Jiang Ziya, also known as Jiang Shang.

His ancestors once served as Four Mountains Officials, assisting Xia Yu in water and soil management, achieving great merit.

During the times of Shun and Yu, they were enfeoffed in the land of Lv, hence also known as Lv Shang.

At the time of his birth, his family fortune had already declined.

Fortunately, he had good karma and was intelligent. He was spotted by a passing Chan Sect disciple who took him back to Kunlun Mountain to learn the ways, and then accidentally caught the eye of Yuanshi Tianzun, swiftly becoming a Saint's Disciple.

Such a destined fortune is rare to find both in the past and present.

However, although Jiang Ziya could be considered to have ascended to the heavens in a single step, he was also troubled.

After becoming a disciple, the Saint did not teach him how to cultivate the Dao or alchemy. Instead, he let Nanji Immortal impart some basic Qi-gathering skills to him and dumped a pile of military strategy treatises for him to read.

During his days on Kunlun Mountain, most of his time was not spent on cultivation but rather on studying military tactics and statecraft.

Initially perplexed, he wondered what use there was for a Saint's Disciple to learn these things.

Unexpectedly, it wasn't long before the Saint ordered him to descend from the mountain and assist Western Marquis Ji Chang in Xi Qi.

Jiang Ziya dared not disobey the Saint's decree, but he also had his own schemes.

Using the excuse that he had no name or rank, not even knowing what Western Marquis Ji Chang looked like, he retired to live in seclusion by the Weishui River at Panxi.

He exchanged firewood chopping and fishing for food on a daily basis and spent his free time gathering Qi and cultivating, leading a happy and content life.

However, it wasn't long before rumors about him began to spread.

They said he was a great sage descended from heaven, an immortal in this world, and so on.

Coincidentally, Western Marquis Ji Chang was a monarch who eagerly sought out the wise. Hearing that there was a reclusive sage here, he approached under the guise of hunting and thus encountered Jiang Ziya.

Upon their meeting, Ji Chang instantly recognized Jiang Ziya as the minister capable of achieving the great task of becoming a hegemon.

Seeing this, Jiang Ziya knew that it was a mandate of heaven.

Assisting Great Zhou to replace Great Shang was his mission!

Thus, he gladly accepted Western Marquis Ji Chang's invitation to become the Prime Minister of Xi Qi and, taking charge of the great authority, he immediately began to implement bold reforms.

He helped Ji Chang amass virtue, understand the Dao, and act benevolently.

Externally, he encouraged Ji Chang to make contact with other feudal lords dissatisfied with Great Shang, leading them to pay tribute, thereby causing the new King of Shang, Di Xin, to let down his guard against Xi Qi. Internally, he set policies that showed love for the people and did beneficial acts for them, actively promoted production, and trained the troops.

He also introduced a policy of respecting talents and honoring meritorious service, employing the capable individuals who met the standards of selection without discrimination, maximizing their creative potential.

In simple terms, it meant appointing talented people to government posts.

This "place people by merit" policy broke the shackles of the blood-oriented ideology prevalent in Xi Qi, causing significant backlash, all of which he strenuously overcame through debate.

The benefits brought by such a policy were substantial. In a short time, it attracted a large number of talents from other tribes to join Xi Qi, allowing them to play their rightful roles in national construction.

During the years when Jiang Ziya was in charge of Xi Qi, the national power rapidly grew day by day, with the population, military strength, and territories all increasing at a rapid pace.

He also advised Western Marquis Ji Chang to exercise the rights of the overlord of the feudal lords, punishing those who did not acknowledge their authority, further establishing his own majesty, making the surrounding feudal lords secretly align with Xi Qi.

"Uncle Master!"

Chan Sect places great emphasis on rites. Although Bai He has profound Dao Xing, and Jiang Ziya has not even attained the Immortal Path, Bai He still offered his respects immediately upon seeing Jiang Ziya, saying, "Reporting to Uncle Master, by the decree of Master, I have been ordered to come here; commanding Uncle Master to immediately muster troops and prepare for battle, to quickly launch an attack on Great Shang!"

"Attack Great Shang, now?" Jiang Ziya couldn't help but pause in astonishment.

According to his plan, now was far from being a good time to launch a campaign against Great Shang.

Moreover, the last time the Saint Master had his disciple Bai He send him the Four Unlikeliness, he had mentioned inciting conflict between Great Shang and Linhuan Pass so that Xi Qi could reap the benefits like the fisherman in the proverb.

How long has it passed since then, and why the sudden change in strategy?

And with such haste?

But Bai He would not lie about this matter, nor would he deliver the wrong message.

Now that the Master had ordered him to expedite the campaign against Great Shang, it must not be without reason.

With this thought, Jiang Ziya curiously asked Bai He, "Did the Master mention any reasons?"

"Reporting back to Uncle Master, the Master did not mention the reasons, he only instructed me to inform you, ordering you to raise an army and conquer Great Shang!" Bai He shook his head with some hesitation, "But..."

"But what?"

Jiang Ziya asked curiously.

After hesitating briefly, Bai He solemnly said, "Uncle Master is not an outsider; I will tell you. Before the Master sent me with the order, that Saint from Jie Sect had visited our Kunlun Mountain and seemed to have fought with the Master..."

He simply recounted what he had witnessed.

This was no secret.

After all, the commotion had been so great at the time that it could be heard clearly for tens of thousands of miles around the main peak of Kunlun Mountain.

"So that's how it is..." Jiang Ziya pondered for a long time, and then firmly said, "Recently, since King Di Xin of Shang forced the Marquis Yi to rebel and forcibly married Su Daji, he has become increasingly decadent and tyrannical. The chieftains of the eight hundred provinces are filled with grievances, which I have also heard about.

Now, sending troops to attack Shang is indeed feasible.

However, Xi Qi is thousands of miles away from Great Shang, and the army must traverse mountains and rivers, consuming substantial amounts of provisions and materiel. Should we encounter the main forces of Great Shang, it may be difficult to withstand.

Moreover, as far as I know, Great Shang currently has a near five-hundred-thousand-strong army, stationed near Chaoge, ready to support the front line at any time. We in Xi Qi only have three hundred chariots, over three thousand warriors, forty-five thousand armored soldiers, and fifteen thousand mounts...

Even if we include the armies of the chieftains under our command, we cannot muster a force of one hundred thousand!

With such a huge gap in military strength, how can we be a match?"

"Uncle Master might not be aware, but the Master has already made arrangements," Bai He said seriously. "At every strategic pass, there will be people coming to assist our army."

"I see." Jiang Ziya nodded in understanding.

He knew that the Divine Enthronement campaign against Shang was the great undertaking of Chan Sect, and it was not just his personal matter. Some things he didn't need to worry about.

He just needed to do his own part well.

Other matters, his Saint Master surely had already arranged.

As for whether the one hundred thousand-strong army could march straight to Chaoge and take it down, that was no longer his concern.

Just like with Linhuan Pass, where thirty thousand newly trained soldiers withstood against three hundred thousand of Great Shang's elite.

No matter how impossible things seemed, with external intervention, they could become possible.

That being said, Jiang Ziya still felt somewhat uneasy in his heart.

He felt everything was happening too hastily.

The national strength of Xi Qi was insufficient to contend with Great Shang.

Furthermore, when the snipe and the clam fight, it's easy for the fisherman to benefit!