In the novel, Cheng Yaojin is a thick and thin, brave and unusually brave and blessed fierce general. He came from the grassroots, worked as a salt merchant, and served as the emperor of the Great Demon Kingdom, making him a good axe. In the end, he relied on his martial courage and luck to help The Tang conquer the world, and finally ended up as a duke.
However, in the main history, the image of Cheng Biting Jin is completely different from that in the novel. In 1986, archaeologists in Xi'an carried out rescue excavations of the Cheng Biting Gold Tomb in Zhaoling, and excavated a national treasure-level cultural relic from the tomb - the Cheng Biting Gold Epitaph. Through the comparison of epitaphs, old and new Tang books, and the Zizhi Tongjian, we found a Cheng Biting Jin that was different from our cognition.
Whether in the main history or in the epitaph, Cheng Zhijin is called Cheng Zhijie. According to scholars, around the time of the change of Xuanwu Gate, Cheng Yaojin was changed to "Zhijie".
In the past, we regarded Cheng As a grassroots hero. However, according to the epitaph, Cheng Yaojin was simply a big local tycoon. "Cheng Zhijie Epitaph" Zhongyun :
Zeng Zuxing, Sima of Qichong Prefecture. Zu Zhe, Sima of QiJin Prefecture", "Father Lou, Jeju Dazhongzheng, Imperial Envoy Holding Festival WinJu Military, Win State Assassination History".
That is to say, Cheng Yaojin's great-grandfather, grandfather and father were all local officials, and Cheng Yaojin was a complete official of the fourth generation. At the same time, according to the epitaph of Cheng Boxian, the son of Cheng Biting Jin, the Cheng family has a more amazing ancestor - Cheng Yu. As we all know, Cheng Yu was a local tycoon from Dong'a, the hometown of Cheng Biting Jin, and later became Cao Cao's counselor. The Cheng family has been deeply cultivating in the Dong'a region for 300 years.
It was really because Cheng Yaojin was born extraordinary, which enabled him to continue the daughter of the Qinghe Cui clan. If Cheng Bite Jin was born in a cold door, even if he was ranked as a public secretary, it would be difficult to marry a high gate like The Qinghe Cui clan.
In the novel, Cheng bites Jin and is unusually brave and habitually uses a large axe. Because Cheng bit Jin's brain was not good, he could not learn advanced axe techniques, only three and a half moves. But it was these three and a half moves that made Cheng Bite Jin invincible, and even Li Yuanba had a headache.
However, in the main history, Cheng Yaojin did not use an axe, but a horse mallet. Unlike ordinary spears, the mallet was not only long, but also heavy, and was specially used against the enemy's heavily armored cavalry. In the main history, Qin Qiong, Wei Chigong, Luo Shixin and others were all good at using the horse mallet.
Due to the difficulty of using the mallet, the holder must practice martial arts for a long time. And Cheng Yaojin is born into a rich family and has sufficient nutrition, so he can use this powerful weapon.
At the same time, Cheng Yaojin's ability to use the horse mallet was no worse than that of Qin Qiong and others. After Cheng bit Jin and defected to Li Mi, he was appointed as one of the Horsemen of the Inner Army. At that time, Li Mi selected 8,000 brave soldiers in the army, which belonged to the Four Horsemen and were divided into left and right, known as the internal army. Li Mi often said to people, "These eight thousand people are worth a million troops." "Cheng bit the golden pipe to lead one of the four horsemen, and the grace he received was particularly generous.
After Cheng bit Jin and defected to Li Tang, he was again heavily valued by Li Shimin. On the battlefield, Cheng Yaojin was very fond of taking the lead and attacking the enemy position. After that, Cheng Yaojin successively defeated Song Jingang, Dou Jiande, and Wang Shichong, and led the commander of the Zuo Yima Army, and whenever he went on a campaign, he often raised the flag to ascend first, and was awarded the title of Duke of Suguo for his repeated military achievements.
According to the epitaph, Cheng also participated in the Xuanwumen Rebellion" (At the end of the summer of the ninth year, the two murderers rebelled, and Emperor Taizong was ordered to be punished and forbidden. Gong Cheng zhi jie ren cut his minions and was diligent), and made great contributions. Therefore, after the change of Xuanwu Gate, Cheng Yaojin was promoted again and enjoyed the actual sealing of 700 households.
In 643, Cheng Yaojin was honored to ascend to the Ling Yan Pavilion and ranked 19th. It ranked higher than his eldest brother Qin Qiong.
In the novel, Cheng Bite Jin's IQ is not too high, and he has been relying on superior luck to run rampant in the world. However, according to the epitaph, Cheng Yaojin was actually quite resourceful, cautious, and quite reliable.
In the epitaph, it is also recorded that Cheng biting jin a piece of unknown historical materials. Before Li Shimin died, he called Cheng Yaojin to his body and entrusted him with an important task. In this regard, the epitaph records:
"Since the Cui Hui Palace has been entrusted with the command of the Flying Horse, from now on."
That is to say, after Li Shimin's death, he let Cheng Yaojin lead the Yulin Army to escort Li Zhi back to Chang'an to ascend the throne. After Emperor Gaozong of Tang succeeded to the throne, Cheng Yaojin was appointed as the general of the Zhen Army, responsible for guarding the palace gate and leading the Forbidden Army. If Cheng Yaojin was unreliable, Li Shimin and Li Zhi would not have entrusted him with such an important task.
In the novel, Cheng bites jin for a long time, living until the tang Zhongzong years, and finally died in the middle of Luotong sweeping the north, so there is a saying that "laughing at the death of Cheng biting jin, crying to die Cheng Iron Bull". In the main history, although cheng yaojin's life expectancy is not so exaggerated, he also lived a relatively long life, and died of illness at the age of 76.
However, cheng's death does not belong to a good ending. According to the old and new Tang Dynasty records, Cheng Yaojin led his troops to attack the Western Turk rebel Party Ashina Helu. This may be the only time that Cheng Yaojin has led the expedition as the commander of the whole army.
However, Cheng Yaojin was a brave fighter and was difficult to meet the position of commander-in-chief. During the command, Cheng Yaojin made several mistakes and committed the crime of staying, which caused Helu to escape. Not only that, Cheng Yaojin also indulged the soldiers and plundered everywhere.
After returning to Chang'an, Cheng Yaojin was demoted by Emperor Gaozong of Tang and dismissed from his official post. Soon after, Cheng Yaojin wrote a letter requesting Zhishi and was approved. From then on, Cheng No longer participated in politics and eventually died at home.
It is true that Cheng Yaojin is not as legendary in the main history as in the novel. But I have to say that Cheng Yaojin is indeed a rare fierce general. And this has also laid a solid foundation for Cheng Tonjin's household name.