古書皆言武王既克殷，遂罷兵西歸，但分析殷末周初的政局形勢可知，商邑陷落後，商王朝在東土還保留著幾乎完整的政權架構與統治力量，周人不應對此無動於衷。本文結合《逸周書》〈世俘〉、史牆盤銘文等資料看，武王在牧野之戰勝利後，策劃了一系列東征戰役。據〈世俘〉，武王首先清掃安陽周邊殘敵，隨即占領商邑東、南門戶，掌握商人東進故道，一路偏北取道聊城、平陰，一路偏南繞行古大野澤南岸，平定沿途的殷之侯田、邦伯。據史牆盤銘，武王後來又專門征討今聊城、濮陽、菏澤一線的「」、「髟」、「夷童（重）」，意在控制以「小東」為中心的河濟之間，隔絕商邑與「大東」的聯結。為鞏固戰果，武王又命管、蔡等人「監殷」，駐紮於安陽的東、南方向，切斷武庚與東夷族群的交往通道。武王這一系列戰事，後人已知之甚少，鮮有措意，實際上，「武王克殷」、「武王征小東」、「周公征大東」構成周人奪取天下完整的「三部曲」，展現出「先小東，後大東」的東進戰略步驟。

The traditional view has been that King Wu of Zhou 周武王 withdrew from Yin back to Zongzhou after the Battle of Muye. However, when analyzing the political and geographical situation before and after the capital of the Shang dynasty was occupied, we can know that the quondam governors and military supporters of the Shang remained in the eastern territories, forming a threat to the new regime. The text “Shifu” 世俘 (“Great Capture”) in the Lost Book of Zhou 逸周書 and other materials such as the inscription in Shi Qiang pan 史牆盤 (basin of Scribe Qiang) show that King Wu continued his campaign into the east to deal with the above threat. According to “Shifu,” King Wu first cleaned up remnants of the enemy forces surrounding Yin, then controlled the eastern and southern gateways of Yin, and finally defeated the Shang military supporters situated along the Liaocheng-Pingyin and Daye-Wen River traffic routes, which were the two main lines leading toward the east, namely the Shang dynasty. The Shi Qiang pan inscription also records that thereafter King Wu attacked several precarious local governors such as those of Cuo 虘, Biao 髟, and Yitong (zhong) 夷童（重） located around present-day Liaocheng, Puyang, and Heze to control the transitional “near east” 小東 area between the Yellow River and Ji River, while simultaneously cutting off contact between the Shang adherents in Yin and the “far east” 大東 around Mount Tai. Furthermore, to consolidate the conquest, King Wu stationed Guan 管 and Cai 蔡 in the eastern and southern gateways to monitor the present Shang peoples. With the above unearthed historical materials in hand, the measures taken by and the strategic intent of the Zhou can now be better ascertained; that is, their eastward campaign moved from Yin to the “near” and “far” east step by step.