Guan Yu, a famous general during the Three Kingdoms period, became famous for killing Yan Liang in the "Siege of the White Horse". However, a serendipitous discovery more than a thousand years later has made people question the feat of this martial saint. What kind of secret is hidden in the bones exhumed in Yan Liang's tomb? Let's uncover the dust of history and find out the truth.
In 200 AD, on the eve of the Battle of Guandu, the smoke of the Battle of White Horse was filled.
Cao Cao, a generation of heroes, went to the front line in person, and faced the 100,000 elite soldiers of the famous Hebei general Yan Liang, he couldn't help but feel a little worried in his heart. At this moment, his eyes fell on Song Xian, the former general of Lu Bu's department, hoping that he could take the lead in breaking the enemy.
Song Xian went out to fight, but he was only Sanhe, and he died under Yan Liang's knife. Subsequently, Wei Xu angrily rushed into battle, wanting to avenge his companions, but he was also killed in only one round. The generals of the Cao army were shocked, and no one dared to fight again. Cao Cao was depressed in his heart, and at this time, Cheng Yu offered advice and recommended Guan Yu to fight Yan Liang.
Guan Yu, with a long word cloud and excellent martial arts, is the first fierce general under Liu Bei's account. Cao Cao was well aware of his bravery, but he was also worried that he would leave after his meritorious service. Cheng Yu thought that if Guan Yu beheaded Yan Liang, Yuan Shao would suspect Liu Bei, and if Liu Bei died, Guan Yu would have no intention of going. Cao Cao was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately sent someone to invite Guan Yu to fight.
When Guan Yu heard the call, he did not hesitate to pick up his knife and get on the horse, and went straight to Baima Slope. He looks at Yan Liang's array, like a local chicken and tile dog, and regards Yan Liang himself, like inserting a label and selling ears, and he is arrogant. Cao Cao and the generals watched the battle on the dirt mountain, and when they saw Guan Yu rushing straight into the enemy formation, they were all impressed by his courage.
Guan Yu Red Rabbit was fast, and in an instant, he rushed to Yan Liang's cover. Yan Liang was caught off guard and was slashed by Guan Yu under the horse. Guan Yu cut off Yan Liang's head, and rushed out of the enemy formation like entering a no-man's land, the Hebei army was in chaos, and the Cao army took advantage of the situation to attack and won a complete victory.
Guan Yu offered his head in front of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao was amazed and called Guan Yu a "man of God". In this battle, Guan Yu not only relieved the siege of Baima for Cao's army, but also established an unshakable prestige in the Hebei army. And the heroic deeds of beheading Yan Liang under the sword of the green dragon glaive have also become a good story praised by later generations.
However, the truth of history is often hidden in the details.
Seven kilometers east of Junxian County, Henan Province, 1 km southeast of Suozamiao Village, there is an ancient tomb eroded by the years, which is the resting place of Yan Liang, a famous general of the Three Kingdoms. Yan Liang, a general who left a strong mark in the history of the Three Kingdoms, although he was a defeated general, his heroic deeds are still praised by later generations. According to the records of Jun County, the scale of construction of Yanliang's tomb is not small, the tomb is 3 meters high and about 20 meters in diameter, showing the respect and admiration for it at that time. In the tenth year of Kangxi, Liu Mou, the county commander of Jun County, personally erected a monument for Yan Liang, and the inscription was engraved with "The Tomb of Yan Liang, the Han General", leaving a precious historical memory for future generations.
However, the truth of history is often hidden in layers of fog. Guan Yu, the martial saint who has an indissoluble bond with Yan Liang, left a sentence in the history books, "Stabbing Yan Liang among the crowd", which made people mistakenly think that Yan Liang was beheaded by Guan Yu and died. But the truth of history was revealed in an accident in the seventies of the last century.
At that time, the farmland where Yan Liang's tomb was located was contracted by local villager Wang Liulan. During a watering process, the burial chamber collapsed due to water ingress. Out of curiosity, Wang Liulan dug up Yan Liang's tomb. In addition to a batch of pottery, terracotta figurines and other funerary goods in the tomb, there is also a mutilated skeleton. Only the skull and thigh bones of the skeleton remained, and the small bones in the rest of the body were almost all rotted into dirt. There is also a rusty iron knife in the tomb, which has become a strong proof of Yan Liang's military general's identity.
The discovery shocked the historians. The scene in Yan Liang's tomb is very different from Guan Yu's description of "beheading Yan Liang". This skeleton was obviously not caused by Guan Yu's beheading. So, did Guan Yu lie back then?
In fact, Guan Yu's "Riding a Horse and Stabbing Yan Liang in the Crowd" emphasizes more of his bravery and resourcefulness on the battlefield, rather than a literal "beheading". The truth of history is often hidden behind the words, which requires us to carefully explore and interpret.
The discovery of Yan Liang's tomb reveals for us the other side of Guan Yu's beheading of Yan Liang. The bones and relics of the tomb show that Yan Liang was not beheaded by Guan Yu, but died on the battlefield. This discovery is inconsistent with the record in the "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms" about Guan Yu's "beheading and returning". So, why did Guan Yu lie?
Perhaps, we can understand Guan Yu's behavior from the perspective of human nature. In that era of heroes, personal honor and status were often closely linked to achievements. Guan Yu, as Liu Bei's right-hand man, is naturally eager to enhance his reputation through his outstanding military exploits. Therefore, he may have falsely claimed to have won Yan Liang's head in order to exaggerate his achievements after the war.
However, we cannot deny Guan Yu's bravery and contribution because of this. In the Battle of the White Horse, Guan Yu single-handedly broke into the enemy formation, killed Yan Liang, and relieved Cao Cao, a feat that in itself was enough to demonstrate his martial prowess. As for whether or not to behead Yan Liang, it may not matter. The important thing is that Guan Yu proved his loyalty and bravery with his actions, and became a hero admired by later generations.
As the ancients said, "The winner is king, and the loser is the villain." "The truth of history is often written by the victors. The story of Guan Yu's beheading of Yan Liang may not be exactly as we imagined, but this does not affect his heroic status in people's hearts.
The discovery of Yan Liang's tomb reveals another side of history for us. The true cause of the death of this famous general of the Three Kingdoms may never be fully revealed, but the thickness and authenticity of this history make us more in awe and respect history.
(This article mainly refers to "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", and "Junxian Chronicles").
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