
At most, it could rally those who already supported Great Shang. But the feudal lords and nobles who truly ruled the world could use these ten irrefutable charges to wage war against Great Shang.
As for the fact that every charge left out what had followed, and that each deed had actually brought enormous benefits, none of that mattered. Cut away half and leave the other half; all they needed was a pretext for the feudal lords to march to war.
As long as every stratum of the nobility acknowledged these ten charges, even white could be painted black.
The common people were even easier to fool. Public opinion lay in the hands of the nobles. The more nobles opposed Shang, the more claims circulated that King Zhou was a tyrant without virtue. Under such influence, the people would naturally be misled.
The feudal lords and nobles were in excellent spirits. After all, they held Great Shang's lifeline in their hands and dictated its fate. How could they not be pleased?
Ji Fa stood motionless atop the Eight-Steed Chariot. For a moment, the atmosphere was oppressively tense.
He glanced around at the Ancestor Statues and the coffins that had broken through the earth. A faint, mysterious sensation stirred within him, making him shudder.
"King Zhou of Shang is guilty, his crimes greater than Heaven itself. He is unworthy of offering sacrifices. Yet we revere our ancestors, and interrupting the rites was already an act forced upon us. Why not continue the rites and pay homage to our ancestors?"
Ji Fa spoke with his hands clasped in salute.
The feudal lords and nobles were tempted. This would amount to condemning King Zhou before the ancestors,