In the "Hongfan Lun," it is said: Horses are a symbol of war. When turmoil is about to occur, strange phenomena will appear with horses.
On the day of Xinyou in November of the second year of Emperor Suzong's Xiping reign, a foal was delivered from Hengzhou. Its tail was fleshy and a foot long, but it had no hair on its hindquarters.
In the first year of Zhengguang, in September, the official horses in Woye Town were struck by a strange illness. Worms burrowed into their ears, resulting in the deaths of fourteen or fifteen horses. These worms resembled maggots, measuring less than five inches long and as thick as chopsticks.
The "Hongfan Lun" also states: In the "I Ching," it is said that "Kun represents cattle." Kun symbolizes earth, and when the earth's energies are disrupted, strange phenomena will appear with cattle, referred to as cattle disasters. These omens indicate that the ancestral temple is about to decline. Another explanation is that heavy transportation can also lead to strange occurrences with cattle.
In the second year of Shizong Jingming, in May, Jizhou reported from Changle County that a cow gave birth to a calf with one head and two faces, two mouths, three eyes, and three ears.
The "Hongfan Lun" says: These strange occurrences are all caused by the lack of wisdom of the ruler and political mistakes.
In the twenty-third year of Tahe by Gaozu, in March, Sizhou reported that a sheep in Yangqu County gave birth to a lamb with one head but two bodies, one female and one male, three ears, and eight legs. Shortly thereafter, Gaozu passed away, and six assistant ministers started to consolidate power.
In the first year of Shizong Zhengshi, in July, Shanshan Town sent a lamb with one head but two bodies and eight legs.
The following January, Shanshan Town sent another lamb with eight legs.
In the fourth year of Yanchang, in May, Bogu Lu Town reported a lamb with one head, six legs, and two tails.
Jing Fang said in the "Zhuan": Any strange phenomena with similar traits and multiple limbs result from the employment of unscrupulous individuals. Jing Fang also said in the "I Ching" that the birth of a pig with a human head and a pig's body foretells the confusion and destruction of cities.
In the first year of the reign of Emperor Gaozu, in September, the relevant authorities reported that the Governor of Yuzhou and the Marquis of Linhuai, Wang Rang, submitted a memorial stating that a pig gave birth to a piglet with one head, two bodies, and eight legs. In the fourth year of the reign of Emperor Shizong, in September, a report from Liangzhou stated that a dog and a pig had mated. In the fourth year of the Zhengshi era, in August, a pig in the capital city gave birth to a piglet with one head, four ears, two bodies, and eight legs. In the fourth year of the Yanchang era, in July, a report from Xuzhou mentioned that a pig at Yangping Garrison gave birth to a piglet with a human-like face, a lump on its head, and no hair. This was interpreted as a sign that the Empress Dowager and the young emperor were on the verge of being dethroned. In the text "Hong Fan Lun," Jing Fang said in the "Zhuan" section: Chickens are small domestic fowls, just like small subjects. The chicken's comb symbolizes weapons, representing the authority of the monarch. This indicates that small subjects will rebel using the authority of the monarch, posing a danger due to poor governance. In the summer of 477 AD, in May, it was reported that two hens with crown-like crests appeared in the capital, unlike ordinary chickens. At that time, the Empress Dowager Wenming was in power and trusted those treacherous people. In April of 478 AD, a chicken with four legs and four wings appeared in Henan, as noted in "Cui Guang Chuan." In August, a report from Sizhou mentioned that among the chickens raised by the common people in Henan, some chickens had an extra head at the back of their bodies, with eyes and a mouth. Both heads were located on the back of the neck, each with two pairs of wings, and the two legs were side by side. At that time, Emperor Shizong also trusted those treacherous people and had many followers, with evident signs of their interference in court affairs. In December of 479 AD, a report from Luozhou mentioned that the Prefect of Weixing, Chang Jia, raised a yellow hen with a fleshy horn on its head, about the size of a jujube, one inch and three fen long, with hair one and a half inches long on the horn.
In January of the year 501 AD, the two chickens belonging to General Lan Dou of the Tiger Guard both had two horns growing on their heads, with feathers in a mix of colors, and the horns stood high above their combs. At that time, Empress Dowager Ling was in power.
The "Book of Hong Fan" states: Poor eyesight and poor hearing are all due to punishment.
In November of the year 528 AD, a white owl was caught in the capital city.
On the Ji Mao day of August in the year 502 AD, a bald eagle was caught in the imperial palace.
In April of the year 503 AD, someone brought a dead duck with only one head but two bodies attached, four legs, four wings, and two tails.
In March of the year 504 AD, a male pheasant flew into the Ministry of Personnel and was captured in the hall.
In July of the year 477 AD, a locust plague occurred in the Dunhuang region, almost completely devouring the autumn crops.
In July of the year 478 AD, Qingzhou and Yongzhou experienced a locust plague, resulting in significant crop damage. In August, seven provinces including Xuzhou, Dongxuzhou, Yanzhou, Jizhou, Pingzhou, Yuzhou, and Guangzhou, as well as four towns including Pingyuan, Fangtou, Guang'a, and Linji, all suffered from locust plagues.
In April of the year 479 AD, locust plagues occurred in Xiangzhou and Yuzhou.
In March of the year 480 AD, locust plagues occurred in Jizhou and Xiangzhou. In April, locust plagues occurred in Jizhou, Guangzhou, Youzhou, Sizhou, Yongzhou, Qizhou, and Pingzhou. In June, locust plagues occurred in Xiangzhou, Qizhou, Guangzhou, and Qingzhou.
On the Guisi day of October in the year 496 AD, a locust plague struck Fanghan town, causing serious damage to crops.
In the first year of Jingming, in May, locusts (a type of pest) ravaged crops in several places including Qingzhou, Qizhou, Xuzhou, Yanzhou, Guangzhou, and South Qingzhou, resulting in a pest crisis.
On the Renwu day in March of the fourth year, a large-scale pest outbreak occurred in Hezhou, causing the wheat to fail completely. In May, Guangzhou was again attacked by the leafcutter pests. In June, Hezhou was ravaged by locusts. In July, Donglai County also suffered from the invasion of leafcutter ants.
In June of the first year of Zhengshi, both Shazhou and Sizhou faced locust plagues, with crops being completely consumed. In April of the fourth year, the walking caterpillar in Qingzhou devoured jujube blossoms. In August, Jingzhou, Hezhou, Liangzhou, and Sizhou Hengnong County all suffered from pest infestations; Jingzhou was plagued by yellow rats, locusts, and banded insects, while Hezhou faced leafcutter ants and banded insects, and locusts were rampant in Liangzhou and Sizhou Hengnong County.
On the day of Jisi in June of the first year of Yongping, a locust disaster occurred in Liangzhou. In May of the fifth year, the walking caterpillar in Qingzhou again harmed jujube blossoms. In July, the capital experienced leafcutter ants, and locusts were rampant in various places. In August, the three provinces of Qingzhou, Qizhou, and Guangzhou were severely affected by leafcutter pests, with two-thirds of the crops consumed.
In June of the first year of Xiping, leafcutter ants again harmed crops in Qingzhou, Qizhou, Guangzhou, and Nanqingzhou.
In June of the first year of Tian'an, a bizarre spectacle occurred in Yanzhou: black ants and red ants fought a battle that spanned sixty paces in length and four inches in width, resulting in the total annihilation of the red ants, suffering heavy losses. The black ants took the north, while the red ants held the south. In November, Yanzhou's governor, Bi Zhongjing, sent envoys to capitulate to the court, which appointed General Wei Yuan to take over and decisively defeated the rebel general Zhou Kai and others.
In July of the tenth year of Taihe, Zhang Wanshou, the official in charge of Bingzhou, reported that in Jianxing, Huozecounty, a commoner named Jia Richeng discovered that during silkworm breeding in April, the silk had woven into a curtain, with something rolled inside that resembled a ribbon, measuring four feet long and three inches wide, thin, with two yellow cocoons on top, shaped like footprints.
In March of the second year of Zhengshi, an incident where silkworm moths injured people occurred in Xuzhou, injuring more than 110 people and causing 22 fatalities.
"The calamity of the caterpillars is said to signify the abnormality of change." This sentence indicates that the infestation of caterpillars foretells unusual events. During the reign of the founding emperor of the dynasty, seven tigers appeared in Henan, resting by the river for three months before leaving. The following year, a large number of ants (specifically, weevils) and white deer crossed the Yellow River. A year later, the Yellow River turned red, like blood. This was considered an omen of the demise of the Weichen family. Later, the founding emperor threw all the members of the Weichen family into the Yellow River, after which no unusual events occurred in that area.
In the first month of the first year of the Yuanxiang era, a wolf ran into the city and was captured in the Xieshi area. (The character "Cao" is in doubt.) In December of the fifth year of the Wuding era, a leopard was caught on the Copper Goblet Terrace in the north city. On the day of the Xin-Hai in May of the first year of the Taizong era, reports suddenly emerged of a fox spirit cutting people's hair, while Empress Dowager Ming was in power, and many of her actions were questionable; this might have been an omen.
In the second year of the Xiping era of Emperor Su, starting from spring, there were disturbances in the capital with fox spirits cutting people's hair, instilling great fear among the people. On the day of the Ren-Chen in June, Empress Ling summoned those whose hair had been cut and had them whipped by Liu Teng, the commander of the Chongxun Guard, outside the Qianqiu Gate, mirroring the events of the Tahe era. The "Ruitu" states: If local lords, governors, and officials of two thousand stones and county magistrates oppress the people cruelly, leading to widespread grievances, white mice will appear.
In the second month of the third year of the Yongxing era, a commoner named Zhao Wen discovered a white mouse in his home in the capital and presented it to the emperor. That spring, while hunting in the North Garden, another white mouse was caught, but it died shortly thereafter. Upon examination, three tiny white mice were found inside it. In the third month of the fourth year of Yongxing, the emperor went to the Western Palace and caught another white mouse. In August, a man named Zhang An in the palace also caught a white mouse.
In the second year of the Shenrui Era, in May, the emperor went hunting in Kalon Mountain and caught a white mouse; three were also caught in Pingcheng. In June, Pingcheng caught two more. In August, Prince Kuai of Yuzhang also caught one. In the first year of Taichang, in November, a person in the capital caught a white mouse (or possibly a white rat bug) and presented it to the emperor. In June, two were caught in Zhongshan. In March of the third year, one was caught in the capital. In November, one was caught in the capital again. In the third year of Shiguang, in August, a white mouse was caught in Weijun, Xiangzhou. In the first year of Taiyan, in August, one white mouse was presented from Yanmen. In the twenty-third year of the Taihe Era, in August, one white mouse was caught in the capital. In the fourth year of Jingming, in May, one white mouse was caught in the capital. In the first year of Zhengshi, in June, one white mouse was caught in the capital. In the first year of Xiping, in April, reports from Sizhou indicated that a white mouse had been caught.
