During the Three Kingdoms period, Liu Bei's five tiger generals had their own characteristics, but Guan Yu and Zhang Fei seemed to have declined in strength in the later period. Is this because of the rumors spread by Cao Cao's subordinate Cao Mei, that Zhang Fei's strength is not strong, and Guan Yu is not invincible?
For these facts, we may need to delve into the life experience of the five tiger generals.
Guan Yu, who was once known as the first of the five famous generals of Shu Han, had a significant decline in combat power for a period of time. After Lu Bu's death, he got the Red Rabbit Horse, and his strength increased greatly, and he was known as the new number one master in the world.
At that time, Guan Yu was confident to defeat in the face of any opponent, and planting a flag to take someone's head was like picking up something from a bag. However, in the battle of Xiangfan, Guan Yu's performance was disappointing.
In the duel with Xiliang's pawn Pang De, he experienced a hundred rounds of hard fighting, but in the end he did not distinguish the winner or loser, and was also teased by Xu Huang. This can't help but make people doubt Guan Yu's combat power.
What's even more surprising is that when he failed to break through**, he was powerless to fight back in the face of a small role like Ma Zhong, which made people question whether his real strength was really as strong as the legend.
So, what is Guan Yu's combat power? Is it because of the ruthlessness of the years that he unknowingly became unfamiliar with martial arts? Or was he overrated in the first place?
His late decline in power is truly unbelievable. Whether it was because of the decline in physical condition or because of Cao Cao's rumors, it had an impact on him. We must admit that Guan Yu's decline in combat power is the result of a combination of factors.
Although Guan Yu has achieved remarkable victories in many battles, there are only a handful of truly decisive victories, and most of these feats have been achieved with the help of the Red Rabbit Horse.
Despite this, his reputation for martial arts is still very loud. Why is Guan Yu so famous? This is because although there are many fierce generals under Liu Bei's command, there are very few who can match Guan Zhang.
Guan Yu was revered as a model and symbol of Shuzhong military generals, which invisibly promoted his fame. Coupled with his legendary stories such as single-handedly Wenzhi, the death of Yan Liang, and the capture of Sichuan, he became famous all over the world.
People tend to only remember his brilliant victories and ignore the not-so-stellar performances behind him. This exaggerates his strength to a certain extent. Therefore, in summary, it is not surprising that Guan Yu's combat power declined in his later years.
Because his strength base was not so solid from the beginning. The years and rumors may have accelerated this process, but the decisive factor was that among the many fierce generals of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu's strength was not outstanding.
As time passed, his martial arts were not as good as before, and this difference in strength became obvious. Therefore, the decline of Guan Yu's combat power is actually an inevitability of historical development.
Zhang Fei's heroic deeds once made everyone look forward to his combat strength, but he in history makes people doubt the strength of the Five Tigers of Shu Han. His heroic performance has been hyped in the romance, and the 100-round heads-up without winning or losing is even more shocking.
But this does not hide the fact that he failed to annihilate the remnants of Zhang He in the slap battle and was plotted to die in his sleep. This raises questions about his prowess, is he really as powerful as the legend says?
Or was his heroic deeds over-amplified?
Although Zhang's later performances did not meet expectations, that doesn't mean he's always been a mediocre fighter. In his career, he was the invincible god of war in Shu, and even Lu Bu could not compete with it.
Sadly, however, his brilliance did not last long before he quickly went downhill. This is mainly due to his slackness and failure to always be vigilant and cultivate martial arts.
Achievements in any field cannot rely on past achievements, but require continuous hard work and cultivation. Otherwise, even a trivial plot can have fatal consequences if the skill is rusty.
However, we should also recognize that his decline is not entirely his fault, but also plays a role.
After Zhang Fei achieved great achievements, in recognition of his contributions, Liu Bei allowed him to indulge in pleasures. This is undoubtedly a major test for a martial artist. What is even more worrying is that rumors deliberately exaggerated Lu Bu's force, causing Zhang Fei's self-confidence to be shaken.
These factors eventually led him to stop training and his physical fitness and martial arts declined rapidly. Therefore, Zhang Fei's sharp decline in combat power in the later period does have his own reasons.
However, the cruel blow of fate cannot be ignored either. It was possible that he would continue to be the invincible god of war in Shu, but the blows of Vanity Fair finally brought him into his twilight years, which was also an accident in the development of history.
If it weren't for Zhang Fei's talent, how could a small soldier defeat him?
Although Ma Chao's combat power did not decline as seriously as Guan Zhang's two, as a famous general of Xiliang in Shu, his performance in the later period was greatly unsatisfactory.
His submission to Liu Bei was an important turning point, but after the Battle of Hanzhong, Ma Chao no longer had an outstanding performance, and could only be responsible for the task of guarding the border passes, and no longer participated in large-scale battles, which was in stark contrast to his former reputation as "difficult to chase after a horse".
Ma Chao's success in submitting to Liu Bei became a turning point in the decline of his strength. He was originally full of ambition, but because he could no longer pursue higher goals, the fighting spirit in his heart gradually faded.
If he had chosen to defect to Cao Cao, he might have made contributions on the battlefield like Zhang Liao and Guo Yan. However, once he became the ** of Shu, he lost the stage to display his ambitions, and gradually became satisfied with the status quo, no longer practicing martial arts as diligently as before.
Of course, the erosion of time and disease is also a factor that cannot be ignored. Ma Chao's joining Shu Han should have been the pinnacle of his life, but he lost his fighting spirit because he had no goal and allowed his martial arts to decline.
This tells us that success can also lead to a person's decline, which is too ironic for Ma Chao.
Huang Zhong is known as a late bloomer, although he only began to emerge after he was over the age of six, and achieved notable achievements in the Hanzhong War. However, during the Battle of Yiling, he disobeyed the order to fight in an attempt to avenge Guan Yu.
After killing an enemy general, he was quickly surrounded by four Wu soldiers. Although he managed to break through, he was seriously injured and died shortly after. Through the Battle of Yiling, we can see that Huang Zhong's martial arts have begun to decline.
So, how much did his combat effectiveness drop in the later period? What caused him to fall from the altar so quickly after his great achievements?
Although Huang Zhong was a little inferior in his later years, he did not turn a blind eye to the capture of his comrade-in-arms Guan Yu, which is his style. Despite dissuasion, he resolutely broke into the enemy formation, just to prove that his martial arts had not diminished.
This kind of courage is admirable. It's a pity that the years are not forgiving, and he is no longer young. Surrounded by four enemies, Huang Zhong was finally defeated. However, the significance of this battle has gone beyond victory or defeat.
It shows how Huang Zhong still insists on himself in his old age and never bows to difficulties.
From another point of view, Liu Bei failed in the Battle of Yiling because of his improper use of troops. If he had let the elite Zhao Yun lead the army at that time, he might be able to avenge Guan Yu.
Unfortunately, Liu Bei did not heed the advice, which eventually led to the tragedy of Huang Zhong leading his troops to death. Therefore, we need to reflect from this battle, although Huang Zhong died on the battlefield in his later years, his spirit is always commendable.
At the same time, Liu Bei's mistake also brought a profound lesson to future generations, that is, although it is a good thing to be old and strong, you can't abandon the basics. This is the most important historical revelation that Huang Zhong gave us in the Battle of Yiling.
Zhao Yun's martial arts are unique in the martial arts, and even when Zhuge Liang was on the Northern Expedition, his strength was still awe-inspiring. He fought five enemy generals in a row, killed four, and captured one, which amazed people at his enduring strength.
However, the performance of the other Five Tigers also raises questions about Zhao Yun's strength, whether he has gradually weakened in the baptism of the years, or has he been overpraised in the first place?
In any case, Zhao Yun's martial arts are indeed extraordinary, so he has it"Changshan Zhao Zilong"The good name. However, the passage of time is inescapable, and we must admit that Zhao Yun's old age has not been able to reproduce the bravery of his youth when he rushed into the enemy line first.
How did he manage to stay tenacious under the pressure of the Lord? The key lies in Zhao Yun's personality traits, even if he was alienated in his later years, he always maintained a humble and cautious attitude, without the slightest complaint.
This positive and optimistic attitude has slowed down the decline of his martial arts to a certain extent. But we also understand that no one can resist the erosion of time, even a hero like Zhao Yun has a day of aging.
When that moment comes, I'm afraid no one will be able to save him. Therefore, although Zhao Yun's performance is temporarily stronger than the other five tigers, he can't withstand the tempering of the years after all.
This is a historical inevitability, and no one can change it. Our attitude towards Zhao Yun should be neither blindly optimistic nor harshly critical. We should cherish his present glory while also preparing him for old age.
From the above cases, it can be seen that the combat effectiveness of the five tiger generals was weakened in the later period, but to a different extent. There are two main reasons for this phenomenon: first, the years are merciless.
In the era of cold weapons, the combat effectiveness of military generals largely depended on physical strength, so with age, the decline of physical strength and martial arts was inevitable. This is an aging process that all martial artists cannot avoid, and even legendary generals such as the Five Tigers cannot escape this law.
History is always full of drama, and the scenery of the Five Tiger Generals shines all over the world, but in the end, it is difficult to escape the fate of prosperity and decline. This tells us that the pinnacle of power and status is often accompanied by the helplessness of no longer being in the limelight.
We must remain sober-minded about this phenomenon, because this is the inevitable trend of historical development. Of course, there are other factors that also exacerbate the occurrence of this phenomenon. But in general, the decline of the Five Tigers is an inevitable consequence of historical development.
It reminds us that no one can escape the fate of aging, and we must be brave enough to face this fact.