The Battle of Makino is one of the most famous battles in Chinese history, taking place in 1046 BC and was a decisive battle between the combined forces of King Wu of Zhou and the Shang Dynasty at Makino (south of present-day Qi County, north of the Wei River, near Xinxiang City). This battle determined the course of Chinese history, marking the end of the Shang dynasty and the rise of the Zhou dynasty.
At the end of the Shang Dynasty, the Shang king was desolate and tyrannical, tortured indiscriminately at home, and continued to conquer abroad, resulting in the domestic people living in poverty and complaining. At the same time, the Zhou people were rapidly rising in the Shaanxi region, and Ji Fa, the king of Zhou, was an ambitious monarch who was determined to destroy the Shang dynasty and establish a new dynasty.
In the fourth year of King Wu of Zhou (1057 BC, 1027 BC;In December, Ji Fa led the Zhou army and Yong, Shu, Qiang, Ji, Wei, Lu, Peng, Pu and other parties to form a coalition army to attack the Shang Dynasty. The coalition forces marched southeast from Hojing, and after months of marching, finally arrived at Chaoge, the capital of the Shang Dynasty.
At this time, the king of Shang had realized that his reign was coming to an end, but he did not want to give up easily, and decided to lead the Shang army against the Zhou army. Although the merchant army led by the king of Shang was numerous, the soldiers were demoralized and lacked fighting spirit. In contrast, the coalition forces led by King Wu of Zhou were highly moraled, well-equipped, and well-trained.
On the battlefield of Muye, King Wu of Zhou gave the order to attack, and the Zhou army rushed towards the Shang army like a tiger descending from a mountain. After fierce confrontations, the Shang army gradually could not resist the offensive of the Zhou army and began to retreat. The Zhou army took advantage of the victory to pursue and further expand the results.
Seeing that the general trend had gone, the king of Shang retreated to the city of Chaoge. He knew that his reign was over, so he ascended to Lutai ** and died. The ** and soldiers of the Shang Dynasty surrendered to the Zhou army one after another. Ji Fa, the king of Zhou Wu, successfully entered the Chaoge City and took over the territory and people of the Shang Dynasty.
After King Wu of Zhou entered the court, he pacified the people and stabilized the situation. He took a series of measures to consolidate his dominance, including dividing the feudal heroes, formulating a ceremonial system, and implementing the Ida system. He also divided the remnants of the Yin Shang into two parts, the Yin State and the Zhou State, to prevent the rebellion of the Yin Shang remnants.
Soon after the Battle of Muye, King Wu of Zhou conquered other Fang states and tribes that refused to belong to the Zhou Dynasty, further expanding the territory and sphere of influence of the Zhou Dynasty. Eventually, King Wu of Zhou succeeded in establishing the Western Zhou Dynasty and became a great monarch in Chinese history.
The Battle of Makino not only marked the end of the Shang Dynasty and the rise of the Western Zhou Dynasty, but also profoundly influenced the course of Chinese history. This battle established the feudal system represented by Zhou and promoted the economic development and cultural prosperity of Chinese society. At the same time, the Battle of Makino has also become one of the classic examples in the history of Chinese warfare, and has been praised by future generations.