The I Ching states: "There are various celestial phenomena, and sages govern the world based on these phenomena." During Fu Xi's reign, he looked up at the stars and observed the geographical patterns on Earth. Looking at the celestial phenomena includes the sun, moon, and stars, while observing geographical patterns refers to the distribution of mountains, rivers, and streams. Changes on Earth are reflected in the celestial phenomena. Thus, the North Star symbolizes the heavens, shining brilliantly, ruling over all, governing the passage of time, and commanding the stars. With three tiers and nine ranks, twenty-seven officials, eighty-one scholars, along with the Dipper, Libra, Great Bear, and others, totaling one hundred and twenty official positions, the twenty-eight constellations each have their designated positions, corresponding to the twelve Earthly Branches on Earth. The positions between heaven and Earth are meticulously arranged, and the movements of the stars are perfectly synchronized.
During the Three Sovereigns period, the world was peaceful, with harmony between people and nature, like the alignment of five stars and the shining of the sun and moon. Everything happened naturally, and the people lived and worked in peace, without any violations of laws or disorder. With the advent of written records, the era of the Five Emperors began. The Yellow Emperor accepted the revelations of the River Chart and Lo River Map, and based on the laws of the movement of the sun, moon, and stars, he established a calendar. Therefore, it is said that the recording of the constellations began in the time of the Yellow Emperor. During the period of Gao Yang, the South Zheng was set up to oversee astronomy, while the North Li was tasked with geography. During the eras of Tang, Yao, Yu, and Shun, Xi Zhonghe and Zhong were in charge of astronomy. During the Xia Dynasty, there was an official named Kunwu; during the Shang Dynasty, there was an official named Wuxian; during the Zhou Dynasty, there were officials named Shi Yi and Chang Hong; during the Song Dynasty, there was an official named Zi Wei; during the state of Chu, there was an official named Tang Mei; during the state of Lu, there was an official named Zi Shen; during the state of Zheng, there was an official named Bi Zao; during the state of Wei, there was an official named Shi Shenfu; and during the state of Qi, there was an official named Gan Gong. All of these individuals were officials responsible for astronomy and the calendar. They assisted rulers in governing the country by observing celestial phenomena, carefully observing subtle changes, deciphering celestial patterns, predicting good and bad fortunes, and foreseeing trends of success and failure. Qin Shi Huang burned books and buried Confucian scholars, misleading the populace. The Book of Songs, the Book of Documents, and the other four classics were reduced to ashes, but the records of celestial bodies were preserved and remained intact. Therefore, the historical records of the Qin Dynasty state that during the time of Qin Shi Huang, a comet swept past the Big Dipper, leading to its disappearance. In the palace, there appeared a phenomenon of a large star and a small star fighting, all of which were omens of the downfall of the Qin Dynasty.
After the establishment of the Han Dynasty, during the reigns of Emperor Jing and Emperor Wu, Sima Tan and his son Sima Qian, who served as the Grand Historian, wrote the "Shiji," which included the "Tian Guan Shu." During the reign of Emperor Cheng of Han, Liu Xiang, the Middle Lieutenant of the Central Division, supplemented the sections on disasters and anomalies in the "Hong Fan" and wrote the treatise "Wuji Huangji" to speculate on historical events. During the reign of Emperor Xiaoming of Han, Ban Gu wrote the "Han Shu," and Ma Xu supplemented the "Tianwen Zhi." I am currently writing a continuation of the "Han Shu: Tianwen Zhi," starting from the usurpation of Wang Mang and ending in the 25th year of the Jian'an era of Emperor Xian of Han, a total of 215 years. The book records various astronomical phenomena that took place during this period and their corresponding fortunes and misfortunes, in order to warn rulers and clarify the way of governing the country.
In November of the year 23 AD, a comet appeared in the sky, appearing near Zhang Su, and moved to the southeast for five days before disappearing. This comet, believed to be a manifestation of malevolent forces, foreshadows war and rebellion, so it is called "comet." The term "comet" itself signifies destruction and obstruction. Some people also refer to it as a comet, saying that it can cleanse filth and bring new life. Zhang Su belonged to the Zhou Dynasty, and the comet appeared in Zhang Su, then moved to the southeast (Yi Su, Zhen Su), and Yi Su and Zhen Su belonged to the territory of the Chu State, indicating that war was imminent between the Zhou Dynasty and the Chu State.
In the following year's first month, Liu Xiu rose up in Chongling. At this time, the leaders of the uprising in the Jiangxia and Xinshi regions, Zhang Yang and Wang Chang, as well as the army of Emperor Gengshi, also arrived, and together they captured Nanyang, killing Wang Mang's vanguard officers Zhen Fu and Liang Qiu, among others, and tens of thousands of enemy troops were either killed or wounded. Emperor Gengshi declared himself emperor, established his capital in Luoyang, and later moved west to Chang'an, where he was defeated and killed. Liu Xiu then expanded and strengthened in Hebei, and later established his capital in Luoyang. He occupied the territory of the Zhou Dynasty, which seems to validate the comet's omen of "cleansing filth and bringing new life," doesn't it?
In the 23rd year of the Common Era, in June, the Han army departed from Nanyang and arrived at Kunyang. Wang Mang sent the Minister of Works, Wang Xun, and the Minister of Works, Wang Yi, to lead the armies of various counties, claiming to have a million troops, but only four hundred twenty thousand actually arrived; there were sixty-three commanders skilled in military tactics, all serving as generals, each with their own maps and weapons. This army set out from the east, even bringing along elephants, tigers, wolves, and other fierce beasts, releasing them on the road to demonstrate their might and intimidate the inhabitants of Shandong. Upon reaching Kunyang Mountain, they set up over a hundred camps, heavily surrounding Kunyang City. Some used battering rams to strike the city walls, some built ladders as high as ten zhang to peer into the city, crossbow arrows rained down on the city, and the people inside could only carry buckets to fetch water. The people in the city wanted to surrender, but Wang Mang's army refused; they also did not allow anyone to break through. Wang Xun and Wang Yi's army believed they would definitely win, paid no attention to military deployments, and did not discuss plans with each other. The signs of impending failure for Wang Mang's army were already evident. During the day, cloud formations resembling collapsing mountains appeared, falling onto the army, and the soldiers were very afraid, calling it the "star of the encampment." Diviners said: "Where the clouds fall, the army below will be defeated, and blood will flow for a thousand li."
At this time, General Liu Xiu led several thousand troops to rescue Kunyang, fiercely attacking Wang Xun and Wang Yi's army. The two sides fought fiercely, the battle cries shook the heavens and the earth, even tigers and leopards were scared and fled in all directions. Then a strong wind arose, blowing off the roof tiles, and rain fell like a waterfall. Wang Xun and Wang Yi's army fell into chaos, killing each other, with tens of thousands killed on the spot. They fought to escape to the Zhi River, with the dead piling up like mountains, clogging the Zhi River. Minister Wang Xun was killed. The army scattered and fled back to their respective counties. Wang Yi fled back to Chang'an, and after Wang Mang's defeat, both were executed. The appearance of the "star of the encampment" fulfilled the prophecy of the army's defeat and the spilling of blood for a thousand li.
It is said that in the autumn of the fourth year, the bright light of Venus (Tai Bai Xing) in the sky illuminated the entire earth, shining as brightly as moonlight. This Venus symbolizes the rebellious forces rising up; while the Tai Wei star represents the court. Venus triumphed and moved north, heading straight towards the Tai Wei, foretelling that a great army was about to storm the imperial palace.
At that time, Wang Mang dispatched the armies of two generals to Kunyang, but they were all routed by Emperor Guangwu. Wang Mang then appointed nine people as generals, each taking "Tiger" as their title, known as the "Nine Tiger Generals." These Nine Tiger Generals arrived in Huayin and were defeated by the Han generals Deng Ye and Li Song. Just as they were about to assault the capital, General Han Chen had already reached the Chang Gate. On the Wushen day in October, the Han army surged into Chang'an through the Xuanping gate. Two days later, on the Jiyou day, the young men Zhu Di and Zhang Yu rallied thousands to rebel against Wang Mang, burning the Asu gate and hacking through the Jingfatai gate. The merchant Du Wu executed Wang Mang on the Jiantai platform, and Colonel Gong Bin severed Wang Mang's head. The army poured into the palace, resulting in chaos all around. Eventually, Emperor Guangwu made his entrance into Chang'an, and the Red Eyebrow Army supported Liu Penzi as emperor, all of them storming the palace with their formidable armies, fulfilling the earlier omens.
In the ninth year of Jianwu, on the Yichou day in July, Venus opposed Xuanyuan; in the month of Yichou in November, Venus opposed Xuanyuan again. Xuanyuan represents the officials in the harem, while the Great Star symbolizes the empress. When Venus opposes Xuanyuan, it signifies that the empress will soon lose favor. Indeed, at this time, Empress Guo had already lost favor and was being neglected, and was later deposed as Empress Dowager of Zhongshan, while Lady Yin was made empress, all in alignment with the celestial signs coming to pass.
In the year 23 of the Han Dynasty, on the third day of the third lunar month, a meteor, as large as the moon, appeared in the sky. It flew out from the Taiwei Constellation and headed straight for the sixth star of the Big Dipper, shining snow-white. There were more than ten small meteors flying like arrows beside it, vanishing with a thunderous roar after about the time it takes to have a meal. According to ancient beliefs, meteors are seen as messengers from the court, with larger meteors signifying higher ranks and smaller ones denoting lower ranks. The Taiwei Constellation represents the emperor's palace, and the sixth star of the Big Dipper is in charge of military affairs. The fact that this meteor flew from the Taiwei Constellation to the Big Dipper's sixth star foretells the emperor sending a great general on a major military campaign.
Then, on the twelfth day of the twelfth month of the same year, another meteor, as large as a water tank, appeared, flying out from the southwest direction of the Willow Constellation and finally falling into the Zhi Constellation. As it vanished, it broke apart into over ten small fireballs, resembling burning embers. After a moment, a distant thunderous sound was heard. The Willow Constellation corresponds to the Zhou Dynasty, and the Zhi Constellation corresponds to the Qin and Shu regions. The meteor's journey from the Willow Constellation to the Zhi Constellation signifies that a great general from the court will depart from the Zhou region to engage in battle in the Shu region. This heralded Emperor Guangwu's decision to send Grand Marshal Wu Han to lead thirty thousand troops from Nanyang, sailing upstream to confront Gongsun Shu, the ruler of Ba Di in the Shu region. Simultaneously, he ordered generals Ma Wu, Liu Shang, Guo Ba, Cen Peng, and Feng Jun to assault regions like Wudu and Bajun.
In the tenth month of the year 25 AD, the Han army attacked Gongsun Shu's cousin Wei Wenyong, all the way to Guangdu, killing Gongsun Shu's son-in-law, Shi Xing. General Weilu Feng Jun captured Jiangzhou and killed Gongsun Shu's general Tian Rong. Wu Han also defeated Gongsun Shu's Grand Marshal Xie Feng, killing over 5,000 enemy soldiers. Zang Gong captured Fucheng and killed Gongsun Shu's brother, Grand Marshal Hui. On the eleventh day of the eleventh month, General Gao Wu, the army's protector, assassinated Gongsun Shu, who died that night. The next day, the Han army entered Chengdu, executing Gongsun Shu's generals, including Gongsun Huang, Yancen, and others, killing tens of thousands of enemies and exterminating Gongsun Shu's family members, over 10,000 people. This completely fulfilled the earlier signs of generals going to war and carrying out large-scale killings. Shooting stars that flew like arrows, as well as meteors splitting into more than ten fireballs, are symbols of the junior generals following the generals to war. The faint thunder indicates the soldiers' angry battles.
In the first month of the year 25 AD, there were many shooting stars, over a hundred of them, some in the northwest, some in the north, some in the northeast, for two consecutive nights. In June, there were many shooting stars again, over a hundred, flying across the sky. These little stars, just like ordinary people; they run everywhere, just like ordinary people migrating. In the northwest, northeast, everywhere, are signs of ordinary people fleeing. At that time, the court was engaged in battles against Gongsun Shu in the northwest and Lu Fang in the north. The Xiongnu also helped Lu Fang invade the border, and the Han dynasty sent generals Ma Wu, Cavalry Captain Liu Na, and Yan Xing to Quyang, Linping, and Hutuo to guard against the Xiongnu. The Xiongnu also invaded Hedong; the country was in turmoil, and food was both scarce and expensive, and many ordinary people fled. Three years later, Wu Han and Ma Wu moved over 60,000 ordinary people from Yanmen, Daijun, Shanggu, and Guanxi and settled them east of Changshan Pass and Juyong Pass to avoid the harassment of the Xiongnu. All of this fulfilled the signs of ordinary people fleeing in every direction.
In the first month of the 28th year of Guangwu's reign, a comet appeared near the constellation of the Pleiades, slowly moving northwest, entering the main palace, and even colliding with the secondary palace. Three months later, it disappeared when it reached the eastern wall, appearing for a total of forty-nine days. The appearance of the comet signified war and purification. The Pleiades represented the border military forces, so the appearance of the comet indicated that an army was coming. In November of that year, Yin Cheng, the Commandant of Dingxiang, rebelled, and the governor subsequently executed him. Lu Fang then fled with the Xiongnu to Gaoliu, surrendering in October of the 29th year, handing over the imperial seal and seal cords. Another interpretation is that the Pleiades are also associated with judicial affairs. At that time, Grand Minister Ouyang She was imprisoned for a year before dying. The main palace was the emperor's primary residence, while the secondary palace was where the consorts resided. The comet entering the main palace and colliding with the secondary palace signified a cleansing of the palace. By October of the 30th year, Empress Dowager Guo had lost favor and was made the Empress Dowager of Zhongshan, while Lady Yin was made empress, fulfilling the omen of cleansing the palace.
In the intercalary month of the 30th year, Mercury appeared at twenty degrees east of the Well of the East, emitting white mist and pointing southeast, with a flame five feet long, similar to a comet, moving northeast until it stopped at the west side of the Purple Palace, disappearing in May after appearing for a total of thirty-one days. Mercury usually appears at the Well of the East during the summer solstice, but it appeared in the intercalary month of April before the summer solstice, indicating its premature appearance. The Well of the East represents water balance, so the appearance of Mercury foretold a great flood. In May of that year and the following year, floods occurred in various places, leading to the collapse of city walls, destruction of crops, and many fatalities. The white mist signified funerals, and the flame forming a comet indicated the cleansing of impurities. The Purple Palace was the emperor's palace, and the comet reaching its boundary also foretold the cleansing of the palace. Three years later, Emperor Guangwu passed away.
In the year 23 AD, on a day in July, Mars moved near the star Yuguixing, then entered the Guixiu constellation, and shifted half a degree south. On a day in October, Mars once again entered the Xuan Yuan star. At the same time, a comet appeared near the Big Dipper, with a brightness of about two cubits, moving southwest, before disappearing on the 22nd day of the second month of the following year, after a total of 113 days. Ancient astronomers believed Mars was a harbinger of disaster, and Yuguixing and the Corpse Star were seen as omens of death, with Mars entering these constellations signifying great calamity. The Xuan Yuan star symbolized the imperial harem, while the Big Dipper symbolized the Zhou Dynasty's realm, and the appearance of the comet there also foreshadowed death. Two years later, Emperor Guangwu, Liu Xiu, died.
This passage indicates that ancient astronomers tracked Mars' movements and the appearance of the comet, predicting the death of Emperor Guangwu based on the astrological theories of the time. You see, Mars, running here for a while, running there for a while, and even a comet appearing, was quite significant back then! They connected these celestial changes with major events on earth, suggesting that when Mars appeared in certain positions, it foretold death, or something would happen in the harem, which was quite frightening. In the 25th year of the reign, on a day in August, Mars passed through the southwest corner of the Taiwei Yuan constellation, two inches apart. On a day in October, a massive meteor streaked from the southwest to the northeast, sounding like thunder. Mars passing through the southwest corner of the Taiwei Yuan constellation foreshadowed trouble for the prime minister. Later, Grand Commandant Zhao Xi and Minister Li Yi were dismissed due to their errors. That massive meteor was interpreted as a messenger, as Colonel Dou Gu, Marquis Yangxu Ma Wu, and Marquis Yangxiang Wang Shangzheng were leading troops on a western campaign at the time.
This passage records another astronomical phenomenon, Mars is up to its tricks again, this time intruding upon the Taiwei constellation, which symbolizes the imperial court! Then a huge meteor came crashing down from the sky, booming like thunder! Based on these phenomena, the ancients predicted that officials in the court were in for some bad luck, and sure enough, Zhao Xi and Li Yi were both let go. As for that big meteor, they thought it signified the army heading off to battle, connecting it to Dou Gu and the others' western expedition. In short, the way the ancients interpreted celestial phenomena was incredibly vibrant and diverse!
