New Exploration (XIII) Did Guan Yu use a spear instead of a knife? Do you think the real history really conforms to history?

With the popularity of all kinds of historical jokes, some strange theories are rampant, especially during the Three Kingdoms period, which has attracted much attention. For example, Liu Bei is not Liu Huangshu, Zhang Fei is a handsome boy, and Zhuge Liang has the heart of usurping the throne, which makes many people believe it. What is particularly important is that these views are often not simple nonsense, and they are often more convincing with evidence and theory. But are they real history? Not necessarily! Because most people cannot see history with their own eyes. What we know about it is actually verified by others. But this research often makes mistakes. For example, in the Qing Dynasty, famous scholars once believed that Nu Wa was a man. Now due to the introduction of western archaeological knowledge. Our textual research level has been greatly improved. However, due to various reasons, mistakes are still inevitable. Interested friends can check "Kanman's Poetry Copy" to see the gold content of "unearthed cultural relics". The following are topics of concern to the three countries. That's a dragon crescent moon blade. Many modern people think that it does not exist in history. Guan Yu, a military commander, actually used a spear. But is history really like this? Zhihu netizen "Daming Sun Chengzong" made a detailed textual research on this magic soldier, and the conclusion seems to be different from what many people believe. This article is reproduced with permission of Daming Sun Chengzong. I look forward to your comments. Is the dragon crescent moon blade fictional? As we all know, the folk image of Guan Yu, a famous official in the late Han Dynasty, has been very fixed due to the depiction of storytelling, romance and opera. The dragon crescent moon blade and red rabbit horse are his "standard configurations". In the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the dragon crescent moon blade is almost accompanied by Guan Shengren. For the first time in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it was said that Liu got a thousand kilograms of wrought iron, Guan Yu made a dragon crescent moon blade, and the dragon crescent moon blade had another strange name "Leng Yan Saw". In the third battle of tiger fastened shut, Lu Bu said in a poem: "The battle is not divided into victory and defeat, and the battle is angered by Guan Yunchang;" Qinglong Baodao can frost and snow, and parrot shirts fly butterflies. " Qinglong crescent moon blade and red hare became Guan Yu's identification symbol together. Liu Bei's soldiers were defeated by Hanjin Pass. When Cao Cao led his troops in pursuit, suddenly a group of military horses flew out from behind the hillside and shouted, "I've been waiting here for a long time!" The general's keepsake, holding a dragon sword and sitting on a red hare, was originally described by Guan Yunchang. Romance of the Three Kingdoms has designed many wonderful plots around the dragon crescent moon blade, such as: taking a knife to pick a robe, going to the meeting with a single knife, throwing a knife and grabbing it. It seems that the dragon crescent moon blade appeared in the novel for a longer time than Guan Yu. When the author defeated the Qiang in the snow, he also arranged the plot of Guan Yunchang's "descent" after he became a god. ""I saw a general in the clouds, with a face as heavy as a jujube, an eyebrow as a silkworm, a green robe and shining armor, dragon sword, a red hare and a beautiful beard. "Dragon crescent moon blade has become an indispensable image spokesperson for Guan Yu. Qinglong crescent moon blade is so superb in the novel, so is it really Guan Yu's weapon in the official history? I'm afraid not. This weapon, Qinglong Crescent Moon Blade, has not been found in the archaeological excavations of cultural relics or historical records of the Three Kingdoms period. In fact, before the Song Dynasty, Tao Hongjing's Records of Knives and Swords in the Southern Dynasties, Zhang Jiuling's Six Classics of the Tang Dynasty and Xu Jian's Records of the Early Tang Dynasty all introduced knives in detail, but none of them mentioned this weapon. The crescent blade was first seen in the book Wu Yao, which was officially edited in the fourth year of the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 1044). The shapes of "Wu Tu" and "Moon Shading Blade" are almost the same as those of the legendary Guan Gong Qinglong Crescent Moon Knife in later generations, except that there is no Qinglong decoration on the blade. Crescent knives were widely used in the Ming Dynasty, and most of them were used by military salute or martial arts candidates to practice martial arts, rather than actual combat knives. In the Ming Dynasty, Mao's "Wu Bei Zhi, Jun Du, Equipment" recorded: "The crescent knife is used to show its strength and cannot be applied to the array." "Even if Guan Yu is skilled in martial arts and has the ability to use this heavy weapon to fight, historically, he can't use the dragon crescent moon blade as a weapon. During the Three Kingdoms period, most of the knives were narrow and straight ring-headed knives, with a length of about one meter, a thick back and a single-sided blade, but no tip. The manufacturing technology of broadsword, such as Qinglong crescent moon blade, was very immature in the Three Kingdoms period, and it was difficult to produce. In short, Guan Yu in the official history is unlikely to use the dragon crescent moon blade. Besides Guan Yu and Qinglong Crescent Moon Knife in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it can't be ignored that generals in real history can't use their own unique "magic weapon" all the year round, and even can only use one weapon. Even in the Ming and Qing Dynasties when iron smelting technology was mature, high-quality weapons were inevitably damaged in the battle, and frontline generals had to prepare more weapons to meet the needs of the battle. On the other hand, the conditions in war are often limited, and generals are unlikely to find the most handy weapons in all environments. Generally speaking, generals with high martial arts can master the skills of using various weapons. Perhaps an enemy of ten thousand people like Guan Yu is really proficient in a certain weapon, but he will never be "unfamiliar" with other weapons. At this point, we can probably draw a conclusion that Guan Yu in the official history is unlikely to use the dragon crescent moon blade, and he should use more than one weapon every day. So, what weapons can Guan Yu use? Chen Shou didn't mention Guan Yu's weapons in the History of the Three Kingdoms, nor did Pei Songzhi's notes, but we can find the answer through other historical materials. The Records of Ancient and Modern Knives and Swords written by Tao Hongjing in the Southern Dynasties records: "Liu Bei, the master of Shu, took the first year of Zhangwu as an example, collected gold and Niu Shan iron and cast eight swords, each three feet and six inches long. Prepare for self-service, with Prince Zen, with Liang, with Lu, with Zhuge Liang, with Guan Yu, with Zhang Fei, and with Zhao Yun. " Although Guan Yu died in the first year of Zhangwu (AD 22 1 year), this historical data is mostly unreliable, but we can still draw the conclusion that the senior generals at that time still used swords as weapons. On the one hand, the sword has always been regarded as a symbol of aristocratic status and can be worn. On the other hand, although the sword cannot be mass-produced and equipped as in the Spring and Autumn Period because of its characteristics, it does not mean that it lacks practical value. On the contrary, for thousands of years, the power of the sword in the hands of military commanders cannot be underestimated. Lang Shiyuan's poem "Guandi Temple sends senior officials back to Jingzhou" in the Tang Dynasty has the following description: "The general is blessed by God and is brave in ancient and modern times. A hundred battles are victorious, and one sword is ten thousand enemies. " It can also be proved that the sword is one of the main weapons used by Guan Yu. However, we know that it is impossible to use the sword as a short weapon on horseback, and the iron smelting technology in the late Eastern Han Dynasty was not enough to build a sword for later generations, so long weapons should be used on horseback at that time. So what kind of long weapon did Guan Yu use? Many contemporary historians believe that the long weapon used by Guan Yu should be a spear or halberd, not a broadsword with a long handle. There are three main reasons: first, from the unearthed cultural relics, there were no long-handled broadswords in the Han Dynasty or even the Three Kingdoms period. The oldest long-handled broadsword unearthed at present belongs to the Tang Dynasty, so judging from the unearthed cultural relics, it is impossible for Guan Yu to use the long-handled broadsword. Secondly, the use of long weapons with complex movements on horseback, such as long-handled broadsword, can not be separated from the help of stirrups. Similarly, judging from the unearthed cultural relics, there should be no stirrups during the Three Kingdoms period. Those who support this point of view cite the following evidence: The earliest physical stirrups unearthed at present are a pair of mulberry heart stirrups wrapped in gold-plated copper pieces unearthed from Feng Sufu's tomb in beipiao city, Liaoning Province in 1965, and their age is roughly 4 15 years. From this calculation, there was no stirrup at all in the Three Kingdoms period, and Guan Yu could not ride a horse with a long-handled broadsword, but only with a stabbing weapon. Third, according to historical records, Guan Yu should use a spear. The record of Guan Yu beheading Yan Liang in the reflection of Zhang Guan Macelo Wong Zhao Chuan is as follows: "When I met Liang Huigai, I rode a horse to stab him in the crowd and beheaded him." Many people assert that since it is a thorn, Guan Yu certainly can't use a knife, otherwise the words "chop" and "chop" should be used in history books. Guan Yu's weapon should be a spear. As for the "beheading" at the back, naturally Guan Yu stabbed Yan Liang, took out his knife and cut off Yan Liang's head, because spears and halberds can't be used for chopping. From this point of view, it seems that the possibility of Guan Yu using a long-handled broadsword in the official history has been denied, so is this really the case? Not exactly. The statement that Guan Yu can't use a long-handled broadsword listed above seems reasonable, but it is not reliable. Let's analyze them one by one: first of all, from the unearthed cultural relics, there was no long-handled broadsword in the Three Kingdoms period, but this conclusion must be accompanied by a premise: there was no all-iron long-handled broadsword in the Three Kingdoms period. In other words, the condition of unearthed cultural relics does not mean that there were no other wooden poles or long-handled broadswords in the Three Kingdoms period. In fact, there has always been a misunderstanding about the weapons of the Han and Three Kingdoms period in later generations, that is, they mistakenly think that long weapons are made of iron, just like short weapons. It may make sense if there are sporadic all-iron long weapons, but most of the long weapons in the Three Kingdoms period are not made of iron. There are three reasons: first, the iron smelting technology at that time decided that the finished product rate of all-iron long weapons was low and did not have the conditions for mass production; Second, regardless of the output, the cost of all-iron long weapons is also very high, so it is impossible to produce them on a large scale; Third, all-iron long weapons are very heavy and difficult to use flexibly. Even if it can be produced on a large scale, it is difficult to ensure that soldiers can quickly form combat effectiveness when using this weapon. Moreover, the use of all-iron long weapons in the battle consumes a lot of physical strength. Even if this weapon could be produced at that time, it could only be equipped with a few elite troops and could not be popularized. In addition, the application scope of all-iron long weapons is actually very limited. Even with stirrups, cavalry rarely use all-iron long weapons on horseback. Anyone who knows the details of cavalry operations knows that when cavalry use long weapons to attack their opponents, they will also be strongly reacted. If you use a hard all-iron weapon, the cavalry will be killed or seriously injured. Therefore, the cavalry in the east and the west did not use iron core long weapons. In the Middle Ages, western knights used fragile materials to make spears, while in ancient China, special materials were used to make elastic stables. Therefore, most of the long weapons at that time were wooden poles, which was also reflected in the unearthed cultural relics. We know that from the pre-Qin Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, the number of all-iron long weapons unearthed was very rare, but the heads of spears, halberds and other weapons were very many, which fully showed that most of the long weapons at that time were wooden poles. So before the Tang Dynasty, was the blade of the long-handled broadsword unearthed? Yes Zhou Wei's Poem on China Weapons records the long-handled broadsword in the pre-Qin period among the unearthed cultural relics. Judging from the shape of the cultural relic, its length is almost no more than 30 cm, and the "hilt" cannot be held directly by hand. Obviously belongs to the blade of a long-handled broadsword. Therefore, judging from the unearthed cultural relics, there were long-handled broadswords in the Han and Three Kingdoms periods. The bronze knife with curved ridge and convex head unearthed in Shang Dynasty is 43.4 cm in length and 7 cm in width. It can be noticed that the handle part can't be grasped, so it depends on the stirrup problem at the joint with the handle. In fact, the age of stirrup in China has been controversial in academic circles. Although stirrup was unearthed late, other works of art such as pottery figurines and murals reflect that stirrup should have appeared earlier. For example, in 2004, a large mural, said to be from the Western Han Dynasty, was found in the ancient tomb in the southern suburbs of Xi, in which stirrups appeared. At present, the time span of stirrup recognized by academic circles, from the Western Han Dynasty to the Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, is inconclusive. Therefore, we can't use this uncertain conclusion to assert that there was no stirrup in the Three Kingdoms period, and further draw the conclusion that Guan Yu couldn't use a long-handled broadsword. Suspected murals of the Western Han Dynasty, in which stirrups are clearly visible. Logically, it is the stirrup's function that determines whether the long-handled broadsword can be used on horseback, not the stirrup itself. Therefore, even if there were no stirrups in the Three Kingdoms period, Guan Yu could use a long-handled broadsword on horseback as long as there were substitutes with similar functions. So, was there really a harness with stirrup function in the Three Kingdoms period? Yes This conclusion is not groundless, but based on historical records and the law of cavalry marching. We know that in the era without stirrups, people must hold the horse's belly tightly with their legs to maintain balance when riding, which is a huge consumption of physical strength. In the attacking army, if the cavalry must spend a lot of physical strength to maintain the balance of their bodies, they will not be able to maintain their combat effectiveness when they meet the enemy. It is a serious problem whether they can stand on horseback and not fall off. It can be seen that the existence of stirrups has a great influence on the mobility of cavalry. Therefore, we can draw a general conclusion that cavalry must use stirrups if they want to March more than 80 kilometers day and night (some people think it is the average advancing speed of Mongolian cavalry westward). Moreover, by consulting the history books of the Three Kingdoms period, we can really find the records of cavalry's urgent March. According to the biography of the Three Kingdoms, Shu Shu and the ancients, when Cao Cao conquered Liu Biao in the thirteenth year of Jian 'an (AD 208), he sent elite cavalry to chase Liu Bei. "Tso had a solid army in Jiangling, but he was afraid of relying on the patriarch, so he released the trench and ignored the army and went to Xiangyang. When Cao Gong heard that his late master had passed away, he led five thousand horses to chase him, and traveled more than three hundred miles day and night, reaching Dangyang Changban. My late Lord abandoned his wife and rode away with Zhuge Liang, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun, and Tsao Gong was greatly rewarded by him. " The history books clearly recorded the emergency March of Cao Cao's elite cavalry. In the Han dynasty, it was more than 300 Li, which is roughly equivalent to the modern 150 km. This distance is basically the same as the distance from Xinye to Dangyang. Even if there are exaggerations in the history books, it is enough to prove that Cao Cao's cavalry troops are marching in an emergency. No stirrups. Or with the help of a harness with stirrup function, it is impossible for Cao Jun cavalry to March so fast. Comparing with the historical data of later generations, when defending Beijing in the second year of Chongzhen in Ming Dynasty (AD 1629), the speed of loyalist cavalry in Zhao Lvjiao was "350 Li" (a record of Chongzhen), and the speed of Guanningjun cavalry in Yuan Chonghuan rushed to Beijing for rescue was "300 Li" (a book of white injustice), which was the same as that of Cao Cao's butch riding after Liu Bei. If we think that the records in the History of the Three Kingdoms are inaccurate, the speed of Cao Jun cavalry is only half or even a third of that recorded in historical books, and it is already an urgent March. Stirrup is the regular equipment of cavalry in Ming dynasty, and it is also a necessary thing to ensure cavalry to March long distances. Therefore, it can be judged that even if there were no stirrups in the Three Kingdoms period, the cavalry at that time must have been equipped with harnesses with similar functions. This view also appears in the historical field. Luo Xiaoping, a scholar, once pointed out in the book "Talking about the Time of the stirrup in China" on 20 15 that the stirrup of metal will not be produced before the Three Kingdoms period, but it is entirely possible that some objects with stirrup function will appear, such as ropes hung on both sides of the horse's belly made of rattan grass, bark, cloth strips and belts. In Shizhaishan, Yunnan, there was a kind of shell container in the period of Wang Mang in the Western Han Dynasty. At the top of the shell container, there is a gilded statue of a bareback rider, with his feet and thumb in a rope loop hanging from the saddle. It can be seen that the early stirrup with stirrup function appeared in the Western Han Dynasty. This kind of "primitive stirrup" is soft, light and amorphous, which is inconvenient to use and has potential safety hazards (once the horse falls to the ground, if the rider's feet are not pulled out in time, it will lead to being dragged by the horse. ), and the production is simple, it can be used anywhere, it is easy to be damaged, and it is inevitable to throw it away as you use it. This feature made it impossible to become a fixed part of harness as a "standard" for a long time, so it did not get a fixed title and entered the language and writing system of Han nationality at that time. Records in Historical Records and Hanshu show that the harness function of cavalry at that time was basically complete, which could support cavalry and generals to display superb martial arts on horseback. During the Three Kingdoms period, the harness function will only be more comprehensive. From this point of view, Guan Yu will not be unable to use a long-handled broadsword on horseback because of the limitation of harness function. Third, from the historical records, it can't be concluded that Guan Yu used halberd spear on horseback. Based on all kinds of historical materials, we can draw the conclusion that Guan Yu's most commonly used long weapon is probably a long-handled broadsword. As has been analyzed before, there was a material basis for the production of long-handled broadswords in the Three Kingdoms period, and historical records can also be used as circumstantial evidence. It is likely that there were long-handled broadswords in the Three Kingdoms period. The History of the Three Kingdoms of Dian Wei records: "Hao Wei held a big double halberd and a long knife. The army said: there are standard gentlemen under the account of a strong man, and 80 kilograms carry a pair of halberds. " The long knife here is probably a long-handled broadsword. According to unearthed cultural relics and historical records, with the improvement of smelting technology after the Han Dynasty, a long iron knife with ring handle appeared, which is more suitable for immediate combat. With thick ridge and sharp blade, it is an important weapon for cavalry. Because broadsword with long handle did exist in the Three Kingdoms period, the basis for Guan Yu to use broadsword with long handle also existed. The Records of Ancient and Modern Knives and Swords written by Tao Hongjing in the Southern Dynasties recorded: "Guan Yu was valued by his late master and risked his life. Self-made Dushan Iron as two knives, with the inscription' Ten thousand people'. And feather defeated, feather cherish knife, thrown into the water. "This is a direct record of Guan Yu's knife. At that time, senior generals still used swords as their weapons and status symbols. For example, A Liang Tao Hongjing in the Southern Dynasties described in The Record of Swords that Sun Quan made ten swords in Huang Wu in the fifth year (AD 226). This shows that the short weapons mainly used in the battlefield at that time have become ring swords, and on the other hand, the short weapons held by senior generals are still swords. So the "ten thousand knives" here should refer to long-handled broadsword, not short knife. It is even more unreasonable to assert that Guan Yu used a spear instead of a knife only on the basis of the "stabbing Yan Liang" recorded in the biography of Guan Yu in the Three Kingdoms (let's not consider the misprint of stabbing for the time being). From the history books, "thorn" is also often used to describe the use of knives. According to Su Han Wu Chuan, the Han Dynasty sent Su Wu to Xiongnu. When the Huns forced Su Wu to surrender, Wu Zhaohui and others said, "Although you were born, why go back to Han! "Draw a sword and stab yourself", which shows that a knife can be stabbed. In addition, the process of Guan Yu beheading Yan Liang described in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms is also "to strike first, to be strong, and to be stabbed to death under the horse". Obviously, even the dragon crescent moon blade can stab. Many scholars believe that knives can't be stabbed because they don't understand the shape of knives in the Han and Three Kingdoms periods and the use techniques of long knives. The cavalry in the Han Dynasty mostly used straight knives to replace the machetes of later generations, precisely because straight knives can split and stab. Puncture will bring more serious damage to the enemy, and one blow will make the enemy lose its combat effectiveness. The long-handled broadsword or horse-chopping sword has the function of cutting and stabbing at the same time, so it is very flexible to use. In addition, China's knife method is rich in content and flexible. The basic knife methods of broadsword are holding, stabbing, chopping, chopping, caressing, counter-chopping, flat chopping, cutting, flapping, striking, striking, inserting, stabbing, drawing, poking, leaning, drawing, hanging, picking, cutting, twisting, holding and blocking. This shows that the thorn and the long-handled broadsword have the same function. For those who support Guan Yu's impossibility of using a knife, there is another key point in Guan Yu's explanation of beheading Yan Liang in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and the explanation of "beheading" is that Guan Yu stabbed Yan Liang with a spear, then dismounted and cut off Yan Liang's head and retreated. This analysis is also unreliable. We know that the battle of the White Horse in the official history is not a confrontation between the two armies in the novel, which impacts Guan Yu, and there is no situation in which Yuan Jun is scared by Guan Yu and does not dare to move. Guan Yu in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms can "dismount suddenly, cut off Yan Liang's head, tie it under the horse's neck, fly on horseback, and make a knife like nobody's business", which is probably impossible in the official history. The battle of the White Horse in the official history was a sudden attack on Yan Liang's army led by Cao Cao. The two sides have been at war, and Guan Yu's beheading was a surprise attack, in order to make a quick decision. So Guan Yu may not have the conditions to dismount and cut off Yan Liang's head. In the case of ensuring his own safety, Guan Yu probably needs to finish all the work on horseback. In this way, this record not only can't draw the conclusion that Guan Yu used a ring-headed knife and a spear at the same time, but also circumstantial evidence shows that Guan Yu should use a long weapon with both stabbing and chopping functions, and it is likely to be a long-handled broadsword. Of course, this long weapon is not necessarily what we usually know as a long-handled broadsword. After all, the limited unearthed cultural relics do not prove that there must be a long-handled broadsword in the Three Kingdoms period. However, the murals in Wei and Jin Dynasties confirmed that there was another kind of long knife at that time, that is, the instrument knife. This kind of instrument knife is a long knife. It is about seven feet long (one foot is about 23cm in Wei and Jin Dynasties), and there is also a record in the history books that "Jin and Song Dynasties have called imperial Dao, and later Wei Dynasty called long Dao" for comparison. When describing the bravery of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Records of the Book of Jin III once described: "An and more than ten strong men rode horses in a battle in central Shaanxi. Ann holds a seven-foot broadsword in her left hand and eight snake spears in her right. Inbreeding, all made swords and spears, and hurt five or six; If you are far away, just wear a dress and shoot around. History as a Mirror also records that Chen An held a seven-foot broadsword in his left hand and an eight-snake spear in his right. Here, the official history clearly mentioned the seven-foot broadsword, which should be a long-edged ring-headed knife commonly used as an instrument knife. Chen Anshi is only forty years away from the last years of the Three Kingdoms and only a hundred years away from Guan Yu's age. It can be inferred that Guan Yu also used long knife instruments in actual combat. Of course, this does not mean that Guan dare not use other weapons. As mentioned above, Guan Yu, as an enemy of ten thousand people, theoretically has the ability to skillfully use most long weapons, including guns and spears. At this point, we can draw a conclusion that Guan Yu in the official history is unlikely to use the Qinglong crescent moon blade, but it is very likely to use the long-handled broadsword. Some scholars even put forward the view in the article: "It is a fact that the name' Crescent Knife' did not appear during the Three Kingdoms period, nor was it used for fighting, but appeared after the Three Kingdoms period. But no one dares to say that there is no knife like this in the Three Kingdoms. There may be a knife similar to the later crescent knife, but it's not called crescent knife. In other words, Guan Yu's favorite weapon is not like that, but it is not called "Dragon Crescent Moon Blade". Ancient heroic soldiers would make an unusual weapon for themselves. Knives like crescent blades were really rare at that time, and it was not unusual for people like Guan Yu to use them. Since it is the same as the crescent blade later, it is not exactly the same. If the crescent knife can't stab, Guan Yu's knife may not be able to stab. Maybe it's mostly like a crescent blade, but its front end is sharp, so it can cut and stab. Since it is a long-handled knife, it should be heavier. Not if it's light, so he should like to use a long-handled and pointed knife. "In this way, Guan Yu's weapon in the movie Red Cliff may be in line with historical facts. The image of Guan Yu in the movie Red Cliff and the long-handled wooden knife used by Guan Yu may be consistent with the historical image. So how did Guan Yu's image of using the dragon crescent moon blade appear? In the eyes of future generations, Guan Yu is no longer a historical figure, but a hero worshipped by all. Heroes must have a perfect image in people's minds. As a commander in chief, Guan Yu needs a suitable weapon, and the particularity of crescent knife is especially in line with Guan Yu's image in people's minds. During this period, Guan Yu's position in people's minds has also been rapidly improved. The Northern Song Dynasty was destroyed by Jurchen, the Southern Song Dynasty was destroyed by Yuan Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty was destroyed by Ming Dynasty. After a series of ethnic discrimination policies were introduced, people's traditional concept of distinguishing between China and foreign countries and pursuing orthodoxy was associated with Guan Yu's heroic image of helping the Han Dynasty. During this period, Guan Yu's worship reached its peak. Ming and Qing novelists also gave Guan Yu's weapon a prestigious name-Qinglong crescent moon blade.