Su Hu thanked him, saying, "I will never forget this kindness and virtue."
Afterwards, a banquet was held to entertain Chong Heihu, and the guests and hosts were all in high spirits.
Outside the city, Chong Houhu heard from his scouts that his brother, Chong Heihu, had been captured by Zheng Lun, a general from Ji Province, on the battlefield, and his fate was unknown. Chong Houhu wondered, "How could my brother, who possesses Taoist magic, have been captured?" He then asked the scouts for answers.
The scout reported: "Lord Cao and Zheng Lun fought fiercely for dozens of rounds without a clear victor. Suddenly, Zheng Lun brandished his demon-subduing pestle, and three thousand crow soldiers rushed forward. Two beams of white light came out of Zheng Lun's nose, as loud as the sound of a bell. Lord Cao was knocked off his horse and thus captured."
Upon hearing this, Chong Houhu was greatly alarmed and said, "There is such an extraordinary person in Jizhou. I'm afraid Jizhou cannot be conquered." After pondering for a moment, he said, "Send scouts again to find out the truth."
Suddenly, a soldier reported that Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xiqi, had arrived and was waiting outside the tent.
Chong Houhu was overjoyed upon hearing this and hurriedly went out of the camp to greet him. However, upon exiting the camp, he saw that Ji Chang only had a small troop of soldiers, numbering no more than a few hundred. Chong Houhu was shocked: "Could it be that the Marquis of Xiqi's army was also ambushed on the way?" He thought of his own 50,000-strong army, which had also been ambushed and lost, and assumed that Ji Chang's army had been the same. However, seeing that Ji Chang's army was well-organized, he realized that it did not seem like the case.
Chong Houhu stepped forward and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Excellency is a little late. I wonder how much of your troops you have?"
Ji Chang also cupped his hands and said, “Weapons are instruments of misfortune, and a ruler should only use them when there is no other choice. Now, because of a trivial matter, we have caused trouble for the people and wasted their money and resources, alarming thousands of households. All the prefectures, counties and cities we have passed through have been charged with money and grain. The journey has been arduous, the people have been troubled by taxes and rents, and the soldiers have suffered the hardship of wearing armor and carrying weapons. I cannot bear this, so I have only brought a few soldiers with me.”
Upon hearing this, Chong Houhu was immediately displeased and said, "My lord and I were ordered by the King to come and punish the traitor Su Hu. I led 50,000 troops alone, but Su Hu ambushed us, causing heavy losses. Fortunately, my brother Chong Heihu came to our rescue. My lord is also acting on the King's orders. How can you lead such a small force? How can you possibly break through Jizhou City? How can you fulfill the King's orders? If King Zhou blames us, how can we bear the consequences?"
Ji Chang said, “My lord, you may not know this, but I am acquainted with Su Hu and I really cannot bear to fight him. Moreover, the fact that the Marquis of Jizhou rebelled against Chaoge this time was out of necessity. I am even friends with him. If I go to persuade him in person, I think he will listen to my words and return to Chaoge with me to apologize to the king.”
Twenty-three provinces of Ji surrendered, and Su Hu pleaded guilty.
Chong Houhu was secretly furious upon hearing this. He had fought a battle but suffered heavy losses. Ji Chang was ordered to join him in the campaign against Su Hu, but he only brought a thousand guards. It would have been better if he hadn't brought any. Instead, he went to persuade Su Hu. It seemed that Ji Chang and Su Hu must have a close relationship and were in cahoots. In particular, these two had repeatedly humiliated him. He could not let them get away with it so easily.
Thinking this to himself, he said aloud, "In that case, Your Excellency, please go ahead. I will wait here." Ji Chang, without suspicion, took only his eldest son, Boyi Kao, and went directly to Jizhou City. This was on the advice of Ji Fa, who said that Su Hu was like a frightened bird, and bringing too many people would only make him uneasy. It would be better for the two of them to go alone, as this would be more likely to move Su Hu with their sincerity. Ji Chang, being kind-hearted, naturally believed him, and so the father and son went.
Su Hu was surprised to learn that Ji Chang had come in person with Boyi Kao. He was also moved to hear that the two had only brought a thousand soldiers and were stationed ten miles outside the city. He was also touched that the two had come to Jizhou City alone. So he ordered his men to invite them in.
After Ji Chang and Su Hu met, they exchanged sighs and pleasantries. After a while, Ji Chang finally revealed his purpose, saying, "Weapons are instruments of destruction, used only as a last resort by a ruler. The affairs of war only bring suffering to the common people; they are truly acts of calamity. I urge my brother to stop." Su Hu pleaded, "It's not that I'm unwilling to stop, but that Emperor Xin is too arrogant, licentious, and tyrannical, forcing his subjects. Otherwise, why would I commit such an unfaithful and unjust act?" Ji Chang said, "My two sons, Ji Fa, once told me: Your Majesty's faults are due to the deception of the villain Fei You. Your Majesty possessed great talent and ambition in your youth; if these two treacherous men were removed, Your Majesty..." "The king is clear-headed and will certainly not blame you. Our two families are now related by marriage, and I will personally plead your innocence with the king. This matter should be resolved easily." Bo Yikao also chimed in with his advice. After listening, Su Hu pondered for a long time before finally making his decision, saying, "Your words are wise, Xibo. This matter should be resolved easily. I will accompany you to Chaoge to plead your innocence with the king." The matter was resolved so easily, but in reality, it wasn't. If Su Hu hadn't trusted Ji Chang's character, it certainly wouldn't have been possible, and no one else could have done it. Furthermore, some officials in Ji Province already disagreed with the anti-Shang movement, which is why Su Hu was able to agree so quickly after Ji Chang proposed it.
Afterwards, Su Hu withdrew his army and returned to Chaoge with Ji Chang to apologize to King Zhou.
King Zhou was waiting for news of the army in the court when he learned that the Marquis of Xibo had brought Su Hu to confess his crimes. King Zhou was overjoyed and hurriedly went to the main hall to welcome the group back.
After entering the palace, King Zhou laughed and said, "Xibo is indeed my trusted minister. To capture the traitor Su Hu so quickly is a great achievement and deserves a rich reward." Ji Chang suddenly knelt and said, "Your Majesty, please hear my words. Fei and You are truly treacherous villains who have misled Your Majesty, disrupted the court, and framed loyal ministers. They are utterly wicked. I hope Your Majesty will heed my advice and remove them to restore order to the court." At the same time, other senior ministers, including Shang Rong, also seized the opportunity to plead for King Zhou's removal of Fei and You. They had long wanted King Zhou to eliminate Fei and You, but he had consistently refused. Previously, Ji Chang's son, Ji Fa, had approached them, explaining the reasons behind Fei and You's framing of Su Hu and proposing that Ji Chang impeach them, hoping to gain the support of several ministers.
Shang Rong and the others had long harbored this intention, and upon learning that the two had framed loyal officials, they were unwilling to give up and thus agreed to the matter. Sure enough, when Ji Chang spoke of it today, Shang Rong and the others stepped forward to agree.
Fei and You were greatly alarmed and quickly begged King Zhou for mercy, crying out that they were innocent. King Zhou didn't want to kill them either. These two were usually very close to him, something he hadn't noticed before. But since the incense offering, he felt that their behavior and actions were quite in line with his own. However, with several ministers present, he couldn't easily refute their suggestions, and he felt somewhat annoyed.
King Zhou waved his hand and said, "We'll discuss this matter later. Let's talk about Su Hu's rebellion first." Shang Rong was about to bring it up again when King Zhou had already dismissed him.
Ji Chang cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to ask you. Please speak." King Zhou said that although Ji Chang's proposal to eliminate Fei and You had displeased him, Ji Chang was, after all, a meritorious official, so he was still relatively polite to him.
Ji Chang bowed and said, "Su Hu's rebellion was truly due to the machinations of Fei and You, forcing him into a corner. As for Su Hu's daughter, Daji, she was betrothed to the son of my subject, Boyi Kao, years ago. It was not that she was unwilling to be offered to Your Majesty; I beg Your Majesty to forgive Su Hu's crime." King Zhou was furious upon hearing this. Su Hu's rebellion against Shang was already a grave crime, and why hadn't he previously mentioned that he and Su Hu were in-laws? Saying it now only put him in a very awkward position. Forgiving Su Hu would imply his own immorality in stealing a subject's wife; not forgiving Su Hu would further solidify his crime. He was caught in a dilemma.
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