A Statesman’s Mystical Journey

In the spring of 1374, the aging strategist Liu Bowen (Liu Ji) wandered Purple Mountain with his companion Song Lian, his body frail but his mind ablaze with memories. The mountain’s imperial aura contrasted sharply with Taoist sacred peaks, sparking reflections on his youth—encounters with immortal-seeking Daoists, celestial cranes ascending from Qingtian Mountain, and a life-altering 1347 meeting in Tiantai Mountain’s caves. There, a 300-year-old Daoist gifted him Fire Attack Battle Formations, a military treatise beyond mortal imagination, before ascending on glowing winds.

This episode reveals Liu’s complex worldview: rejecting gods as cosmic creators while accepting xian (transcendent beings) as humans who achieved prolonged life through self-cultivation. His poem Ancient Song encapsulated this: “I’ve heard even immortals must die / Only Peng Zu lived eight hundred years—what then?”

The Phantom Gathering

That evening, Liu practiced Daoist “sitting in oblivion” meditation for the first time in a decade. In this trance, seven deceased Daoist friends materialized—including strategist Zhu Sheng, who died in 1370. Their dialogue unfolded across metaphysical planes:

– Zhu Sheng’s Revelation: Claiming the afterlife reversed time, he declared “The best version of you died in 1368 returning to Qingtian”
– Liu’s Rationalism: Insisting “Ghosts are just residual qi, destined to dissipate” despite the vision’s vividness
– Political Echoes: Zhu’s legendary “Build high walls, stockpile grain, delay kingship” advice to Zhu Yuanzhang resurfaced, highlighting their rivalry as Ming founders

This spectral symposium blurred lines between hallucination and revelation, reflecting Liu’s struggle to reconcile his rationalist I Ching studies with mystical experiences.

The Poisoned Chalice

By 1375, Liu—now half-blind and delirious—endured his final political trial. Chancellor Hu Weiyong’s “medical visit” under Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang’s orders culminated in ominous exchanges:

– Veiled Threats: Hu’s “When will you die?” met with Liu’s prophecy: “We’ll meet again in five years” (accurately foreseeing Hu’s 1380 purge)
– The Suspected Poison: Hu’s “medicine” induced abdominal tumors and agonizing digestive collapse
– Imperial Theater: Zhu Yuanzhang’s nostalgic audience rehearsed their shared victories—Chen Youliang’s defeat, the Eighteen Strategies—while silently acknowledging mutual betrayal

Legacy of a Contradictory Sage

Liu Bowen’s death in 1375 sealed his transformation from Ming architect to cultural icon:

– Strategic Impact: His Fire Attack tactics influenced Ming military doctrine, while Eighteen Strategies shaped early governance
– Folkloric Ascension: Later generations mythologized him as a divination master and feng shui sage
– Historical Irony: The rationalist who denied immortality became immortalized in plays, novels, and occult traditions

Modern scholars debate whether his final visions were neurological decline or performative resistance against Zhu Yuanzhang’s tyranny. Either interpretation confirms Liu Bowen’s enduring relevance—a thinker who navigated China’s transition from Mongol rule to Ming autocracy while leaving puzzles that still captivate six centuries later.

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