This is the earliest known complete version of the legend of the burning of Shaolin. It is from the oldest extant Tiandihui manual (huibu 會簿), and was found in the possessions of Tiandihui member Yao Dagao.
Yao Dagao, a tailor, had already joined the Tiandihui in Guangdong, before moving to Guangxi. He was nominated as the "elder brother" of a Tiandihui group in Guangxi, but was arrested in 1810. Found in the possessions one of Yao's subordinates, this manual is a wealth of information on Tiandihui myths and rituals, as they existed in the first decade of the 19th century. However, in 1811, Yao died in prison before the authorities were able to conduct a thorough interrogation on him, and it is unclear if Yao was the author of the book, how the contents of it were actually used, and the exact date of its composition. We can only make 1810, the date of Yao's arrest, as the terminus ante quem for the manual's creation. Barend ter Haar, based the many inconsistencies in the content of the manual, suggests that it was compiled by different sources over a long period of time (ter Haar 1998, p. 375). The manual was then sent to the Jiaqing 嘉慶 Emperor in 1811, and from there it made its way into the Qing archives.Yao's manual is transcribed using simplified characters in TDH I:4. Yao Dagao's biography can be found in Ter Haar (1998) pp. 368-371 and Murray (1994) p. 72-73. English translations of the Triad foundation account, as found in this manual, can be found in Ter Haar (1998) pp. 371-373, and Murray (1994) pp. 196-199.
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崇禎十二年，李自成造反被奪江山後，走出西宮娘娘李神妃。起至伏華山，懷胎後走至雲南高溪廟，生下小主，蒙上天庇佑，又蒙萬家恩養。十六年六月初六日，開封府天水沖出有劉伯温碑記。
康熙年間，有西鲁番作亂，康熙主掛起榜文，誰人征得西鲁番者，封得萬代公侯。甘肅省有一位 (座) 少林寺，内有總兵官，掛起先鋒，受了帥印。印是鐵鑄的，重二斤十三兩。印寫 (囗 + 正)* 山二字為記。少林寺人等就領先鋒，就去征西鲁番。不用一兵將，只得寺内一百二十八人，就與西鲁番交戰對壘。西鲁番敗走，死者不計其數。少林寺人打得勝鼓回朝。康熙主賞，寺内不受官職，仍歸少林寺誦經、說法、修道。後来奸臣一時興兵追趕，惨極。 一十八人, 走越四年，走至海石連天，長沙漢口。海水面上浮起一个白石香爐，重有五十二斤。香爐底有“興明絕清”四字。眾人就取一百(白) 錠香爐，當天盟誓。正[止]剩師徒六人，師尊萬提起，法號士日雲龍，與兄弟再集一百零七人。有一位小子，亦来起義，共湊成一百零八人。甲寅年七月廿五日丑時聚集，當天結義，指洪為姓，插 (歃)血拜盟，結為洪家，眾兄弟拜萬師傳 [傅]為大哥。至九月初九日，雲龍擇日與清兵交戰。雲龍陣上死去，少[小]軍报告五位兄弟，保駕小主。兄弟得知，即日出軍，與清對壘交戰。清兵敗走後來兄弟將萬大哥屍首收回，向東燒化。萬大哥云[魂]上九霄而去，屍首葬在高溪廟三層樓脚下糞箕湖子山午向。五位兄弟回来，不見小主，不知下落，身無依靠。
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詩曰：
門上洪英無人知，不知去向問兄弟
萬大哥死後，有一位胎侄，是聖僧；一名道芳勿此，現守廣東；一名道芳流，現守湖廣。小主後來流落福建，後來生伍子，即日分為五大房，立為五標頭：
洪 汩 淇（氵長）（氵泰）
洪 淇 潷 添 江
（氵德）（氵安）（氵仁）（氵禮）（氵泰）
烏 洪 赤 泊 淥
吳 洪 李 桃 林
芳勿此現手(守)廣東。崇禎君有一位西宮娘娘，懷胎逃走，名為李神妃。藏在伏華山，生下男兒，蒙萬祖恩養，又蒙上天庇佑相繼，後生一子，甚是精神。英雄豪傑之才，亦來會盟。眾兄弟拱扶此子。
長房吳天成，在浙江，旗號（氵烏）江；二房洪大歲，在福建，旗號洪洪；三房李色地，在廣東，旗號（氵赤）汩；四房桃必達，在雲南、四川，旗號泊淇；五房林永招，在湖廣，旗號淥（氵泰）。此十八人眾兄弟在紅花內，乃是趙文良為長。吳成貴在山東為大(太)守，名為五虎大將。
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People named in Yao Dagao's Foundation Account
崇禎 Chong Zhen, last Emperor of the Ming (Historical Person)
李自成 Li Zicheng, late Ming dynasty, rebel leader (Historical Person)
西宮娘娘李神妃 “Lady of the Western Palace,” Divine Concubine Li
Unnamed son of Chong Zhen and Divine Concubine Li, called the “Little Lord” 小主
劉伯温 Liu Bowen, and official from the early Ming, known for his prophesies (Historical Person)
康熙 Kang Xi, Qing Emperor (Historical Person)
Unnamed Brigade General 兵官 at Shaolin Monastery in Gansu province
Unnamed Treacherous Qing Official 奸臣 who attacked the Shaolin monks
萬提起 Wan Tiqi (Buddhist name: Yun Long 雲龍), one of six monks who survived the destruction of Shaolin, called the “elder brother” of the five surviving monks.
Unnamed Five surviving monks of Shaolin, named elsewhere in the manual, see below.
Unnamed "infant nephew" 胎侄 called "Holy Monk" 聖僧 - sometimes two nephews, sometimes one, see below
道芳勿此 Dao Fangwuci, one of the infant nephews, he holds Guangdong 廣東
道芳流 Dao Fangliu, one of the infant nephews, he holds Huguang 湖廣
五虎大將 The Five Tiger Generals:
1) 吳天成 Wu Tiancheng of the Edest House in Zhejiang, his flag is black 長房吳天成，在浙江，旗號（氵烏）江
2) 洪大歲 Hong Dasui of the second house in Fujian, his flag is red 二房洪大歲，在福建，旗號洪洪
3) 李色地 li Sedi of the third house in Guangdong, his flag is crimson 三房李色地，在廣東，旗號（氵赤）汩
4) 桃必達 Tao Bida of the fourth house of Yunan and Sichuan, his flag is white 四房桃必達，在雲南、四川，旗號泊淇
5) 林永招 Lin Yongzhao of the fifth house of Huguang, his flag is green 五房林永招，在湖廣，旗號淥（氵泰）
趙文良 Zhao Wenliang, chief of the 18 brothers at Red Flower Pavilion
吳成貴 Wu Chenggui, commander in Shandong
此十八人眾兄弟在紅花內，乃是趙文良為長。吳成貴在山東為大(太)守，名為五虎大將。
Groups of people in Yao Dagao's Foundation Account
西鲁番 Xi Lu Barbarians
128 monks from Shaolin 寺内一百二十八人
18 Monks who escape Shaolin's destruction 一十八人
6 surviving monks, with Wan Tiqi as their leader 六人，師尊萬提起
107 rebels who joined the movement, plus the little lord making 108 兄弟再集一百零七人。有一位小子，亦来起義，共湊成一百零八人。
Places found in Yao Dagao's Foundation Account
伏華山 Fuhua Mt.: Place where Lady Li fled
高溪廟 Gaoxi Temple in Yunan 雲南: Place where Lady Li gave birth to the Little Lord, and later Wan Tiqi is buried, at the foot of a three story pagoda, 高溪廟三層樓脚下糞箕湖子山午向
開封府 Kaifeng Prefecture: Place where Liu Bowen's Stone inscription emerged.
西鲁 Xi Lu: Place from where the Xi Lu Barbarians came
Shaolin Temple in Gansu Province 甘肅省有一位 (座) 少林寺
海石連天，長沙漢口 Unclear place Lit. "Sea Rock, connects to Heaven, Long Sands and River's mouth": Place where the surviving monks find the white stone incense burner.
糞箕湖子 Manure Basket Lake: Place at Gaoxi Temple in Yunan 雲南 where Wan Tiqi is buried.
Dates found in Yao Dagao's Foundation Account
12th year of Chong Zhen (1639), During the Li Zicheng rebelion: Lady Li went to Fuhua Mt.
6th day, 6th month, of the 16th year of Chong Zhen (1643): Liu Bowen's stone inscription emerged.
25th day, 7th month of the Jiayin 甲寅 year: The monks formed a brotherhood and made Wan Tiqi their elder brother.
9th day, 9th month of the Jiayin 甲寅 year: the day selected by Wan Tiqi for battle against the Qing.
Items found in Yao Dagao's Foundation Account
Commander-in-chiefs seal 帥印, made of iron, weighing 2 catties and 23 ounces, and inscribed with the 2 characters (囗 + 正) 山. (印是鐵鑄的，重二斤十三兩。印寫(囗 + 正) 山二字為記。
White stone incense burner,floating on the waters, weighing 52 catties, and inscribed with the 4 characters “興明絕清” “Revive the Ming, cut off the Qing”
海水面上浮起一个白石香爐，重有五十二斤。香爐底有“興明絕清”四字。
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Elsewhere in Yao Dagao's manual there are references to people and divinities, who although not mentioned in Yao Dagao's foundation account, are found in later versions of this foundation account. Apparently these people, even though not mentioned in the story, were already a part of Triad lore in the 1st decade of the 19th century. Below are some of these references.
By whom was the bridge built? Zhu Gong and Zhu Kua were the builders.
There is a white bearded old man, have you met him? I have, his name is Fang Dahong
The city gates have four guardians, who are they? They are Han Peng, Han Fu, Zheng Tian, and Li Changguo
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