In October of the twentieth year of the Kaihuang era, there had been no rain for a long time. Liu Xiang once said, "If the emperor mishandles state affairs and is misled by powerful ministers, it will lead to continuous rain." At that time, Empress Dugu and Yang Su secretly framed Crown Prince Yong, demoting him to the status of a commoner.
In the fourth year of the Wuding era of the Eastern Wei, Gao Huan became prime minister and personally led an army to attack the Western Wei's Yu Bi. In November of that year, Gao Huan fell ill and withdrew his troops. The soldiers were terrified, claiming, "Wei Xiaokuan shot the prime minister with a specially crafted crossbow." The Western Wei issued a nationwide order, stating, "With one arrow from the powerful crossbow, the murderer will bring about their own destruction!" Hearing this, Gao Huan was furious, and his condition deteriorated. This must be the work of evil spirits! The "Hong Fan Wuxing Zhuan" says, "Shooting is a sign of military disaster; when the energy goes against the heavens, disaster will arise." While leading his troops, General Cao Weizu advised him, "Your Majesty, you're using dead energy against living energy, which is detrimental to you and advantageous to the enemy." Gao Huan ignored the advice, stayed in place for fifty days, and suffered many defeats. He also followed unreliable advice, diverting the Fen River north of the city and constructing earthen mounds. The terrain was steep, rising over a thousand feet, and as a result, the project was left unfinished, leading to the deaths of seventy thousand people. This was retribution for defying the will of heaven! Gao Huan died that same year. The next year, Wang Sizheng returned to disrupt Henan once more.
During the Wuping period, after the ruler returned to Ye City from Bingzhou, as he reached Bagong Ridge, he walked while singing at night. Suddenly, a man suddenly went mad, believing that the ruler was enchanted by a fox spirit, hiding in the bushes and shooting arrows. Several people were injured, and the ruler was almost hit. The ruler caught him and killed him. At that time, the man had no idea what he was doing. Fox spirits lead people astray; this is the work of malevolent forces! At that time, the emperor did not care about state affairs, only indulging in singing, drinking, and reveling with palace maids and eunuchs. At times, he even donned tattered clothes and pretended to be a beggar for entertainment. This is a sign of evil spirits! Someone shot him again; this foreshadows impending military calamities! Not long after, Northern Qi was destroyed.
In the second year of the Tianjian era of the Liang dynasty, a dragon was seen fighting in Tanli, North Liangzhou, and the water mist spread for several miles. This is the malevolent work of dragons and snakes! The "Hongfan Wuxing Zhuan" says: "Dragons are difficult animals to deal with. They symbolize the heavens and kings. When the heavens are harmed, the authority of kings will suffer, and the dragon will also be harmed. Dragon fighting is a sign of military changes." Jing Fang's "Yi Feihou" says: "When people's hearts are unsettled, there will be strange phenomena of dragons fighting." At that time, when the emperor had just ascended the throne, there was a rebellion by Chen Bozhi and Liu Jilian, spreading panic throughout the realm.
In the sixth month of the fifth year of Emperor Pu Tong's reign, a dragon fought at Qu'a Pond, then headed west to Jianling City. Wherever the dragon passed, trees were broken, with lengths of several dozen zhangs. This was reminiscent of events in the second year of Tianjian. When the dragon passed through Jianling, the broken trees foretold impending war and disaster for the country and the destruction of the imperial tomb. The emperor at that time was preoccupied with scholarly pursuits, neglecting agriculture and military matters, leading to the army's negligence and recklessness. The emperor's virtue was damaged, hence the emergence of such a dragon omen. Yet, the emperor remained oblivious to this. In the first year of Taiqing, a scene of battling dragons appeared in the waters of Lizhou. Waves rolled, clouds lingered, and people saw a white dragon flying south followed closely by a black dragon. That year, Hou Jing surrendered with his troops, which instilled fear in the populace. Soon after, chaos erupted, and the emperor died from excessive worry.
In the summer of the tenth year of Daitong, a dragon plunged into a well at a Yanling household during a thunderstorm. The next morning, people found the dragon was as big as a donkey. People tried to kill it with a spear, but suddenly huge snakes appeared in the courtyard and inside the house, as big as hundreds of hu of a large ship, prompting the family to flee in terror. The "Hong Fan Five Elements" states, "Dragons are masculine and noble symbols. They exist in heaven and on earth and should not appear in ordinary people's towns and houses. Wells symbolize deep places, and the feudal lords would face the disaster of imprisonment, caused by the emperor's misconduct." Later, Hou Jing rebelled and indeed imprisoned and killed Emperor Jianwen in the wine cellar, and many royal princes and nobles were imprisoned and met tragic ends.
In the first month of the eleventh year of Emperor Chen Taijian, a dragon appeared in a pond in South Yanzhou, similar to the omen that occurred in the tenth year of Daitong in the Liang Dynasty. Not long after, the last emperor ascended the throne and indulged in luxury and excess without restraint. Eventually, the kingdom fell, and he too was imprisoned.
In the first year of the Wu Ding era of Eastern Wei, a giant snake appeared in Wulao City. At that time, Li, the beautiful and clever wife of Gao Zhongmi, the Governor of North Yu Province, caught the eye of the crown prince Gao Cheng. Gao Zhongmi, feeling uneasy, incited a rebellion in Wulao, secretly colluding with Western Wei, which led to a major battle in Heyang. Gao Huan was closely pursued by the Western Wei army and narrowly escaped, with the deaths of several thousand people.
In the ninth year of the Tianbao era of the Later Qi Dynasty, a dragon about seven to eight zhang long appeared in the main hall of Qizhou, similar to the phenomenon that occurred in the tenth year of Daitong. At that time, the Princes of Changshan and Guangling were very powerful, but the Emperor was reluctant to suppress them. The following year, the Emperor died, and Crown Prince Yin ascended to the throne. Prince of Changshan, Xiao Yan, indeed deposed the Emperor, imprisoned and killed him.
In the first year of Heqing, a dragon appeared in the bathhouse of Jizhou, signifying a situation similar to that of the ninth year of Tianbao. Prior to this, Prince of Pingqin Gui Yanzun, according to Emperor Zhao's edict, should have appointed Prince Baiyan as his successor. However, Gui Yanzun appointed Prince Changguang, who would later become Emperor Wucheng. Prince Baiyan was deposed and eventually died in Leling.
In the fourth year of Tiantong, someone in Guixiang chopped down a dead tree and found a yellow dragon, with its feet broken, lying dead in a tree hollow. At that time, the Qi Dynasty held wood in high regard, and the dragon was a symbol of the monarch. Finding a dead dragon in a dead tree was a very bad omen. That year, Emperor Wucheng passed away.
In the third year of Wuping, a dragon appeared in a well in Handan, with colorful dragon energy rising into the sky. A dragon also appeared in the dry well of a Buddhist temple in Jiju. This, like the dragon that appeared in the first year of Heqing, foreshadowed trouble ahead. Later, the last emperor of Qi surrendered to the Zhou Dynasty and was eventually killed.
In the seventh year of Wuping, below Zhaoyuan Tower in Bingzhou, a red snake and a black snake appeared fighting for several days, and in the end, the red snake died. Red is the symbolic color of the Qi dynasty, while black is the symbolic color of the Zhou dynasty. The death of the red snake in their fight was an omen of the Qi kingdom's downfall! Later, the Qi monarch trusted treacherous advisors and engaged in battle with the Zhou army near Jinzhou, entrusting the army to the treacherous minister Gao Anagong. Consequently, Gao Anagong colluded with the enemy, leading to the disaster caused by the Qi monarch himself. Eventually, the Qi monarch was captured by the Zhou army.
Langya Prince Yan demolished a white horse stupa in the Beigong, built during the time of Duke Cheng of Stone Zhao. When demolishing the stupa, a giant white snake several zhang long appeared, coiling and quickly vanishing. At that time, Langya Prince Yan was arrogant and tyrannical, lacking restraint in his actions, which led to his downfall. Despite witnessing these ominous signs, he ignored the warnings, ultimately leading to disaster.
In the fifth year of Jiande of the Later Zhou dynasty, a black dragon fell dead in Bozhou. The dragon symbolizes a monarch, and black is the symbolic color of the Zhou dynasty. The death of the black dragon upon landing was an extremely ominous omen. At that time, the crown prince of the Zhou dynasty was inept, which greatly concerned the emperor. Upright ministers such as Wang Gui and Yuwen Xiaobo repeatedly urged the emperor to depose the crown prince, but the emperor ignored their pleas. Two years later, the emperor died, the crown prince took the throne, and brutally executed the Prince of Qi, Wang Gui, Yuwen Xiaobo, and others, ultimately resulting in the kingdom's demise.
In the fourth year of Renshou, a dragon appeared in the well of the Daizhou General's Office. This dragon would sometimes turn into an iron horse, sometimes into an armored soldier, drawing bows and preparing to shoot arrows. The transformation into an iron horse signified impending war; drawing the bow to shoot arrows indicated the emergence of malevolent forces, and wars between princes would occur, ultimately resulting in imprisonment. At that time, Han Wang Liang secretly planned a rebellion, so these signs of impending disaster appeared. Han Wang Liang did not realize these omens and eventually rebelled. After failing, he was demoted to a commoner and died after being imprisoned for several years.
That fellow Hou Jing proclaimed himself king in Jiangnan, and every time before going to battle, if his white horse raised its head high, neighed, and kicked up its heels, he would surely win; if it kept its head down, he would surely lose. Once in Xizhou, his white horse refused to budge. Hou Jing became anxious, begged, and beat the horse, but it remained motionless. It later turned out to be a bad omen for the horse! The "Hong Fan Wuxing Zhuan" says: "Horses represent the army. When war is about to break out, horses will show unusual signs." Hou Jing lost that battle miserably.
In the fifth year of Taijian of the Chen Dynasty, a horse in Hengzhou grew horns! The "Hong Fan Wuxing Zhuan" states: "Horse growing horns is a sign of war, indicating failure and destruction." At that time, Emperor Chen Xuan sent Wu Mingche to lead troops to fight against the Zhou Dynasty army in Lu Liang. After many years of fighting, the whole army was wiped out, and Wu Mingche was captured by the Zhou Dynasty army.
During the Tianbao period of the Northern Qi Dynasty, there was a horse in Guangzong with a horn between its ears that looked like a sheep's tail. The "Jing Fang Yichuan" says: "If the emperor personally leads his troops into battle, horses will grow horns." Four years later, the Khitan invaded the border, and Emperor Wenxuan personally led the army into battle.
In the fourth year of the Sui Dynasty, many horses in Taiyuan died, which made the emperor furious and prompted him to send officials to investigate. The stablemaster reported, "Every night the horses in the stable are inexplicably frightened, which is why so many have died." The emperor then had a wizard look into it. The wizard, knowing that the emperor wanted to attack Liaodong, said, playing into the emperor's desires, "The late emperor sent Yang Su and Shi Wansui to attack Liaodong with ghost soldiers!" The emperor was overjoyed by this and let the stablemaster go. According to the "Hong Fan Wuxing Zhuan," "Going against the will of heaven is why so many horses died." During that time, the emperor made annual tours, venturing as far north as the Great Wall and westward to Qumul, bringing great hardship to the people, as if heaven were warning him: all the horses in the stable have died, yet you continue to roam around! The emperor did not listen to advice, leading to chaos in the world.
In the eleventh year of Daye, horses in three counties of Henan and Fufeng sprouted horns, several inches long. This echoed the occurrences during the Tianbao era! At that time, the emperor personally led the troops to attack Goguryeo for several years in a row.
In the first year of Yining, while the emperor resided in Jiangdu Palace, many horses in the imperial stable died inexplicably, with hundreds perishing in just over ten days! This mirrored the events of the fourth year of Daye.
