As one of the four famous ancient novels, "Water Margin" has always been loved by readers for its rich characters, complex plots and deep-rooted stories.
In this work, the author successfully portrayed 108 heroes of Liangshan who were brave and good at fighting and had different personalities. Among them, Guan Sheng and Lin Chong are important members of the Liangshan Five Tiger Generals, and their image and strength have attracted much attention.
Guan Sheng is known for his powerful broadsword and quick-fight style, while Lin Chong is known for his delicate snake spear and long-lasting fighting style. So, which of these two heroic generals has the higher martial arts? If the two really face off to the death, who can become the final winner? The following will be analyzed in detail from the plot, combat methods, and weapon characteristics in the original work.
1. The original hand-to-hand record
In "Water Margin", there is no direct record of confrontation between Guan Sheng and Lin Chong, and the only confrontation record is that Guan Sheng fought Lin Chong and Qin Ming alone.
The battle took place in the course of Guan Sheng's army to conquer Liangshanbo. At that time, Qin Ming took the lead and fought with Guan Sheng. Subsequently, Lin Chong also drove forward, joined the battle group, and joined forces with Qin Ming to encircle and win.
Under the joint attack of the two, Guan Sheng gradually gained the upper hand. At this time, Song Jiang was worried that Lin Chong and Qin Ming had injured Guan Sheng, so Ming Jin withdrew his troops and recalled the two.
Although this battle showed Guan Sheng's bravery and strength in the face of the two Five Tiger Generals, it also sparked controversy among later generations about the martial arts of Guan Sheng and Lin Chong.
Some people believe that Guan Sheng was able to fight Lin Chong and Qin Ming alone without being defeated, indicating that his martial arts were higher than Lin Chong. However, this view ignores the fact that in ancient warfare, one person fighting more than one person alone does not mean that one person is better than any one on the other side.
Lu Bu is a good example. In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Lu Bu once fought Zhang Fei and Guan Yu alone without winning or losing. But this does not mean that Lu Bu's martial arts are necessarily higher than Zhang Fei or Guan Yu. Similarly, Guan Sheng's battle examples against Lin Chong and Qin Ming alone cannot be used as the only criterion for judging the level of Guan Sheng and Lin Chong's martial arts.
2. Combat methods and weapon characteristics
In order to evaluate the martial arts of Guan Sheng and Lin Chong, it is also necessary to analyze their combat methods and the characteristics of their weapons.
Guan Sheng's combat methods and weapon characteristics:
Guan Sheng used a broadsword as a weapon. The broadsword is a weapon with heavy power and light technology, and mainly relies on the strength and bravery of the user to exert its power. As a result, Seki's fighting style is more aggressive, and he is adept at using the weight of his broadsword and sharp blades to slash his enemies. This style of combat allows Guan Sheng to be able to defeat his enemies quickly in battle, and his quick victory is his distinguishing feature.
Lin Chong's combat methods and weapon characteristics:
Unlike Guan Sheng, Lin Chong used a snake spear or spear as a weapon. Both weapons are more technical than powerful, requiring a high level of skill and dexterity on the part of the user to be at their most powerful.
Therefore, Lin Chong's fighting style is more defensive. He excels at using the length and agility of a snake spear or spear to keep his enemies at arm's length, draining his enemies' stamina and finding fighters with clever assassinations. This style of fighting allows Lin Chong to often have an advantage in protracted battles.
3. Comprehensive analysis
Based on the above analysis, it can be seen that Guan Sheng and Lin Chong have their own merits in martial arts. Guan Sheng was known for his bravery and was adept at using broadswords for quick battles, while Lin Chong was known for his skill, using snake spears or spears for protracted combat. If the two really face off to the death, the author thinks this battle will be very fierce and stalemate.
In the first fifty rounds, with Guan Sheng's strength and bravery dominant, he could hold Lin Chong down and have the upper hand. However, as time went on and his physical strength was consumed, between fifty and one hundred rounds, Lin Chong's skill and stamina would gradually come into play, making the battle stalemate.
At this stage, the two may be quite inseparable. When the battle enters the 100th round, due to the long fierce battle and high-intensity confrontation, the physical strength of both men will be consumed. At this stage, the advantages of light weapons will be revealed, so Lin Chong may gradually gain the upper hand. And the longer the time passes, the more unfavorable the battle situation will be for Guan Sheng.
One of Guan Sheng's impressive results was the successful defeat of Suo Chao. Suo Chao, the pioneer of urgency, is not only the backbone of Liang Shanbo, but also has served in the Daimyo Mansion. It is worth mentioning that Suo Chao once drew with Yang Zhi, a descendant of the Yang family, showing his good strength.
However, in the confrontation with Guan Sheng, Suo Chao showed timidity in less than ten rounds, which undoubtedly highlighted Guan Sheng's martial arts from the side. This record also makes people speculate that Guan Sheng's strength may be above Yang Zhi and Suo Chao.
Some people may think that Guan Sheng's martial arts surpass Lin Chong. But what we need to consider is that Lin Chong did not use a handy weapon when he fought Yang Zhi. This does not mean that Lin Chong is invincible to Yang Zhi, but more likely because the weapon he uses is not competent, resulting in his inability to give full play to his strength.
Therefore, we have reason to believe that if Lin Chong had been able to use the weapon he was good at at that time, the result might have been different. But it also shows from the side that Lin Chong's strength is far less than Guan Sheng!
IV. Conclusions
To sum up, if Guan Sheng and Lin Chong really fight to the death, the author believes that it is likely to be Lin Chong who can have the last laugh. While Guan Sheng has the advantage in strength and bravery, his quick-break fighting style can be limited when facing a skilled fighter like Lin Chong.
Lin Chong, on the other hand, with his exquisite weapons and long-lasting stamina, was able to gradually gain the upper hand in a long battle and finally emerge victorious. Of course, this is just a speculation, and the specific outcome of the battle will be affected by many unpredictable factors, such as on-the-spot performance, tactical use, and so on. Therefore, the level of Guan Sheng and Lin Chong's martial arts is still an unanswered question, leaving readers with unlimited room for reverie.