From the Author
With Wu Ding we finally come out of the dark ages of this period of ancient Chinese history. The simple truth is that we just don't know much about the twenty-one or so rulers that came before Wu Ding.
It's likely that Wu Ding took over in 1250 BC, although with the dates we just used we see that he took over in 1255 BC. Still, 1250 BC is the accepted date now, so we'll have to pretend those five years didn't happen. It's not the best strategy, but when you're dealing with something so long ago there's not a whole lot you can do. Getting within five years is rather impressive in itself considering.
Wu Ding is considered one of the better rulers from this period, in large part because of what his father did. Xiao Yi had sent Wu off to the city of He to study at Ganpan, either a school of some sort or just an individual (Gan Pan was the name of Wu Ding's prime minister). It was there that Wu Ding was able to get a firm grasp of how the common people were living.
Wu Ding was also quite the ladies man, and used that to cement his rule further. It was his policy to marry one woman from each of the tribes swearing fealty to the Shang Dynasty. This was how he acquired sixty wives, one of whom was Fu Hao.
Fu Hao is one of the most intriguing women in all of China's long history. Few can match her bravery, intelligence and military prowess. Yes, she waged war, and did so better than any man alive at that time.
Before the archeological discoveries at Yinxu it wasn't even know that Fu Hao was a warrior. That all changed in 1976 when her tomb was opened for the first time. For instance, we know from inscriptions on oracle bones found there that she defeated the Tu-Fang tribe or kingdom, something the Shang had been trying to do for several generations without success. Fu Hao routed them in but a single engagement.
The Yi, Qiang and Ba tribes all followed, neither able to match her know-how, skill and luck on the battlefield. That last state of Ba got it particularly bad when Fu Hao ambushed them before they even saw it coming. Typically this woman general would go out with up to 13,000 soldiers and the help of other leading generals, such as Zhi and Hou Gao, both of whom realized she was the real deal. The large number of battle-axes found in her tomb attest to this fact.
It wasn't all war with Fu Hao, however. Wu Ding also entrusted her with spiritual matters, and many rituals, sacrifices and other ceremonies were performed by her. A special fiefdom on the country's borders was also set aside for her, and that's where she may have given birth to her sons. The oldest was exiled for twenty-five years from the kingdom, dying before taking the throne.
Fu Hao also died before her husband, and Wu Ding built a large tomb for her in Yin and even made offerings long after her death in the hope that it'd help him defeat other tribes on the edge of the empire.
Wu Ding had three sons with those sixty wives. As we saw, the oldest son named Ji was exiled and died there, although the why is unclear on both counts. Next there was Zu Geng, who succeeded his father, and then Zu Jia, who succeeded his older brother.
Writing also came into widespread use in China under Wu Ding's reign. China developed writing with the Oracle bone inscriptions that first appeared in 1200 BC.
Writing had first taken hold in Mesopotamia with the Sumerians in 2600 to 2500 BC. This was Cuneiform, the language of the first laws, which Hammurabi codified in the Akkadian language in 1772 BC. Akkadian had been the second written language to develop, just a century or two after Sumerian. It took root in Syria, and the Eblaite, Elamite, and Hurrian languages all developed in the same general area over the next few centuries.
By 1650 the Hittite writing system came into being in Turkey and the Ugaritic was the next, again in Syria, in 1300 BC. After that it was China, and the country never looked back.
Few Shang rulers are thought of as much as Wu Ding. He ruled for fifty-nine years and brought stability and peace to the empire before dying in 1192 BC.
From the Inside Flap
Da Xin: The Last Shang Dynasty KingIf you haven't had enough yet there's one more tale that really shows how far Da Xin had fallen, and how easy it is to understand why his army and court abandoned him later. This story involves Mei Bo, one of the most high-ranking officials in the royal court.One day Mei Bo saw Du, the official Shang Dynasty astrologer that'd served three kings possibly all the way back to Wu Yi. He was being escorted away by guards so Mei Bo stopped to see what was happening. When he questioned what was going on it was clear that Du was going to be killed, and for little if any reason other than to satisfy Da Xin and his wife's strange urges.Mei Bo couldn't let this happen and with the help of prime minister Shang Rong he was able to get a meeting with the king. Mei Bo tried to say how unjust this killing is, and he probably used some strong words. He explained that killing court officials was like cutting off your own arm. Da Xin didn't much want to hear that, so he ordered Mei Bo killed.Daji decided to use their 'toaster-torture' method, which involved filling a twenty-foot high metal container with burning wood and charcoal that was set upon two large wheels, much like an oversized-chariot. Mei Bo wasn't going down without saying what he felt, and he lambasted the king on his failures:"You stupid king! My death is as light as a feather. It matters very little whether I die or live. I am one of your highest ranking counselors. I have served three generations of kings in this dynasty. What crime have I committed? I only fear that Cheng Tang's [Tang of Shang] glorious reign will end by your stupidity and cruelty!"Mei Bo's clothes were removed and he was placed in the toaster. Horrible screams filled the halls of the palace as yet another innocent victim felt the fiery wrath of Da Xin and Daji.
