Chapter 9 Chapter 8: "The Enemy of Thousands of People" in Life, and the "Sage of Martial Arts" Afterwards

During the Three Kingdoms period, brave generals abounded. Both Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were known as "the enemy of ten thousand people", and Guan Yu was especially outstanding.But he was not outstanding, he was not considered an outstanding military strategist, and he had many faults and mistakes. After he was decapitated, he was tied with Confucius and became the two "sages" of Wen and Wu. Considering its historical evolution and the four social elements of ethnic group, religion, imperial power, and gangs, this Guan Yu is no longer that Guan Yu. Although that Guan Yu died, this Guan Yu will not die.

In Chinese history, very few outstanding professionals have been honored as "sages", such as "medical sage" Zhang Zhongjing, "chess sage" Yan Ziqing, "poet sage" Du Fu, "tea sage" Lu Yu.However, the highest-level "sage" is Confucius. As the greatest thinker, educator, and founder of Confucianism in the Spring and Autumn Period, he was honored as the "Dachengzhi The honor of "Holy Teacher" still has far-reaching international influence.His second disciple, Mencius, was honored as "the sub-sage".Quite different from these cultural giants, Guan Yu, the famous general of the Shu Han Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period, was also revered as a "sage" after his death, and with his exclusive status as a "sage of martial arts", he was as tall as the "sage of literature" Confucius, which is amazing and inexplicable.

Guan Yu (AD?—219), styled Yunchang, was born in Jie County, Hedong (now Yuncheng, Shanxi).When he was young, he was nosy, and when the road was uneven, he would roar and draw his sword to help.Because he killed the magistrate of the county and his wife and brother, he fled to Zhuojun (now Zhuozhou City, Hebei Province), and got acquainted with Zhang Fei, a local.It happened that Liu Bei, who was also from Zhuojun, was recruiting troops, so he and Zhang Fei joined Liu Bei and participated in suppressing the Yellow Turban Uprising.When Liu Bei became Prime Minister of Pingyuan, he asked them to be the Sima of another department and divide the trilogy. According to the original legend in "Three Kingdoms", Liu Bei "slees with two people in the same bed, and is like a brother".And when it came to the crowd sitting in the crowd, they acted as guards again, "standing there all day long" without talking about treatment.At the beginning of those years, Liu Bei's reputation was few and far between, and his power was weak. He was defeated by Lu Bu in Xuzhou and voted for Cao Cao.After more than ten years of struggling, it was not until Liu Bei left Cao Cao in the fourth year of Jian'an (199) and ran to Xuzhou to fight against Cao that Guan Yu guarded Xiapi (now south of Pixian County, Jiangsu Province) alone for the first time and acted as the prefect.

In the fifth year of Jian'an (200), Cao Cao marched eastward, and Liu Bei was defeated. He left Guan Yu and went north to Yuan Shao. Guan Yu was captured by Cao Jun and brought back to Xudu.At that time, Cao Cao was competing in the Central Plains, recruiting talents, and liked Guan Yu's bravery and combat skills. He wanted to take him under his command, so he made an exception and gave him the title of partial general. The courtesy was very generous.But Guan Yu was unmoved, revealing that he "has no intention of staying for long", Cao Chang sent Zhang Liao to test it out.Guan Yu told Zhang Liao: "I know very well that Mr. Cao treats me well, but I have received General Liu's kindness, and I swear to die together, and I will not betray it. I will not stay in the end, and I will serve as a repayment to Mr. Cao before going." Zhang Liao truthfully When he returned to Cao Cao, Cao Cao sighed: "If you don't forget your roots, you will be a righteous man in the world!" In February of that year, Yuan Shao sent 100,000 troops to the south to fight Cao Cao. .In April, Cao Cao sent Zhang Liao and Guan Yu as the vanguard to counterattack Yuan Jun.When the two armies encountered each other, Guan Yu saw Yan Liang's head, and immediately rode his horse to take the lead, "stabbed Yan Liang among the crowd, and beheaded him to return."After the white horse rescued the siege, Cao Cao immediately went to the table and named Guan Yu the Marquis of Hanshou Ting, and added a lot of rewards.Guan Yu fulfilled his promise of "repay Cao Gong with effective results", "enclose all his gifts, and bid farewell to the book", and rushed to Yuan Junying to look for Liu Bei.Some generals of the Cao army demanded to pursue and kill him. Cao Cao said, "Everyone is his own master, so don't chase him!"

This special experience, after the twenty-fifth, twenty-sixth, twenty-seventh, and twenty-eighth chapters of rich and colorful elaboration, has become an appointment for three things, hanging a seal to seal the gold, riding a thousand miles alone, and passing five stages. The series of stories about the six generals and the gathering of officials in the ancient city, in fact, many stories did not exist in the first place.Among them, Feng Han Shouting Hou is not as prominent as the posterity imagined.According to the title system of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the title of Liehou (formerly known as "Chehou", which was changed by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty) was inherited from Qin Jue's 20th class. "

(See "Book of the Later Han Dynasty Baiguan Zhi").Tinghou is the lowest rank of Marquis (later Zhuge Liang became Marquis of Wuxiang, and the Marquis of Township is only one rank higher than Marquis of Ting); there is a pavilion every ten miles, and ten pavilions are townships, and Tinghou has limited salary.But it is not easy to be named Tinghou after all. Cao Cao's willingness to seal Guan Yu as Tinghou really showed his love for talent.And Guan Yu was neither tempted nor took away all the rewards, and was loyal to Liu Bei wholeheartedly. This is indeed a rare act of loyalty among the ancients, and it is worthy of praise by later generations.

After returning to Liu Bei, during the eight years from leaving Yuan Shao and attaching to Liu Biao until the Battle of Chibi, Guan Yu has no outstanding deeds that have been seen in historical records.But his loyalty certainly strengthened the special relationship with Liu Bei as the chief minister and brother. Even after Liu Bei hired Zhuge Liang and claimed to be like a fish in water, his special position as the second person in the Liu Bei Group has never been seen. can be challenged.Leveraging the power of Sun and Liu's alliance, Liu Bei became the biggest winner in the Battle of Chibi, occupied the counties in the south of the Yangtze River, and was worshiped as a hero. Guan Yu ranked first and was appointed as the prefect of Xiangyang and the general of the gangsters. He divided his troops and sat in Jiangbei alone.Liu Bei took Yizhou from the west, and "worshiped Dong Du to do Jingzhou affairs"; the so-called "Dong Du" was the commander and supervisor, and Zhuge Liang was actually his deputy.General Pang Tong, the military adviser Zhonglang, died in Shu. Liu Bei urgently summoned the military adviser general Zhuge Liang to lead Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun to Sichuan for reinforcements. Therefore, Guan Yu was even more on the side, and he alone became half of the Liu Bei Group's foundation.

The position is more respectful, the rights are more important, and all the people left behind must obey, which makes his arrogance that was not very obvious before highlighted, and it grows into arrogance and arrogance.In the nineteenth year of Jian'an (214), Ma Chao sent a "secret letter to surrender" to Liu Bei, and led his army from Hanzhong to Chengdu. The defenders in Chengdu were terrified. Ten days later, Liu Zhang surrendered to Liu Bei.Liu Bei appointed Ma Chao as General Pingxi. Guan Yu believed that he was "not an old friend" and was displeased with his selfishness. He immediately wrote to Zhuge Liang and asked, "Who can compare a superman?"Zhuge Liang understood that Guan Yu was arrogant and not easy to criticize, so he could only engage in spiritual bribery. He replied, "Meng Qi (Ma Chao's character) is both talented in civil and military affairs. , Peng (Yue) disciples, and Yide (Zhang Fei's character) should compete with Yide (Zhang Fei's character), and they are still not as good as the peerless group of beards."Guan Yu has always been known for his beautiful beard, and he was known as "the man with beautiful beard", so Zhuge Liang used the word "beard" instead.Guan Yu was overjoyed when he read the letter. He insisted that he was the only super famous general in the past and present. He was so proud that he passed the letter to the guests to satisfy his vanity.In fact, it is difficult to distinguish between him and Zhang Fei. Guo Jia, one of the main advisers of Cao Wei, said to Cao Cao: "Zhang Fei and Guan Yu are the enemy of ten thousand people."

Liu Ye, another counselor, also said: "Guan Yu and Zhang Fei bravely won the three armies and became generals." Chen Shou commented on them, and also compared them: "Both Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are called the enemy of ten thousand people, and they are the servants of the world's tigers." Guan Yu lacks self-knowledge. , and in order to elevate himself and belittle Ma Chao, he even did not hesitate to get on board with his "brother" Zhang Fei who rebelled together, which is really contrary to justice.Later, in the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an (219), Liu Bei was called the King of Hanzhong, worshiped Guan Yu as the former general, Zhang Fei as the right general, Ma Chao as the left general, and Huang Zhong as the rear general. In the same column, "I'm afraid it will be unpleasant", Liu Bei had no choice but to say "I will understand it myself".It can be seen that no one dared to provoke Guan Yu except Liu Bei.

Since Liu Bei entered Shu in the 16th year of Jian'an (211), Guan Yu has been the "Dong Du" of Jingzhou. It lasted for eight years, and his problems became more and more serious.Jingzhou "occupied Han Mian in the north, benefited the South China Sea, connected Wuhui in the east, and connected Bashu in the west".The separation of Wei, Shu, and Wu is gradually taking shape, and Jingzhou has become a hub where the three parties must compete. How Guan Yu fulfills the heavy responsibility of "Dong Du" is undoubtedly crucial.According to the established policy since the "Longzhong Countermeasure", he should try his best to maintain the good-neighborliness and friendship with Soochow, but he has always lacked this essential strategic cognition, and always cooperates with Liu Bei to play tricks and act as a black face.Fortunately, Lu Su, Soochow's western coach at the time, firmly defended the alliance between Sun and Liu, and used both soft and hard tactics in a moderate manner, so the small conflict did not turn into a major upset.Even so, Guan Yu was still unwise and brazenly offended Sun Quan.In the 20th year of Jian'an (215), shortly after the division of Jingzhou with the Xiangshui River as the boundary, Sun Quan sent an envoy to meet Guan Yu and proposed to marry Guan Yu's daughter to his son and engage in another political marriage.At the beginning, Liu Bei could come to marry Mrs. Sun, but this time, Guan Yu didn't know the general situation and ignored the overall situation, threatening "how can a tiger girl marry a dog son", insulted the envoy who came to hire him, and refused to marry him.Sun Quan was so angry that his nose was bruised and his face was swollen, he naturally stepped up his pace to seize Jingzhou. When Lu Meng replaced Lu Su in charge of military affairs, he performed the live drama of "Crossing the River in White Clothes".There are certainly various reasons for this, but Guan Yu offended his allies so much, which has already left him with disasters. Not only did he suffer the real retribution of losing Jingzhou and losing his life, but it also caused the alliance between Sun and Liu to break up for a while.

Even if he is so arrogant and unreasonable to his allies, he will be even more arrogant and contemptuous towards his subordinates and the people in the same group who are under him.As a result, his popularity within the group was too poor, and he would draw fire whenever something happened.When Guan Yu attacked Xiangfan and defeated Maicheng, he asked Liu Bei's righteous son, deputy general Liu Feng, and Yidu prefect Meng Da who were near Shangyong (now Zhushan County, Hubei) to "send troops to help themselves". They all "do not accept Yu's life".When Lu Meng and Lu Xun attacked Jingzhou, Liu Bei's brother-in-law, Nanjun prefect Mi Fang and general Fu Shiren, who had always been insulted by Guan Yu, surrendered one after another, sacrificed Jiangling and Gongan, and cut off Guan Yu's retreat.People who have betrayed their relatives to this extent can only be called "you will reap beans if you sow beans, and you will reap melons if you sow melons." People say that Guan Yu "lost Jingzhou carelessly". In fact, he was paralyzed by Lu Meng and Lu Xun, and transferred the troops who had stayed in Jiangling and the rear of the public security to the front line of Xiangfan, leaving the rear defense empty and giving Lu Meng a chance to "cross the river in white clothes". There is indeed some carelessness, but it is by no means the main reason.The main reason is arrogance and arrogance, self-willedness, loss of allies externally, loss of popularity internally, and self-sowing the evil results of defeat. However, merits and demerits cannot be concealed from each other, and Guan Yu is indeed quite capable of fighting.In August of the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an (219), not long after he took office as the former general, he seized the favorable opportunity of Liu Bei's occupation of Hanzhong, took the initiative to send troops to attack Fancheng, and besieged Cao Ren, the general of Cao Wei in the city.At that time, Cao Cao had just retreated from Hanzhong to Chang'an. Hearing that Cao Ren was in danger, he immediately sent another general Jin to lead the seven armies to help.It was a time of heavy rain, which lasted for more than ten days, causing the Han River to rise sharply, bursting its dikes and overflowing, submerging all the Seventh Army who were unable to escape.Yu Jin took the few lucky survivors to a high place, and Guan Yu arrived in a big boat, forcing Yu Jin to bow his head and surrender.Cao Weiyong's general Pang De fought hard and was unyielding. The ship capsized and was captured. He still stood without kneeling, cursed and refused to surrender, and was killed by Guan Yu.Guan Yu took advantage of the tide and further besieged Fancheng. Cao Ren and his thousands of soldiers almost became the turtle in the urn.Guan Yu sent another force to encircle Xiangyang, where Wei General Lu Chang was guarding.For a time, Guan Yu's prestige spread across China, and county magistrates in Liang, Jia, and Luhun (now central and western Henan) under Cao Cao's rule turned back one after another and accepted Guan Yu's restraint.Cao Cao panicked and proposed to move from Xudu to Luoyang.Fortunately, Sima Yi, Jiang Ji and others offered advice, thinking that "Sun Quan will not be willing if Guan Yu succeeds", they can send someone to promise to "cut Jiangnan" as a fief, in exchange for Sun Quan sending troops to "stalk after him", so as to "resolve the siege of Fan". ", so there was no hasty move of the capital. Cao Wei's estrangement and wooing coincided with Sun Wu's side, Lu Meng and Lu Xun, who had already started to attack Jingzhou, so they hit it off and attacked Guan Yu on both sides.Lu Meng "crossed the river in white clothes", Mi Fang and Fu Shiren surrendered without a fight, Jiangling and the police quickly fell into the hands of Sun Wu, and Guan Yu had no support behind him. On the frontal Xiangfan battlefield, the reinforcements led by Cao Wei's famous general Xu Huang also arrived. Guan Yu couldn't overcome it, so he had to seek self-protection and "lead the army back".This Northern Expedition was the first major battle that Guan Yu personally planned, commanded, and fought in person as the coach in his life. It was really invincible at the beginning, and his reputation was pushed to the peak.It's a pity that the peak is also a turning point of fate. Once you are attacked by the enemy and have no way to retreat, you will fall to the bottom.In November of that year, he was defeated in Maicheng (southeast of Dangyang, Hubei today), captured in Linju (north of Yuan'an, Hubei today), and killed together with Zi Guanping.The hero's end is not as good as Xiang Yu's defeat in Wujiang more than 400 years ago, and the end of his life marked a tragic end. After Guan Yu was captured and killed, Sun Quan gave his head to Cao Cao, who ordered a generous burial. As soon as Liu Bei heard the bad news, he was "angry with Sun Quan's attack on Guan Yu and marched eastward", and no one could dissuade him. Naturally, Zhang Fei wanted to conquer Wu, and "lead an army of 10,000 people from Langzhong (now a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Nanchong City, Sichuan Province) to Jiangzhou (now the downtown area of ​​Chongqing)".Before sending out troops, "the generals under his tent killed Zhang Da and Fan Qiang and ran to Sun Quan with his head." He also ended his life with a tragic ending.These circumstances all show that Guan Yu's death has had a huge impact and has implicated the three major factions that are fighting each other.The biggest impact was the announcement that the alliance between Sun and Liu was broken, the battle of Yiling broke out between Shu and Wu, and the history of the Three Kingdoms entered another pattern.Liu Bei died in Yong'an City after his defeat. Although the deaths of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were not on the same date in the same year in the natural sense, judging from the historical changes, it can indeed be regarded as the same year in the same month and the same day in the social sense.Even so, during Liu Bei's lifetime, Guan Yu was not given any kind of extraordinary honor.It was not until the autumn and September of the third year of Jingyao's reign (260), that is, 41 years after Guan Yu's death, that he was posthumously named Zhuang Miaohou.At the same time, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, Pang Tong, and Huang Zhong were also pursued posthumous titles. Apart from being ranked first, Guan Yu was not special.In the next 20 years, that is, the history of the Three Kingdoms ended in the first year of Taikang, Emperor Wu of the Western Jin Dynasty (280). Chen Shou, who was 48 years old at the time, began to sort out the history of the Three Kingdoms and compiled "Three Kingdoms". Zhao Yun made a parallel biography instead of a separate biography like Zhuge Liang and Lu Xun.In the general comments, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are always brought together and said that they not only praised them as "the enemy of ten thousand people and ministers of the world's tigers" and "had the style of national scholars", but also sharply criticized "Yu Gang and Zhang Fei". Self-respect, flying violently without grace, winning defeat with shortcomings, is the norm of reason and number."Such comments, in "Three Kingdoms", can only be regarded as upper-middle grades at best. It was during the Southern and Northern Dynasties that he began to be admired and sought after after his death, 300 years after Guan Yu's death.During these 300 years, the Western Jin Dynasty, which replaced the Three Kingdoms and achieved unification, was very short-lived. In 316 AD, it was overthrown by the non-Han people who had settled in the interior since the Eastern Han Dynasty. Sima Rui, a descendant of the Sima family, fled to the south. The Eastern Jin regime was established within a slightly smaller territory.The Eastern Jin regime lasted until 420, when it was replaced by Liu Yu, and Jin was replaced by Song, which was the beginning of the Southern Dynasty.The Southern Dynasties went through four small dynasties, Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen. They were successively controlled by Han warlords and aristocratic families.In the Central Plains and the Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest regions, as early as when the Western Jin Dynasty was about to perish, Li Te, a member of the Di tribe, had already established a political power in 303, and Liu Yuan, a Hun, had also established the Han Dynasty in 304.During the more than 130 years from the end of the Western Jin Dynasty to the beginning of the Liu Song Dynasty, more than 20 separatist regimes were established by the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Jie, Di, Qiang and other ethnic groups, as well as people from different branches and lineages of the Han nationality. Among them, the former and later Zhao, The front, back, and west three Qins, the front, back, south, and north four Yans, the front, back, south, north, and west five Liangs, and the Cheng and Xia regime entities, known as the "Five Hus and Sixteen Kingdoms" in history.In 439, the Northern Wei Dynasty established by the Tuoba clan of Xianbei unified the northern region, which was the beginning of the Northern Dynasty.In the eleventh year of Taiping Zhenjun in the Northern Wei Dynasty (450), Liu Song's army went to the north, winning at the beginning and losing at the end. From then on, the basic pattern of strong in the north and weak in the south, prosperity in the north and decline in the south was established.After the Eastern and Western Weis, the Northern Qi Dynasty, and the Northern Zhou Dynasty, it lasted until 581 when Zhou Zen was established in the Sui Dynasty, and the Northern Dynasty came to an end.It has been more than 400 years since the Qin Dynasty destroyed the six kingdoms, and the Han Dynasty Qin Xing, the formation of a unified Chinese nation-state has lasted for more than 400 years. It is not only unprecedented that several ethnic groups have divided and ruled for a long time, and the intertwined disputes are not only unprecedented, but even the "Five Dynasties" more than 400 years later Ten countries" is not easy to compare. The new reality is full of contradictions, and it will inevitably torture the people of the time and make them react. The ruling class in the Southern Dynasties was the Han people. They had long been used to seeing other nationalities as "non-human races" such as Yi, Man, Rong, and Di. They were collectively called "Hu" at that time.From a historical perspective, it is not appropriate to blame them too much. They have not learned historical materialism, do not understand ethnic equality, and always regard the Han as the boss of "China".For more than a thousand years after them, the Han people always talked about "five random Chinese", and even today, some people in the cultural circles and officialdom who claim to respect historical materialism will speak against Han chauvinism, but in their hearts they still Consciously or unconsciously playing that old tune.Therefore, it is not appropriate to blame the people of the Southern Dynasties too much.But they have been weak for a long time, determined to drive out the "captives", unable to return to heaven, so they pinned their spiritual appeal of "restoring China" on hero worship, and looked for heroes from the history of the Three Kingdoms closest to them.This kind of spiritual sustenance is mixed with orthodox concepts. They think that the Southern Dynasty regime is the orthodox successor of the Han central regime, and that only the Shu Han regime is the previous orthodoxy of the same order. Regardless, Lu Xun chose Shu Han Guan Yu and Zhang Fei as heroes. At that time, the main focus was on "the enemy of ten thousand people", so Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who were brave and good at fighting, were often sought after together, and some especially admired Guan Yu alone.According to the "Book of Song" and "Southern History", such as the brave generals Xue Tong and Gao Jinzhi in the Liu Song Dynasty, Huan Lisheng and Cai Daogui in the Xiao Qi Dynasty, they were all compared to "Guan Zhang"; The brave general Andu broke into the enemy camp alone and beheaded the rebel general Lu Shuang, and was compared to Guan Yu beheading Yan Liang. The famous Chen Shi general Xiao Mahe even praised himself and was praised as "Guan Yu is reborn".In contrast to this, according to "Northern History" and other historical records, the brave generals Wang Fei and Deng Qiang of the former Qin Dynasty, and the brave generals Yang Dayan and Xue Yanbo of the Northern Wei Dynasty also compared Guan Yu and did not think it was "not my race".It is so wonderful, it seems incomprehensible, but it is understandable. Just like the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing 1400 years later, the Han ruling class tends to respect Guan Yu more and more when it is weaker, while the minority ruling class is in China. Guan Yu has become a traditional Chinese characteristic.The ruling ideology has been integrated into the people and has been widely recognized. Since the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Guan Yu has become the number one general recognized by many ethnic groups in China. Almost at the same time as the hero worship spawned by the spiritual sustenance of the ethnic group, there were two major religions, Buddhism and Taoism, which were selected by folklore.During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Buddhism prevailed, and the area around Jiangling, Jingzhou, where Guan Yu's fortune and misfortune intersected during his lifetime, had a particularly prosperous shrine. "Song Shu Lu Fahe Biography" records that Lu Fahe was assisted by the gods and captured Ren Yue. Legend has it that the gods are connected with Guan Yu.Tang Dynasty Dong Yu wrote "Zhenyuan Temple Reconstruction", not only affirming this matter, but also saying that during the reign of Emperor Chen Fei (567-568), Zhikai, the fourth patriarch of the Tiantai sect of Buddhism, came to Dangyang Yuquan Mountain from Tiantai Mountain to sit in meditation. Under the arbor, Guan Yu appeared in the night dream.Legend has it that Zhikai built a Xianlie Temple in Yuquan Mountain to house Guan Yu in order to promote Buddhism.There is another saying among the folks that Shenxiu, a disciple of Hongren, the fifth ancestor of Zen Buddhism, lost to Huineng in writing gatha, so that after Hongren passed away, he established a northern school of Zen to oppose Huineng's southern Zen school.At that time, Shenxiu set up a temple in Yuquan Mountain to offer Guan Yu as the protector of the Dharma, and the momentum was huge.Since then, both Zen and Tiantai sects have contended for Guan Yu, and most of the Buddhist temples and treasures in the north and south have Guan Yu as the protector of the Dharma. Although Taoism enshrined Guan Yu later than Buddhism, it came from behind and had a higher level.It is concentrated in the use of imperial power to highlight Guan Yu and lift Guan Yu to a respected position that is difficult for ordinary people to reach.The emperors of Tang and Song respected Taoism, and Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of Tang Dynasty stated that "my origin starts from the bottom of the pillar (referring to Li Er, that is, Lao Tzu)... Taoist women's crowns can be before monks and nuns" (see "Tang Dazhao Collection") , Li Zhi, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, respected Lao Tzu as Emperor Taishang Xuanyuan, and he was the first to respect non-royal people as kings and emperors.The Song Dynasty was weak and was invaded and humiliated successively by the Liao Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty in the north. Politically and spiritually, there was a need to use the past to illustrate the present and promote righteousness and bravery. The combination of imperial power needs and religious spirituality made Guan Yu the best candidate.Song Zhezong Zhao Xu first named Guan Yu the King of Appearance, and Song Huizong Zhao Ji successively named Guan Yu Chongning Zhenjun, Wu'an King and Yiyong Wu'an King. The god title and king title are attached to Guan Yu.In the southern corner of An'an in the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhao Gou, Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty painted a gourd according to the same pattern, and named Guan Yu the King of Zhuang Miao Yiyong, and Zhao Yun of Song Xiao and Song Dynasty changed Guan Yu to be the King of Yingji.When the Mongols entered the Central Plains and accepted the Han culture, they also had to demonstrate the spirit of righteousness and bravery. Yuan Wenzong Tu Tiemuer made a big deal, and named Guan Yu the king of An Yingji who manifested righteousness and bravery, setting a new record for Guan Yu's posthumous title.Ming Shenzong Zhu Yijun was promoted to a higher level. In the eighteenth year of Wanli (1590), Guan Yu was granted the title of "Loyalty Emperor Xietian Huguo", and he called himself "Guan Emperor"; Shenwei Yuanzhen Tianzun Guan Shengdijun is hereby called "Guan Sheng".During this period, a subtle change occurred quietly, that is, "loyalty" replaced "righteousness and bravery".Its political background lies in the fact that the Ming Dynasty turned from prosperity to decline at that time, internal and external troubles accumulated, and the imperial power urgently needed to "subdue demons" and "protect the country".In the Taoist system, Emperor Fumo and Emperor Guansheng are also known as Zhenjun Sangmo, together with Emperor Huaguang, Marshal Zhao Gong, and Marshal Wen Qiong, they are also known as the "Four Marshals of Dharma Protection".He is both the God of Martial Arts and the God of Wealth. He also has the magical powers of Siming Lu, protecting imperial examinations, curing diseases and eliminating disasters, exorcising evil and avoiding evil, punishing rebellion, picking up the underworld, protecting merchants and attracting wealth and treasures, so he is widely worshiped. Although the Manchu emperors in the Qing Dynasty did not believe in Taoism, they started from the fundamental interests of imperial power and consciously recognized Guan Yu, who combined loyalty, integrity and integrity, from before entering the customs.The ancestor Fulin of the Qing Dynasty became brothers with the Mongolian Khans, and he clearly declared: "Just like Guan Yuzhi and Liu Bei, serving only with sincerity." Therefore, in the first year of Shunzhi (1644), Guan Yu was named the loyal god and warrior Guan Sheng Great Emperor.They also believed that the Manchu emperors came to the Central Plains to rely on Guan Shengdi's divine protection, and they should be respected as much as Confucius, so they regarded Confucius as the "sage of literature" and Guan Yu as the "sage of martial arts".Xuan Ye, the patriarch of the Qing Dynasty, paid homage to Guan Yu's ancestral home in Xiezhou, Shanxi during his west tour in the 42nd year of Kangxi, and inscribed a plaque with "Yi Bing Qian Kun".In the fourth year of Yongzheng (1726), Emperor Yinzhen of the Qing Dynasty was ingenious, and made Guan Yu's distant ancestor, grandfather, and father Duke.Since Qianlong, through the Jiaqing and Daoguang dynasties, Guan Yu's posthumous title has increased to 26 characters—loyalty, god, martial arts, spirit, benevolence, bravery, power, protection of the country, protection of the people, sincerity, appeasement, praise of Xuande, Guan Sheng, the great emperor, so prominent that he was made in Dengfeng pole.The emperor's title could not be added anymore. In the fifth year of Xianfeng (1855), Emperor Wenzong of the Qing Dynasty named Guan Yu's distant ancestor as King Guangzhao, his grandfather as King Yuchang, and his father as King Chengzhong.In the Qing Dynasty, the Ming system was followed, and offering sacrifices to Guan Sheng Dadi was included in national ceremonies, and even the Qing court enshrined Guan Yu's shrine. Ethnic groups, religions, and imperial power are trinity, entangled and interacted, and the deep cultural foundation lies in Confucianism.Confucius preached benevolence, and Mencius put it more clearly: "King! Why do you say profit? There is also benevolence and righteousness!" Benevolence and righteousness", the two can be combined, but each has its own connotations. "Benevolence is the heart of man; righteousness is the way of man" ("Mencius Gaozi Chapter 1"), or "benevolence is the home of man; righteousness is the way of man" ("Mencius Lilou Chapter 1"), It reveals that "benevolence" mainly focuses on regulating people's spiritual demands, and "righteousness" mainly focuses on regulating people's behavior tendencies. Mencius also said that the "truth of benevolence" is mainly reflected in how to "serve relatives", and the "truth of righteousness" is mainly reflected in how to "follow brothers" ("Mencius · Lilou Zhangju").Since the Han Dynasty "only respected Confucianism", the Confucian politics and human relations guiding ideology "three cardinal guides and five constant principles" transformed by Han Confucianism all have their origins in it.It is used to see the famous generals of the Three Kingdoms, and they talk about "righteousness" in a realistic manner. Zhang Liao and Xu Huang of Cao Wei, Zhao Yun and Jiang Wei of Shu Han, Zhou Yu and Lu Xun of Sun Wu can all compete with Guan Yu for strength ; but they don't have the rule of "from brother", and Wei and Wu are not considered "orthodox", so they don't get involved.Although Zhang Fei has the "cong elder brother" and belongs to the same camp, he does not have the special experience of "being in Cao Ying and heart in Han" and not surrendering to death after being defeated in Maicheng, so he is also included in the elimination list.Only Guan Yu's lifelong behavior tendency can serve as a model interpretation symbol of "righteousness", so he is the best candidate.Attached to Confucius, Confucius is mainly a spiritual teacher, interpreting "benevolence", and he is naturally regarded as a "sage of literature"; while Guan Yu is regarded as a model of behavior, interpreting "righteousness", and he is naturally covered with the aura of "sage of martial arts".For this reason, for thousands of years, especially since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the core ideological and cultural themes that have ruled China have been "benevolence" represented by Confucius, the "sage of literature", and "righteousness" represented by Guan Yu, the "sage of martial arts". Moreover, Guan Yu, the "sage of martial arts" and the "righteousness" he represented had a wider and far-reaching influence on the people. The reason why it affects the people more extensively and far-reachingly, from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, the involvement and role of gangs cannot be ignored.Many adherents of the pre-Ming Dynasty in the early Qing Dynasty, holding narrow and persistent ethnic prejudices and orthodox ideas, made every effort to pursue "anti-Qing and restoring the Ming Dynasty". The Tiandihui and the White Lotus Sect are two of the gang organizations.Tao Chengzhang, a revolutionary at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, said in "A Study of the Origin of the Church" that Tiandihui was also called "Hongmen". For Zheng Chenggong and others".There are several other theories about its origin.However, Tao Chengzhang said that "all the so-called triad associations, three-point associations, Gelaohui, etc., and various associations are also branches of the Tiandihui." Their activities spread all over the north and south of the river, inside and outside the Great Wall. Sexual and destructive can be trusted.Among them, Gelaohui, commonly known as "Paoge", originated in Sichuan and spread in Yunnan, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, Shaanxi, Gansu and other provinces and regions. From the beginning of the Qing Dynasty to the end of the Republic of China, the Paoge Organization took root in all social strata, from warlords and politicians, rich gentry and wealthy businessmen, down to traffickers and pawns, three religions and nine streams. At the mouth, they tangled up into gangs in the way of establishing a mountain, establishing a church, taking blood alliance oaths, and tying Jinlan with righteousness.The main god enshrined by all paoge halls is Guan Yu, the "sage of martial arts".Paoge will burn three and a half sticks of incense to open the mountain hall. One stick of incense means that Yangjiaoai and Zuo Botao became life-and-death friends in the Spring and Autumn Period. Following the example of the 108 generals of Liangshan in the Northern Song Dynasty, the other half of the incense expressed his remembrance for Shan Xiongxin, the righteous hero of Wagangzhai in the late Sui and early Tang Dynasties, who refused to join the Tang Dynasty.After the ceremony of opening the mountain and setting up the hall, the chief and deputy leaders will lead the whole hall to pay homage to the sky, and praise the "Welcome to the Holy Order": "Welcome to the holy car, and the guard is coming; Taoyuan is eternal, and the emperor is alone. Congratulations to the holy emperor, The people of all generations are outstanding; the righteousness is towering, and today is the hero!" After a series of ceremonies, each returned to his position, and Xiangchang also passed on the "Hanliu Taoist Order": "Tianxia Paoge is a family, and Hanliu's righteousness can always be praised; On the day of compatriots with different surnames, Tangdi flowers are in full bloom in the incense hall.” It is very obvious that Brother Pao worships Guan Yu, and the banner held high is written with the word "righteousness".Brother Pao's "righteousness" naturally includes loyalty, benevolence, and righteousness, but the essence lies in chivalry, which is the so-called "righteousness of the rivers and lakes".This "Jianghu loyalty" has always been talked about not only by Brother Pao, but also by gangs like Tiandihui.During the more than two hundred years from the early Qing Dynasty to the end of the Republic of China, gang organizations were more socially permeable than religion and imperial power, so "Jianghu loyalty" was also more popular among the people. Guan Yu, who was "the enemy of ten thousand people" before his death, evolved into Guan Yu, the "sage of martial arts" behind him, and the context is generally clear.Obviously, Guan Yu, the "sage of martial arts" created by the joint efforts of ethnic groups, religions, and imperial power, although flashing the shadow of the specific "enemy of ten thousand" Guan Yu in the history of the Three Kingdoms, the two are by no means one and two or two. And one's archetype and representation relationship.It was also created later, and the temple version of "Wu Shengren" Guan Yu also has both identity and differences with the rivers and lakes version of "Wu Shengren" Guan Yu, because gangs always have and separate from temples, and the same words and expressions The meanings are not exactly the same.Regardless of ethnicity, religion, or imperial power, the ruling classes of all dynasties are so keen to create Guan Yu, the "sage of martial arts", and sanctify him to a state that is unprecedented, unprecedented, or even unparalleled in the world, and excludes the inherent specialness. In terms of interests, it should be said that even now and even after a hundred generations, the incentives of moral behaviors such as serving the country with loyalty, righteousness and benevolence, bravery and perseverance, and honesty and integrity are still a precious spiritual wealth.Regardless of the past, present or future, on the basis of national dignity and national interests, the rivers and lakes and temples can maintain a connection. However, the feudal ruling class in the past dynasties has mostly followed the tradition of saying one thing, doing another, instilling subjects in one way, and indulging themselves in another way of hypocrisy and ugly style. It often makes the "righteousness" flag dusty or defaced.A not-so-distant historical example, only a hundred years ago: In 1900, the "Eight-Power Allied Forces" invaded and occupied Beijing, and the Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu fled to Xi'an for refuge. They were also given a lot of travel expenses. Afterwards, Empress Dowager Cixi rewarded them with a plaque of "urgency, kindness and righteousness".But then, the Qing government and local officials intensified the "justice" apportionment, embezzlement and private extortion and occupation of Shanxi merchants, causing some Shanxi merchants to close down one after another, including the first private bank in modern Chinese history. Rishengchang" firm.Evil winds and evils don't stop at one end.The rivers and lakes version also has many congenital defects. The brotherhood that still exists today is not the same as being chivalrous and courageous. It is the same as the similar behavior of emperors and generals. At best, the little witch meets the big witch.Guan Yu cannot be held responsible for any negative existence, and can only be judged by those who worship "Wu Shengren". Some media claimed that the worship of "Wu Shengren" has been passed down to the present, and has spread to 160 countries and regions, and the number of Guandi temples in China has grown to tens of thousands.Among them, the one with the highest grade and the largest scale is in Jiezhou, Yuncheng, Shanxi, where Guan Yu's ancestral home is. It is known as "the ancestor of Guan Temple" and "the crown of Wu Temple". Solemn worship.The local government also intends to follow the example of Qufu in Shandong to make a standard portrait of Confucius, the "sage of literature", and Guan Yu, the "sage of martial arts".I cannot verify the accuracy of the content of the report, and I have no intention of commenting on the relevant measures. I wholeheartedly respect the freedom of belief.But as far as I know, the temples of Guan Yu are flourishing in both urban and rural areas, and many people even invite the statue of Guan Yu into commercial buildings, restaurants, bars and private houses to enshrine. Promotion, not loyalty, benevolence and bravery.I also got an impression from historical facts that even in the Qing Dynasty, which sanctified Guan Yu to the peak, the "Wu Shengren" did not satisfy the basic wishes of the temple and the world.Therefore, I think that inviting Guan Yu down from the "sacred altar" and letting him restore the true image of Guan Yu, the "enemy of ten thousand people" during the Three Kingdoms period, will be more conducive to the present and future generations to learn from him and not to learn from him.Incidentally, so did Confucius.