At first, only the newcomers who had moved from remote, impoverished villages were shouting.
But gradually, everyone began to shout.
King Zhou had been on the throne for eight years, and the common people's lives had not really changed. Their days were still hard. Only after the Wan Nian Calendar was established had farming become much easier. Though rice and wheat cultivation were being promoted, they would have to wait until next year to see the results.
But they had learned that King Zhou had personally entered the battlefield and fought the Tu Fang cavalry.
There had never been any talk of kings personally going into battle. Even Cheng Tang, who founded the dynasty, and Wu Ding, who restored its glory, had no recorded instances of fighting enemy generals themselves. More often, they commanded their soldiers to charge.
Yet King Zhou had done exactly that. Even after riding back behind the lines, where he could have remained safe and free of worry, he had dismounted and charged into the enemy ranks.
King Zhou had protected Chaoge with his own hands, protecting the people within it.
After those with a little education explained things, the common people learned more.
A single treaty would have spared him the danger of battle, but King Zhou had refused.
The people put themselves in his shoes. Without anyone to mediate, if two families fell into a dispute and one was more powerful, the other would choose to swallow a loss and keep the peace rather than make a scene. Still less would anyone dare come to blows.
Presumably, things were much the same between King Zhou and Tu Fang. Yet King Zhou had refused to keep the peace. He simply would not bow his head, charging in recklessly at the risk of his own life.