Nangong Shi frowned. "I'm afraid we won't be able to calm them down. The Shang Army's cowardice has already stirred their arrogance, and they firmly believe King Zhou suffered Heaven's punishment for his tyranny. Their blood is boiling, and all they can think about is acting in Heaven's name and attacking the Shang Army."
Lei Zhenzi was worried too. "King Zhou certainly hasn't suffered Heaven's punishment. We mustn't send troops out recklessly, but how are we supposed to explain that to the men?"
Silence fell. This was the hardest part of their predicament. King Zhou had become so utterly incompetent-how could he not have suffered Heaven's punishment?
If no one had thought along those lines before, that would have been one thing. But now everyone believed King Zhou was so wicked that even one bout of heavenly punishment could not wash away his sins. For him to escape punishment altogether raised some troubling questions.
If Heaven refused to punish someone so wicked that he could not even father a son, what sort of Heaven was it? Did it have any authority at all?
They discussed the matter for a long time, only to find themselves forced to send out troops.
Although the commanders all thought this looked more like a ploy to lure them in, the soldiers disagreed. This was Heaven's punishment, and Heaven's punishment it had to be!
Fortunately, Ji Fa and the others had reacted beforehand. Though the men's outrage forced them to risk leaving the pass to attack the Shang Army, they made thorough preparations. First, they sent small detachments outside the Shang Army's main camp to shout abuse, proclaiming that King Zhou had committed countless injustices, defied Heaven's will, and suffered Heaven's punishment, and that Great Shang was doomed. They spread the news far and wide