Stone Sentinel Maze facts for kids

The Stone Sentinel Maze was a special arrangement of rocks. People believed it was created by a very smart strategist named Zhuge Liang. He based it on an ancient Chinese idea called the bagua, which uses eight symbols. This maze was found near the Yangtze River in China, close to a place called Baidicheng. Even today, some people think they can see parts of it there.

According to old stories, when the Yangtze River floods in summer, the maze disappears underwater. But when the water goes down in autumn, the rocks are still perfectly in place!

The Clever Trap of Zhuge Liang

The story of the Stone Sentinel Maze is told in a famous historical novel called Romance of the Three Kingdoms. This book was written by Luo Guanzhong.

Lu Xun's Big Mistake

In the novel, a general named Liu Bei was defeated in a battle by Lu Xun. Liu Bei ran away towards Baidicheng, and Lu Xun chased after him. When Lu Xun reached the Yufu Shore by the Yangtze River, he felt a strange feeling. He sensed a strong enemy presence and worried about an ambush.

Lu Xun sent his soldiers to check the area. They reported that it was empty, except for some piles of rocks. Lu Xun was confused. He asked a local person about the rocks. The local told him that strange energy had been coming from the area ever since Zhuge Liang arranged the rocks there.

Lu Xun decided to see for himself. He thought the "maze" was just a simple trick. So, he led a few of his men inside. Just as they were about to leave, a strong wind suddenly blew. Dust filled the sky, and the rocks started to look like sharp swords. Piles of dirt seemed to turn into huge mountains, and the river waves sounded like an attacking army.

Lu Xun realized his mistake. He cried out, "I have fallen into Zhuge Liang's trap!" He tried to find a way out of the maze, but he couldn't.

Help from an Unexpected Friend

Suddenly, Lu Xun saw an old man. The old man offered to help him escape the maze. Lu Xun followed him and got out safely. The old man then told Lu Xun that he was Huang Chengyan, who was Zhuge Liang's father-in-law.

Huang Chengyan explained that Zhuge Liang had built the maze using the ba gua idea. He also said that Zhuge Liang had known that a general from the Wu kingdom would someday stumble into the maze. Zhuge Liang had asked Huang Chengyan not to help that general escape.

Lu Xun got off his horse and thanked Huang Chengyan. When he returned to his camp, Lu Xun admitted that Zhuge Liang was much smarter than him. He then decided to lead his army back to Eastern Wu. He was worried that another kingdom, Cao Wei, might attack them while they were busy chasing Liu Bei.

History Versus Story

It's important to know that this exciting story about Lu Xun and the maze is from a novel. It is not found in the official history book called Records of the Three Kingdoms. This book is the main source for the history of the Three Kingdoms period.

In the real history, after Liu Bei went back to Baidicheng, some generals from Wu wanted to keep attacking him. But Lu Xun thought differently. He believed that Cao Pi of Cao Wei was pretending to help them attack Liu Bei, but had other plans. Lu Xun was right! Soon after, Cao Wei forces attacked Eastern Wu. This led to many battles between Wei and Wu between the years 222 and 225.

Another Encounter: Zhang Xianzhong

The Stone Sentinel Maze also appears in another story from the late Ming Dynasty. A rebel leader named Zhang Xianzhong found the maze. He was running away from the emperor's army in Chengdu.

An old man guided Zhang Xianzhong and his soldiers through the maze. The imperial army, who was chasing them, then charged into the maze. Suddenly, a thick mist covered the area. The piles of dirt looked like real hills and valleys. The imperial soldiers spent the whole night trying to escape. But when morning came, they realized they had just been running around piles of dirt!