Ji Fa, King Wu of Zhou

King Zhou had his elder brother made into a meat pie, then forced his father to eat it with his own mouth.

Ji Fa remembered this blood feud for the rest of his life.

Everyone said he was King Wu of Zhou, chosen by Heaven. Only he knew he was an avenger who had crawled back from hell.

During his days as a hostage in Chaoge, he had seen enough of King Zhou’s brutality and the bewitching influence of the demon consort Daji. But when he raised the banner of rebellion, the greatest obstacle was not the Shang dynasty’s seven hundred thousand troops. It was a vicious rumor spread by Shang spies: King Wu was attacking King Zhou to steal his woman!

On the eve of battle, the whole army was filled with doubt. Ji Fa pointed his sword at the sky and swore to purge the land of demonic influence. He knew the truth as clearly as a mirror: he meant to overthrow not just a tyrant, but an entire old order that devoured its people.

At the Battle of Muye, the slaves turned against their masters, and with fifty thousand elite troops, he routed the Shang army. But the real challenges had only just begun: how would he deal with the vast number of Shang survivors? How would he prevent his brothers and meritorious followers from turning against one another?

Winning the realm was hard. Ruling it was a true brush with death.