Translation of Chen Da's Works

The king said, "ah! I want to tell you solemnly, princes and ministers of all countries. Oh, no! God has brought disaster to our country, and the disaster continues to develop and does not stop. Now I am in charge of our eternal authority instead of my young nephew, but I have never met a wise man who can guide our people to a safe place, let alone someone who knows their fate.

Alas! My situation is as dangerous as crossing an abyss, and I can only find a way to tide it over. First put the tortoise down for divination, and let it show how our predecessors were appointed by heaven. Such a great achievement should not be forgotten. We dare not conceal the majesty of God's will, but use the big turtle left by King Wen to make divination, so that we can understand God's will. As a result, the Oracle said,' there will be great disasters in the west, and westerners will not be at peace.' So these conspirators are more eager to act. The remnants of Yin Shang dare to attempt to restore their dominant position. God has given us a disaster. These remnants know that our country is in chaos because of the disaster, and they even arrogantly declare:' We want to restore our rule, but they look down on our week even more. Now they have launched a rebellion and people in some places have responded to their rebellion. But as long as I have ten wise ministers to help me, I can quickly put down the rebellion and complete the martial arts that King Wen and King Wu tried to achieve. I'm going to wage a war to put down the rebellion now. Is this a bad thing or a good thing? My divination results are auspicious.

Therefore, I want to tell the monarchs and officials of our friendly countries: I have a good omen, and I will lead you to fight the fugitives of Yin. However, you monarchs and your officials are against my opinion, saying,' The difficulty is too great, people are not calm, and things have happened in the palace and the minister's house recently. Some of them are our respected elders, fathers and brothers, and we should not punish them. King! "Why don't you go against this omen?"

Zhou Wenwang, now I should think carefully about the difficulty of fighting for our young king. Alas! Indeed, once a war is launched, it will disturb thousands of families, even widowers and widows. How pathetic! We suffered a natural disaster, and God brought me and our young master very serious difficulties. I can't just think about my own safety. I guess you monarchs and your officials will certainly advise me:' You shouldn't pay too much attention to your own safety, and you shouldn't be unable to achieve what your father Wang Wen tried to achieve.'

Alas! I thought I was the son of King Wen, and I dared not betray God's command. God gave King Wen a gift, which made our Xiao Zhou Dynasty flourish. King Wen inherited a godsend birthday through divination. Now that God has ordered his subjects to help us, how much more can we know God's intentions through divination? Alas! God's clear opinion, people should show awe, you'd better help me strengthen our rule! "

The king said, "You are all old ministers who assisted King Wen. Can you seriously look back on the distant past? Do you know how diligent King Wen is? God has secretly told us the road to success, and I dare not try my best to complete the goal that King Wen has set out to achieve. Therefore, I will use this truth to persuade you princes that God sincerely supports us, indicating that God will fulfill our subjects. Why don't I inherit King Wen's career and strive for the final victory? Therefore, God often gives us orders, as urgent as getting rid of our own diseases. How can I not work hard to complete the sacred cause that King Wen accepted from God? "

The king in the portrait said: "I used to follow the expedition to the East, and I thought about the hardships of the expedition every day. For example, the father determined the specific method of building a house, but the son refused to lay the foundation of the house, let alone build the house himself. His father plowed the land well, but his son refused to sow, let alone harvest the crops. Father respects his career. How can he say,' My descendants will not waste my family business'? So, how dare I not personally crusade against the rebellion and complete the great life that fell from the sky during the reign of King Wen? This is also like a father and a brother. If neighboring countries crusade against their children, can the princes who rule them discourage fathers and brothers from helping their children? "

The king said, "Alas! Work hard, prince and your officials. To govern the country, we must rely on wise people. Ten wise ministers know God's will. God sincerely assisted the Zhou Dynasty. You dare not insult God's decision. Now that God has given us the will to help, those rebels have colluded with the Yin people to fight against their own people. Don't you know that fate will never change?

"I always thought that heaven would destroy Yin. For example, farmers who grow crops always get rid of weeds in their fields in order to make their crops grow well. How dare I do nothing but evil like a farmer? God bless our King Wen. How dare I turn a blind eye to divination? How dare I not obey the will of God and King Wen and defend our beautiful territory? In addition, today's divination is auspicious, and I will definitely lead your vassal state to the East. Destiny can't be wrong, and Oracle Bone Inscriptions clearly explained this. "