In the long scrolls of the history of the Ming Dynasty, Qi Jiguang, as we know him, was a military wizard who defended the country against foreign enemies and became one of the most respected generals in history.
However, among the heroes who also fought against the enemy with him, there was a sea overlord, Yu Dayou, who was little known. What kind of stories and heroic feats are hidden behind this little-noticed fact?
In 1507, in an ordinary military attache family, an extraordinary child was born - Yu Dayou. He was brilliant since he was a child, he could recite thousands of words at the age of 5, and by the age of 10, he was in charge of household chores, and his physical strength and mind were superbly developed.
According to his father's expectations, Yu Dayou, who was already a talent at the age of 15, should have studied in Taixue, striving for high school jinshi and glorifying his ancestors. But his ambitions don't stop there, he dreams of becoming a general, shrouded in horse leather, and loyal to his country. So, he gave up the imperial examination and devoted himself to martial arts, and at the same time flipped through the military parade books and delved into the layout of the battle array.
Soon, Yu Dayou's talent for calculation was revealed. He was able to draw an intricate formation on the sand with a wooden stick in his hand, which amazed the teachers. What's even more surprising is that he can also dictate the art of war while setting up the formation, and his thinking is shockingly quick.
At the age of 27, Yu Dayou finally won the martial arts, and it seems that his martial arts have not been practiced in vain. What's even more gratifying is that the following year, he was promoted to the Wujin Shi again, and his official position and Yulu were improved. For this young talent from a humble background, the future seems to be very good.
But soon, he got a taste of the elusiveness of officialdom. The position of the Kinmen garrison was lackluster, and Yu Dayou was unable to fulfill his ambitions. He decided to supervise the promotion and write a letter to the superintendent of the imperial history, but he did not expect to receive a charge of "unreasonable school" and was directly dismissed.
At this time, Yu Dayou was extremely resentful in his heart. He has obviously proved himself with strength and political achievements, but he was beaten back to his original form because of trespassing, which is really unacceptable. He even had the idea of abandoning his official position and living in seclusion in the mountains and forests. Fortunately, his friends tried every means to persuade him to regain his strength and continue to be loyal to his country.
Yu Dayou has an old-fashioned temperament, a straightforward personality, never panders to the powerful, only serves the country, and always maintains a high level. He knows very well that in order to gain a foothold in this political game, he must abandon some principles and learn to deal with them tactfully. As a result, he began to adjust his way of doing things, interacting more with civil officials, and making good connections.
Soon, he was regained his understanding and reuse, and he made great achievements in many battles. In particular, the battle of Qinzhou, which defeated the Annan soldiers, killed more than 1,000 enemies, forcing Annan to kill the commander and seize military power. With such a great achievement, he should have been promoted to the commander-in-chief of the entire army along the coast of Fujian, but the people in power were afraid of his rise and refused to give him a heavy reward for promotion. Yu Dayou was furious, and almost uttered wild words on the spot, but fortunately he controlled himself in time, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable.
It can be said that Yu Dayou has been confused about his future and in a dilemma from the beginning. He was not only a natural martial arts wizard, clear-headed, far-sighted, and repeatedly planned the art of war, but his luck was so bad that no one adopted it. If you want to say that his biggest regret is probably that he does not have a competent guide, his prestige and status have never been able to break through the bottleneck.
In 1552, at the age of 45, Yu Dayou was sent to the front lines in Ningbo and Taizhou to curb the increasingly rampant Japanese forces. At this time, he was already a veteran of the southeast coast of the Ming Dynasty.
Relying on his rich experience in actual combat, Yu Dayou knew very well that he should focus on the weakness of the Japanese Invaders - naval warfare. He redeployed the fleet, used large building ships to fight, and defeated the Japanese in Ningbo and other places many times, and achieved initial results.
As a martial artist born on the seashore, Yu Dayou has a soft spot for naval warfare. From an early age, he was fascinated by the art of war, and even made his own wooden boat models in his spare time, simulating naval battles in a water basin at home. Now that he finally had the opportunity to apply what he had learned, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep at night.
However, the good times did not last long, and due to some failed examples, Yu Dayou was suspended again for questioning. It is as if there is an invisible big hand, which follows him at all times, and as long as he makes achievements, all kinds of crimes will appear and drag him off the road to victory.
Yu Dayou was depressed again. He hated the deceit in the court, and he also saw that the Ming Dynasty was already at this time'，': Internal and external troubles, he is just a pawn in the power game. He even cried bitterly in the dark night, blaming himself for not making meritorious service too early, which caused suspicion and suppression.
Despite being repeatedly given a cold reception, Yu Dayou, who is loyal to the country, did not flinch at all. In 1556, he annihilated nearly 2,000 Japanese in Wangjiangjing, making great contributions. However, his military exploits were stolen by his colleague Hu Zongxian, and he was demoted again and appointed as an idle messenger.
At this time, 49-year-old Yu Dayou was already in his twilight years, but he was forced to leave the front line and sit on empty seats. Seeing that his former subordinates were at the forefront of the anti-Japanese war, he missed his battlefield career very much, and regretted it very much, if he had kept a low profile, would he have been able to end up and not suffer so much.
Since then, Yu Dayou has been fighting in the north and south for more than 30 years and has suffered dozens of wounds. has repeatedly performed miraculous feats, but has also been misused repeatedly, with ups and downs in the officialdom.
In 1567, Yu Dayou, who had been appointed as the chief soldier, was ordered to crusade against the rebellion, was ambushed halfway, and was wounded by an arrow. The arrow almost killed him, and in his coma, he saw the call of his ancestors, and thought that his life was coming to an end. However, the heavens could not reclaim the rest of his life, and he miraculously healed in front of his ancestral grave and returned to battle.
Faced with one unjust case after another, Yu Dayou did not choose to despair, but gritted his teeth and endured, proved himself again and again, and re-established his prestige. He has an old-fashioned temperament, a straightforward personality, never panders to the powerful, only serves the country, and always maintains a high level.
But it was this temperament that made it difficult for him to gain a foothold in the court. Compared with the sleek and flattering Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou seems too upright and strong. He has no background, and every time he makes contributions, he is not rewarded and encouraged, but he is suppressed and framed. This became the fundamental reason why he failed to uphold justice and spread his reputation throughout his life.
In 1582, Yu Dayou, who was ordered to suppress bandits, got lost in the mountains and was hungry. All of his retinue were killed, and he himself was mortally wounded, and spent three days and three nights in a desperate situation. It wasn't until the rescue team found out that he was missing that he was rescued, which was very thrilling.
In 1598, at the age of 91, Yu Dayou died of a sudden illness while galloping on the front line. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the country, the emperor posthumously awarded him the title of Governor of Zuodu, nicknamed "Wuxiang". However, his magnificent life has never been remembered by more people.
As the evaluation in history, Qi Jiguang's "soaring power", every time he made a move, he caused a sensation in the government and the opposition, and his reputation was far and wide. And Yu Dayou is a "veteran general", he is steady in his use of troops, he is not surprised by changes, and his achievements are not lost to Qi Jiguang, but it is difficult to show off for a while.
When contemporary people mourn those martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country, they can only pay a little respect, so that this unfortunate genius will also be famous through the ages.