When Gongsun Wenyi was in power, the fresh meat sold in the market north of Xiangping City was arranged in circles, each several feet long, shaped like a head, complete with a mouth and nose, but lacking hands and feet, yet it could move on its own. This was an ill omen! The diviners said, "This thing has a shape but is not formed, has a body but does not speak, indicating that the country is going to perish." As a result, Gongsun Wenyi was soon killed by the Wei Kingdom.
Wu Guo's general Deng Xi slaughtered a pig to sacrifice to the gods, and after the sacrifice, he hung the pork up. Suddenly, he saw a head eating the pork, and Deng Xi quickly shot it with a bow. It made a "zazha" sound and circled the house for three days, which also appeared to be an ill omen. Later, someone accused Deng Xi of plotting rebellion, and as a result, his entire family was killed. Jing Fang's "Yi Zhuan" says, "Red flags appeared on the mountain, red cities appeared by the river, and in the cities there were soldiers shaped like human heads, and the color was red."
In the fifth year of the Taikang reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Jin Dynasty, on the day of Renzi in April, the water in a pond in the state of Lu turned a deep blood red. In the seventh year of October, the Heyin region saw a two-hectare stretch of red snow. These were all ominous signs! As a result, four years later, Emperor Wu died, and the royal family also began to fall into chaos.
In the third month of the fifth year of the Yuankang reign of Emperor Hui of the Western Jin Dynasty, it rained blood in Lü County, extending east and west for over a hundred steps, which was also an ill omen. By the end of the Yuankang era, the world was thrown into chaos, filled with ruthless criminals and bloodshed everywhere, fulfilling the omen of the blood rain. Gan Bao believed that "eight years later, Shi Le rebelled in Xuzhou and killed tens of thousands of people," which further confirmed this ill omen.
In the third month of the Yongkang era, a rain of blood fell over the Weishi region. This suggests that the court's punishments were excessively lenient, resulting in such foreboding and unnatural occurrences. In the first month of that year, Emperor Hui of Jin placed Prince Minhuai under soft confinement in the palace of Xuchang. It seemed that heaven was warning Emperor Hui: he ought not to be so forgiving towards treacherous individuals, as this would lead to the unjust death of the prince. Yet, Emperor Hui was foolish and incapable, failing to understand this principle, and as a result, Prince Minhuai died that month. Consequently, internal conflicts within the royal family intensified, and chaos spread throughout the realm. On the day King Min of Qi was killed by Nao Chi, a rain of blood fell upon the land, dyeing his clothes red. Heaven was issuing a warning; this is what is referred to as "the response of heaven to humanity"! In Jing Fang's "Commentary on the I Ching," it is noted: "Being imprisoned without the ability to explain clearly is called seeking accountability for crimes, thus heaven sends down blood rain. This indicates that the ruler fails to cultivate relationships with virtuous ministers, and with malicious individuals inciting chaos below, his family will face destruction within three years." It also says: "When treacherous flatterers ascend to high positions and accumulate wealth while loyal ministers are slain, this is the reason for heaven sending down blood rain."
In December of the year 260 AD, the Hedong region experienced an earthquake, and it rained flesh. Four years later, on the Bingyin day of December, the chief minister's office ordered the execution of Chunyu Bo, the official in charge of transportation, with blood splattering more than three zhang high—an ominous sign indeed! At that time, General Chupo was stationed in Guangling, and the chief minister threatened a northern campaign. Chunyu Bo was executed for delays in transportation and corruption, claiming his innocence before his death: "The transportation tasks were all completed without any delay. I accepted bribes and abused my power, but that shouldn't warrant a death sentence! In warfare, it’s all about creating an intimidating presence; in reality, it’s just about stationing troops without any real intention to fight. Transportation has been stagnant for the past four years, yet it hasn’t been dealt with according to wartime regulations." His colleagues ignored him. Later, circumstances shifted as many officials were accused by the censor, but Emperor Yuan ignored the accusations, leading to three consecutive years of drought. Gan Bao believed this was due to the vengeful spirit of Chunyu Bo. Guo Jingchun remarked, "Blood is a type of water, corresponding to the 'Kan' hexagram in the I Ching. 'Kan' represents law and water flows downward; it should not flow upstream. This points to a political issue."
In the first month of the year 304, an earthquake occurred in Pingyang, and Chongming Temple unexpectedly sank into a large pool of water, the water was red, like blood. Red vapor shot up into the sky, and a red dragon was seen soaring into the air. A meteor streaked in from the vicinity of the Cowherd Star, twisting and coiling like a dragon, illuminating the earth with its brilliance, and eventually landing ten miles north of Pingyang City. Upon closer inspection, they found that a large piece of meat had fallen, giving off a foul stench that permeated the entire city of Pingyang. The piece of meat was thirty steps long and twenty-seven steps wide. There were constant cries near the meat, day and night. A few days later, Liu Cong's queen, Liu, gave birth to a snake and a beast, both of which attacked people before escaping. People searched everywhere and eventually discovered them beside the fallen piece of meat. At that time, Liu Cong had taken Liu Yin's three daughters as wives, each granted the title of queen. Heaven was warning him: Liu Cong himself bore the surname Liu, and all three queens shared the same surname, which violated familial ethics and disrupted social order. The fallen piece of meat and those creatures brought about tremendous calamities. Not long after, Queen Liu of Liu Cong passed away, and with her passing, the cries ceased.
