History is the memory of things that have been said and done. —Carl Baker
Hua Mulan is one of the four most famous heroines in Chinese history, her deeds are widely circulated in Chinese folklore, as a model of heroic heroes among women and a representative of loyalty and filial piety, her deeds of her father's final triumph in the army have been passed down from generation to generation. The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty posthumously named Hua Mulan a "General of Filial Piety", which can be said to be one of the highest military merit awards for women in ancient China.
Regarding the true identity of Mulan in history, there are many opinions in history. In addition to Mulan's real name, birth and death year, and hometown examination, the most discussed about her for thousands of years belongs to the "feat" of how to successfully hide her daughter's body after more than ten years of military service. The Northern Dynasty folk song "Mulan Poems" said: "Twelve years of traveling together, I don't know that Mulan is a girl", that is to say, Mulan has been in the army for twelve years, is it possible that such a long time with a group of big bosses in the barracks will not reveal the identity of her daughter? Not necessarily. The reason why Mulan has been able to hide from the imperial court and superiors is probably mainly due to the following reasons:
First, Mulan grew up in the north, according to the "Khan" mentioned many times in the "Mulan Poems", it is likely that she is a northern ethnic minority woman. And she can ride a horse to fight, and adapt to the harsh natural environment of the ancient north of the perennial conquest, the physical condition is likely to be different from ordinary people. That is to say, the appearance is relatively neutral, and it is very athletic, and it is difficult to find a woman after wearing a military uniform.
The second is the attributes of Mulan's troops, and we look back at the description in "Mulan Poems" again, "The East Market buys horses, the West Market buys saddles, the South Market buys the head, and the North Market buys the long whip," "Thousands of miles to the Rong plane, Guan Shan Du Ruofei." It is almost certain that Mulan was a cavalryman, and most likely a reconnaissance cavalry (scout) in the army. This determined that she spent most of her time with war horses, killing enemies on horseback, sleeping on horses, rarely having too much contact with her comrades in the battalion during breaks, and reducing the possibility of discovering her true identity.
Third, Mulan eventually won many battle merits (strategy twelve turns, rewards of 10,000 strong), it is likely that he was promoted to an officer not long after fighting in the army, his status is different from that of ordinary soldiers, naturally there is a separate living space, and his "little secrets" will not be discovered. Even if a soldier occasionally perceives the hint, who would be stupid enough to question whether his superior officers are happy for themselves? And whether it is a subordinate or a superior, if you really find out that there is such a capable and capable "female man" around you, you will definitely not go to the upper peak to expose the report, after all, there is a woman staying around to raise her eyes, it is better than facing a bunch of rough men all day!
As a famous heroine in history, our descendants only have admiration and reverence for Mulan, and people at that time probably had more respect for such a strange woman, so it is understandable that she could return safely from the army for 12 years.