Guan Yu ( Chinese trad. 關羽 , Ex . 关羽 , Pinyin : Guān Yǔ , d. 219 ) - the warlord of the kingdom of Shu of the Three Kingdoms era and one of the main characters of the medieval novel " Three Kingdoms ". In the novel, it is derived as the ideal of nobility, a kind of Oriental Robin Hood .
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Biography
Guan Yu came from the Hedong area in the capital district, but was forced to flee and ended up in the Zhuo area, where at that time he was collecting troops from Liu Bei . Guan Yu and Zhang Fei joined Liu Bei, became his closest associates, and fought under his command against yellow dressings . Guan Yu faithfully served Liu Bei and accompanied him in all dangerous enterprises.
When Liu Bei captured Xuzhou, he ordered Guan Yu to protect Xiapi city. In 200, Cao Cao attacked Liu Bei, and he fled north to Yuan Shao . Guan Yu was captured by Cao Cao. Cao appointed Guan Yuya a lieutenant-general and rendered him extraordinary honors. A war broke out between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, and Cao put Zhang Liao and Guan Yu at the head of the vanguard to stop the troops of General Yan Liang. The armies met at the battle of Bayme. Guan Yu attacked Yan Liang, pierced him with a spear and returned with his severed head. The troops of Yuan Shao retreated. Cao Cao awarded Guan Yu with the title Hou .
Guan Yu still did not give up his intention to return to Liu Bei. Having repaid Cao Cao for his graces by killing Yan Liang, Guan Yu left Cao, leaving all the gifts along with a farewell letter, and went to the Yuan Shao camp to reunite with Liu Bei. Cao Cao was persuaded to send chase after him, but he refused.
Guan Yu followed Liu Bei when he joined Jingzhou Governor Liu Biao . After the death of Liu Biao in 208, the army of Cao Cao entered Jingzhou, which intended to subjugate the whole south in one campaign and complete the unification of China under its authority. Liu Bei retreated, pursued by the troops of Cao Cao. Guan Yu was instructed to lead the fleet so that Liu Bei’s army could cross the river and escape the pursuit. After that, Liu Bei settled in Syakou and made an alliance with Sun Quan . In the battle of Red Rock, they defeated Cao Cao, and he was forced to retreat. Guan Yu was appointed general to conquer the robbers, and left to guard Liu Bei’s possession in Jingzhou from Cao Cao. Liu Bei himself went to conquer Yizhou .
In 219, Liu Bei conquered Hanzhong and proclaimed himself the van of Hanzhong. Appointed avant-garde general Guan Yu laid siege to Fancheng, who defended Cao Ren . Cao Cao sent Yu Jin to help him, but in the fall, the Han river overflowed due to rains, and the army of Yu Jin drowned. Yu Jin surrendered to Guan Yu, and Guan Yu executed General Pan De.
Glory to Guan Yu was rattling all over China, and Cao Cao even thought about moving the capital from Xuchang away from the line of hostilities. Then his advisers Sima Yi and Jiang Ji convinced him that it was possible to conclude an alliance against Guan Yu and Sun Quan. The forces of the kingdom Wu made the main contribution to the victory in the Battle of Red Rock, and Sun Quan believed that Jingzhou should belong to him. In addition, he had previously received from Guan Yu a humiliating response to the proposal of marriage between his son and daughter Guan Yu. Sun Quan secretly began to prepare the attack - the elite troops of Meng were disguised as merchants. They were supported by the generals Guan Yu - Mi Fang and Fu Shizhen. They were responsible for the supply, but they didn’t cope with their tasks, and Guan Yu promised to punish them when he returned. Frightened, they accepted Sun Quan's offer to betray Guan Yu. Cao Cao at this time sent Xu Juan to help Cao Zhen.
Guan Yu had to retreat. The base of Guan Yu in Jianglin was captured by Sun Quan, and thus the families of Guan Yu soldiers were taken hostage by Sun Quan. Guan Yu's demoralized army dispersed. Sun Quan sent his generals to capture Guan Yu, after which Guan Yu and his son Guan Ping were executed. Sun Quan sent his head to Guan Yuya Cao Cao. Cao buried her with honors.
Guan Yu received the posthumous title of Zhuangmou Hou. Guan Yu was succeeded by his son Guan Xing, who later enjoyed Zhuge Liang's location. 40 years later, the Wei generals Deng Ai and Zhong Hui conquered the kingdom of Shu, and by order of Ban Hui, who was with them, the son of Ban De, the family Guan Yu was exterminated.
Image in Art
The Three Kingdoms novel featured the legend of the Peach Garden Oath , according to which Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Liu Bei swore to stand behind each other after a mountain manufacturer of straw sandals Liu Bei separated Guan Yu’s fight with a butcher Zhang Fei in a peach garden. Subsequently, Liu Bei founded the kingdom of Shu, and Guan Yu stood at the head of his army.
Cult
Shortly after Guan Yu's death, numerous legends began to accumulate on the actual facts of his life. They said that, after killing an unscrupulous judge, Guan Yu went unrecognized by the guards, as his face inexplicably changed color. In the 17th century, the worship of Guan Yu spread to Korea , where it was believed that it was Guan Yu that saved Koreans from the Japanese invasion.
Already in the days of the Sui Guan Yu dynasty, it was perceived as a deity, and in 1594 he was officially deified as the god of war under the name of Guan-di . Thousands of temples appeared in his honor across the Middle Kingdom . In these temples is usually kept the sword, which executed the criminals. It was believed that the spirit of the deceased would not dare to take revenge on the executioner , if he performs cleansing rites in the temple of Kuan-di.
Iconography
Guan-di is usually depicted accompanied by a squire and son, with a red face, in green vestments and with a weapon invented by him - “ Guan Dao ”. In his hand he holds the historical treatise " Zuo-chzhuan ", according to legend, memorized by heart. This attribute allows Guan-di to be considered the patron saint of not only warriors, but also writers.
This relatively rare image in Chinese iconography of a warrior in the Tibetan tradition became associated with Geser (Gexar), who for Tibetans is both a cult image and a historical commander-in-chief of the historical region of Ling. Following the Tibetans, this association was perceived by the Mongols and Buryats , for whom Geser is the central epic hero; for example, the Guan Yu temple built by the Chinese in Urga in 1920 was subsequently "Mongolized" and transformed into a Geser temple .
Literature
- Chen Shou . Records of the Three Kingdoms .
- Pei Sunzhi . Comments to the Three Kingdom Records.
- The spiritual culture of China. Encyclopedia. V. 2, M. 2007, pp. 420-422.
- Guan Yu on Google Books