Battle of Mingtiao The Battle of Mingtiao was a legendary battle between the Xia Dynasty and the Shang Dynasty , resulting in a Shang victory which created the circumstances for the elevation of the Duke of Shang to the throne of China . Background . When the throne of Xia dynasty was passed down to Jie of Xia , the power of the Xia clan was no longer as strong as before . Jie was generally corrupt and irresponsible . He felt that the original palace was too simple , he ordered for construction of the tilt palace . This palace took seven years and tens of thousands of slaves to build . It also used up huge sums of money . The peasants were resentful . Meanwhile , the Shang clan near the lower reaches of Yellow River was gaining support from neighbouring tribes . Their ancestor , Qi , had worked for Yu the Great and was given the territory of Shang . During Tang of Shang ' s reign , due to agricultural development , the Shang was gaining more and more power . Tang allied with nearby tribes and treated his subjects kindly . He also had the support of Yi Yin . Yi was originally the slave of his father - in - law . When Tang married , Yi Yin became Tang ' s chef . Yi also analysed the current affairs of the time and became his right - hand man . This was how Yi became known as Yi Yin . Tang was determined to end the Xia dynasty . He agreed to comply with Jie , but in secret prepared to overthrow him . First , he moved his people to a place named Bo . The area from Bo to the Xia capital was flat , almost without any hills or rivers to stop them . He was also forgiving to his subjects , and was therefore supported by them . As most of the nobles believed in ghosts , they believed that worshipping the gods and their ancestors was extremely important . A tribe named Ge , which was geographically near to the Shangs , did not worship their ancestors on a regular basis . They ate the cattle and sheep which Tang had given them for sacrifices , and killed the children who sent the animals . Tang conquered this tribe , and eliminated a few more . Jie , however , did not realise that Tang was a threat to his throne . Battle . When a few tribes started rebelling against Xia , Tang of Shang decided that the time had come . He started his attack on Xia . Upon hearing of Tang ' s rebellion , Jie sent troops from the smaller territories of Gu , Wei , and Kuenwu . Yi advised Tang to put off the fight for a year , then conquered Gu and Wei , and defeated Kuenwu . Before the army proceeded any further , Yi Yin told Tang that the army needed a boost in morale . Tang gave a speech , known historically as ' Tang ' s pledge ' , before the two armies met in Mingtiao ( present - day , ) around 1600 BC . Tang ' s generals and soldiers all abhorred Jie , so they fought bravely . On the contrary , Jie ' s troops , seeing the power of the Shangs , did not listen to his commands . They either surrendered or fled . As a result , the Shangs won the battle and set up the Shang dynasty . After the battle was won , Jie of Xia sought shelter in Kuenwu . After conquering Kuenwu , Tang of Shang forced Jie into exile in Nanchao ( present day , Anhui ) . Jie stayed there until his death . Tang then eliminated the remaining Xia forces and used the Xia peasants as slaves . Legacy . As Tang of Shang was a nobleman , his revolution is considered the first ' noble revolution ' in Chinese history . The Shang dynasty , which he founded , was also the second slavery - based dynasty in Chinese history .