The Battle of Muye (or Mu) (牧野之戰) was fought in China in 1046 BC. The battle led to the end of the Shang dynasty, and the beginning of the Zhou dynasty. The Zhou dynasty marks the beginning of the feudal phase of Chinese history. Yin is said to be the last capital of the Chinese Shang Dynasty (1600 BC - 1046 BC). ... Henan (Chinese: 河南; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ho-nan), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. ... Remnants of advanced, stratified societies dating back to the Shang period have been found in the Yellow River Valley. ... Boundaries of the Western Zhou Dynasty (1050 - 771 BC) in China The Zhou Dynasty (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chou Ch`ao; 1122 BC to 256 BC [1] preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... King Wu of Zhou (Chinese: ; pinyin: zhōu wÅ­ wáng) or King Wu of Chou was the first sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. ... (Redirected from 1046 BC) Centuries: 12th century BC - 11th century BC - 10th century BC Decades: 1090s BC 1080s BC 1070s BC 1060s BC 1050s BC - 1040s BC - 1030s BC 1020s BC 1010s BC 1000s BC 990s BC Events and Trends 1048 BC - Medon, King of Athens, dies after a reign... Remnants of advanced, stratified societies dating back to the Shang period have been found in the Yellow River Valley. ... Boundaries of the Western Zhou Dynasty (1050 - 771 BC) in China The Zhou Dynasty (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chou Ch`ao; 1122 BC to 256 BC [1] preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. ...

Background

By the 13th century BC, Shang influence had reached what is now Gansu Province, a region that was occupied by a people known as the Zhou. King Wen of Zhou (Ji Chang), the ruler of the Zhou, who was a Shang vassal, was given the title "Count of the West" by the King Di Xin of Shang(King Zhou). Di Xin used Wen to guard his rear while he was involved in a south-eastern campaign. Gansu (Simplified Chinese: 甘肃; Traditional Chinese: 甘肅; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Kan-su, Kansu, or Kan-suh) is a province located in the northwest of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Zhou refers to Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC - 256 BC) or Zhou state Zhou Dynasty (690 AD - 705 AD) Zhou (political division) — Zhou is the name of a political/administrative division of China. ... King Wen of Zhou (chinese: 周文王, pinyin: zhou1 wen2 wang2) (1099-1050 BC) was the founder of the later 周朝 Zhou Dynasty. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Eventually Di Xin, fearing Wen's growing power, imprisoned him. Although Wen was later released, the tension between Shang and Zhou grew. Wen prepared his army, and conquared a few smaller loyal states to Shang, slowly weakening Shang 's allies. However, Wen died in 1050BC before Zhou 's actual offence against Shang.

Di Xin paid very little attention to these, as he viewed himself as the rightful ruler of China, a position appointed by the heavens.

Wen's son Wu (Ji Fa) led the Zhou in a revolt a few years later. The reason for this delay was because Wu believed that the "heavenly order" to conquar Shang had not been given. King Wu of Zhou (Chinese: ; pinyin: zhōu wŭ wáng) or King Wu of Chou was the first sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. ...

The Chinese civilians greatly supported Ji 's rebellion. Di Xin, initially, had been an good ruler. But after he married Daji, he became an ruthless ruler. Many called for the end of the Shang Dynasty. Da Ji, as she appears in Warriors Orochi. ... Remnants of advanced, stratified societies dating back to the Shang period have been found in the Yellow River Valley. ...

Battle

Wu led an army of about 50,000. Di Xin's army was at war in the east, but he still had about 530,000 men to defend the capital city of Yin. But to further secure his victory, he gave weapons to about 130,000 slaves to protect the capitol. The slaves did not want to fight for the corrupted Shang Dyansty, and joined the Zhou army instead. Yin is said to be the last capital of the Chinese Shang Dynasty (1600 BC - 1046 BC). ...

This event grealy lowered the moral of the Shang troops. When engaged, many Shang soldiers did not fight and held their spear upside down, as a sign that they no longer want to fight for the corrupted Shang. Some Shang soldiers joined the Zhou side altogether.

Still, many loyal Shang troops fought on, and a very bloody battle followed. The Zhou troops were much better trained, and their morales were high. In one of the Chariot charges, Wu broke though the Shang 's defense line. Di Xin was forced to flee to his palace, and the remaining Shang troops fell into further chaos. The Zhou were victorious and showed little mercy to the defeated Shang, shedding enough blood "to float a log".

Aftermath

After the battle Di Xin placed many valuable jewelry on himself, and lighted a fire and burned himself to death in his palace. Wu personally killed Daji after he founded her. Shang officals were released without charges, and some later worked as Zhou officials. The imperial rice storage was opened right after the battle, to feed the starving population.

This Battle leaves Wu as master of most of the Huang He valley. Wu proclaimed the Zhou dynasty. For other Yellow Rivers, see Yellow River (disambiguation). ... Boundaries of the Western Zhou Dynasty (1050 - 771 BC) in China The Zhou Dynasty (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chou Ch`ao; 1122 BC to 256 BC [1] preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. ...