In the magnificent Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhao Yun's heroic name is known to everyone. In Cao's camp, Zhao Yun used his own strength to dance the spear and become famous in a battle. Among those enemy generals who were defeated by Zhao Yun's spear, how many are the real famous generals? Today, we will unveil the veil of this layer of history.
During the Three Kingdoms period, there were many heroes, and Zhao Yun was the absolute leader among them. However, in the narrative of history and novels, many plots have been artistically processed. Especially Zhao Yun's performance in Changbanpo is rumored to be a good story. When we analyze it carefully, we can't help but ask: Are those "famous generals" defeated by Zhao Yun really veritable generals?
Let's take a look at one of Zhao Yun's famous battles, Nagasakapo. Legend has it that Zhao Yun rushed into the army alone and killed countless enemy generals. In fact, these people are more of Cao Cao's middle- and lower-level officers, and there is a big gap between them and the image of a high-ranking general described in the novel.
Let's take a look at the other "generals" killed by Zhao Yun. In the literature, Zhao Yun did have several outstanding achievements, such as killing Zhu Ran of Eastern Wu. Zhu Ran is the left master of Eastern Wu and the right military division, and he is in a high position. But his ending was to be named the Marquis of Dangyang, instead of dying on the battlefield. This kind of historical description is very different from the description of the countless souls of Zhao Yun under the gun in the novel.
What we can't ignore yet is that Zhao Yun killed Lu Yi. Lu Yi, a general with outstanding achievements in history, once defeated the enemy army under the command of Gongsun Zhan. His ability should not be underestimated, but in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Lu Yi was easily killed by Zhao Yun. This description is undoubtedly an exaggeration of real history.
Speaking of which, it has to be mentioned that many times, the difference between history and legend lies in the thin line. Zhao Yun is undoubtedly a brave warrior, but his opponents are not those high-ranking generals in many cases. More likely it is a soldier in a hurry, or a sacrificial pawn in tactical deployment.
Is Zhao Yun's reputation dimmed? Of course not. Even if not all opponents are high-ranking generals, Zhao Yun's performance on the battlefield is still admirable. His bravery and wisdom enabled him to save the Lord in a critical moment, and he could also boost his morale and protect the safe retreat of his lord. This kind of heroic spirit and sense of responsibility cannot be erased by the identity of any opponent.
From another point of view, history always likes to shape heroes. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and other literary works, Zhao Yun's image is infinitely magnified, which is also to satisfy people's worship and admiration for heroes. But this exaggerated description, while making the story more exciting to read, also misleads people about the authenticity of history.
In these stories, who is Zhao Yun's real opponent? If we dig deeper, we will find that Zhao Yun's real opponent is not only the enemy army on the battlefield, but also those complex war environments and internal power struggles. Not only do he have to deal with the enemy's guns, but he also has to deal with suspicion and distrust among his allies.
This leads to an interesting topic: in the troubled times of the Three Kingdoms, how is a true hero defined? is it measured by how many people are killed in the future, or is it evaluated by making actual contributions to the country and the people? This kind of reflection applies not only to Zhao Yun, but also to all heroes recorded in history.
By re-examining Zhao Yun from this perspective, perhaps we can get more thoughts about the nature of heroes. A true hero may not need to kill countless enemies on the battlefield, his courage, wisdom and sense of responsibility are more worthy of our learning and praise.
In the process, we can also discover that history is always multifaceted. Behind everyone who is called a hero is him, his suffering, his sacrifice. And these are an important part of their heroic image.
Through today's discussion, it is not difficult for us to find that although Zhao Yun's heroic image has been deified in some literary works, this does not affect his heroic status in history. A true hero is not how many opponents he has defeated, but how much courage and conviction he has shown in times of crisis. What Zhao Yun gives us is not only a reminiscence of the past, but also a revelation for the future: in the face of any difficulties and challenges, bravery and wisdom are always our most valuable weapons.