In November 506 AD, the capital Jiankang experienced an earthquake, affecting the five elements: wood, metal, water, fire, and earth. The "Hongfan Wuxing Zhuan" states: "The ministers have gained significant power and are likely to stir up trouble for the country." Jing Fang's "Yifeihou" also says: "If there is an earthquake in November, there will be famine and many deaths in that area." Coincidentally, at this time, the governor of Jiaozhou, Li Kai, rebelled. The following year, there was frost and famine, and the populace faced hunger.
In January 508 AD, Jiankang experienced another earthquake. This time, the governor of Yizhou, Wen Senglang, led the people of the province in rebellion. In December 510 AD, Jiankang experienced another earthquake. "Yifeihou" states: "If there is an earthquake with sound in winter, in December, there will be war in that area." As expected, the emperor ordered Prince Yuzhang, Cong, to lead troops north.
In January 513 AD, Jiankang experienced an earthquake. "Yifeihou" says: "If there is an earthquake in spring, this year will not be peaceful." That year, there was a flood, and the populace faced hunger. In November 516 AD, Jiankang experienced another earthquake. "Yifeihou" states: "If there is an earthquake in November, a prominent figure will die in that area, and there will be famine." The following year, there was a disastrous frost, and the populace faced hunger again.
In October 518 AD, Jiankang experienced an earthquake. That year, mountain bandits in Kuaiji Prefecture rebelled. In February 521 AD, Jiankang experienced an earthquake. That year, the people of Jiaozhou rebelled led by Li Ben, driving out the governor Xiao Zi. In the intercalary January of 523 AD, there was an earthquake. Li Ben declared himself emperor and established a complete bureaucratic system.
In April 527 AD, Jiankang experienced another earthquake, twice! At this time, Hou Jing proclaimed himself Grand Chancellor, took charge of government affairs, and refused to provide what the emperor needed. That month, the emperor passed away from grief. In May 550 AD, Jiankang experienced an earthquake. Wang Lin in Yingzhou enthroned Xiao Zhuang as emperor.
In November 558 AD, there was an earthquake. Chen Baoying rebelled in Minzhong. In January 559 AD, there was an earthquake. Shi Wenqing and Shen Keqing abused their power, fulfilling the ominous predictions associated with the earthquakes.
In November of the year 528 AD, the Xihe region sank and caught fire. The "Book of Changes" states: "When the land sinks, the ruler will die." Zu Xie said: "Fire represents yang energy, while land represents yin energy. When the land catches fire, the yin energy is disrupted, leading to chaos among the yang energies, indicating that the subordinates are seizing power, ultimately leading to self-destruction." At that time, Emperor Gao Huan of Northern Qi was in power, while Hou Jing was in power in Henan. Two years later, Gao Huan died as foretold, and Hou Jing rebelled, ultimately meeting a fate of self-destruction.
In the year 530 AD, frequent earthquakes struck the Bingzhou region. He Shi Kai seized power, fulfilling the omen of the earthquake.
In the year 573 AD, during the second year of the Hou Zhou reign, frequent earthquakes struck the Liangzhou region, with many city walls and houses collapsing, and many cracks opening up on the ground, spouting spring water. Jing Fang had said in "Book of Changes": "When the earth cracks, the Qiang and Yi tribes will rebel." At that time, the Tuyuhun tribe frequently harassed the Hexi region, and this prediction indeed came true.
In May of the year 594 AD, Chang'an City experienced an earthquake. Jing Fang wrote in "Yi Fei Hou": "An earthquake in May of summer, the common people are likely to flee." That year, the Guanzhong region suffered from a severe drought, prompting the emperor to send the common people to the Guandong region in search of food.
In April of the year 602 AD, there were earthquakes in Qizhou and Yongzhou. Jing Fang stated in "Yi Fei Hou": "An earthquake in April of summer, the harvest will be poor, and the common people will go hungry."
In the year 603 AD, the Gu Mountain in Liangzhou collapsed. The "Hong Fan Five Elements Biography" stated: "The collapse of the mountain represents betrayal by the subjects, who do not obey the ruler." Liangzhou was the former territory of the Han Dynasty, and the next year, Prince Liang rebelled.
In the year 611 AD, Dizhu Mountain collapsed, blocking the Yellow River and causing the river to flow backward for dozens of miles. Liu Xiang wrote in the "Hong Fan Five Elements Biography": "The mountain represents the monarch, and the water represents the people. Heaven warns that if the monarch's power is too oppressive, it will lead to collapse, and the people will be displaced." At that time, Emperor Yang of Sui was mobilizing troops to attack Liaodong, and the people could not bear such heavy corvee labor, resulting in widespread discontent and rebellions across the land. The emperor failed to heed these warnings, ultimately leading to the downfall of the Sui Dynasty.
In the "Book of Changes and Five Elements," it is also mentioned: "If the emperor cannot reach the utmost, it means that the political power has not been established well; the consequence will be incompetence, leading to eventual decline. At this time, monsters will emerge, bringing disasters such as dragons and snakes, along with wars."
In October of the year 594 AD, the sky was gloomy, and it had not rained for a long time. Liu Xiang said: "If the emperor loses the middle way, and the ministers' power blinds the emperor, there will be long periods of rainy weather." At that time, Empress Dugu and Yang Su secretly plotted against Crown Prince Yang Yong, stripping him of his title and reducing him to commoner status.
In the year 550 AD, the Prime Minister of the Eastern Wei, Gao Huan, led troops to attack the Western Wei at Yubi. In November of that year, Gao Huan fell ill and ordered the troops to withdraw. The soldiers were terrified and exclaimed: "Wei Xiaokuan of the Western Wei fired a specially crafted heavy crossbow and killed the Prime Minister!" The Western Wei also ordered the country to spread the news: "With one arrow shot, Gao Huan died on his own!" When Gao Huan heard this news, he was very angry, his condition worsened, and he believed this was the work of malevolent forces. In the "Book of Changes and Five Elements," it is said: "Shooting is a sign of military disaster; when the energy goes against the heavens, disaster will arise." As Gao Huan pressed on with his troops, General Cao Weizu, who was in the palace, advised him: "You are now facing life force with death energy, which is not good for the enemy, but not for yourself." Gao Huan did not listen, stayed in place for fifty days, and suffered numerous defeats. He also heeded the advice of those sorcerers, diverting the Fen River north of the city and constructing an earthen mound; the terrain was steep and rugged, towering over a thousand feet, but the project remained unfinished, and seventy thousand people died. This was all due to their defiance of the will of heaven! That year, Gao Huan died. The following year, Wang Sizheng came to disrupt Henan again.
After Gao Huan's death, Eastern Wei changed its name to Northern Qi. The last ruler of Northern Qi, Gao Wei, returned to Ye City from Bingzhou. As he walked and sang his way through Bagong Ridge at night, a man suddenly went mad. Gao Wei assumed he was being bewitched by a fox spirit, so he hid in the bushes, drew his bow, and shot at the man. As a result, several bystanders were injured, and Gao Wei himself was almost shot. Gao Wei apprehended the man and executed him, yet the man was completely unaware of his actions. The act of fox spirits misleading people is a wicked deed of demons and monsters. During that time, Gao Wei neglected state affairs, indulging only in drinking, singing, and seeking pleasure with palace maids and eunuchs. Occasionally, he would wear ragged clothes to entertain himself by begging on the streets. All of these were ominous signs, and the shooting incident was an omen of impending military disaster. Before long, Northern Qi fell.
In the year 502 AD, during the Liang Dynasty, dragons were spotted battling in the waters of Tan in Northern Liangzhou, with mist rising for miles around. This was interpreted as dragons causing mischief. According to the "Hongfan Wuxing Zhuan," dragons are formidable creatures that are hard to confront. They are symbols of the heavens and kings. When the heavens are harmed, the king's rule will suffer, and the dragon will also be harmed. Dragons fighting symbolize war. Jing Fang's "Yi Fei Hou" states: "When people's hearts are uneasy, strange phenomena like dragons fighting will appear." At that time, Emperor Wu of Liang had just taken the throne, and the rebellions led by Chen Bozhi and Liu Jilian sent the country into a state of panic.
In June of the fifth year of Emperor Wu's reign, a dragon fought at Qu'a Wang's Pond, then headed west to Jianling City. Where it passed, trees were broken, with lengths of dozens of zhang. This was akin to the signs that appeared in the second year of Tianjian. When the dragon passed through Jianling, breaking trees, it foretold of turmoil and war in the country, with the imperial tombs also facing destruction. At that time, the emperor was only focused on academia and neglected agriculture and military matters, resulting in the manifestation of this dragon omen. However, the emperor did not understand. In the first year of Taiqing, another dragon-fighting spectacle was witnessed in the waters of Lizhou. Waves surged, and clouds billowed, and people saw a white dragon running south, closely followed by a black dragon. That year, Hou Jing surrendered with his troops, and the emperor, caught off guard, accepted him, causing fear throughout the country. Soon after, war broke out, and the emperor died from overwhelming anxiety. One night, a dragon was struck by lightning and fell into a well in a Yanling family's courtyard. The next morning, people found the dragon was the size of a donkey. People wanted to kill it with a halberd, but suddenly several large snakes appeared in the courtyard and house, each as large as boats carrying several hundred hu, sending the family fleeing in terror. The "Hongfan Wuxing Zhuan" states: "The dragon is a symbol of yang and nobility. It should not appear in the towns and houses of common people. Wells are deep places, foretelling that vassals would face imprisonment, which reflects the emperor's failings." Later, Hou Jing rebelled and indeed imprisoned and killed Emperor Jianwen in the wine cellar, with royal nobles also suffering imprisonment and death. In the eleventh year of Taijian in Chen, a dragon appeared in a pond in South Yanzhou, similar to the signs seen in the tenth year of Daitong in the Liang Dynasty. Not long after, the last emperor ascended the throne, indulging in luxury, neglecting state affairs, and behaving recklessly. Ultimately, the kingdom collapsed, and he was ultimately imprisoned.
In the first year of the Wu Ding era of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, a giant serpent appeared in Wulao City. At that time, Lady Li, the wife of Gao Zhongmi, the Governor of Northern Yuzhou, was both intelligent and beautiful. The eldest son Gao Cheng took a liking to her, filling Gao Zhongmi with unease. He then rebelled, using Wulao as his stronghold, secretly colluding with Western Wei, which led to a major battle in Heyang. Gao Huan (Emperor Shenwu) was cornered by the Western Wei army, barely managing to escape, resulting in the deaths of thousands.
In the ninth year of the Tianbao era of the Later Qi Dynasty, a dragon measuring seven to eight zhang long appeared in the hall of Qizhou. This was reminiscent of an omen that had appeared in the tenth year of Daitong. At that time, the Kings of Changshan and Guangling wielded significant power, but the Emperor did not want to suppress them. The following year, the Emperor died, and Crown Prince Yin succeeded to the throne. King of Changshan Xiao Yan did indeed depose the Emperor, imprisoning and killing him.
In the first year of Heqing, a dragon emerged from the bathhouse in Jizhou. This echoed the omen from the ninth year of Tianbao. Prior to this, King Pingqin Gao Guiyan accepted the will of Emperor Zhao to appoint Prince Gao Bainian as his successor. However, Gao Guiyan instead appointed King Changguang Gao Zhan, who later became Emperor Wucheng. Gao Bainian was deposed as King of Leling and ultimately succumbed to despair.
In the fourth year of Tiantong, a local in Guixiang chopped down some dead wood and found a yellow dragon with broken feet dead in a tree hole, symbolizing the virtue associated with wood. The dragon symbolizes the monarch, and a dead dragon in dead wood is a very ominous omen. That year marked the death of Emperor Wucheng.
In the third year of Wuping, a dragon appeared in a well in Handan, radiating vibrant dragon qi that shot up into the sky. A dried-up well in a Buddhist temple in Xian County also had a dragon. This echoed the omen from the first year of Heqing. Eventually, the last ruler of Qi surrendered to the Zhou Dynasty and was killed.
In the seventh year of the Wuping era, below Zhaoyuan Tower in Bingzhou, a red snake and a black snake appeared and fought for several days, with the red snake ultimately succumbing. Red was the symbolic color of the Qi dynasty, while black was the symbolic color of the Zhou dynasty. The death of the red snake in the fight with the black snake was a sign of the downfall of the Qi state! Later, the last ruler of Qi placed his trust in treacherous advisors and engaged in battle with the Zhou army near Jinzhou. He entrusted the army to the villain Gao Anagong, who ended up betraying his own side, a disaster brought upon himself by the last ruler of Qi! In the end, the last ruler of Qi was captured by the Zhou army.
King Gaoyan of Langye ordered the demolition of the White Horse Stupa in Beigong, built during the time of Emperor Chengong of Shizhao. During the demolition, a large white snake several feet long appeared, coiled for a while, and then disappeared. At that time, King Gaoyan was tyrannical, a portent of his moral decline! Seeing these omens but failing to heed the warnings ultimately led to disaster.
In the fifth year of Jiande of the Later Zhou dynasty, a black dragon fell dead in Bozhou. The dragon symbolized royalty, and black was the symbolic color of the Zhou dynasty. The fall of the black dragon was an extremely ominous sign. At that time, the Zhou dynasty's crown prince was utterly incompetent, which greatly troubled the emperor. Loyal ministers like Wang Gui and Yuwen Xiaobo repeatedly urged the emperor to depose the crown prince, but the emperor ignored their counsel. Two years later, the emperor passed away, the crown prince ascended to the throne, and brutally executed the Prince of Qi, Xiaobo, and several others, ultimately leading to the downfall of the country. These events serve as a stark reminder of the consequences of ignoring wise counsel and the dangers of misplaced trust.
In the fourth year of Renshou, a dragon appeared in a well in the Governor's Office of Daizhou. This dragon sometimes transformed into an iron horse and other times into an armored soldier, bending a bow and aiming an arrow. The transformation into an iron horse indicated impending warfare; bending the bow to shoot arrows indicated that evil spirits would cause chaos, leading to conflict among the vassals, ultimately resulting in imprisonment. At that time, Prince Yang Liang of the Han dynasty was secretly plotting a rebellion, hence these omens of military change appeared. Yang Liang did not realize these signs and eventually rebelled, only to be deposed as a commoner and imprisoned, dying after several years in captivity.
That guy Hou Jing declared himself emperor in Jiangnan, and every time he went to battle, if the white horse he rode held its head high, neighed loudly, and stamped its feet, then he would surely win; if its head drooped, then he would lose. Once in a battle in Xizhou, the horse lay down and wouldn't get up, despite Hou Jing's prayers and beatings. It was later known that this was a sign that something unfortunate was about to happen to the horse! The "Hong Fan Five Elements Chronicle" says: "Horses are a symbol of the army, indicating that war is about to happen, so horses will exhibit strange phenomena." As a result of this incident, Hou Jing was ultimately defeated.
In the fifth year of the Taijian period of the Chen dynasty, horses in Hengzhou began to grow horns! The "Hong Fan Five Elements Chronicle" says: "Horse horns are also a sign of war, indicating failure and destruction." At that time, Emperor Chen Xuan dispatched Wu Mingche to lead troops to fight against the Zhou dynasty army in Luliang. After many years of fighting, suffering heavy losses, Wu Mingche was eventually captured by the Zhou dynasty army.
During the Tianbao period of the Northern Qi dynasty, a horse in Guangzong had a horn growing between its ears, resembling a sheep's tail. The "Jing Fang Yi Zhuan" says: "When the emperor leads the army into battle himself, horses will grow horns." Four years later, the Khitan people invaded the border, and Emperor Wen Xuan personally led the army to battle.
In the fourth year of the Sui Dynasty, more than half of the horses in the Taiyuan stable died, which infuriated the emperor, prompting him to send people to investigate. The stable manager said, "Every night the horses in the stable inexplicably become frightened by themselves, so they died." The emperor then had a wizard look into it. The wizard, aware that the emperor was planning to send troops to Liaodong, aligned his words with the emperor's thoughts, saying, "The late emperor sent Yang Su and Shi Wansui to attack Liaodong, accompanied by ghost soldiers!" The emperor was overjoyed by this and decided to release the stable manager. The "Hong Fan Wuxing Zhuan" states, "Going against the will of heaven is why the horses died in large numbers." At that time, the emperor conducted annual tours everywhere, running to the Great Wall in the north and to Qiemo in the west, causing great suffering among the people, as if heaven were warning him: all the horses in the stable are dead, yet you still run around! The emperor did not heed the warning, which ultimately resulted in chaos across the realm.
In the eleventh year of Daye, in the three counties of Henan and Fufeng, horses began to grow horns several inches long. This mirrored the situation during the Tianbao period. The "Hong Fan Wuxing Zhuan" states, "Horse horns are also a sign of war, indicating failure and destruction." At that time, the emperor personally led troops to attack Goguryeo for several years.
In the first year of Yining, at the Longma stable at Jiangdu Palace, hundreds of horses inexplicably died within a matter of weeks. This echoed the situation in the fourth year of Daye.
