About the history of the Yellow River

Legend has it that a long time ago, the ancient Yellow River was a wild horse that was difficult to tame. It ran at will, like a grinning monster, roaring day and night, surging incessantly, devouring thousands of hectares of fertile land. With tens of millions of mountains gnawing at them, the Hui Han people on both sides of the Yellow River can only live a life of slash-and-burn farming on the tops of the mountains and at the bottom of the ditches. At that time, Ningxia was not a flat plain with flat rivers, but had overlapping green mountains and crisscrossing ravines. There was no flat field, and no field could be irrigated with the water of the Yellow River. Legend has it that there are several households of Hui and Han people living on Niushou Mountain. Their elders carry water at the bottom of the mountain and farm on the top of the mountain. The old and the young are busy all the time, but they don't have enough to eat and don't have enough clothes to wear. No one can bear this torture for a long time. One year, an old man named De, who was over seventy years old, opened a melon orchard on the mountain and planted some cucumbers. He got up early every day and went to the Yellow River to water the cucumbers. His shoulders were swollen and the soles of his feet were peeling. He carefully cultivated the cucumbers, and they grew tender and sweet. Old man De was tired that day and fell asleep lying on the garden door. As soon as he fell asleep, he dreamed of a white cloud floating in the sky. Gradually, the white cloud turned into a white-bearded imam, shaking his silver beard, and said to Mr. De: "There are two strong winds today. You have to pay attention." A yellow wind at noon can make cucumbers wither; a black wind can make cucumbers fall off. No matter how strong the wind is, you should not pick the cucumbers when you wake up. The bearded imam saw that the yellow wind from the north was blowing all the way to Niushou Mountain. The old man looked at the cucumbers carefully and found that they were wilted one by one. He felt very sad that a year's hard work had been wasted, but when he thought about it, The white-bearded imam said that he did not move. At noon, a black wind passed by, shaking the mountains, and the leaves fell one after another. When the old man saw that the cucumber was about to fall to the ground, he was so angry that he picked off one. The wilted and small cucumber was thrown into the Yellow River. The line of the Yellow River immediately broke, and the bottom of the river was clearly visible. They got together again. The old man was tired and hungry. He was sitting on the river bank, blinking his eyes, feeling dizzy and unaware of anything. At this time, the old man De heard the white-bearded imam say, "This. Cucumber is the key to conquering the Yellow River. It can stop the Yellow River from flowing, or it can also make the Yellow River listen to others. But now the Yellow River is tormenting the two Iblis, Huang Feng and Black Wind. You cannot be impatient, you must be patient, and you must work harder. Next year, you plant another garden of cucumbers. When the cucumbers are ripe, you pick the biggest one and throw it into the Yellow River. At that time, you walked into the cave at the bottom of the river. You could pick out the jewelry, get the grain, and even have a sword that could slay dragons and monsters, and tame the Yellow River. Wherever you pointed, the Yellow River water would flow. "The next year, the industrious old man from Germany planted another garden of cucumbers. He was not afraid of the long journey and did not hesitate to sweat. He carried water from the Yellow River and watered the melons. The hard work paid off, and finally, a three-foot-long cucumber was grown in the garden. The cucumber looked like a key. The old man happily slept in the melon garden day and night until the melon was ripe. On this day, the weather was so clear that there was no cloud at all. The old man picked the three-foot-long cucumber and read. He picked up a "Tai Simi" and threw it into the Yellow River. At this time, he heard a roar from the Yellow River, and a long crack opened. He could clearly see the stones on the bottom of the river. When he went down to the bottom of the river, he saw that he was leaning on the river bank. There was a cave with all kinds of pearls and agates. The old man took some and just walked out when he heard a roaring storm. Suddenly, the waves on the river were rolling, one wave higher than the other. The old man picked up his sword and pointed at the black whirlwind. The yellow whirlwind slashed dozens of swords from left to right. After a while, the black wind and the yellow wind blew out of the sky. At this time, the broken seam of the Yellow River gradually closed. The old man Erde remembered the white-bearded imam's instructions. This sword can conquer the Yellow River. His heart brightened, and he thought: I will let the Yellow River fill the trenches and flatten the mountain ridges. The old man held two swords and slashed towards the Yellow River. The water of the Yellow River immediately stopped flowing, as if there was a Great Wall in front of him. It was just a festival. After three days, as far as Liupan Mountain in the south and Helan Mountain in the west, there was water everywhere, leaving only a few mountain peaks. Then the old man took out his sword and called it Yellow River Water. From then on, the mountains and deep ravines in Ningxia turned into flat rivers. The Hui Han people living on both sides of the Yellow River relied on their hard-working hands to dig canals and cultivate fields, and lived a happy life.

< p>2-Myths and legends: When Dayu governed the Yellow River, he had three treasures: the river map; the mountain-opening ax; and the water-avoiding sword. Legend has it that the river map was given to Dayu by He Bo, the god of water in the Yellow River. There was a man named Feng Yi in Tong Township, Huayin, who was worried about farming and wanted to become an immortal. He heard that people could transform into immortals by drinking the juice of daffodils for a hundred days, so he looked for narcissus flowers everywhere. Before Yu controlled the Yellow River, it had no fixed channel and overflowed everywhere, often causing floods. Feng Yi often crossed the Yellow River as he ran east and west looking for daffodils. , crossed the Yellow River, and often interacted with the Yellow River. Ninety-nine days later, he found a daffodil and sucked its juice for one day, and he became an immortal again. A small village was looking for daffodils. The water here was not deep. Feng Yi waded across the river. When he reached the middle of the river, the water suddenly rose. He slipped and fell into the Yellow River. Feng Yi died. Full of grievances and resentment, he went to the Jade Emperor to report the situation of the Yellow River. The Jade Emperor was also very angry when he heard that the Yellow River was left unchecked and was running wild everywhere, endangering the people.

Seeing that Feng Yi had sucked the juice of the ninety-nine-day narcissus flower and was about to become an immortal, he asked Feng Yi if he would like to become the Yellow River Water God and regulate the Yellow River. Feng Yi was overjoyed. Full of agreement. This way, he can fulfill his wish to become an immortal, and secondly, he can avenge himself for being drowned. Feng Yi became the water god of the Yellow River and was known as He Bo. He had never had to control floods before, so he suddenly took on the task of regulating the Yellow River. He was helpless and worried. What to do? Since I was not very knowledgeable and had no magical skills, I had no choice but to ask the Jade Emperor for advice. The Jade Emperor told him that in order to manage the Yellow River well, we must first understand the water conditions of the Yellow River and draw a river map. With the water conditions and river map of the Yellow River as a basis, it will be much easier to manage the Yellow River. Hebo followed the Jade Emperor's instructions and wanted to draw a map of the river. He first went to his hometown and wanted to ask the villagers for help. The villagers all hated him for being idle and indolent, and no one paid him any attention. He went to the old man in the village and told him about his ambition to control the Yellow River. Later, when the old man saw that he had become an immortal and wanted to do something good for the people, he agreed to help him. From then on, Hebo and Hou Laohan traveled through mountains and rivers in all weathers to observe the water conditions of the Yellow River. The two of them ran away for several years, which finally made the old man sick from exhaustion. Later, the old man had no choice but to go back, leaving He Bo to continue observing the water conditions along the Yellow River. When they parted, the old man Hou repeatedly told He Bo that he should work hard to the end and not give up halfway. He would start regulating the Yellow River after drawing the map. Since there were not enough manpower, he persuaded the villagers to help. Checking water conditions and drawing river maps is a hard job. By the time He Bo finished drawing the river, he was already old and weak. He Bo looked at the river map and clearly drew where the Yellow River is deep and where it is shallow; where it is easy to break the embankment and where it is easy to burst; where it should be dug and where it should be blocked; where the water can be cut off and where the flood can be drained. I can only lament that I don’t have the strength to regulate the Yellow River according to the plan, which is very sad. He Bo thought that one day there would be a capable person to manage the Yellow River. At that time, granting him the river map would be a sign that he had not worried in vain. From then on, He Bo spent his remaining years peacefully under the Yellow River and never appeared again. Unexpectedly, the Yellow River continued to rise and flooded frequently. The people knew that the Jade Emperor sent He Bo to control the water, but they did not see his face. They all scolded He Bo for not fulfilling his duties and not caring about the lives of the people. Later, the old man looked forward to He Bo every day in his hospital bed, and they didn't see him for several years. He was worried about the management of the Yellow River and wanted to find He Bo. His son's name was Yi, and he was a master of archery. No matter what the old man said, Yi would not let him go to He Bo. Later, the old man refused to listen to his son's dissuasion. As a result, he encountered a burst in the Yellow River and was washed away and drowned. Even his body was not found. Hou Yi hated He Bo very much and said through gritted teeth that he would shoot He Bo to death sooner or later. Later, when Dayu came out to control the floods, Hebo decided to give him the Yellow River map. On this day, Hebo heard that Dayu came to the Yellow River with a mountain-opening ax and a water-avoiding sword, so he came out from the bottom of the water with the Hetu to look for Dayu. He Bo and Dayu had never met before, and they did not recognize each other. He Bo walked for a long time and was so tired that he wanted to take a rest when he saw a young man walking on the other side of the river. This young man was brave and majestic, he must be Dayu, so He Bo shouted and asked: "Hey, who are you?" The young man on the other side was not Dayu, but Hou Yi. He looked up and saw an immortal old man shouting from the other side of the river, and asked, "Who are you?" He Bo said loudly, "I am He Bo. Are you Dayu?" Hou Yi heard this. It was He Bo. He suddenly became angry, sneered and said, "I am Dayu." As he spoke, he opened his bow and nocked an arrow, and without any hesitation, he shot an arrow in He Bo's left eye. He Bo pulled out the arrow and covered his eyes, sweating from the pain. He cursed in his heart: "Damn Dayu, you are so unreasonable!" The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he went to tear up the water map. At this moment, there was a sudden shout: "He Bo! Don't tear up the picture." He Bo reluctantly looked with his right eye and saw a man wearing a bamboo hat on the other side, stopping Hou Yi. This man was Dayu. He knew that He Bo had drawn a map of the Yellow River and was about to ask He Bo for advice. Hou Yi pushed Dayu away and stretched his bow again. Dayu grabbed him tightly and told He Bo about the difficulties of drawing pictures. Hou Yi regretted his rashness and shot He Bo out of his left eye. Hou Yi waded across the river with Dayu. Hou Yi admitted his fault to He Bo. He Bo knew that Hou Yi was the son of Hou Laohan, so he didn't blame him much. Dayu said to He Bo: "I am Dayu, and I have come to you specifically to ask for advice on how to regulate the Yellow River." He Bo said: "My hard work and methods of regulating the river are all on this map, and I will teach it to you now. " When Dayu showed the map, he saw that the map was densely packed with circles, clearly depicting the up and down, left, and right water conditions of the Yellow River. Dayu was very happy. He wanted to thank He Bo. When he raised his head, He Bo jumped into the Yellow River and disappeared. Dayu obtained the map of the water conditions of the Yellow River. He worked day and night and based on the instructions on the map, he finally controlled the Yellow River.