A Yellow Stone Established the First Emperor of Han 200 B.C.
(Jaune pierre a créé le Premier Empereur des Han 200 B.C.)
A very old man with soiled clothes on took off his shows and threw them down to the river, saying to Zhang Liang (Chou-Ryou in Japanese), a son of a premier of a certain state destroyed by the First Emperor of China, to go and get them back for him.
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The First Emperor of China or the Qin Dynasty (Shin in Japanese) was almost killed twice by assassins in the late third century B.C.
The first decisive but failed case, which happened when the First Emperor was still called Ying Zheng the king of the state of Qin, is well known partly due to modern films focused on an attempt by Jing Ke (Kei-Ka in Japanese) a unique warrior of another state destroyed by Qin and without pity cut to death by the king Ying Zheng at site.
But the second assassin Zhang Liang, whose home state had been also destroyed by Qin, changed the history not by succeeding in assassination but by meeting a god of Tao or Taoism after the failed attempt of assassination.
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Zhang Liang saved and accumulated money, even sacrificing a funeral for his younger brother, so that he could hire a warrior or a wrestler tough enough to attack the First Emperor of China around 210 B.C.
At last Zhang Liang could hire a professional wrestler to have him throw a 60-pound iron hammer aiming from a distance at a carriage the First Emperor was in during his trip for inspection of his territory, namely the whole China of the era.
The hammer was mightily heaved and thrown from an unobserved spot however only to demolish a carriage behind the Emperor's.
Zhang Liang fled and fled and finally hid in a local town under a fake name.
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One day, he was crossing a bridge where a very old man with soiled clothes on was sitting.
The very old man with soiled clothes on took off his shows and threw them down to the river, saying to Zhang Liang, a son of a premier of a certain state destroyed by the First Emperor, to go and get them back for him.
Zhang Liang instantly got angry with the very old man, but he changed his mind to go and get the shoes for him.
The very old man with soiled clothes on told arrogantly Zhang Liang, a brave but failed assassin of the First Emperor, to help him put on the shoes with Zhang Liang's hands directly. Zhang Liang thought that he had to accept this challenge till the end for whatever reason as it was so extraordinary.
The very old man with soiled clothes on then laughed and started to leave the bridge and Zhang Liang but soon came back to him, saying "I have something to teach you. Come back here five days later."
Five days later, Zhang Liang came to the bridge at the same hour, but actually he was a little late. The very old man with soiled clothes on got angry, saying "You lack respect for a senior. Come back here five days later."
Five days later, Zhang Liang left his house with the sunrise to come to the bridge, but only found the very old man to be there already who said, "Come back here five days later."
Five days later, Zhang Liang left his house while it was still dark before dawn to come to the bridge, so that he could welcome the very old man who satisfactorily said, "This is the right way. Be humble. Now, I will award to you this secret book of art of warfare which will make you an excellent strategist for a king. I will meet you 13 years later in a certain mountain where you will find a yellow stone which is I." Then the very mysterious old man disappeared.
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Zhang Liang eventually became the top strategist of Liu Bang (Ryu-Hou in Japanese) or the first emperor of the Han Dynasty (Kan in Japanese), who fought all the duels, battles, and wars needed to assume the imperial title, demolishing the Qin Dynasty in a corporation with great warrior Xiang Yu (Kou-U in Japanese) and finally defeating Xiang Yu through legendary battles.
One day, following the Emperor of Han, Zhang Liang was ascending a mountain to happen to find a very remarkable yellow stone.
Indeed, it was 13 years later since Zhang Liang had been sternly tested by the very old man with soiled clothes on.
Truly, Zhang Liang is even today recognized as one of the three great aids to Emperor Gaozu, the First Emperor of Han, who is said to have never failed in accepting whatever advice and recommendation Zhang Liang extended to him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Liang
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If you met Jesus Christ and was told to untie His sandals or polish His shoes, you would be glad to follow His request.
Indeed, we may meet Jesus Christ in disguise of a very old man with soiled clothes on some day.
Truly, I hope we will be able to follow Him, if not so sternly tested as the hero Zhang Liang, since the Han Dynasty is one of Chinese dynasties Japanese felt most affinity to for some reasons.
(Recently we got many big news reports on politics and economy.
But, a truly worthwhile report may be like those on poor students being helped in Chicago, poor children being helped in New Orleans, and sick women being saved in Japan.
Yet, what do you think about holy or mysterious encounter with, say, a yellow stone that might yet look foreign to you? )
"MAN CANNOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE"
(Es muss nicht Brot sein, wovon der Mensch lebt.)