Preface
History is a book full of mysteries and coincidences, and some of the coincidences are enough to make one wonder if the world is really an endless cycle. In the long course of history, there are three magical coincidences that are incredible, as if telling some mysterious fateful arrangement.
Are there some kind of deep-seated causal cycles hidden in these seemingly accidental events? Let's explore those puzzling historical cycles.
1. The reincarnation of the white snake
A white snake that changed the course of history. In 207 B.C., a team escorting peasants was on their way to Lishan to build a mausoleum. Liu Bang, the pavilion chief headed by him, was originally just a small official, but under the guidance of this white snake, he opened an earth-shattering chapter in his life.
As the team was marching, they suddenly encountered a giant python lying across the road, blocking the way. The others made a difficulty, but Liu Bang alone did not hesitate and swung his sword to cut off the head of the snake. Under this sword, Liu Bang seems to have cut off the shackles of fate and broken free from the shackles of the little people.
The gears of fate began to turn, and Liu Bang soon gave up the task of repairing the tomb, raised his arms, and led these oppressed peasants to rebel against the tyrannical rule of the Qin Dynasty. Although it was only an insignificant force at first, it eventually set off a vigorous wave of peasant uprisings, and finally in 202 BC, the Qin Dynasty was overthrown and the Han Dynasty was established.
Liu Bang was revered as the "ancestor of the Han Dynasty" and founded a new dynasty. Under his rule, China entered an era of great unification that lasted for more than 400 years. But no one thought that the root of all this came from an inconspicuous white snake.
2. Wang Mang's retribution
However, the wheels of history did not stop there. In the late Western Han Dynasty, due to the mediocrity and corruption of the rulers, social contradictions intensified. During the reign of Emperor Ping of the Han Dynasty, a relative named Wang Mang took the opportunity to seize power, and finally in 9 AD, he coerced the two-year-old Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty to give up the throne and change the name of the country to "Xin", ending the Western Han Dynasty for more than 400 years.
What is very scary to think about is that the name Wang Mang contains the image of "snake". Could this be the retribution of fate? In the past, Liu Bang slashed the snake and created the foundation of the Western Han Dynasty, but now, a person with "snake" in his name has destroyed this dynasty with his own hands.
The reincarnation of fate is truly magical. Liu Bang cut the snake and established a career, Wang Mang usurped power and destroyed the Han Dynasty, the two things are separated by more than 200 years, but there seems to be some mysterious causal connection. This can't help but make people sigh, in the process of history, is there really some kind of unfathomable circular law hidden?
3. The reincarnation of a short-lived dynasty
In addition to the story of Liu Bang and Wang Mang, there is another striking coincidence in history, and that is the similar fate of the Qin and Sui dynasties. These two dynasties, after creating glory, soon suffered the doom of destruction.
The Qin Dynasty was established by Qin Shi Huang after he unified the world, and during his reign, Qin Shi Huang not only completed the centralization of power, but also implemented many pioneering policies, such as the unification of writing, weights and measures, currency, the construction of the Great Wall, the Qin Straight Road, etc., which had a profound impact on later generations.
However, after the death of Qin Shi Huang, his son Hu Hai succeeded to the throne, but he was a dull and brutal ruler. His tyranny quickly exacerbated social tensions, and three years later, the Qin dynasty was overthrown by a peasant uprising. In this way, a once glorious empire quickly collapsed shortly after its establishment.
A similar situation was played out once in the Sui Dynasty. Emperor Wen of Sui created the prosperous era of the Sui Dynasty, formulated the imperial examination system, and built the Grand Canal, which made the Sui Dynasty unlimited for a while. However, during the period of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, due to his tyranny and unreasonableness, coupled with years of war, social contradictions intensified, and finally in 619 AD, the Sui Dynasty was also destroyed by a peasant uprising.
Is it just a coincidence that the fates of the two dynasties are so similar? Or is history repeating some kind of cycle? A dull and tyrannical ruler will always lead to the decline of the dynasty, and this seems to be an immutable law.
Died at the age of four or seven
In addition to the above coincidences, there is an even more magical reincarnation in history, that is, the two emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty lost their country at the age of seven.
In 960 AD, Zhao Kuangyin was proclaimed emperor at Chenqiao and established the Northern Song Dynasty. However, in order to consolidate his rule, he ousted Emperor Gong of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, who was only seven years old, from the throne. A seven-year-old child is deprived of his due rights in this way.
The retribution of fate came quickly. In the later period of the Northern Song Dynasty, the emperor's restrictions on the development of military power led to the weakening of national power. Later, the Northern Song Dynasty was destroyed by the Jin State. The following year, when the Southern Song Dynasty was established, Mongolia became a new threat, and Genghis Khan first destroyed the Jin state and then attacked Xiangyang.
Although the Southern Song Dynasty had certain resistance measures, it was always defeated by the Mongolian iron cavalry, and the Southern Song Dynasty was soon destroyed by the Mongols, and the emperor Zhao Yu and 100,000 soldiers and civilians jumped into the sea and died in the country.
Is this the retribution of fate? Because Zhao Kuangyin seized someone else's throne when he was seven years old, his descendants also lost the country at the age of seven?
5. The law of reincarnation
Throughout history, the above coincidences are too magical. Liu Bang slashed the snake and established his career, Wang Mang usurped power and destroyed the Han Dynasty, the Qin Dynasty and the Sui Dynasty had the same fate, and the Southern Song Dynasty emperor lost his throne at the age of seven. There seems to be a high degree of correspondence between these events, as if they are repeating a mysterious reincarnation.
So, what exactly is the law of reincarnation? Perhaps, we can get some clues from it. First of all, the mediocrity and tyranny of the rulers often lead to the decline of the dynasty. The tyranny of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Yang of Sui directly led to the fall of the Qin Dynasty and the Sui Dynasty. It can be seen that the fate of a country depends to a large extent on the policy of the ruler.
Secondly, seizing power that does not belong to you will also be punished by fate. Liu Bang was eventually destroyed by Wang Mang, while Zhao Kuangyin deprived others of the throne when he was seven years old, and his descendants also lost their country at the age of seven. It seems to be a kind of causal cycle.
Thirdly, some seemingly insignificant events may affect the course of history. Liu Bang's killing of a white snake actually opened his way to the founding of the country, and the fate of a seven-year-old child may also affect the rise and fall of a dynasty. This shows that in the course of history, every small link can have a far-reaching impact.
In the end, these cycles often manifest themselves decades or centuries apart, and the cycle is extremely long. This is just like the law of nature, the movement of the sun, moon and stars, and the change of climate all need to go through an extremely long time cycle.
epilogue
Through the above analysis, we seem to be able to get a glimpse of some mysterious law in the long river of history. Everything is constantly circulating, as if it were the arrangement of fate. The ruler's policy policy, the gain or loss of power, and the small historical details may affect the course of this cycle.
Of course, we cannot fully confirm the existence of such a law, after all, history is complex and changeable. But the existence of this coincidence is enough to make us feel the magical power of fate. In this world, there may really be some kind of unfathomable reason for reincarnation, but we can't fully see through it yet.
As Lao Tzu said: "The movement of the opposite Tao is the use of the weak Tao." Perhaps, only by letting go of our prejudices and using the most humble attitude can we understand the mysteries of this world. And history is the best demonstration, let us feel the mysterious power of fate in those magical coincidences.