In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a similar description of Guan Yu's posthumous events has been made, among which the Green Dragon Yanyue Dao and the Red Rabbit Horse also have clear attributions, that is, the Eastern Wu general Pan Zhang. Pan Zhang's and Red Rabbit Horse's endings are not very good, but the Green Dragon Crescent Knife, which appears many times in Chinese notebook novels, and its inheritance even extends to the Song Dynasty. What kind of storyline is this? Let's elaborate.
First, in the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an (219 AD), Guan Yu suddenly launched the Northern Expedition and besieged Fancheng without greeting Liu Bei and without large-scale turmoil on the Cao Wei side. The general Cao Wei was forbidden to come to the rescue, and as a result, he was flooded by Guan Yu's Seventh Army at the Qikou River, and he himself was captured, and the general Pound Was killed. After this battle, Guan Yu was shocked in Huaxia, and Cao Cao even prepared to move the capital in order to avoid the wind.
However, at this time, both sides of the battlefield were very tired, and Guan Yu wanted to send the remaining legions of Jingzhou to help the battle, but he was afraid that the rear void would be taken advantage of by Eastern Wu, and he did not act for a long time. Lu Xun, the governor of Eastern Wu, frequently wrote letters to Guan Yu, full of admiration for Guan Yu, even to the point of meat and numbness. Guan Yu felt that Lu Xun was not worried, so he sent a large number of troops north.
In fact, Lu Xun was just pretending. Lü Meng, the real killer of Eastern Wu, had already taken people across the river in white clothes and began to take over everything in Jingzhou. Guan Yu was unfavorable in the front at this time, and he heard that there was a change in the rear, and hurried back to the army. However, it was too late, and Guan Yu's army was scattered and the materials were not good, so it could only be forced to garrison Maicheng. Later, Guan Yu failed to break through and was captured and killed by Eastern Wu.
After Guan Yu's death, his Green Dragon Crescent Blade and Red Rabbit Horse were acquired by the Eastern Wu general Pan Zhang. However, the Red Rabbit Horse followed Guan Yu for many years, unwilling to change hands, and finally died of hunger strike, and Pan Zhang only had the Green Dragon Crescent Knife left in his hand.
In the second year of the Huang Dynasty (221 AD), Liu Bei launched the Battle of Yiling to avenge Guan Yu. In the Battle of Xiaoting, Guan Yu's son Guan Xing encountered Pan Zhang, and began to pursue and kill. Pan Zhang fled into the valley, Guan Xing lost sight of his enemies, and before he could return to the camp, he spent the night in an old man's home. When he entered the door, Guan Xing found that the old man's home was enshrined with a portrait of Guan Yu, and only then did he know that this person was a fan of his father. Coincidentally, Pan Zhang also came to spend the night and met Guan Xing. Pan Zhang quickly fled, but was stopped by Guan Yu's spirit and was beheaded by Guan Xing under his sword. After that, the Green Dragon Crescent Knife was obtained by Guan Xing, and he followed him on his eastern expeditions to the west until Guan Xing's death later.
The above is the circulation of the Green Dragon Moon Knife in the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". After Guan Xing's death, his younger brother Guan Suo went to the battlefield again, but he did not hear that the weapon used was the Green Dragon Crescent Knife.
This divine soldier reappeared, already in the "Sui and Tang Dynasty Yanyi". The book describes that Zhu Can, the king of Nanyang among the Eighteen Road Anti-Kings, did not have weapons at the beginning of his army, and when he passed the Guandi Temple, he saw Zhou Cang holding the Green Dragon Yanyue Sword in his hand, so he took it for himself, and from then on he killed four sides on the battlefield. Although it was not clearly stated that this knife was the genuine Green Dragon Crescent Moon Knife, it looked very similar in terms of power. After Zhu Can was killed by Li Shimin, the whereabouts of the Green Dragon Crescent Moon Knife were unknown again.
His reappearance was during the Song Dynasty. According to some niche notes, Guan Sheng, a descendant of the Guan family, had just debuted in the army and did not take advantage of the weapons. During a battle to eliminate the thieves, he stumbled upon the weapon in the opponent's hand, which was the Ancestral Green Dragon Crescent Blade. So Guan Sheng grabbed the knife with his bare hands and killed the thief with his backhand, and the Green Dragon Yanyue Knife returned to the hands of the Guan family again. After that, Guan Sheng went to Liangshan, broke the LiaoGuo, and Zheng Fangla, and the Green Dragon Yanyue Dao threatened to shock the four directions. After the change of Jing Kang, the mountains and rivers were broken, and Guan Sheng also became a prisoner of the order. Later, Guan Sheng was rescued by the Liangshan brothers Cai Qing, Le He and others, and has since drifted overseas and never returned to his hometown in the Central Plains. And the Green Dragon Crescent Moon Knife was also completely lost.
The above is the general inheritance of the Green Dragon Moon Knife in novels and legends. But in reality, it's all just a legend. First of all, the weapon of the Green Dragon Crescent Moon Knife is actually a weapon for honor that appeared in the Song Dynasty, and there is no record of participating in actual combat. Secondly, according to the Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu's weapon was not the Green Dragon Crescent Moon Sword at all, or even a sword, but a spear. That is to say, even if Pan Zhang got Guan Yu's weapon, he should only get a spear. As for the Red Rabbit Horse, it is even more unlikely. Don't forget, the first appearance of the Red Rabbit Horse was in the sixth year of Zhongping (189 AD). At that time, it was already an adult horse, which was Lü Bu's mount. From 189 AD to 219 AD, there was a full 20 years in between. The age of service for horses is generally 3-15 years old. Guan Gong has countless horses in his hands, where will he ride such an old horse to escape? Obviously all this is legend.
In Chinese culture, Guan Yu is an almighty god. Whether it is seeking wealth or righteousness, it is right to worship the second master. In the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Luo Guanzhong even portrayed Guan Yu as an invincible immortal who was alive and invincible, and could appear holy even after death. This is all Guan Yu in culture, a totem of faith. The historical Guan Yu is not like that at all, and when we read and study, it is better to distinguish between them.