Gods See to It That the Wicked Suffer and the Good Avoid Disaster
 
The following is a story from volume nine of Yijiandingzhi, a book authored by the famous scholar Hong Mai during the Song Dynasty (960 AD-1279 AD).
 
Every year on August 18 of the lunar calendar, the Qiantang River experienced its highest flood tide. It was a very famous and spectacular event, so most people in the Lin'an region would go observe the flood tide on that day.
 
During the fall of 1140 AD, two nights before the day of the highest flood tide, some residents who lived close to Qiantang River heard voices from the sky. The voices said: “Several hundred people should die on the bridge this year. They are wicked, dissolute, or unfilial persons. Now check the names according to the death list. For those who are on the list but have not yet arrived, quickly urge them to come; for those not on the list, tell them to leave.” Many voices replied in the sky: “Yes! We will follow your orders!” Hearing those voices, the local residents were startled and terrified, and they dared not speak.
 
The next night some people who lived near the bridge received a warning in their dreams: “Don't go to the bridge tomorrow; the bridge will collapse!” When they awakened in the morning, they told their neighbors about the dream and realized that many others had had the same dream the night before. They more firmly believed that gods were protecting them and that the imminent danger would be terrifying.
 
It was the day of the highest flood tide, and the bridge was overcrowded with people who had not received the warning. The ones who had had the dream observed from beside the bridge. When they saw their relatives and friends stepping onto the bridge, they advised them to step off the bridge. However, those who were advised took the words as unbelievable nonsense and would not listen at all. Those who had received the warning in the dream eventually had to leave by themselves.
 
After a while, the tide turned. The tide turbulently rushed in and created quite an extraordinary scene. The spectators got very excited. They shouted, clapped, and danced with joy at the marvelous view below. Suddenly the bridge collapsed and all those on the bridge fell into the river and drowned.
 
Afterwards the family of the dead came to identify the bodies, and some passersby found that those who had died were indeed wicked, dissolute, or unfilial persons. People then realized that this was not an accident but rather the gods taking advantage of the viewing of the high tide to eliminate bad persons.
 
神叫坏人遭灾，让好人避开
 
宋代著名学者洪迈在《夷坚丁志》第九卷里面，写下了这样一篇文章。
 
钱塘江涨潮，以每年的八月十八日为最大，是天下十分壮美的景观。到了这一天，按照临安的民间习俗，大半的人都会去看潮。
 
绍兴十年（公元1140年）的秋天，在涨潮的前两天傍晚，住在江边的居民中，有些人，听到天空中有人讲话：「今年应该在桥上死的人，有好几百，都是些邪恶、淫乱或不孝敬父母之人。这些该死的人中，按名册检查，现在还没有到的，你们要迅速催促他们来；不在这名册中的人，则要让他们赶快离去。」又听到空中有不少人回答：「是！是！」当地居民听到这些声音，又惊又怕，不敢讲话。
 
第二天夜里，住在跨浦桥旁边的居民中，有些人梦见有人来告诫：「明天不要上桥，桥会折断！」天明之后，有人把梦中情景，告知其他邻居，这才知道：好些人也做了相同的梦。因而就更加相信是神灵在保护自己，也相信真的危险将至，感到可怕。
 
大潮就要来了，危险也就要来了，看潮的人却不知道，纷纷挤到桥上。桥上很快便站满了观潮的人。
 
昨夜做过梦的人，知道有危险，就在旁边观察，发现有亲戚、朋友，就劝他们下桥。但被劝的人，不但不下桥，还认为这是荒诞、邪说，决不听从。劝说者本人，反落得个自找没趣，只好返身离去。
 
过了一会儿，潮水涌来，水势奔腾，汹涌澎湃，不同寻常。看潮的人，拍手大叫，手舞足蹈，以为天下奇观，尽收眼底。正在欢叫时，忽然，桥塌落水，所有在桥上的人，全部被淹死了！
 
后来，死者的家属前来认尸、收敛。过路的人，也来看视死者，发现死的人确实都是一些邪恶、放荡、不孝之徒。这才悟到：神灵这次除恶，是借用观潮而实施，绝非偶然之事。