Eagle Rock by the Hongshui River

　　When visiting the ancient Hongshui Camp and returning along the rural road from Sanjiao to Wenquan, you can see an astonishing sight—Eagle Rock at Hongshui Dam. Its shape closely resembles an eagle incubating eggs. With too many eggs, its massive wings appear slightly arched upward as if pushed up by them. The eagle watches its surroundings vigilantly with sharp eyes, exuding a stern and tenacious expression. Its head faces Kaiyang across the Wenquan River, its mouth slightly open as if it has just eaten, though its lower beak is chipped and broken. Its tail points toward Hongshui Dam, and its entire body runs parallel to the ancient Hongshui Camp, resembling a natural barrier over a thousand meters long that completely shields the view of the ancient camp. On the side facing the road from Wenquan to Sanjiao, several exposed strip-shaped rocks resemble the feathers on the eagle’s huge wings, now somewhat weathered and grayish.

　　Legend has it that long ago, the Yongsha Dam across the river in Kaiyang had abundant water sources, and large tracts of flat land were cultivated into farmland. Yet after years of hard work, farmers were rewarded only with fields full of useless weeds. Puzzled, they abandoned the fields after a few years. A feng shui master, whose origins are unknown, once passed through and claimed that the crops planted by the locals were all being eaten by an eagle from far away in Xifeng County. Its droppings, however, fertilized the Hongshui Dam on the other side.

　　Coincidentally, the Hongshui Dam, which the eagle’s tail faces, was indeed prosperous and fertile. The area had three major wealthy families with numerous tenant farmers, and every year brought thriving livestock and bountiful harvests. So the feng shui master summarized: this eagle eats from Yongsha Dam and defecates onto Hongshui Dam. The people of Yongsha Dam firmly believed this. They sought guidance from the feng shui master, who then vividly described the situation in detail...

　　The following lunar New Year in January, the people of Yongsha Dam organized dozens of dragon lanterns and went to Hongshui Dam to “pay respects.” The wealthy families of Hongshui Dam slaughtered pigs and sheep to host a banquet (“set up a stage,” i.e., hold a night feast in welcome).

　　While the Yongsha Dam group made a lively display of dragon lanterns and shouted auspicious phrases—“The dragon lanterns circle round and round, sons and grandsons will become top scholars…”—someone secretly climbed onto Eagle Rock, entered the eagle’s mouth, and filled it with homemade black gunpowder. To distract the Hongshui Dam people and cover the sound of the explosion, the lantern players called out especially frequently and beat the drums extra loudly. The Hongshui Dam people were overjoyed.

　　With a muffled boom, the eagle’s lower beak was gone. The lantern players, knowing their mission had succeeded, moved on to the next step: opening the wealth gate and sending the God of Wealth for the hosts. This was followed by admiring the lanterns, and everyone gathered at the dining table to eat, drink, and play drinking games. It wasn’t until three or four in the morning that the Yongsha Dam lanterns finally left, and the Hongshui Dam people soon fell asleep, completely unaware of what had happened.

　　The next day, someone from Hongshui Dam who had been away returned and noticed that the “eagle’s” lower beak was missing. People were called to go see what had happened. Yellow liquid flowed from the blast site, and people said it was the eagle’s blood. This “blood” flowed for over a month. Though the eagle’s beak was destroyed, the people of Hongshui Dam did not become poor—in fact, they continued to enjoy bountiful harvests and thriving livestock. Likewise, the Yongsha Dam in Kaiyang still didn’t grow good crops. It wasn’t until the 1980s, during the reform and opening-up period, with advancements in agricultural science and technology, that the previously abandoned land was transformed into fertile fields through soil improvement. Unfortunately, the once-majestic one-beaked eagle was never seen again in its former glory.