They believed that the grand buddha chose them and them only because they were the only ones that could rule and no one else could choose and the only other ones that could rule over kingdoms were any one else that was chosen by god
The Zhou kings believed that they were the one chosen people by the gods to rule over the land. This idea was called the Mandate of Heaven. They used this idea to persuade their people that the gods favored them.
C. to persuade their people to believe that the gods favored their rule
Zeus is clearly angry and punishing the people this could be the answer or it could just be a storm and the people are trapped within superstition forcing themselves to cater to Zeus to make it stop