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Chapter 356 The Prototype of Guo Jing

Deng Ai and his army almost had to climb down when crossing the Motianling Mountain. One can imagine how dangerous it was.

In addition to Motianling, there was an uninhabited area of ​​hundreds of miles in the middle of Yinping Trail. Deng Ai led his troops to cut through the mountains, build bridges and cross rivers. The marching conditions were extremely difficult, and transporting food and grass was even more difficult.

Therefore, Deng Ai's army was almost on the verge of despair many times during the march. In order to save food, Deng Ai left 3000 soldiers to camp more than a hundred miles away to reduce the logistical burden.

In the end, although Deng Ai overcame all difficulties and crossed the Yinping Trail, the food shortage still had a serious impact on the army's morale and combat effectiveness.

If Shu Han held out, Deng Ai would still be an isolated army without food or grass, and would eventually be defeated. Fortunately, Shu Han was lucky enough to send Zhuge Zhan, who was in a high position but lacked actual military combat experience. This was particularly fatal when fighting against the experienced Deng Ai.

Therefore, whether one could successfully bypass the city and inflict fatal damage to the enemy in ancient wars depended not only on careful strategic planning and tenacious will, but also on luck like Deng Ai.

It is precisely because of various uncertainties that many generals in history prefer siege strategies.

[Zhang Sanfeng, whose life spanned three dynasties, founded Wudang when he was over 100 years old, and defeated more than 100 bandits with his bare hands. Historical trivia and historical figures]

The following is the revised text. I have divided it into sections, adjusted the sentences, corrected typos, and optimized some expressions to make it clearer and more fluent:

He is the founder of Wudang Sect, the founder of Tai Chi, and a martial arts master in martial arts novels. There is a record of him "defeating hundreds of bandits with bare hands". He appeared and disappeared throughout his life, and his whereabouts were unpredictable. He was praised as a "living immortal" by several generations of emperors, and people were sent to look for him many times but could not find him. Some scholars even believe that he lived to be 212 years old, and he is the representative of longevity - Zhang Sanfeng.

Zhang Sanfeng's real name was Zhang Tong, also known as Zhang Junbao, with the courtesy name Quanyi. He was born in the seventh year of Chunyou in the Southern Song Dynasty (1247 AD) and was a native of Yizhou, Liaodong (now southwest of Zhangwu County, FX City, LN Province).

He was born into an official family. His grandfather Zhang Yuxian migrated to Yizhou in Liaodong, where Zhang Sanfeng was born. In his childhood, Zhang Sanfeng suffered from eye disease, but fortunately he met Quanzhen Taoist Zhang Yun'an and was accepted as his disciple.

From then on, he developed a strong interest in Taoism, and he almost memorized every Taoist scripture, and was also familiar with Confucian classics.

Zhang Sanfeng returned home at the age of 13 because he missed his mother. After he became an adult, he became an official in the Yuan Dynasty, which valued Han officials. However, he resigned from his post and gave up the idea of ​​pursuing a career in government because his mother died.

A few years later, he began to travel around famous mountains and ancient temples, and this trip lasted for more than 70 years. When he was nearly years old, Zhang Sanfeng met the Fire Dragon Master in Zhongnan Mountain, and received all the teachings from the Fire Dragon Master, including the purpose of the golden elixir.

The "golden elixir" mentioned here is not a physical elixir, but an elixir condensed through the cultivation of one's own essence, energy and spirit in Taoism. It is a highly condensed state of the practitioner's spirit and energy, and is regarded as the only way to immortality.

In his "Preface", he recalled that Master Huolong not only taught him the method of practicing the exercises, but also explained in detail the key points of the practice to achieve a complete transformation, which was truly passed down from mouth to mouth and understood by heart.

Later, Zhang Sanfeng encountered a bottleneck in his personal cultivation, so Huolong Zhenren asked him to go out of the mountains to practice. Zhang Sanfeng then became a self-taught master, followed Huolong Zhenren's teachings, integrated into the secular society, and practiced as an ordinary person for several years.

In the spring of 1324, Zhang Sanfeng went south to Mount Wudang to practice Taoism. Nine years later, he traveled again for more than ten years and did not return to his hometown to visit until the end of the Yuan Dynasty.

At this time, Zhang Sanfeng was already 94 years old, and his former friends and relatives had long forgotten him. Another 19 years passed in a flash, and Zhang Sanfeng met Qinhuai Yu Hu, Shen Wansan and others. Because they loved mountains and poems, Zhang Sanfeng taught them Taoism. Shen Wansan called himself "Sanshan Taoist" from then on.

When the two were about to part, Zhang Sanfeng specifically told them not to go to the southeast because he foresaw changes in the southeast. As a result, Zhu Yuanzhang really controlled Jiangzuo and Zhejiang before long.

In 1361, Zhang Sanfeng returned to Wudang Mountain at the age of 114. However, the place where he had practiced had become a ruin due to war, so he led everyone to build a thatched cottage to live in, and thus founded the Wudang Sect, and predicted that the mountain would flourish in the future.

During this period, he not only taught Taoist classics and cultivation methods in Wudang Mountain, but also created martial arts such as Tai Chi that contained philosophical ideas.

These boxing techniques emphasize both internal and external cultivation, and pay attention to the cultivation of martial virtues, becoming a treasure in the history of Chinese martial arts. In many martial arts film and television dramas, Zhang Sanfeng has always been an unrivaled martial arts master.

However, these descriptions are not groundless, because there are indeed sporadic records of his strong practical experience in "History of Ming Dynasty" and some Taoist scriptures.

He once killed more than a hundred bandits with a single punch, and his unique skills were well-known throughout the world. At that time, Zhang Sanfeng was nearly a hundred years old, which shows how high his martial arts skills were. However, the various techniques he created were mainly used to defend against enemies, not for fighting.

According to folk legends and the collection of writings by Zhu Chun, the King of Shu, Zhang Sanfeng went to Chengdu to persuade Zhu Chun to become a Taoist, but was rejected. After that, his whereabouts were unknown. However, some people believe that this was fabricated by Zhu Chun, who intended to use Taoist artists to shape his image as a virtuous king and resolve the political crisis caused by the rebellion facing the palace.

After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Sanfeng was highly respected for his profound Taoism and martial arts attainments. Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang sent Shen Wansan to look for Zhang Sanfeng three times in seven years, but he evaded him twice and failed to find him once.

It was not until 1392 that the two had a brief encounter, which was the last recorded appearance of Zhang Sanfeng, when he was 145 years old.

After that, there was no news from him. Emperor Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty also sent people to look for him twice, but both times failed. So Zhu Di mobilized more than 30 military and civilian craftsmen and spent 10 years to build 36 nunneries and 72 rock temples to show his respect for Zhang Sanfeng.

Zhang Sanfeng's age has always been an unsolved mystery. After in-depth research, some scholars believe that Zhang Sanfeng died in the second year of Tianshun in the Ming Dynasty (1458 AD) at the age of 212. This view has a certain influence in the academic community and is also a widely circulated view. Of course, there are also some exaggerated legends that believe that Zhang Sanfeng lived for more than 700 years.

Zhang Sanfeng had many titles in his life. The Yuan Dynasty emperor bestowed on him the title "Sanfeng Immortal", Ming Chengzu Zhu Di bestowed on him the title "Great Immortal of the Mysterious Dao", Ming Xizong bestowed on him the title "Flying Dragon Manifesting Great Benevolence and Recording the World True Lord", Ming Xianzong specially bestowed on him the title "True Immortal of Hiding Light and Pursuing Aspirations", and Ming Yingzong bestowed on him the title "True Immortal of Mastering the Mysterious Dao".

[There are actually six prototypes of Guo Jing, one of whom destroyed more than 700 cities. Historical trivia and historical figures]

The number one hero in Jin Yong's works is none other than Guo Jing in The Legend of the Condor Heroes. This is not only because of his superb martial arts, but also because he combines the characteristics of many real historical figures.

These characters either traveled across half of the Eurasian continent and conquered more than 700 cities in their lifetime; or were righteous and loyal to their country. The combination of these character traits is the true prototype of the martial arts character Guo Jing.

The origin of Guo Jing's name is not fabricated. There was indeed a person named Guo Jing in the Southern Song Dynasty. Although historical records of him are relatively brief, he is a very admirable person.

During the Northern Expedition of the Southern Song Dynasty, Song general Wu Xi served as a military commander in Sichuan and had a large number of troops under his command. However, during the confrontation with the Jin Dynasty, he gradually began to think of rebellion.

He began to secretly communicate with the Jin Dynasty, besieged the Song army, and tried to go out to ask the Jin Kingdom to make him the King of Shu. At that time, Guo Jing was the leader of the guard team of a local tyrant in Jiangling, Sichuan.

Unwilling to betray the Song Dynasty, he abandoned his land and house and led his family and the people to migrate along the river. Upon learning of Wu Xi's rebellion, Guo Jing was extremely angry and said to his brother, "I would rather be a ghost of the Zhao Dynasty than give up my Han Chinese identity." He then jumped into the river and committed suicide.

The name of Guo Jing in Jin Yong's novel is taken from this person to show his righteous patriotism. However, Guo Jing in history did not have other deeds similar to those in the novel, nor did he have the experience of living in Mongolia.

The plot in the novel where Guo Jing followed Genghis Khan in the Western Expedition and made great military achievements was taken from a historical figure named Guo Kan. Guo Kan was adopted by the Mongolian general Shi Tianze when he was young. He often followed Shi Tianze in and out of the battlefield. He was very brave and accumulated rich military experience. Later, he achieved brilliant results in the Mongol Empire's Western Expedition, traveled across most of the Eurasian continent, and conquered more than 700 cities in his lifetime. Therefore, he was called the "Eastern Heavenly General."

According to historical records, he led his army to defeat 1252 Jin soldiers in Xinweizhou in his early years, and followed Subutai to attack Xixia, forcing Jin Marshal Cui Li to surrender. In , Guo Kan followed Hulagu in the Western Expedition. When he was fighting against the assassination cult in Persia, he defeated enemy troops with troops, captured castles, and killed the Persian general.

After that, he continued westward and attacked Baghdad, the capital of the Black Caliphate, during which he captured more than 300 cities, and finally destroyed the Abbasid Dynasty with a history of more than 500 years. When conquering Saudi Arabia, Guo Kan saw through the local generals' strategy of pretending to surrender, successfully defeated the enemy, and captured 185 cities. Afterwards, he led his army across the sea to attack Egypt and other places, and achieved remarkable results.

After Kublai Khan ascended the throne, Guo Kan was appointed as the Minister of State. He proposed 25 strategies, including stationing the capital, establishing an office, and promoting schools after the founding of the Chen Dynasty, as well as the strategy of sending the people to the front. These suggestions were accepted by Kublai Khan and gradually implemented. It can be seen that the plot of Guo Jing following Genghis Khan on the Western Expedition in the novel echoes Guo Kan's experience in history. Guo Kan's bravery and wisdom were also incorporated into the character of Guo Jing by Jin Yong.

Although Guo Jing in the novel eventually chooses to return to the Southern Song Dynasty, which is different from Guo Kan in history, their spiritual cores are almost the same.

Xiangyang is a major military town in the Central Plains. If the northern army could capture Xiangyang, they could go down the river and threaten Lin'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty. Guo Jing's defense of Xiangyang is an important plot in the novel, but in history, the generals who defended Xiangyang were not Guo Jing, but the brothers Lü Wende and Lü Wenhuan. Lü Wende was active in the anti-Mongol front for a long time, fighting against the Mongol army for more than 30 years and successfully repelling the Mongol army many times.

In 1237, he led his army to support Anfeng and successfully lifted the siege. In 1242, he led a 1244-man assault force to attack the Mongol-occupied city of Bianliang. In 1248 and , he successfully lifted the siege of Shouchun and Qizhou and drove away the besieging Mongol troops.

Afterwards, Lü Wende began to guard Xiangyang, and with the power of his family, he formed a powerful Lü Family Army, which played an important role in the defense of Xiangyang.

However, during his time in Xiangyang, Lü Wende made a major strategic mistake: he allowed the Mongolian army to set up a market outside Fancheng, which was used by the Mongolians as a cover for building a fortress, eventually cutting off the grain route to Xiangyang, which had a serious impact on Xiangyang's defense. In his early years, Lü Wenhuan followed Lü Wende to fight against the Mongols, and made many military achievements, and was once named Zhongliang Doctor.

In 1267, he officially took over the defense of Xiangyang. During the six-year defense of Xiangyang, he launched many attacks in an attempt to break the siege of the Mongolian army.

He once led more than 10,000 cavalrymen and over a hundred warships to attack the Mongolian army's Wanshanbao shipbuilding base northwest of Xiangyang, but was unfortunately defeated by the Mongolian army.

Later, Xiangyang City lost contact with the outside world, and Lu Wenhuan sought help many times but to no avail. However, he still held on after the city became an isolated one, demonstrating a high sense of responsibility and loyalty.

However, due to the situation, after Xiangyang fell, Lü Wenhuan surrendered to the Yuan Dynasty. Although his surrender is controversial in history, it is undeniable that he fought tenaciously in the Battle of Xiangyang. The story of the Lü brothers defending Xiangyang is actually the inspiration for the plot of Guo Jing defending Xiangyang in the novel.

Guo Jing also embodies the spirit of bravery and fearlessness, which mainly comes from the two brothers Zhang Shun and Zhang Gui. In the fifth year of the siege of Xiangyang by the Mongols, the two brothers were ordered to lead 3,000 militiamen to form a death squad. When the water level of the Han River rose sharply, they led the fleet to force their way into the enemy's encirclement by water, and finally arrived at the city of Xiangyang after many fierce battles.

Unfortunately, Zhang Shun died in the battle. When his body was found, his eyes were wide open and he looked brave and unyielding.

After delivering the much-needed supplies, Zhang Gui planned to contact Fan Wenhu, the garrison commander of Yingzhou, to attack the enemy from both north and south and open up the transportation lines outside Xiangyang. However, Fan Wenhu failed to meet him as agreed, resulting in Zhang Gui being captured by the Yuan army during the breakout and ultimately dying.

In The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, there is also a mention of Guo Jing's martyrdom when the city of Xiangyang was captured. This was the tragic ending that Mr. Jin Yong arranged for the character of Guo Jing, highlighting his patriotism and heroism.

Through the character of Guo Jing, Mr. Jin Yong tells the legendary deeds of six historical figures, incorporating their spirit and characteristics into a fictional character, making it a classic martial arts hero image.

——"Who are Huang Rong, Guo Fu and Guo Xiang?"

——"Why do you even need to ask this? It must be fictional. Novels must contain fictional elements."

——"The greatest heroes serve their country and their people."