Shang Dynasty's Foreign War in Oracle Bone Scripts

Many of the Oracle Bone Scripts are related to the war of the Shang Dynasty. The war inevitably progressed as a struggle to survive, and through these wars, the ancient Chinese improved their ability to make various tools in order to possess weapons superior to their opponents. And by using these tools together in agriculture, productivity was increased. In addition, a league between weak tribes was formed to confront strong opponents, and this process eventually became the driving force behind the formation of an organization called the state. The current Oracle Bone Script was used for 273 years after 盤庚 transferred the capital, and the war in Shang Dynasty recorded in the Oracle Bone Script corresponds to the late Shang Dynasty. In addition, many of the Oracle Bone Scripts were from the period of King MuJeong, which 董作賓 classified as the first phase, and out of the 41,956 shells listed in 『甲骨文合集』, the Oracle Bone Script from the period of King MuJeong was included in the 13th book of the model, accounting for more than half of the total with 23,874 pieces including 1,338. Therefore, the records of Oracle Bone Scripts related to the war in Shang Dynasty are the most from the King MuJeong's period and the contents are more diverse than those of other periods, and most of the studies related to the war in Shang Dynasty are based on Oracle Bone Scripts from the time of King MuJeong's reign. Looking at the records of the war in Oracle Bone Script, the movements of the enemy country in the border area were reconnoited and reported to the king. The invasion of the enemy and the victory of the war were marked by a ritual to the ancestors or natural gods, and as many as 13,000 soldiers were mobilized in the war, and 2,656 were killed among the soldiers who participated in the war.