Many people know that Cheng Biting Jin is famous for his three-plate axe in "Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties", and even left a common saying that "Cheng Biting Jin is killed halfway".
After these classic stories were adapted into TV series, Cheng Yanjin's image was even more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and he was portrayed as a coarse old man who was full of foul words and running trains, and his martial arts were mediocre, but he could get away with it every time, and he was a lucky general.
So, is Cheng Biting Jin in history really as unbearable as described in the TV series? In fact, Cheng Yanjin was an important figure in the Tang Dynasty of China, he was one of the important generals of the Tang Dynasty, and made important contributions to the unification and stability of the Tang Dynasty.
His three-plate axe, though simple, was immensely powerful, and the resourcefulness and courage he displayed in battle were breathtaking. In general, although Cheng Yanjin's image in the TV series is a bit exaggerated, in history, he is a real hero who deserves our respect and learning.
If you ask me about the little axe expert, I'll tell you one word:! Today, let's talk about what the real Cheng Biting Jin looks like in history. First of all, let's take a look at Cheng Yanjin's family background.
According to "Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties" and related TV series, Cheng Yanjin is a poor bastard, a poor dick, he can't even eat, in order to survive, he even has the cheekiness to go out to block the road and rob to subsidize the family, and he is a ruffian hooligan.
Is this true? I don't think so. In fact, Cheng Biting Jin was not born in that kind of dick silk family, but from a wealthy family in Shandong. I have two reasons for this.
In the ancient Northern Qi Dynasty, the Cheng Lou family, who became a big official, naturally became a wealthy family. All this is thanks to the implementation of the Jiupin Zhongzheng system, ** from the recommendation, the children of the poor family can hardly enter the ruling class, and becoming an official has become a monopoly industry.
In other words, if your family doesn't have a big official, it's hard to get someone to recommend you.
The second home visit, the implementation of the Jiupin Zhongzheng system, made Cheng Yanjin's second wife Cui, from the famous Qinghe Cui, Shandong. The Qinghe Cui family was powerful, lasted for many years, and even had important influence in the Tang Dynasty.
In that era when the focus was on the right family, a poor boy wanted to marry a second-married lady from a wealthy family, I am afraid it was just a fantasy. Those romantic love stories are just legends after all, and they are not believable.
The marriage with the Cui family shows that the strength of the Cheng Biting Jin family is also comparable, even no less than the Cui family.
Cheng Yanjin is not a son of a poor family, he was born in the Cui family, if he is placed now, he should be regarded as a typical second generation of officials and rich second generations.
Before telling about the heroic deeds of Cheng Biting Jin, I would like to talk about the ** he used. In the Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Cheng Yanjin is portrayed as a character who only scares people, often holding an axe, giving the impression of a farmer chopping wood.
When he encounters an enemy, he wields an axe, bullying them if he wins, and fleeing immediately if he can't. However, this does not correspond to the true state of history. Cheng Biting Jin's ** is not an axe, but a powerful and flexible horse lance, which is a spear used on a horse, which is heavier and more handsome than ordinary spears.
The production process of horse lance is complex, the success rate is low, and it is expensive, so it is not available to ordinary people.
How is Cheng Biting Jin's martial arts? Taking the war in the last years of the Sui Dynasty as an example, according to the "Old Tang Book", the world was in turmoil, and heroes from all over the country came forward one after another, and Cheng Biting Jin was no exception, he took refuge in Li Mi in Wagangzhai.
Later, Li Mi fought against Wang Shichong, and Cheng Yanjin led his comrade-in-arms Pei Xingyan to fight. In the fierce battle, Pei Xingyan was unfortunately hit by an arrow, Cheng Yanjin immediately rode his horse and rushed over to save his friend, and after a fierce battle, successfully rescued Pei Xingyan and prepared to return to the formation.
However, being pursued by Wang Shichong's soldiers in the back, Cheng Yanjin actually broke the opponent's horse lance and killed him, which shows that Cheng Yanjin is not only superb in horsemanship, superb in martial arts, but also amazingly powerful.
In addition, Cheng Biting Jin's martial arts have also been proved by another side. At that time, Li Mi had an army of hundreds of thousands, and he selected 8,000 elites from them as his bodyguard troops, which is equivalent to the current ** garrison regiment, which can be said to be a special force among the elites, and Cheng Yanjin is one of the leaders of this force, which is enough to prove that he is not an ordinary person.
Cheng Yanjin was loyal to Li Mi in Wagangzhai and followed him to fight in the north and south. Later, Li Mi fought with Wang Shichong and fought a fierce battle, but Li Mi was defeated due to mistakes and became a down-and-out man.
Seeing this situation, Cheng Yanjin surrendered to Wang Shichong in desperation. But as soon as he surrendered, he regretted it, because he found that Wang Shichong was a person who could not achieve great things, and he said that Wang Shichong was chirping, like a witch.
After discussing with Qin Shubao, he decided to leave Wang Shichong and surrender to Li Yuan.
Li Yuan was overjoyed to be able to receive such a fierce general, Cheng Biting Jin, and arranged for him to serve under Li Shimin. Since then, Cheng Yanjin has followed Li Shimin to fight in the south and the north, opening the peak of his career.
In the ensuing battles, he performed bravely, repeatedly charged on the battlefield, and was the first to climb the enemy tower, making great contributions to the country. Therefore, he was named the Duke of Suguo, and he was extremely glorious.
Cheng Biting Jin is not only brave, but also his political wisdom should not be underestimated. He firmly followed Li Shimin, but was jealous and slandered by Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji.
Li Jiancheng repeatedly slandered Cheng and bitten Jin in front of Li Yuan, and even managed to relegate him to a remote place. However, when Cheng Yanjin was in danger, he responded calmly, accurately hit the opponent's vital point, found Li Shimin, understood it with reason, moved it with emotion, and finally successfully saved himself under the protection of Li Shimin.
This series of actions fully proves Cheng Yanjin's political acumen and ability to respond.
Choosing the right leader is crucial. In history, Li Shimin successfully killed Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji through the Xuanwumen Change, thus winning the crown prince.
Cheng Yanjin also actively participated in the coup and successfully avenged himself. Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji were eventually killed, and Li Shimin successfully took over power.
Cheng Yanjin made outstanding contributions because of this, and was listed in the twenty-four meritorious heroes of Lingyan Pavilion, and he was extremely noble for a while.
Cheng Yanjin was still active on the battlefield after Li Shimin's death, but he listened to the advice of his deputy, connived at his subordinates to burn and loot, and although he got a lot of wealth, he was eventually dismissed.
However, his good fortune did not end and he was reactivated and rewarded. He lived until he died at the age of seventy-seven and was buried next to Li Shimin's mausoleum, showing his favor for him.
Books such as "Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", although rich in content and fascinating plots, should be careful not to treat them as history books.