"Liu Jinlong, where did you go again?"

"Hahaha, have a drink...... Have a drink! ”

"How much have you drunk?" Zhao Yi said: "Alas...... What a headache. ”

Liu Jinlong smiled and said, "I went to Tianji Pavilion. ”

"Tianji Pavilion! Did you go to sea to Fox Island? ”

"Yes, yes, yes...... Only...... It was on Fox Island that the Elder of the Heavenly Machine Pavilion told us something important......"

"What's the big deal?"

"Forget."

Zhao Yi thought to himself: It's no different from what you didn't say.

"Ground ......"

"What?"

Liu Jinlong suddenly changed from sitting paralyzed to sitting upright: "It's broken!" Earthquake! The budget of Tianji Pavilion has reached the earthquake! ”

"What did you say!"

"Drinking and making a mistake again, it's broken, where is this?"

"Beiling, Taocheng."

"What!" Liu Zhenlong's eyes are about to come out: "What about time?" ”

"Look at the sun, about a quarter of noon."

"Stop!"

Suddenly, the earth shook violently, and the message that the elders of Tianji Pavilion gave Liu Jinlong was that they predicted that there would be an earthquake in Taocheng by the afternoon of July 20, which was also the purpose of Liu Zhenlong's coming to Beiling, but unfortunately he missed a major event by drinking.

Because of the large number of earthquakes, the Central Plains Continent has attached great importance to earthquake monitoring in all dynasties, and it is also the first country in the world to carry out seismic observation and accurately detect and report earthquakes through instruments. Zhang Heng, the great astronomy of the Eastern Han Dynasty, was a famous earthquake observation expert at that time, in addition to creating the world's first leaky armillary sphere that can accurately perform celestial phenomena, Zhang Heng also invented the world's first instrument for testing earthquakes - the wind and ground motion instrument.

Zhang Heng, whose name is Pingzi, is a native of Nanyang Xi'e (now Shiqiao Town, Nanyang City, Henan), and Zhuge Liang, the famous minister of the Three Kingdoms, is a fellow countryman. Last month, I talked to Mr. Yan Dongfan, secretary general of the "Zhang Heng Research Association" in Nanyang City, on the phone, and also talked about Zhang Heng. "The Biography of Zhang Heng in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty" records, "Heng is good and clever, especially thinking about the astronomical lunisolar calendar?".

Zhang Heng's invention of the seismic testing instrument (geokinetic instrument) can be very ready to detect earthquakes thousands of miles away in the capital Luoyang. This kind of instrument is "made of fine copper, eight feet in diameter, and the lid is uplifted, resembling a wine honor, and decorated with the shape of turtles, birds and beasts in the Seal Wen Mountain." There are all pillars, eight roads on the side, and Shi Guan starts. There are eight dragons outside, the first copper pill, and a toad below, and the mouth is open. Its teeth are ingenious, all hidden in the respect, covering the boundless. If there is a ground movement, the vibrating dragon machine will vomit pills, and the toad will hold it. The sound is stirred, and the servant is aware of it. Although one dragon starts, and the seven songs do not move, looking for its aspect is where the earthquake is. Prove it with things, and fit like God. From the book record, there is no other. ”

Once, there was an earthquake in Gansu, and the dragon on the geodynamic instrument spit out a bead in its mouth, but everyone did not feel the earthquake, and even the university scholars in the capital at that time felt that the measurement was inaccurate, because there was no earthquake. But two days later, someone from Gansu came to inform them that there had been an earthquake in the local area, and everyone was amazed and amazed by the subtlety of the ground motion instrument. This is the so-called "Book of the Later Han Dynasty", "Taste a dragon machine and do not feel the movement, the Beijing scholars blame its no signs, a few days later, the earthquake in Longxi, so they are all satisfied." ”

Although the occurrence of earthquakes in the Central Plains Continent could be accurately measured in ancient times, there was no reasonable and scientific explanation for the causes of earthquakes. The invention of scientific instruments and the absence of scientific explanations have become a great regret in the history of ancient science and technology in the Central Plains.

The mainstream view in ancient times in the Central Plains was that the earthquake was caused by the "imbalance of yin and yang", which was directly related to the inaction of human beings, especially the emperors, and was a warning from heaven to human beings. Like Zhang Heng, Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty, who was also from Nanyang, explained this in detail, and the "Biography of Du Qin in the Han Book" (Volume 60) recorded, "When the ministers heard about solar eclipses and earthquakes, the yang was slightly yin and prosperous." The minister, the yin of the king; The Son is the Father's Yin; The wife is also the yin of the husband. ”

A major earthquake recorded earlier in the history of the Central Plains Continent occurred in the second year of King Youyou of Zhou, that is, in 780 BC. The epicenter of Qishan in Shaanxi Province was about the same magnitude as yesterday's earthquake in Sichuan. According to the "Historical Records of Zhou Benji" (volume 4), the Taishi Boyangfu at that time believed that "Zhou will die." The spirit of heaven and earth does not lose its order; If it goes through the order, the people will also be in turmoil. The sun is subdued and cannot come out, and the yin is forced but cannot be steamed, so there is an earthquake. Today's Sanchuan earthquake is the yang that loses its place and fills the yin. ”

The meaning of this passage is more difficult to understand, and it probably means that this is a sign that the Zhou Dynasty is about to fall. The yin and yang qi between heaven and earth is balanced and orderly; If it is chaotic, the yang energy will not be able to come out, and the yin energy will oppress it so that it cannot rise, so there will be an earthquake. Nowadays, the earthquake in the Sanchuan area is because the yang energy is not in place, but is suppressed by the yin energy. ”

King Zhou You is a famous faint monarch in history, a womanizer, and he made it up to "buy laughter". Bao Xi, one of the famous ** beauties in the history of the Central Plains Continent, is his favorite concubine. Bao Xi is the enemy country to offer: "Zhou Youwang conquered the Bao country, Bao people offered a beautiful woman to beg to surrender, Youwang love like a pearl in the palm of his hand, set up as a concubine, favor the Zhou Palace, the following year, Bao Xi gave birth to a son Bofu (a Bo general). "To what extent does King Zhou You love Bao Xi? unexpectedly abolished his queen Shen and the crown prince Yijiu, and appointed Bao Xi as the queen and Li Bofu as the crown prince. At that time, Shi Boyang, the Taishi of Zhou, said that "the Zhou Dynasty is going to have a catastrophe", and attributed the Yin Qi of the Zhou State to the excessive favor and praise of King Zhou You, which caused the earthquake and caused the earthquake.

Obviously, this is a superstitious statement that has no scientific reason, but many emperors believe it to be true.

There was a major earthquake during the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, and sometimes some courtiers took the blame and resigned, and the Shunzhi Emperor thought that it was not the fault of the courtiers, but his fault and responsibility. "Qing Historical Manuscript Shizu Benji II" records, "Since ancient times, it has changed in vain, and the rate is determined by personnel." I have been in power for seven years, and I have been obedient in political affairs, causing disasters and warnings, and earthquakes have been heard. I bow to the province, and the civil and military ministers should also cooperate and fulfill their duties. I have a loss, and the auxiliary minister Chen Song is not hidden. ”

Du Qin, a courtier at the time of Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty, also believed that the earthquake was related to the courtiers' power grabbing, father-son injustice, and wives and concubines competing for favor, because they represented "yin qi". If these people commit rebellion, the yin energy will be too heavy, and the yang energy will be suppressed, causing the balance between heaven and earth to be out of balance. This is the so-called "Five Elements Biography", "Governing the palace room, decorating the pavilion, internal chaos, committing relatives, insulting father and brother, then the harvest will not be successful." ”

Emperor Han Cheng was founded in December Wu Shenshuo, "the sun has an eclipse, and the night is not an earthquake in the Yang Palace", the solar eclipse and the earthquake occurred on the same day, but the Han Cheng Emperor was frightened, wondering if he had done something wrong, so that God was unhappy and angry. So he issued an edict saying, "Gai Wen was born with all the people, and he can't rule each other, so he will set up a king to rule them." If you have the way, the grass and trees and insects will be salty; If the king is not virtuous, he will see the heavens and the earth, and the disaster will be different, so that he will not be cured. I am very afraid of the eclipse and the earthquake. The secretary of state thinks about his mistakes and understands Chen Zhi. ”