Wei Yan is known as the first general under the Five Tiger Generals of Shu Han. Therefore, if one of the five tiger generals is withdrawn and another person is added, there is no doubt that Wei Yan can be replaced.
Wei Yan can be called the "Five Tiger Generals".
When Liu Bei was established as the king of Hanzhong, he was crowned a meritorious hero, and Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Huang Zhong were crowned as the five tiger generals in recognition of their outstanding achievements.
It can be seen from this that the canonization of the five tiger generals is a comprehensive combination of military exploits, qualifications, martial arts, positions, and other factors, marking the unparalleled lofty status of the five of them in the army.
If one of the five tiger generals withdrew, why did Wei Yan have to take the throne? I will elaborate on the following from the four aspects of military exploits, positions, qualifications, and martial arts:
First, qualifications: There is no Guan Zhang and Zhao Sansanshen, but he is one step ahead of Huang Zhongjie, and he has been in the middle of the horse for many years.
At the critical moment of the Battle of Changsha, Wei Yan killed Han Xuan, saved Huang Zhong, took the initiative to open the city gate, welcomed Guan Yu into the city, and contributed to Guan Yu's smooth occupation of Changsha.
Ma Chao joined Liu Bei's group ten years later, when Liu Bei captured Xichuan.
- Wei Yan joined ten years earlier than Ma Chao. Moreover, long before the Battle of Chibi, when Liu Bei fled to Xiangyang, Wei Yan wanted to join, but because Liu Bei did not enter the city at that time, Wei Yan's wish was disappointed. Otherwise, Wei Yan's qualifications can be said to be directly chasing Zhao Yun.
Second, Wei Yan's credit is not below Huang Zhong and Ma Chao.
1. When Wei Yan didn't join, he made meritorious service first. That is, he fought Wenpin under Xiangyang City, although he failed to welcome Liu Bei into the city, but he also won a little time for Liu Bei's escape, and at the same time, he also showed his heart to Liu Bei.
You must know that in Xiangyang City at that time, many generals were preparing for the surrender of Cao Cao; Wei Yan was the only one who threw Liu Bei into his arms when he was fleeing.
As the saying goes:
"Hardship sees the truth."
From then on, Wei Yan's loyalty to Liu Bei was brave, and Liu Bei saw it in his eyes and remembered it in his heart.
2, Wei Yan cooperated with Guan Yu to take Changsha and rescued Huang Zhong under Han Xuan's knife.
3. In the battle of Sichuan, Wei Yan and Huang Zhong went hand in hand, and as a pioneer, they made great contributions.
4. In the battle of Danqu Mountain, he assisted Zhang Fei in defeating Zhang He.
5. Wei Yan has guarded Hanzhong for nearly ten years, and Hanzhong is impregnable. Liu Bei's attack on Eastern Wu and Zhuge Liang's southern expedition had to be carried out without worry.
It can be said that whether it is fighting against the enemy, attacking cities or defending one side, Wei Yan's credit is not under Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Huang Zhong.
Third, Wei Yan's position.
Liu Bei asked Wei Yan to serve as the Taishou of Hanzhong, and he was a general who led the troops alone. After the appointment was announced, Zhang Fei felt unexpected. At that time, only Guan Yu was the one who led the troops alone, and Hanzhong was Liu Bei's third territory, and it seemed logical that Zhang Fei would go to lead the troops to defend it. However, Liu Bei chose Wei Yan, and in Liu Bei's mind, Wei Yan's military talent was no less than Guan Zhang's.
In this way, the only generals who really had military power in the Shu Han group were Guan Yu, Zhang Fei (Si Li's lieutenant and Bajun Taishou) and Wei Yan. (Liu Feng, Meng Da, and Mi Fang had a certain amount of military power and were controlled by Guan Yu.) ）
Wei Yan's military power is far greater than that of Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Huang Zhong. When Liu Bei was conquering Sun Quan, he once sent Ma Chao and Ma Dai to assist Wei Yan in guarding Hanzhong. What does assistance mean, it doesn't need to be explained, right?
Fourth, Wei Yan's martial arts are outstanding, although he was slightly lower than the Five Tiger Generals at that time, but in fact, he was not far behind.
Wei Yan fought Pang De for more than 100 rounds and was at a disadvantage. Such a record is already very close to Guan Yu. You must know that Wei Yan was not at his peak at that time.
Fifth, Wei Yan's military talent is not under Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Huang Zhong.
On the way to the city, Wei Yan and Pang Tong were ambushed by the Shu general Zhang Ren, and Pang Tong died. Wei Yan immediately made a decision, led the soldiers to continue to advance, and brought the soldiers to join Liu Bei under the city, minimizing the losses.
Wei Yan is also good at seeing the wise and thinking together, drawing inferences from one example. When attacking Leng Bud and Deng Xian Dazhai, he humbly learned from Huang Zhong, and finally captured Leng Bud alive, making Liu Bei's first counterattack on Xichuan.
Wei Yan's merits are not under Ma Chao and Huang Zhong, his qualifications are deeper than those of Ma Chao and Huang Zhong, his military power is not under Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Huang Zhong, and his military talent is not under Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Huang Zhong. By analogy, Wei Yan should be on a par with Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Huang Zhong, and be in the same rank as the five tiger generals. Then, the one that the Five Tiger Admirals need to withdraw from is Guan Yu.
Why did Guan Yu quit the Five Tiger Generals?
First of all, let me tell you, it is definitely not because Guan Yu lost Jingzhou. Because, when the Five Tiger Generals were crowned, Jingzhou was not lost, and it was still firmly in the hands of Guan Yu.
The fundamental reason for Guan Yu's withdrawal from the sequence of the Five Tiger Generals is that he should be more prominent than the Five Tiger Generals, and he is a show of his existence; It would be unfair to put him alongside Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Huang Zhong. There should be a separate position for Guan Yu to regard him as a favor. Zhuge Liang had premeditated this, but he failed to convince Liu Bei at that time.
No matter which angle Guan Yu considers, he is more outstanding than the other four.
First, the qualifications are unparalleled, and he is one of the founders of the Shuhan group and the army.
Only Zhang Fei can compare.
Second, the merit is significantly higher than the other four.
Defeat the Yellow Turbans; participated in the alliance of the princes to defeat Dong Zhuo; Beihai rescued Kong Rong and killed the leader of the Yellow Turban Army, General Guan Hai; occupied and defended Xuzhou twice, and made great contributions; Kill Yan Liang and relieve the siege of the White Horse; protect the two sisters-in-law and leave Cao Cao smoothly; The battle of Qishan persuaded Liu Bei not to break up; The Battle of Chibi, training 10,000 sailors; occupy Changsha and subdue Wei Yan; Launched the Northern Expedition, defeated Cao Ren, flooded the Seventh Army, and so on.
Any credit of Guan Yu is almost as good as all of Huang Zhong and Ma Chao.
Third, Guan Yu's martial arts are one notch higher than the other four.
This, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", is well documented, and Zhuge Liang also admits that his martial arts are higher than Zhang Fei and Ma Chao.
Fourth, Guan Yu's status is very detached.
Liu Bei awarded Guan Yu the "Fake Jieyue", which is a unique case in the Shuhan Group. Guan Yu can slash the generals of Shu Han first. This status is far superior to that of the other four.
Fifth, Guan Yu's military talent has been recognized by history.
Except for Zhang Fei, no one in Shuhan Group could compare with Guan Yu at that time.
To sum up, Guan Yu should withdraw from the Five Tiger Admirals sequence and vacate the position to Wei Yan. As for Guan Yu's title, Liu Bei can reconsider.
"Meritorious and ambitious, broad and diligent."
- The reason why Wei Yan was able to achieve great achievements that attracted the attention of the world and were no less than those of the Five Tiger Generals was inseparable from his lofty ambition and political vision of abandoning darkness and turning to the light in time.