Human wars, plagues and various calamities have a predetermined number, but in the case of individuals, if they are virtuous and do good deeds, they can often escape calamities.
In the early years of Tianyou in the Tang Dynasty, a man named Li Jia from Changshan moved his family to a valley southwest of Xingtai to live in a time of calamity, collecting firewood every day to make ends meet. Once he came to the bottom of Daming Mountain at night, just in time for a storm, so he hid inside the temple to avoid the rain. It was not until midnight that the thunderstorm stopped. Li A had to sleep in the temple under the pine and cypress trees.
After a while, he suddenly heard the sound of shouting and yelling of officials traveling from afar. Then he saw the flags waving and heard the sound of carriages and horses marching. Some of those who came were clothed in the armor of warriors, some carried spears, some wore high hats and wide shoes, and some wore official clothes and carried elephant briefs; they humbled each other and ascended the steps and sat down in order in the hall, about a dozen of them. After sitting down, they set up a banquet and laughed and drank freely. The first person sitting in the east was the god of Daming Mountain, who was tall and sturdy, and had an imposing figure. The first person sitting in the west is Huangze Water God, he is thin and dry, but speaks in a clear and loud voice, he is sitting next to the Zhanghe River, the rest do not know who it is.
They talked and discussed the affairs of the underworld and the human world. One of them said: “I received the Jade Emperor’s appointment in the Palace of Heaven, to manage the side of the Taihang Mountains to the Qing River and Zhang River bank hundreds of miles around the vast area, although appointed to preside over everything, but do not dare to be lazy and slack, greedy for comfort; do not dare to corrupt the law, favoritism; do not dare to rely on the status of subordinates and oppression of the people, conscientious and conscientious governance of the land on this side of everything, in order to To repay the emperor of heaven. So there are good reports of good harvests every year, and the people live and work in peace and contentment, and there is no epidemic of pestilence, and this place which I have governed has now reached this degree.”
Another man said, “The place I govern is sparsely populated, and the area is vast, with great mountains to the west and the sea to the east, and lakes connected with swamps for a thousand miles. I am in charge of this vast area and its people by the will of God, and I am in charge of the thunder and the rain, and I direct the wind and the waves. But I would not dare to do anything if I had not been commanded by God. Not when the seasons should be changed, I dare not violate the conventional casual arrangements, dutiful governance to guard this side of the land, resulting in the lush grass, fish and turtle reproduction, water and soil nourishment, reeds and thin grass growth of lush. What is even more fortunate is that the officials sent by heaven to inspect and check the area have not interfered arbitrarily and directed indiscriminately.”
Another person said, “The mountains and valleys are so high and so low that there are all kinds of birds and beasts growing and infesting, and it is my duty to keep them from hurting the people, so I don’t need to state and confess them one by one to cope with heaven’s examination.” Everyone nodded their heads and said yes.
At this time, the god of the mountain suddenly raised his eyes and eyebrows, sighing and saying to the crowd: “We are all on one side of the town, managing all things, either in the lake or on the land, each has its own strengths, but the laws of heaven and earth, the doom of human beings will have to come, when the thieves rise up to rebellion, disaster. Although everyone is good at governance, but there is nothing to do.”
They all asked him, “On what basis do you say so?” The god of Daming Mountain said, “Yesterday I went up to heaven to worship the Jade Emperor and secretly overheard the immortals discussing the future. They said that in the next thirty years, there will be constant warfare and more than 600,000 people will be killed and injured. When the time comes, if it is not benevolent and righteous, loyal and filial piety of the most sincere gentleman, can not be spared. In addition, the two countries of Huaxu and Chabi in the northwest will take the opportunity to invade the territory of the Central Plains. Are the common people unprotectable and deserve to be slaughtered?” When everyone heard this, they all frowned and looked at each other and said, “We don’t know any of this.” When everyone had finished eating and drinking, it was already dawn, so they boarded their respective chariots and went away. The god of Daming Mountain also did not know where to go.
When dawn came, Li A was in a trance, as if he was dreaming. After he returned home, he recorded in detail what he had encountered and told his neighbors who had knowledge and prestige. From then on, for more than thirty years, Zhuang Huang and Liang dynasties each guarded the banks of the Yellow River, looking for opportunities to attack each other. By the time the latter Jin and Song Han, the western countries of the Fan states invaded the Central Plains, with swords and warfare, more than 600,000 common people were killed by the war.
(Source: “Taiping Guangji”)
Recent Comments