In "Divine Eagle Hero" and "Yitian Slaughtering Dragon", the role of Zhang Sanfeng appears. Did Zhang Sanfeng really exist in history?
According to the "Biography of Ming Shi Fang Zhi", Zhang Sanfeng was a real historical figure. His real name is Zhang Junbao, and "Sanfeng" is his number. His ancestors were the People of Longhushan, Jiangxi, so they often called themselves descendants of The Heavenly Master. His grandfather, Yu Xian Gong, learned actuarial arithmetic. At the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, knowing that the king of the world would start from the north, he would take his own family members and migrate to Yizhou in Liaoyang. He was even more famous in martial arts by combining the learning of various factions to fight against the Yuan Dynasty and the thieves. On the Dan Dao, he completed the practice of refining the Void Harmony Path, and the form and spirit were wonderful.
Today, there are still Sanfeng relics in Heishan County, Liaoning Province, China. According to local chronicles, Zhang Sanfeng was a man who was not good at talking, but as long as people talked to him about the content of "Shi Dao Confucianism", he would become talkative.
It is rumored that Zhang Sanfeng, because of his perennial practice, was as light as a swallow and climbed the cliff like walking on the ground. When living in Yizhou, Zhang Sanfeng practiced in a cave on the cliff wall, and on weekdays, he only needed to use a dozen pits carved into the cliff wall. In Mr. Jin Yong's martial arts novels, the Wudang school has a magical light feat called "Tiyun Zhong", and the prototype of this inspiration is Zhang Sanfeng's ability to climb the cliff like walking on the ground.
In addition, legend has it that Zhang Sanfeng was in good health, and even in the late winter, he still wore thin clothes. Even in the snow, Zhang Sanfeng can sleep peacefully. In the Southern Song Dynasty and even the early Ming Dynasty, the Central Plains were turbulent, and the people were generally unable to feed themselves, and Zhang Sanfeng's physical fitness undoubtedly stood out from the crowd, leaving a deep impression on the people at that time. After Zhu Yuanzhang overthrew the Yuan Dynasty, he established the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang was very sensitive to religion at that time (or because he had joined forces with religious leaders to resist the Ming in his early years), so he launched a nationwide campaign to eliminate Taoism.
Zhu Yuanzhang was an emperor who sat on the dragon chair step by step from the grass head people, so he knew that folk strangers like Zhang Sanfeng were quite inflammatory. Zhu Yuanzhang sent people to Yizhou to look for Zhang Sanfeng, but he did not expect that Zhang Sanfeng had long disappeared. Some people said that they had seen Zhang Sanfeng in Yunmen Mountain, Qingzhou, Shandong, so Zhu Yuanzhang sent someone to Shandong again, who knew that he had returned without success. In the Hongwu Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang repeatedly sent people to arrest Zhang Sanfeng, but the people who could be sent out flew out every time. Until Zhu Di usurped the Ming Dynasty, the Yongle Emperor also looked around for Zhang Sanfeng like his father.
However, Zhu Di's purpose in searching for Zhang Sanfeng was different. After decades of governance by Zhu Yuanzhang, the people of the Central Plains have gradually become one and the same as the dynasty, and the rulers do not need to be afraid of the civil forces. At this time, Zhu Di, like Qin Shi Huang, dreamed of immortality. After hearing about the various miracles that happened to Zhang Sanfeng, Zhu Di couldn't help but be fascinated. Therefore, Zhu Di hand-picked Hu Guang, a scholar by his side, to visit Zhang Sanfeng.
At that time, some people said that Zhang Sanfeng had already established a sect in Wudang Mountain, so Hu Guang rushed to Wudang Mountain to invite Zhang Zhenren to Beijing. However, Hu Guang visited several times, and each time he was received by Zhang Sanfeng's disciples, and Zhang Sanfeng himself did not show up. Every time Hu Guang went to Wudang, the disciple either said that the master went to Adi, or that his old man went to Bdi, in short, he did not stay on the mountain. Hu Guang has been searching for more than ten years, but he has not met each time.
As Zhu Di grew older, he became more and more impatient. Zhu Di ordered Hu Guang to execute Zhang Sanfeng if he could no longer be found. After receiving the order in despair, Hu Guang came to Wudang Mountain without any hope. Perhaps it was his sincerity that touched Zhang Zhenren, and this time he really met Zhang Sanfeng. After a friendly meeting between the two, Zhang Zhenren told Hu Guang that he would soon go to heaven to a banquet for The Taishang Laojun.
Although Hu Guang was unable to invite Zhang Zhenren back, fortunately, this time he met Zhang Sanfeng and was able to send a message to Zhu Di. Zhu Di was overjoyed, and immediately wrote a letter to Zhang Sanfeng, saying reverently: "I have long heard of the name of the real person, and I hope to meet with the real person." Zhang Zhenren has high morals and hopes that you will come to the capital for a visit to answer your questions. ”
Hu Guang was once again tossed to Wudang Mountain, and this time Zhang Sanfeng still politely refused Zhu Di's invitation, but only returned a letter to him out of courtesy. In this letter, Zhang Sanfeng talked about some methods of maintaining longevity, and finally gave Zhu Di an answer. It is said that Zhang Sanfeng taught Zhu Di the doorway of longevity and longevity, but if he wants to carry out health care, he needs to be pure and widowed.
However, Zhu Di was in a high position for many years and could not give up his power and wealth, so he did not practice according to the method given by Zhang Sanfeng, and only lived for sixty-four years before he died.
Of course, these are just folklore, not supported by sufficient evidence. But one thing is still true, Zhang Sanfeng once wrote a letter, ordering his disciple Sun Biyun to inform the Yongle Emperor of the specific way of immortality.
Even in the early years of Qing Yongzheng, Mr. Wang Mengjiu once met Zhang Sanfeng zhenren to teach him more. At this time, Sanfeng should be hundreds of years old.
Some people say that Zhang Sanfeng had already returned to the west in the early years of Hongwu, and his disciples wanted to add legend to Wudang Taoism, so they said that Zhang Zhenren went out to travel in the clouds. As for Hu Guang seeing Zhang Sanfeng and bringing back the letter, it was also his act to confuse Zhu Di's audio-visual behavior. One of the most interesting theories is that in the hundreds of years of the Southern Song Dynasty and even the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, there were a number of practitioners surnamed Zhang, and the common people confused their legendary experience with Zhang Sanfeng's story.
But in any case, today Zhang Sanfeng is not only an ancient mythological figure, he has become a part of Chinese Taoist culture.
Resources:
["Ming Shi Fang Trick Biography", "Zhang Sanfeng in History"]