Liu Ji, the prophet of the Ming Dynasty
Liu Ji (1311-1375), known as Liu Bowen, was the founding advisor of the Ming Dynasty. It is said that one of China's three major folk prophecies, "Shaobing Song", was written by Liu Bowen. When Liu Ji was twenty-two years old, he was awarded the title of Jinshi. However, he was upright and upright, honest and dedicated to public service. Later, he was ostracized and went home to live in seclusion because he exposed the supervisor's negligence in his duties. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, all heroes came together. After Zhu Yuanzhang raised his army, Liu Ji came to seek refuge with him, and eventually helped Zhu Yuanzhang achieve his career as emperor.
According to the "History of the Ming Dynasty", since Liu Ji came to seek refuge, Zhu Yuanzhang often came to seek Liu Ji's opinions. Liu Ji analyzed the situation at that time and told Zhu Yuanzhang that the lord now occupied Jinling. The situation was dangerous, the tiger was on the dragon's side, and the geographical location was very good. But Zhang Shicheng in the southeast and Chen Youliang in the northwest often invade the territory and oppose you. This has become a worry for you in the north of the Central Plains, so you must get rid of these two people. Zhu Yuanzhang said. These two people are very powerful, how to deal with them? Therefore, Liu Ji planned a blueprint for Zhu Yuanzhang to realize his imperial career. Liu Ji pointed out: "Zhang Shicheng is short-sighted and has no ambitions. He just wants to defend his own territory and will not achieve anything big. Therefore, it is not worth worrying about and you can ignore him for the time being. But Chen Youliang is different. He killed his master and usurped the throne. He is a dangerous opponent with great ambitions and many conspiracies. Moreover, he occupies Wuchang, is located upstream of Nanjing, and has huge ships and elite troops. Faced with this situation, we cannot fight on both sides, but should fight first. Concentrate your forces to annihilate Chen Youliang. After Chen Youliang's death, Zhang Tucheng's forces will be isolated and helpless. Then, the lord can march north to pacify the Central Plains and finally destroy the Yuan Dynasty. Then your emperor's career will be realized!
In the end, Zhu Yuanzhang defeated all the heroes and achieved the king's career, which was basically realized according to Liu Ji's original plan. "Ji Zuo determines the world, and predicts events like a god." ("History of the Ming Dynasty") Liu Ji is to Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, no less than Jiang Ziya is to King Wu of Zhou, Zhang Liang is to Han Gaozu, and Zhuge Liang is to Liu Bei. Not only did they have the talent to become the founding ministers of the country, but they also had a deep understanding of the principles of change. The ancients firmly believed that the change of dynasties was due to God's will. Liu Bowen predicted the long future in "Song of Shaobing". Of course, he also saw that the Yuan Dynasty was exhausted and the Ming Dynasty would rise. To a certain extent, it can be said that it is in accordance with God's will.
In the process of Zhu Yuanzhang conquering the world, Liu Ji also repeatedly tried his best to help Zhu Yuanzhang make the right choice despite all opinions. At first, Chen Youliang was quite powerful, and after capturing Taiping, he wanted to go south. Zhu Yuanzhang's subordinates panicked. Some advocated surrender, while others advocated fleeing. Liu Ji, on the other hand, stared angrily and remained silent. When Zhu Yuanzhang saw this, he summoned Liu Ji to the back to discuss. Liu Ji said, "Those who advocate surrender or escape can be killed." Zhu Yuanzhang asked Liu Ji what his plan was. Liu Ji told Taizu that Chen Youliang was very arrogant and he could lure the enemy deep into the army first, and then use an ambush to surprise him, and he would definitely win. . Zhu Yuanzhang used troops according to Liu Ji's advice and won a complete victory. Afterwards, Taizu wanted to reward Liu Ji, but Liu Ji declined.
Liu Ji not only has strategic vision, but is also very resourceful at critical moments. When Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang fought in Poyang Lake, the two sides fought dozens of times in one day. Zhu Yuanzhang personally took a warship to supervise the battle, with Liu Ji standing next to him. Suddenly Liu Ji asked Zhu Yuanzhang to leave the warship. When the monarch and his party had just moved to another warship, before they had time to sit down, the original warship was smashed by the enemy. The two armies were in a stalemate for several days. Liu Ji suggested that he first occupy the mouth of the lake and guard it, and then choose a day when gold and wood are in conflict. As a result, Zhu Yuanzhang finally achieved this decisive victory. Here Liu Ji also made full use of the relationship between terrain location and the five elements to plan the battle.
As for Liu Ji’s character, the "History of the Ming Dynasty" said, "Ji has a long beard, handsome appearance, generous and upright, and he talks about the safety of the world, and his righteousness is reflected in his appearance." "In times of crisis, he works hard with courage and plans. When Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor, Liu Ji asked for the establishment of military and military laws and regulations, and people were worried about their strictness. In the fourth year of Hongwu (1371), Liu Ji retired and returned to his hometown (granted by Taizu). Liu Ji hated evil as much as his enemies, and offended some treacherous people. Hu Weiyong was the number one treacherous man in the early Ming Dynasty. Liu Ji and General Xu Da both warned Taizu not to use his people. Hu Weiyong later sent people to spread rumors that Liu Ji had chosen a royal cemetery for himself in order to achieve future glory. Although Zhu Yuanzhang was a diligent monarch, he was not as broad-minded as Tang Taizong. So Ming Taizu deprived Liu Ji of his salary. After Liu Ji was framed, he had to go to the capital to plead guilty. Taizu did not take much blame, and later sent someone to escort Liu Ji back home.
It is said that Liu Ji was ill at that time, and Hu Weiyong sent someone to poison Liu Ji's medicine.
Prophecy of the Ming Dynasty "Shaobing Song"
As a monarch, Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang was most concerned about whether he could protect his country forever. He knew that Liu Bowen was a man of the Tao who understood mathematics well, so he asked Liu Bowen about the future. The change of dynasties has its own destiny, and the secrets of heaven must not be revealed lightly. But Zhu Yuanzhang was an emperor after all, and it was difficult to evade it, so Liu Bowen wrote a poem that seemed to be clear but not clear. It is said that when Liu Bowen met the king, he caught up with Taizu to eat sesame cakes, so he called it "Song of Sesame Bake". The story goes like this:
One day, Taizu of the Ming Dynasty was living in the inner hall, eating sesame cakes, and just took a bite. The inner prison suddenly reported to the imperial counselor Liu Jijin, who covered him with a bowl, and then summoned him in. After the ceremony, the emperor asked, "Sir, you know a lot about mathematics. Can you tell what is in the bowl?" Ji Nai pinched his fingers and counted, and said, "Half like the sun, half like the moon. I was once bitten by a golden dragon. This food is also .” As expected, it turned out. The emperor asked: "What are the affairs of the world? Will the Zhu family enjoy the world forever?" Ji replied: "My emperor has thousands of sons and grandsons, so why bother asking!"
This passage can be simply expressed in vernacular. One day, Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty was eating sesame seed cakes in the inner hall. As soon as he took a bite, he suddenly heard Liu Bowen asking for an audience. So Taizu used a bowl to hold the sesame cakes, and when Liu Bowen came in, he asked him to guess what was in the bowl. And Liu Bowen said very accurately that it was a sesame seed cake that had been eaten by the emperor. Zhu Yuanzhang was very impressed and asked Liu Bowen about the future.
The development of history has told us that the power of the Ming Dynasty was passed down to Emperor Chongzhen of Ming Sizong (Zhu Youjian), and then it was the world of the Manchu and Qing dynasties. In the seventeenth year of Suizhen (1644 AD), the peasant uprising army led by Li Zicheng captured Beijing. Ming Sizong hanged himself and died, and the Ming Dynasty was declared destroyed. And this Ming Sizong is the grandson of Emperor Wanli of Ming Shenzong (Zhu Yujun). Obviously, Liu Ji's answer to Zhu Yuanzhang's question was a pun. On the surface, it was a compliment, indicating that the empire of the Ming Dynasty would be passed down to thousands of generations. In fact, it was a clear prediction: the empire of the Ming Dynasty would be passed down to Emperor Wanli. Until Sun Tzu, Emperor Chongzhen. Here we can see Liu Ji's wisdom. He did not offend the emperor, but he also answered the emperor's questions and predicted the future.
Regarding your question: "Since Liu Bowen could tell fortunes, why didn't he calculate that he would be killed by Hu Weiyong?"
I think this is how Liu Ji used military information. God has repeatedly fallen prey to deceit, which seems to be contradictory, but in fact it is not. Whether it is Jiang Ziya, Zhuge Liang, Liu Ji, Zhang Liang, or Li Chunfeng, these famous counselors in ancient times paid great attention to "knowing the destiny of heaven". They knew not to use their talents to seek benefits and status for themselves.