Introduction:
Thousands of years of Chinese history is a history of dynasty changes. From Xia, Shang and Zhou to Yuan, Ming and Qing, for thousands of years, countless princes, generals and ministers have appeared on the stage and performed One legendary story after another, in the eyes of us modern people, the change of dynasties is natural, a law of history, and an objective existence; but the ancients did not think so. In their view, the stars in the sky and the feng shui on the earth can be determines the prosperity or decline of a country. Dragon Veins in the Eyes of the Ancients
The ancients divided the trends of mountains, rivers and rivers into hundreds of large and small dragon veins, such as the Yangtze River, Yellow River, Qilian Mountains, etc., which are all large dragon veins. Ancient emperors have always been obsessed with dragon veins. Deep down, they have to do everything possible to prevent other "real dragons" from appearing and threatening their empire. Of course, there are also many Feng Shui masters and charlatans who use dragon veins as a gimmick to stir up trouble. Liu Bowen Slays the Dragon
Zhu Yuanzhang, the Taizu of the Ming Dynasty and Hongwu Emperor, grew up from a beggar to the founder of a dynasty as a commoner in the Jianghuai River. He had a low background in history and had no one to his right. In the Yuan Dynasty, At the end of the troubled times, he defeated Chen Youliang, Zhang Shicheng and other tycoons, expelled the Tartars, and reshaped the Han people. He was considered a very accomplished emperor.
But Zhu Yuanzhang was born in the Ming Dynasty and relied on religious rebellion and peasant uprisings to seize the country and establish the last Han dynasty, the Ming Dynasty. Because of his mud-legged background and short knowledge, Zhu Yuanzhang firmly believed in the theory of "dragon veins". At the same time, he was a person with a strong sense of crisis. He was always worried that someone would plot to kill him and usurp his Ming Dynasty. A way to "cut off the dragon veins of the world" once and for all, so that his dynasty can last forever.
Liu Bowen is Zhu Yuanzhang's number one adviser. In folklore, there is a saying that "Zhuge Liang stands on three pillars and dominates the world, Liu Bowen". People compare him to Zhuge Liang. In folklore, he is even known as the former knower. Five hundred years later, it was revealed that five hundred years had been deified by the world, so the arduous task of "cutting off the dragon veins of the world" fell on Liu Bowen.
It is said that Liu Bowen was appointed by Zhu Yuanzhang as the Dragon-Slaying Ambassador to destroy the world's water and earth veins to prevent another "true dragon" from appearing. Of course he failed to do so, and the Ming Dynasty was later replaced by the Manchu Qing Dynasty that emerged in the northeast.
It is said that after receiving the imperial edict, Liu Bowen summoned the world's capable people and Feng Shui masters. In a few years, he traveled all over China and cut off ninety-nine dragon veins. When they came to Changbai Mountain, When the last dragon vein was about to be cut off, a warning sign suddenly occurred in his heart, and a group of people fled, so this only dragon vein was preserved. So why did Liu Bowen suddenly retreat when he was done?
It is said that Liu Bowen and others are afraid of being punished by God. In Chinese Feng Shui, it is believed that dragon veins are created by God to balance the heaven, earth, mountains and rivers. They are very important to the country. If all the dragon veins are gone, it is very likely that Numerous geological disasters have occurred, meteorites have fallen from the sky, and earth dragons have turned over. The people of the Ming Dynasty may also bear the risk. Liu Bowen, as the main person in charge of this "dragon slaying", will definitely suffer retribution. Prospered in the southeast, died in the northwest
After Liu Bowen handed over the edict to Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Yuanzhang became furious and was very dissatisfied with the work of Liu Bowen and his team. Later, Liu Bowen stated his interests, and at that time, the Ming Dynasty "prospered in the southeast" , perished in the northwest" prophecy, because Changbai Mountain is in the northeast, Zhu Yuanzhang believed that this dragon vein had nothing to do with the demise of the Ming Dynasty, so he finally agreed to leave this only dragon vein.
Everyone knows the story in the future. The Ming Dynasty did fall in the northwest. Li Zicheng, the leader of the peasant army who was born in Shaanxi, led his army to conquer Beijing. Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself on Meishan; Zhu Yuanzhang and Liu Bowen did not expect that Unfortunately, after their deaths, the only dragon vein left behind, a group of Tungus savages arose hundreds of years later. (The Manchus hypothesized that they were descendants of the Jurchen tribe, but later historians did not admit it). They took advantage of the Central Plains. After the rebellion, he led troops to invade and established China's second unified dynasty of ethnic minorities.
Other rumors about Liu Bowen's dragon slaying. It is said that Liu Bowen did not cut off the dragon veins in Changbai Mountain. There are three reasons:
First, Liu Bowen was unwilling to take over the task of severing his descendants because cutting off the dragon veins would be detrimental to his life. There are benefits to the emperor, but it is another matter for the common people, and cutting off the dragon's veins itself will damage the moral character. If he really cuts off the dragon's veins, he may have retribution on his descendants. In order not to harm future generations, Liu Bowen The dragon veins of Changbai Mountain were not cut off.
Second, Liu Bowen, as a famous wise man and Feng Shui master, believed that the heaven and earth are naturally balanced and the dragon veins are inexhaustible. Even if he cuts off the dragon veins of Changbai Mountain, the heaven and earth will rotate on their own and form a new one. of dragon veins. The dragon veins left in Changbai Mountain can still be controlled by the Ming Dynasty. If new dragon veins emerge elsewhere, it will be even more difficult to handle, so it is better to leave them than to cut them off.
Third, it is said that Liu Bowen came to Changbai Mountain and saw that its dragon veins had not yet taken shape. Compared with the majestic dragon veins of the Ming Dynasty that occupied the Central Plains, they were not worth mentioning, so he gave up carelessly. .
Conclusion
Whether the Manchu Qing Dynasty replaced the Ming Dynasty was an accident of history or a necessity, we don’t know. The legend of Liu Bowen slaying the dragon has been passed down orally for hundreds of years. Perhaps this is a false story, fabricated by the Manchu rulers in order to fool the people and prove their destiny.
The development of history must have its own objective laws, how can it be forcibly interfered by human power!