Contents
☯Encounter at Xiyi Cave
Beneath the towering peaks of Mount Hua, the Western Sacred Mountain, lay an unconscious red-faced man. A young Taoist acolyte descended from the mountain, revived him with a medicinal pill, and then led him to a fairy cave not far from the ancient temple dedicated to the Great Emperor of the Western Sacred Mountain. This cave was named "Xiyi Cave," and its owner was Chen Tuan, with the Taoist title "Master Xiyi." The red-faced man rescued by the acolyte was none other than Zhao Kuangyin, who would later become Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty.
♟️The Chess Match Begins
In front of Xiyi Cave, ancient cypresses reached toward the sky, and the scenery was beautiful. A pavilion stood in the mountains, where Chen Tuan and another Taoist sat opposite each other beside a white stone table in the pavilion, playing a game with thirty-two black and white jade chess pieces. The game had just begun.
✨ Recommended Taoist Talismans
Discover powerful talismans for your spiritual journey
Zhao Kuangyin was a top-tier chess player in Bianliang. At this moment, he quietly stood behind Chen Tuan, who held the black pieces, and soon got absorbed in the game. The player with the white pieces placed his chariot beside the black horse, luring the black pieces into a trap, planning to sacrifice the chariot to capture the general and win a complete victory in one fell swoop. Just as Chen Tuan was about to move his horse to take the chariot, Zhao Kuangyin, in his eagerness, forgot the chess rule of "watching without speaking" and shouted, "Don't take the chariot!" The white piece player merely glanced at Zhao Kuangyin and continued to make his move. Because of Zhao Kuangyin's words, Chen Tuan changed his mind, spotted the opponent's flaw, and used another tactic called "Besieging Wei to Rescue Zhao." After a few rounds, he defeated the white pieces. The white piece player, having lost two ingots of gold, was unhappy and said, "Too much talk! Don't you know that 'a true gentleman watches chess in silence, while a meddler is a villain'?" They then reset the game. Before long, the white piece player used a cannon to bombard the line of pawns, but "firing the cannon cannot capture the general; instead, it leaves one's own side exposed." Zhao Kuangyin, feeling guilty for breaking the rules earlier and causing the man to lose two ingots of gold, gave a hint to the white piece player. At this, the white piece player quickly turned the cannon's muzzle to block the horse's leg, resolving the losing situation of the two horses checking the king (shuang ma wo cao).
♟️Zhao Kuangyin's Challenge
Chen Tuan, observing the situation, thought the time was right and goaded him, "Young man, you have no sense of chess etiquette. I told you not to meddle, yet you did. Since you're so skilled at chess, dare you play three games with me? If not, you're no upright man!" With Zhao Kuangyin's pride, he couldn't stand such words. He immediately said arrogantly, "I'll play three games with you. Let's see if you still dare to look down on me!"
"Good, what a straightforward person!" the elder with the white pieces chimed in. "There should be a stake. Shall we bet on gold or silver, and how much?" After some discussion, they set the stake for each game at fifty taels of silver. The elder with the white pieces stood up to give Zhao Kuangyin his seat and volunteered to supervise as a witness.
♟️The Three Games
In the game, Zhao Kuangyin, holding the white pieces, first moved to protect his king by advancing a guard; Chen Tuan shifted his cannon, intending to bring out his chariot. The white pieces used a central cannon; the black pieces moved a horse to protect its pawn. Kuangyin used a turning horse; Chen Tuan drove his chariot in pursuit. The white pieces mobilize a cannon to defend against a flying elephant; the white pieces captured a horse but lost a chariot. The game evolved into the "Plum Blossom Eighteen Variations," a highly intricate pattern known to few. When two evenly matched players meet, it's hard to hide their skills; the central cannon and pawns attack the screen horses. Chen Tuan sacrificed his chariot with a thunderous move, and Kuangyin lost the first game.
Zhao Kuangyin was unwilling to accept his defeat in the first game and wanted to win back the silver he had lost, so he suggested a stake of one hundred taels for the second game. Little did he know that this was exactly what Chen Tuan wanted. Chen Tuan smiled and said, "Very well, one hundred taels it is." In the second game, Chen Tuan played black and moved first, and the game was full of exciting moments: The Taoist playfully subdues the true dragon; the immortal points the way at the river's head. Kuangyin had no idea of the hidden mysteries, sending chariots to both flanks to seize the initiative. The Yin-Yang Tai Chi linked horses; the white pieces placed a cannon to engage in battle. Mist shrouds the layered mountains, and the game takes a sudden turn; the two guards joyfully enter the Peach Garden. Driving the chariot to the center, pawns attack the king; the two immortals pass on their teachings and win two games.
Zhao Kuangyin's chess skills were unparalleled in Bianliang, but now he had lost two games in a row. Losing money was a minor matter, but if word got out, it would ruin his reputation as the "Chess Champion of Bianliang" and make him a laughingstock. Eager to win, Zhao Kuangyin was determined to take one more chance and said to Chen Tuan, "Let's raise the stake to one hundred and fifty taels for this game. If I win, we'll be even; if you win, I'll pay you in full. What do you say?" Chen Tuan still smiled and said, "Three hundred taels of silver is no small stake! If you can't pay it, you'll be greatly embarrassed." Zhao Kuangyin said nothing and focused on setting up his pieces.
Typically, the winner of the previous game moves first, but the master let Zhao Kuangyin go first. Overjoyed, Zhao Kuangyin gave it his all, playing an aggressive game with fierce moves, determined to overwhelm his opponent in terms of board position. Chen Tuan, on the other hand, was both offensive and defensive, combining softness with firmness and making unexpected moves. The game was as intense as ten thousand horses galloping or turbulent waves crashing. Chen Tuan rode the wind and waves, making one brilliant move after another, and finally achieved victory with "a lone horse traveling a thousand li to win skillfully, with cannon, horse, pawns, guards, and elephants all intact," a feat that has been celebrated throughout later generations.
📜The Debt and the Deed
Chen Tuan won the last game as well. Thinking that he had lost both fame and fortune and had no money with him, Zhao Kuangyin felt deeply regretful, blaming himself for his recklessness. Helpless, all his arrogance vanished, and he resorted to resort to sophistry, saying, "Old man, I made a wrong move in that last game; otherwise, you couldn't have beaten me. It doesn't count, it doesn't count. Let's start over!" Upon hearing this, Chen Tuan suddenly scowled and said angrily, "Nonsense! What a ridiculous lie. How can a man of honor go back on his word? A bet is a bet; since you lost, you should repay me the three hundred taels of silver. Aren't you afraid of shaming yourself and becoming a laughingstock to the world by speaking such rascally words?"
At this point, Zhao Kuangyin had no money or other valuables, couldn't get away with act shamelessly, and couldn't leave, so he had to tell the truth, "I don't have three hundred taels of silver, and my entire belongings aren't worth three hundred taels. What do you suggest, old man?"
Chen Tuan said, "Even if your clothes were a dragon robe, I wouldn't care. If you really have no silver, it's all right. You can point to a mountain and draw up a deed of sale for me." When Zhao Kuangyin heard this, he thought, "This old man is a fool. Ha! That's easy enough." He picked up a stone, walked to a cliff, and wrote on the rock, "Zhao Kuangyin of Dongjing (Eastern Capital), due to lack of funds, is willing to sell Mount Hua to Chen Tuan for three hundred taels of silver, with no rent or taxes forever. Words are not enough; this writing serves as proof."
✨Prophecy and Legacy
Zhao Kuangyin had no idea that his action was more significant than he thought. His writing alarmed the mountain gods and local deities of Mount Hua. Seeing that the true dragon emperor was selling Mount Hua, they dared not disobey and quickly used magic to turn the white inscribed characters into black.
Seeing this, Zhao Kuangyin was greatly shocked. He realized that Chen Tuan was no ordinary person and knew how profound his Taoist arts were. He immediately knelt down, insistent on taking Chen Tuan as his teacher, but the master refused. In the end, Chen Tuan was moved by his sincerity and taught him the "Coiled Dragon Staff" and its techniques, which he had carried with him for many years. Grateful for the immortal's guidance, Zhao Kuangyin finally made a request, "Your disciple dares to ask Master to read my fortune. What does the future hold for me?" Chen Tuan smiled without answering, handed him a letter, and then, along with the elder he had been playing chess with, turned into a clear breeze and drifted away. Zhao Kuangyin held the letter and read it carefully. It said, "Chen Tuan sends this to Young Master Zhao: Having some free time, I specially invited the Immortal Elder of Mount Hua, the Western Sacred Mountain, to play chess for amusement... The foundation was laid at Chenqiao, bringing prosperity to the realm; when the candlelight flickers red, the Fire Dragon shall rise to power."
Zhao Kuangyin read and pondered over it repeatedly, understanding only the first half. In fact, the latter part of the letter predicted the political upheavals two hundred years after the An Lushan Rebellion, which Zhao Kuangyin could not have understood at the time. Later, during the Chenqiao Mutiny, Zhao Kuangyin was robed in yellow and became an emperor. True to form, he never collected a single cent of land tax from the area within dozens of miles of Mount Hua.
