Jiang Ziya had marched slowly all the way and only now arrived, chiefly to establish Zhou's leadership among the feudal lords. He would overawe them with the name of the Son of Heaven and a powerful army, while making every lord along the western route send troops to join the Conquest of Zhou. Only then could he truly claim the moral high ground and bind the lords firmly to his war chariot.
He should have had to wait a while longer, but unexpectedly, King Zhou had cooked up a Transcendence Ritual, actually intending to hold sacrificial rites to deliver the souls of his soldiers, sparing no expense in money or grain. The ritual regulations Shen Gongbao proposed nearly rivaled the rites accorded to feudal lords.
Wasn't this perfect?
Let the feudal lords see it with their own eyes. With rites like these, wasn't a King Zhou like this precisely the man they ought to attack?
He treated nobles perfunctorily, yet showed extraordinary solemnity toward soldiers born as slaves? There might even be plenty of lowly slaves among them who had escaped from those very lords' households!
Zi Shou had been woken early that morning by the horns. Shen Gongbao had seen through Jiang Ziya's purpose and specially requested an audience to offer a few tactful words of advice. Holding the Transcendence Ritual was fine, but it would be best to do it inside the pass. Everyone might know what had been done, but as long as they did not witness it personally, there would still be a last sliver of room to maneuver.
Naturally, Zi Shou refused. What maneuvering? Take him head-on! We must leave the pass!
After issuing the edict to hold the Transcendence Ritual outside the pass, he fell sound asleep again. The sun had only just risen;