In the third year of Jing Yao (260 AD), Liu Chan posthumously honored Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao and other founding fathers, and made Guan Yu the "Marquis of Zhuangmiao". At this time, it had been exactly 40 years since Guan Yu's defeat.
Guan Yu was also a Marquis during his lifetime, and was the Marquis of Hanshouting, who was invited by Cao Cao and created by Emperor Xian of Han. Of course, this is actually Cao Cao's meaning, in order to co-opt Guan Yu and take it for his own use. Later, Guan Yu was made a former general by Liu Beibai.
Worship the general and be crowned, that should be a glorious thing to honor the ancestors. However, Guan Yu may never have thought that the Marquis of Hanshouting and the former generals were just insignificant starting points.
More than a thousand years later, he has been canonized and has become the only person who can perfectly control the green turban.
Guan Yu's path to the gods must begin after his death.
He who is a servant, the trace of deeds, the one who is called, the table of merit is also. - "Yi Zhou Shu Tan Fa Xie"
There are roughly three kinds of titles: beauty, peace, and evil, and it is easy to see the merits and deeds of a person in his lifetime from a person's name.
Beautiful people such as the "filial piety" of The Han Wu Emperor Liu Che and the "Wen" of Tang Taizong Li Shimin praised their merits; such as the "filial piety" of the Han Emperor Liu Xinzhi and the "filial piety" of the JinHuai Emperor Sima Chi, and expressed much sympathy; such as the "Li" of The Zhou Li King Ji Hu and the Sui Emperor Yang Guangzhi.)
Since there are also some differences in the laws of the past, is Guan Yu's "Zhuang Miao" beautiful or flat? It has been debated for a long time.
In the Fa, defeating the enemy and overcoming chaos, being brave with good strength, repeated conquests, failing to succeed in martial arts, being resolute in martial virtue, dying in the wilderness, and so on, can all be called "strong."
Throughout Guan Yu's life, in the Battle of Xiangfan, he was captured in the Battle of Xiangfan, and he was captured by Pound De and threatened Huaxia, which can be called "victory over the enemy and chaos"; beheading Yan Liang in the midst of ten thousand armies can be called "good strength and courage"; the courage of ten thousand enemies can be called "martial virtue and fortitude"; in the end, the defeat and death of the war can also be called "wu but not succeeding" and "dying in the wilderness".
Guan Yu's "zhuang" is not only a praise for his bravery and martial prowess, but also an affirmation of his military achievements, and also expresses regret for his tragic end. Like the "Zhuang" nicknames of Xu Huang, Xu Chu and others in the same period, this should be a beautiful one.
The main controversy is the word "Miao".
In the Fa, the name and the truth, hurting others, hiding people, and hurting people and hurting goodness, can all be called "Miao".
Therefore, some people think that Guan Yuzhi's "Miao" means that he is not worthy of his name, his merits are not worthy of his resounding reputation, and the word "Zhuang Miao" is an appraisal of merit and even evil.
Of course, some people think that "Miao" is a tong fake character, and the word "Mu" is the same as the meaning of "Wu Mu" in Yue Fei in later generations, and it should be a beautiful word.
Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, Pang Tong, Huang Zhong, and Yun Nai pursued him, and shi yan was proud of it. - "The Biography of Zhao Yun"
Many people think that if Guan Yu is not a beautiful person, why is there any "pride in the theory of the times"? How could Guan Yu's descendants take the evil as glory?
But in any case, this posthumous act of chasing after him invisibly made Guan Yu's prestige in Jingzhou and Shudi a few points heavier. By the time of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, many people had sacrificed for Guan Yu's temple.
In the Sui and Tang dynasties, with the wide spread of Buddhism, the worship of Guan Yu was also added to the strong religious color.
In the third year of Emperor Dezong of Tang 's reign (782 AD), guan yu was one of the 64 famous generals who were sacrificed to the Wu temple, which also made Guan Yu have more "official endorsements" on the road to the gods.
After the Song Dynasty, Guan Yu's road to the gods began to enter the fast lane.
More than 800 years after Liu Chan's first posthumous posthumous title, Emperor Huizong of Song performed a second posthumous posthumous posthumous title for Guan Yu, directly from the rank of "Hou" to "Wang", and praised him for his loyalty and bravery, and was a king of wuke'an state.
When Emperor Gaozong of Song arrived, he made a third posthumous posthumous title for Guan Yu, and was posthumously honored as "King of Wu'an". The sealing method of this title is extremely sleek and true, which not only agrees with Liu Chan's meaning, but also shows his respect for Zhao Yao's opinion.
When he arrived at Emperor Xiaozong of Song, zhao, he made a fourth posthumous visit for Guan Yu, and while respecting the opinions of his predecessors, he added two more words to Guan Yu, which was titled "King of Zhuangmiao Yiyong Wu'an Yingji", praising him as a great hero who was enough to save the world.
In the second month after Zhao Yun ascended the throne, he issued an edict to rehabilitate Yue Fei and reuse the main war faction to actively prepare for war. After a failed Longxing Northern Expedition, Zhao Yun had no choice but to reach a peace agreement with the Jin Dynasty, and he did not call the Emperor of the Jin Dynasty "subject", but directly demoted to a generation and changed his name to "nephew".
From his pursuit of Guan Yu, it is not difficult to understand the heartache and longing contained in the word "Yingji". If you can't win a battle, you should always find a place to mourn.
It can be said that in several times during the Song Dynasty, although Guan Yu still stayed in the stage of "man", he was not an ordinary mortal, but the embodiment of a great hero who could help the people of the world and save the building.
The one who really began to give Guan Yu the color of "gods" was the Yuan Taiding Emperor during the Yuan Dynasty.
During the Yuan Dynasty, Buddhism prevailed, monks and nuns could be exempted from all servitude, many high-ranking monks had super privileges, not only were they named guoshi, sikong, situ, etc. before they died, but also received a large number of alms and rewards, and after death, the amount of gold was as much as gold and silver.
Under this belief, Emperor Yuan Taiding made the fifth posthumous posthumous title for Guan Yu, and was posthumously honored as "King Yingji of Wu'an".
When Emperor Yuanshun arrived, as the last emperor of the unified regime of the Yuan Dynasty, Emperor Yuanshun gave Guan Yu a sixth posthumous title and gave a series of posthumous titles.
What "Qi Tian's Great General of Defending the Country", what "Shandong Hebei SimenGuan Town Solicitation envoy", what "Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhang Political Affairs", as well as "Wu Hou", "Zhuang Miao Yi Yong Wu'an Yingji King", "Chongning Protector of the True King", and so on, added together to nearly 100 words.
It is understandable that the mountains and rivers are crumbling, and it is time to find Guan Yu to "protect the country".
It is also from the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty that Guan Yu is no longer a "person", but has a very obvious divine color.
Sealing a marquis and a king, this is for people. If it is for the gods, then it is necessary to be crowned emperor.
In the Ming Dynasty, for nearly 300 years, Guan Yu was posthumously honored by the Ming Shen Sect and the Ming Si Sect respectively.
The seventh posthumous posthumous posthumous title of Emperor Wen of the Three Realms voldemort Emperor Shen WeiYuan Zhen Tianzun Guan Shengjun". This time, the pursuit also became a watershed on Guan Yu's way to the gods, and Guan Yu directly ascended to the altar of Taoism.
In fact, this is not surprising, the MingShen Sect admired the art of longevity of cultivation and health, so it was very religious, and once decreed that Luoyang Laojun mountain was "the world's famous mountain" and a special "Wanli Emperor Laojunshan Edict Plate".
In the later period of his reign, Emperor Mingshenzong was still wearing a Daoist robe under the dragon robe, and for 28 years he did not go to the court, and it was only natural that he wanted to put Guan Yu on the altar of Taoism.
When he arrived at Emperor Mingsizong, he conducted the eighth posthumous posthumous title of "Zhenyuan Xianying Ming Yi Han Tianzun". Although the words are fewer, the weight in them is greatly increased.
The so-called "Tianzun" refers to the highest-ranking gods in Taoism, such as Yuan Shi Tianzun, Daode Tianzun, Lingbao Tianzun and so on. Judging from this nickname, Guan Yu's path to the gods seems to have reached its peak?
In fact, if not, people will always have a way to give him another mention of forced qualifications.
In the Qing Dynasty, Guan Yu was posthumously honored several times, and it can be said that he realized the full hall of the three families of Confucianism, Interpretation, and Taoism.
During the reign of the Shunzhi Emperor, he made the ninth posthumous posthumous title for Guan Yu, and was posthumously honored as "Emperor Wuguan sheng of the Zhongyi God".
Generally speaking, the Tianzun and the Emperor in Taoism are basically concurrent, such as the Jade Emperor's Jade Emperor Great Heavenly Zun, the Eastern Pole Qinghua Emperor's Taiyi Salvation Suffering Tianzun, the Zhenwu Emperor's Dang Demon Tianzun and so on.
If this is the case, why not take the title of "Emperor" according to the "Tianzun" title of the Ming Dynasty?
This is because they not only want to give Guan Yu the color of a god, but also to return him to the true nature of "man".
Then The Heavenly Law Yao, known as the Great. - "Yi Zhou Shu Tan Fa Xie"
The so-called "emperor" is not only the peak of the gods, but also the supreme being in the world, such as Emperor Yi, Pan Geng, Wu Ding and others, all called "the emperor", and Sun Quan in the Three Kingdoms period was also called "the emperor".
In this way, Guan Yu not only became the top of the Taoist gods, but he was also elevated to the peak of the emperor status in the human world, both a dragon among men and a god among gods.
When the Yongzheng Emperor was in charge, he not only posthumously honored Guan Yu for the tenth time, but also posthumously awarded three generations of dukes, and also sealed Guan Yu's ancestors.
During the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, he posthumously honored Guan Yu for the eleventh time, and was posthumously honored as "Emperor Guan Sheng of the Zhongyi God Wu Lingyou".
The so-called "Lingyou" not only means the protection of the gods, but also the name of the Tang Dynasty senior monk Lingyou Zen Master. Lingyou Zen Master founded the Shu Yang Sect, which was the earliest sect to form among the five schools and seven sects.
This posthumous posthumous title of the Qianlong Emperor added a layer of Buddhist color to Guan Yu.
When he arrived at the Jiaqing Emperor, he made the twelfth posthumous posthumous title for Guan Yu, who was known as "Emperor Guansheng of the Zhongyi God WuLingyou Ren Yong Guansheng".
The so-called "renyong" not only praises Guan Yu's bravery and martial arts, but also gives Guan Yu the "benevolence" at the core of Confucian thought. This means that Guan Yu is not only the supreme being in the world, but also a common deity of the three schools of Confucianism and Taoism.
When he arrived at the Daoguang Emperor, he made the thirteenth posthumous appointment for Guan Yu, and was posthumously honored as "Emperor Guansheng of the Zhongyi God Martial Spirit Youren Yongwei Xianguan Sheng".
The so-called "Wei Xian" is actually the voice of the Daoguang Emperor, intending to hope that Guan Yu can show his might. After a brief period of prosperity, the Qing Dynasty had already declined, but the Daoguang Emperor obviously did not know that the muskets and cannons that others had set up at the door of his home could not be resisted by Guan Erye's Green Dragon Crescent Knife.
After the Daoguang Emperor, several emperors of Xianfeng, Tongzhi, and Guangxu also pursued Guan Yu, adding more words at a time.
The Xianfeng Emperor first added the words "protect the country and protect the people", and then felt that it was not enough, and then added the words "sincere appeasement".
The Tongzhi Emperor added the word "Yi Zan" in the hope of getting Guan Yu's assistance and help.
The Guangxu Emperor added the word "Xuande", which also finally completed the last posthumous posthumous visit of Guan Yu by successive emperors, with the title of "Loyalty and Righteousness God Wu Ling You Ren Yong Wei Xian Defending the Country and Protecting the People Sincerely Appeasement Yi Praise Xuande Guansheng Emperor".
Such a long list of titles, each of which contains the ardent expectations of several emperors of the last Qing Dynasty for Guan Yu.
As everyone knows, if Guan Yu had a spirit, it was estimated that he would be blown up by this decadent dynasty that closed the country.
From the posthumous posthumous title of marquis, to the first posthumous posthumous 40 years, and then to more than ten posthumous posthumous visits between more than 1,000 years, Guan Yu's road to the gods has gone through various stages of being a marquis, a king, and an emperor.
Hou and Wang, Wang and Emperor, Emperor and Saint, Holy and Heaven. In the long river of history, there are very few people who can get such a special honor.
In fact, there are many people in history who are stronger than Guan Yu in martial arts, and those who are better than Guan Yu's achievements, such as Bai Qi, Wei Qing, Huo Zhiyi, Li Jing, etc., are all famous generals who have been passed down through the ages, why is only Guan Yu enjoying such a special honor?
Because of its loyalty, because of its righteousness, this is one of the most respected morality in our country for thousands of years, coupled with the fact that Guan Yu is not lacking in bravery and martial arts, he can be called the representative of a fierce general, and many factors are added together to achieve Guan Yu's road to the gods.
For more than a thousand years, corresponding to the respect of Guan Yu by the rulers of successive dynasties, the folk worship of Guan Yu has reached an incomparable level. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the People's Republic, there were more than 300,000 large and small martial arts temples in the country, which became a unique landscape on the land of China.
To this day, Guan Yu's worship is still endless.