Chapter 275: Chapter 226: Former History
The Yin people are quite a complex group.
Unlike the dynasties and clans of today, which are divided by region or lineage, the Yin people revered only strength itself. Rather than a tribe, they were more like an armed group composed of warriors—each Yin person was a warrior, not a soldier, but a warrior. They required no formations or commands; they could stand alone.
Or rather, they could massacre an entire place by themselves.
In Yin society, there were only two kinds of people: warriors who could fight, wielding strength and enjoying the support of the entire group, and the slaves conquered by the warriors, who could not fight and were responsible for supporting the entire group. It was precisely because of the labor of these slaves that the warriors could fully devote themselves to the practice of combat, making Yin warriors far more powerful than those of other groups.
And after becoming powerful, there was conquest.
As the strong, the Yin people plundered everything, and everything they plundered only made them stronger. This cycle continued until the Yin people’s might reached the pinnacle of that era—at least during Wuzhao’s time, no tribe could defeat the Yin people.
After all, even when their mentor, the strong priest, was still around, the Yin were already invincible in the world. Just four or five Yin warriors could destroy an entire tribe. In the era when Wuzhao was active, these formidable Yin warriors did not even need any support. A single terrifying warrior was enough to ravage cities and states; to smaller tribes, they were like moving disasters.
So, one might ask, how could such formidable Yin people be overthrown?
"An external enemy? Impossible?"
After thinking for a moment, Wuzhao shook his head.
It couldn’t be an external enemy, given the spirit of the Yin. Were there an enemy that could threaten them, the Yin might actually be thrilled—for an enemy capable of threatening them meant they had a chance to become stronger, and Yin warriors had long wished for more challenges. How could they possibly worry about external enemies?
They would only worry if the enemies didn’t come; otherwise, they’d have to relieve their boredom by fighting each other.
"So... internal conflict? Seems unlikely too."
Wuzhao grew increasingly puzzled.
The Yin weren’t strangers to internal strife. Everyone being warriors, tempers ran high, and sometimes, in routine sparring, someone might accidentally die and it wouldn’t be rare—but even if internal conflicts led to a batch of Yin warriors dying in vain, the rising warriors would still be Yin.
So, the concept of extinction was irrelevant, as it was merely a change of warriors.
"Then, there’s the explanation from later generations."
Wuzhao narrowed his eyes.
According to contemporary beliefs, the group that overthrew the Yin reign was a vassal state under their rule. This clan, with "Ji" as its appellation, launched a campaign against the decadent and immoral Yin kings, during which the Yin king mustered a slave army...
"That’s nonsense."
Wuzhao frowned.
The Yin were a warrior society, where one warrior could annihilate countless slaves. Would they bother forming a military with slaves who bore no combat power? As for the notion of a vassal state, within the Yin concept, it was impossible. In their society, there were only warriors and slaves.
When slaves truly acquired combat power, they naturally became warriors, thus one of the Yin. If not a Yin, they were slaves, powerless beings.
How could a group of powerless slaves defeat warriors wielding strength?
What could they use to fight against warriors? Their powerless lives?
Perhaps amongst ordinary people, sacrificing one’s life might allow for a one-to-one trade, but against actual warriors, even surrendering their lives was futile. The gap between them was too vast to bridge, greater even than the difference between an ant and an elephant; quantity couldn’t compensate for such disparities.
Moreover, there was an indispensable point.
For the Yin, the concept of kings did not exist.
The term "king" is a future construct, a hereditary title within royal dynasties—a succession. But not so for the Yin; they were purely a warrior group. Only those who became warriors were recognized as Yin, and even their descendants, if not warriors, weren’t considered Yin.
Of course, as the saying goes, every snake needs a head. The Yin, being a warrior group, had their leaders, often the strongest among the tribe, a warrior among warriors. With power rivaling that of deities, they were seen as closest to the divine, revered as priests, overseeing rituals and war, using their divine-like power to aid others in communicating with gods.
Therefore, strength was the key to becoming a leader of the Yin. Without god-like power, one couldn’t gain recognition from the warriors.
Even if later records misclassified these potent priests as kings, how could such powerful kings be overthrown?
These were warriors among warriors, closest to the divine.
"Could it be that something happened during this time unknown to me?"
Wuzhao was confused, possibly due to his prolonged slumber.
But this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for him. If there was indeed a force capable of overthrowing the entire Yin, it signified a new adversary for him—for someone like him, a foe stronger than himself was the best thing imaginable.
However, before facing this unknown enemy, he had to first defeat Du Chengfeng.
This was the first step to establishing himself in this era.
"Still, I should recover a bit before taking action, at least eat something... huh?"
At that moment, Wuzhao looked up.
"Is that a roasted chicken?"
Gazing at the gray-black phoenix soaring nearby, Wuzhao couldn’t help but smile.
