法苑珠林 57.80

57.80

In the eleventh month of the third year of Emperor Jing of the Han, white-necked crows and a flock of black crows fought in Ju County of the state of Chu. The white-necked ones were defeated and fell into the Si River, with thousands dying. Liu Xiang considered this a recent anomaly and omen: the King of Chu, [Liu] Wu, was rebellious and unprincipled, penalizing and humiliating Master Shen, and conspiring with Wu in rebellion. The flocking crows fighting was an image of armied battle. The white-necked ones were smaller, showing that the smaller side would be defeated. Those falling into the water meant that he would die by the water. King Wu did not awaken to this, and ultimately raised troops in response to Wu to wage a great battle with the Han. His army was defeated and he fled, reaching Dantu where he was decapitated by the Yue people; this was the verification of falling into the Si River. Jing Fang's Commentary on the Yijing states: 'When one is rebellious toward relatives, the omen is that the day darkens and crows fight in the state.' When King Dan of Yan rebelled, there were also a crow and a magpie fighting in the Yan palace, falling to the ground and dying. The Treatise on the Five Elements considered that Chu and Yan betrayed their own flesh and blood, feudatory ministers grew arrogant and conspired unrighteously, and both had the omens of crows and magpies fighting to the death. Their conduct was identical and the divination matched: this is a clear manifestation of heaven and man. In Yan, the covert plot had not yet broken out, and the king alone committed suicide in the palace; hence a single crow with the color of water died. In Chu, excessive yang raised troops, and the army suffered a great defeat in the field; hence numerous crows with the color of metal died. This is the verification of the subtleties of the Heavenly Way. Jing Fang's Commentary on the Yijing states: 'When one usurps the power to punish and execute, the omen is that crows and magpies fight.'