Huangcang Cave

Time：2024-09-29 11:31:41

[Huangcang Cave: Statue of Liu Bang]

Dear tourists, the cave where Emperor Liu Bang hid in his early years is located above us. Let's gather at the statue of Liu Bang, and I'll tell you a story about how Liu Bang raised a rebellion by slaying a serpent with his three-foot-long sword. In the late Qin Dynasty, Liu Bang, who was over 40 years old at that time, served as the head of the Sishui Pavilion in Pei County, Xuzhou, roughly equivalent to the head of the People's Armed Forces Department at the county level. In 212 BC, Liu Bang was ordered to escort several hundred criminals from Pei County to Mount Li in Shaanxi to participate in the construction of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. Knowing that this trip was a one-way journey, the criminals tried to escape. Liu Bang, risking his own life, untied their ropes and let them go. Since letting the criminals escape was also a capital offense, Liu Bang had to flee as well. More than ten brave men in his group, presumably out of gratitude and admiration, insisted on following Liu Bang and fleeing with him. On the same night, Liu Bang and his dozen companions were walking on a path in a marshy area. Suddenly, a large serpent blocked their way. The followers, seeing the big snake, were scared and wanted to turn back. Liu Bang knew that turning back would surely mean death at the hands of the pursuing officials. He had no regrets at this point. With a surge of courage from somewhere, he shouted loudly, "Brave men march forward, what to fear?" After saying this, he drew his three-foot-long bronze sword and walked forward without fear, cutting the blocking serpent into two pieces. Then he led his companions to continue their journey. (This is the origin of the ancient Chinese allusion of the "three-foot sword.")

Legend has it that after Liu Bang and his companions had already walked far away, when the criminals passed by the same place later, they found an old lady crying loudly by the roadside. When asked why she was crying at night, the old lady claimed that her son, who was said to be the son of the White Emperor, had turned into a snake and was killed by the son of the Red Emperor. The criminals thought the old lady was spreading rumors and threatening to beat her, but she suddenly disappeared. These people later caught up with Liu Bang and told him about this strange incident. From then on, Liu Bang knew that he was the true dragon emperor and became even more conceited. And after hearing this story, his followers also became more awe-inspiring and even worshipful of Liu Bang.

Look, Liu Bang "conquered the world with a three-foot sword," relying on his extraordinary intelligence and superb courage, overthrew the brutal Qin Dynasty, defeated Xiang Yu, and unified the country! In his life, he hid in Huangcangyu twice, in 210 BC and 205 BC, leaving many legends. Follow me up to visit Huangcang Cave!

[Huangcang Cave: Flying Stone]

Look at the stone above, which is called the "Flying Stone." Legend has it that in 205 BC, after Liu Bang was defeated in Pengcheng (Xuzhou), he hid in Huangcangyu for the second time to escape the pursuit of Xiang Yu, the Western Chu Overlord. Just as Liu Bang, along with his chancellor Xiao He and general Fan Kuai, entered Huangcang Cave, a cloud of auspicious qi covered the entrance. Xiang Yu's pursuing troops conducted a thorough search in Huangcangyu but found nothing. As they were about to withdraw, they suddenly noticed a cloud of auspicious qi on the mountainside and prepared to come up to investigate. At this very moment, the mountain shook, and boulders rolled down, with one of them, the Flying Stone, just wedging itself into the entrance of the cave. Xiang Yu's pursuing troops, fearing a landslide, hastily ran out of Huangcangyu, and Liu Bang was spared from disaster. Therefore, this Flying Stone is a lucky stone that turns bad luck into good fortune. Everyone, come and touch it. It will bring you good luck and turn bad luck into good fortune. (There's a doggerel poem that goes like this: "On a cliff with steep precipices, a celestial cave appears. It once relied on it to hide the true dragon. The flying stone protected the Han king, and performed great deeds for the Han dynasty's江山 [kingdom or reign].")