(Original work) The Legend of the Manchus

1. Why did the Jurchens change their ethnic name to the Manchus?

2. Why are the Manchus not allowed to eat dog meat or wear dog-skin hats?

3. Why do the Manchu people regard crows as sacred birds and make offerings to crows?

Foreword:

When I was a child, my family was very poor and it was very difficult to have food and clothing. However, our spiritual life has always been richer than other children, that is, in daily life, Our parents gave us etiquette guidance at any time, and we listened to our father tell stories to the whole family every night, such as: Journey to the West, The Three Kingdoms, The Story of Jigong, The Generals of the Yang Family... My mother lay on the kang like the six of us brothers and sisters. The characters were lined up, leaning on the edge of the kang with both elbows and supporting the chin with both hands, listening to his father's magnetic baritone voice, and watching his father's movements that naturally emerged as the plot of the story developed, telling stories vividly and vividly, covering an area of ??about ten square meters. The ground in the house is the father's platform; we will be surprised, cry, laugh, and express our praise with applause. The most irritating thing is that every time the story reaches the climax, my father says: "Let's listen to the breakdown next time." All of this not only broadens our knowledge, but also serves as a precursor to our later language expression ability.

The Manchu legend I am going to talk about today is a story I heard from my father when I was a child. How true this story is, I haven’t found it on the Internet, but I think these stories may be legendary, but they are definitely not groundless, because my family has lived in Zhenghuang Banner Central Town in the Manchu camp for generations, and my mother’s grandmother At that time, our family was still a noble family that participated in horse racing and fortune hunting, so it was normal for us to know the true stories left behind by our ancestors.

How big is a Manchu camp? The Manchu government has eight banners: straight yellow, bordered with yellow, straight white, bordered with white, straight red, bordered with red, true blue, bordered with blue. In this camp, each banner has one, two, three, four, and five tuns, such as "Zhenghuangtou tun, Zhenghuang 2nd tun, Xianghuang 3rd tun...and so on (in the tun, there is no need to inlay, but Xiang) Only next to Zhenghuang Five Tunnels is there a large central town, and I was born in this town. A camp of 8 The distance between the front, back, left, and right of the villages is fixed at 3 Li. The size of each village is a square of one Li. The villages are surrounded by a running ditch one foot deep and one foot wide. There are very tall elm trees on the ditch dam. Maybe this is Is it a city? This structure is still maintained, but due to the increase in population, the city has become a circle of ancient trees on the flat land as the residents in the village extend outside the village. p>

(1) Why did the Jurchens change their ethnic name to Manchu?

In the late Ming Dynasty, Nurhaci unified the Jurchen tribes in 1616 and was known as Hou Jin in history. Later, in 1636, Huang Taiji changed the name of his country to Qing and changed his ethnic name to Manchu. So, why did Huang Taiji change his ethnic name to Manchu? This started when Huang Taiji was a child. Taiji was an orphan when he was very young. Maybe because of his honest nature, people called him Xiaohan'er. When Xiaohan was eight years old, he met the steward of the Governor's Mansion (in Shenyang, a part of the Ming Dynasty). Seeing that although the child's clothes were in tatters and his face was covered with dirt, there was a heroic spirit in his eyes, so he took him back to the house and arranged for him to help feed the horses in the stable. At the same time, he spread some hay in the corner of the stable. It became Xiaohan'er's place to stay. Xiaohan'er always did a good job at his job. The stable was cleaned clean every day, and the horses had plenty of night grass. They were diligent and diligent. He was strong, so everyone in the governor's house liked this little boy. Therefore, Xiao Han'er later also did some other chores, such as washing the governor's feet, shining shoes, and leading horses.

Little Han'er was very serious about everything he did. When he washed the Governor's feet, he washed from the top of the feet to the soles of the feet, from the heels to the spaces between the toes. His movements were light and quick, making the Governor feel very comfortable.

While washing the soles of the governor's feet, he found five red moles on the soles of his left feet. He thought, does everyone have red moles on the soles of their feet? But why are there seven red moles on the soles of my feet? The governor seemed to notice that Xiaohaner was looking at the five red moles on the soles of his feet, and said proudly: "Are you looking at the five red moles on the soles of my feet?" Han'er looked at the governor with searching eyes, "What kind of treasure are red moles?", "Without these five red moles, I wouldn't be the governor." "Really?" Xiao Han'er looked up in surprise. Looking at the governor, he asked: "Don't everyone have red moles on the soles of their feet?" The governor touched his short beard and said slowly: "How come everyone has it? This is brought about by fate. I have five. The red mole became the governor. If he had seven red moles, he could become the emperor. Haha, it's a pity that I don't have that fate..." Xiaohan'er was shocked when he heard this, and immediately felt a little breathless, "Haha... "He took a long breath and said word by word: "Captain, your life is really good!"

Three years have passed. This autumn, the capital fell. The secret decree said: According to the stargazer's report, it was discovered that there is another Emperor Star appearing today. This person fell in the northeast. It is now in the period of flickering and dimming and is not yet mature. It must be strangled in the cradle to eliminate future troubles for the country! As a result, the entire area under the jurisdiction of the Dudu Mansion became tense, and all suspicious people in the jurisdiction were searched. They would rather kill a thousand people by mistake than leave even one behind! Then, the court issued a second secret order: This person was in the Dudu's Mansion and must be investigated strictly. At this time, the atmosphere in the entire Dudu's Mansion was very tense. It was immediately raised from safe to red alert, and everyone in the mansion was to be investigated. A dragnet-style search was conducted, but Xiaohaner was not searched because his status was too low. Not only did he have no qualifications, he did not even know a word. What could an 11-year-old child do? If he were not poor, The horse would not necessarily let him feed it, so the little fool escaped a disaster.

That night, in the dead of night, when everyone had entered the fifth watch of the night, the governor's youngest wife, Man Guiying, put on a red cotton jacket and got up to relieve herself. As soon as she went out, she found the stable was filled with red light. Thinking it was a fire, she walked closer to take a closer look; when she got closer, the red light that was ten feet high disappeared, and only a faint red light seemed to be seen in a corner. She continued to get closer to the red light, and the red light disappeared at all. Seeing Xiao Haner lying on his back sleeping on the haystack, he could clearly see a small snake crawling around Xiao Haner's seven orifices (eyes, ears, nose, mouth...), but Xiao Haner actually It didn't feel like I was asleep at all. Seeing all this, Man Guiying immediately thought of the "search" and concluded that Xiao Han'er was the person to be searched.

She hurriedly woke up Xiaohan'er: "Xiaohan'er, wake up quickly, you must leave the Governor's Mansion immediately."

Xiaohan'er, who seemed to be awake but not awake, didn't know yet. What's going on? "What are you doing?"

"The person the whole government wants to arrest now is you. You must leave immediately!"

As soon as I heard that the person wanted to arrest is me. , the little fool woke up all of a sudden, "What should we do?"

The Jurchen woman Man Guiying must be a lady of the family. After staying in the Dudu Mansion for several years, her ability to judge things is better than Under the influence of the governor, ordinary people's courage and strategy are not inferior to those of Ying. Coupled with her ancestral national loyalty, she decided to save Xiaohan'er. "Don't be afraid, if you listen to me, you will definitely turn the crisis around"!

"Then tell me quickly," Xiaohaner urged anxiously.

"I will go back to the house immediately to get the token for entering and exiting the city gate. You will successfully exit the city gate through the south gate; after exiting the south gate, go around the west gate and go north."

"Can I go directly from the north gate?"

"No, when you find someone walking out of the city tomorrow morning, you must first search in the direction of the person leaving the city gate. In this way, he will be found soon. They will catch you. If you go north after going out of the south gate, they will realize that you must have gone to the north after searching in the south of the city. Once you enter the deserted meadow, the chances of them catching you are slim.

”

Man Guiying quickly took the token and wrapped all the snacks in the room. After arriving at the stable, she put a red cotton jacket on Xiao Haner and told Xiao Haner : "When someone asks you when you are leaving the city, just say that I asked you to go out of the city to find horses..."

Although Xiaohan'er is just a child, the Jurchen's gratitude is revealed from the bottom of his heart. Man Guiying kowtowed and swore: "I will never thank you for your great kindness. If my little fool can really conquer the world, my nation will be renamed Manchu to thank Madam for saving my life!" ”

When Xiaohaner left according to Man Guiying’s instructions, it was almost dawn. Man Guiying returned to his room, drew his sword and killed himself!

(2) Why are the Manchus not allowed to eat dog meat or wear dog-skin hats?

In the boundless Great Northern Wilderness, the grass is as tall as a person and continues to grow year after year. When the new grass grows straight into the blue sky, last year’s The withered grass is still tangled at the roots. Although the primitive grassland is beautiful, it is really a hindrance to the escapees. Not to mention that the blades of grass can scratch your face, but every step you take requires a huge effort. Stepping down with one foot is like stepping on the ground. On the haystack, the lighter ones trembled for a few times, while the heavier ones were like falling into a trap covered by old withered grass. It took a lot of effort to get their feet out. After that, they took the next step. Only at that time, Only then can you truly understand the true meaning of the word "trek". After leaving the city according to the instructions of the young lady Man Guiying, the 11-year-old boy kept escaping northward in such an environment.

Let's talk about the Dudu Mansion. He was a little fool, but he didn't attract much attention. He was just busy with Man Guiying's funeral. The governor was also wondering, why did the young lady commit suicide? Two days later, the governor's office received a third call from the court. The imperial edict: The target has left the Governor's Mansion and is moving north. He must be arrested immediately. Only then did he connect Xiao Han'er's departure with Man Guiying's death, and concluded that the target wanted by the court was Xiao Han'er. .

Immediately sent troops to search the wilderness. After a day of dragging the net, no one was found. The leader thought that searching for a child in such a large grassland was like searching for a needle in a haystack. If the grass is lit with a torch, nothing inside will survive. As long as Xiaohaner dies, the mission will be completed. So, the soldiers are ordered to set fire to the grassland. When the thousands of years of grass see the fire, they will instantly form a whirlwind, and the whirlwind will immediately hold the fire. The fire spread to the depths of the grassland, and the fire turned into wind. The wind helped the fire, and the Great Northern Wilderness immediately turned into a sea of ??fire.

Besides, Xiao Han'er has been walking for one night and two days, and he doesn't know how far he has walked. He is tired. He was exhausted, and when he saw that the sun was already above his head, he decided to take a rest and fell asleep as soon as he lay down on the grass. He didn't know how long he slept, but the sun was about to go down when he woke up. The son was thinking, how weird, haven't I been walking through the weeds, how can I still see the setting sun now?

It was then that he noticed that the original weeds were gone. At first glance, it was pitch black, and there was still smoke in some places. Oh! The grass was burned away. When I looked again, I saw that the grass around me was still there, but it was still wet on the ground and lying on the edge. He was holding a dead dog. Looking closely at the dog, it looked like it had been soaked in water. The little fool immediately realized that this dog had saved him, so he walked in the direction of the wet grass that was not burned, and walked for about an hour. There was a small river in the ground, and the dog wet himself all over in this small river, then ran to roll next to the sleeping little Han'er, wetted the grass next to the little Han'er, and then went to I went to get water from the river. I don’t know how many times I repeated it, but the ferocious wild fire did not burn the sleeping little Han’er. However, the dog was exhausted... Facing this strange and affectionate life-saving dog, the little Han’er burst into tears and used After digging up the black soil of the Great Northern Wilderness and burying his life-saving dog, he knelt down at the head of the dog and swore to God: "God, if my little fool can conquer the world one day, my nation will definitely regard dogs as close friends. No one in the whole clan can eat dog meat, nor can they use dog skin to make hats”! (Because many people in the Northeast used dog skins to make hats at that time)

(To be continued)

(3) Why do the Manchus regard crows as sacred birds and make offerings to crows?

The little boy continued to walk north in the scorched wasteland. Although the ashes of the burned grasslands were sometimes blown up by the wind and choked, when the sky closed a door, it would definitely open another. window. The red cotton-padded jacket that Man Guiying gave him was dyed black by plant ash. While Xiaohaner was troubled by the flying plant ash, he could find cooked hare meat and other food in the ashes to satisfy his hunger.

Besides, after the officers and soldiers of the Dudu Mansion burned the weeds, they reported to the court that the serious danger had been eliminated. However, the fourth imperial edict issued by the court said that the target was still moving north and that they should be pursued quickly! After receiving the secret order, the governor did not dare to wait. He immediately sent troops to conduct a blanket search of the scorched wasteland. He could not withdraw his troops until no one was seen.

At this time, Xiaohan'er was no longer as nervous as before, thinking that he was far away from the Governor's Mansion and the danger had passed. At this time, he saw the overwhelming number of Laogua hitting the field above his head (Chang, two sounds, meaning to circle. Crows are called Laogua in the Northeast). The group of Laogua was flying lower and lower, almost circling overhead. Xiao Han'er is also tired, so he might as well sit down and enjoy this wonderful Lao Gua fight. As he sat down, all the Lao Gua in the Lao Gua group landed on the ground as if they had heard the order. Xiao Han'er There are also a few crows falling on the body. At a glance, it is pitch black, which is really spectacular! The eleven-year-old boy was not afraid and started playing with the old man who fell on him.

Besides, during the search process, the officers and soldiers of the Dudu Mansion also discovered thousands of old croaks falling from the sky in front of them, covering the ground densely. The commander issued an order: If there is someone in front, the old croak will not be there, bypass the old croak group, and continue to search forward. The searching soldiers who had formed a straight line immediately separated to the left and right, changed to a figure of eight and continued to search forward. In this way, a wide vacuum belt was left in the middle, which became the only exit for Xiaohan'er to escape.

After resting for a while, the little fool felt that it was time to hurry up. He put down the old croak in his hand and stood up. As he stood up, the old croak took off as if he had received an order. The height of the return flight is as high as one person. The flight method is not soaring, but a flower basket flight that alternates between rising and falling. From a distance, it is clearly a huge black gold palace composed of flying birds. In this way, Xiao Han'er, accompanied by Lao Gua, walked into the realm of the Jurchen tribe.

Besides, the officers and soldiers found that they were approaching the border of the Jurchen tribe. If they went further, it would cause a border war, so they had no choice but to withdraw their troops.

Not far from the boundary of the Jurchen tribe, these old people seemed to have received the order, turned around at the same time, and flew back (south) in a mighty manner, leaving only Xiaohan'er on the ground. . At this time, Xiao Han'er suddenly realized that Lao Gua was the one who protected me from danger. He shed tears again and knelt down in the direction where Lao Gua flew. He swore: One day, I, Xiao Han'er, will really conquer the world. Lao Gua is the sacred bird of my nation. Our entire nation is not only not allowed to beat the elderly, but they are also required to provide for them on time!

Fleeing all the way, Xiao Haner endured the hardships of his body and soul, and he understood the importance of having an army. As for when he had an army, how he conquered the north and south, how he obtained political power, and when There is no need to go into details in this article about how Xiaohan'er's name was changed to King Han, but it is a fact that he became the founding emperor of the Qing Dynasty. There is still a proverb in the Northeast: "Old King Han is sitting in Beijing, satisfied"! It's also true. The important thing is that after he gained the world, he conscientiously fulfilled his promise: From then on, it is a fact that the Jurchen tribe has been changed to the Manchu tribe. It is a fact that the Manchu people do not eat dog meat and do not wear dog skin hats. For more than 280 years, there have always been dedicated personnel in the Qing Dynasty palace. Feeding crows is also true! I praise the Manchu people for their word for word, the Manchu descendants for their commitment to inheritance, and the transcendent example of harmonious coexistence between humans and animals!

Postscript:

Among the totems of the 56 ethnic groups in China, the totem of the Manchus is still Laogua (crow). The number of crows in Beijing still ranks first among all birds in the city. . If you pay a little attention, you will find that at sunrise every morning, crows fly out of the city in twos and threes. Standing on the ground and looking up, there will be no crows flying out of the city within an hour; before sunset in the evening , and the crows gathered in twos and threes toward the center of Beijing. It took about an hour for them all to enter the city. Where do these crows go during the day? Where will you go back tonight? After many careful observations and studies, I discovered that crows go to the Yanshan area to forage during the day and return to the poplar trees on both sides of Chang'an Street to roost at night. Some people suggested that these crows should be poisoned to death because their feces every night affects urban environmental sanitation. Fortunately, our top leadership did not agree (I believe that there are also crows roosting on the poplar trees in Zhongnanhai at night. ),