In the novels of Ming and Qing Dynasties "Journey to the West", "The Romance of the Gods", and "The Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties", a character is mentioned - Li Jing, the king of Tota. In the story, in the mortal world, he lives in Chentangguan and is one of the four chief soldiers of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty. Later, he assisted King Wu Keyin with meritorious deeds, ranked in the immortal class, was promoted to King Tota, and became a god of martial arts in the Tiangong. In our impression, he is wearing armor, wearing a golden-winged black crown, holding a tower in his left hand, and holding a trident in his right.
However, the real Li Jing in history was not the general soldier of Chen and Tang Guan in the Shang Dynasty. In fact, there was no "general soldier" in the Yin Shang Dynasty. His real identity was the famous general of the founding of the Tang Dynasty.
Why did Tang general Li Jing become the prototype of the Shang Dynasty King Tuota? How did he achieve this transformation across dynasties and across identities?
Generation of God of War: Li Jing in History
Li Jing, whose real name is a pharmacist, was born in a family of officials at the end of the Sui Dynasty. His uncle, Han Chuhu, was a famous general of the Sui Dynasty. Every time he touched him, he said, "Whoever can follow the commander of Yan is the only one!" Niu Hong, the minister of officials at that time He once appreciated Li Jing's "talent of Wang Zuo". Li Jing was indeed literate and martial, but he was not in the Sui Dynasty at that time, but in the later Tang Dynasty.
At that time, Li Yuan, who was left behind in Taiyuan in the Sui Dynasty, wanted to rebel. After Li Jing noticed it, he prepared to report the matter to Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty. As a result, Li Yuan captured Chang'an and captured Li Jing. When Li Jing was about to be executed, he shouted loudly: "The public uprising soldiers, who are supposed to eliminate riots in the world, don't want to take matters into their own hands, but kill strong men with personal grievances!" Li Yuan and his son Li Shimin admired him for his talent and courage. released. Soon, Li Jing was summoned to the shogunate by Li Shimin and began his political and military career.
Li Jing was in the army for half his life. He personally commanded many battles, not only showing his outstanding military talent, but also showing the noble martial virtues that a commander should possess. He Nanping Xiao Xian and Fu Gong Yu, eliminated the largest separatist force in the south of the Yangtze River; made a surprise attack on the Eastern Turks, set the northern border in a battle, and eliminated the disaster on the northwestern border of the Tang Dynasty; expedition to Tuyuhun, crossed the snow-capped mountains, crossed the cold land, and pursued thousands of miles until Taklimakan. In the desert hinterland, a big victory. From the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River to the inland plains, and then to the deserts in the northwest, Li Jing experienced water battles, land battles, and cavalry battles. He was almost invincible and made indelible contributions. In addition to his illustrious military exploits, Li Jing often convinces the public with his benevolence. Wherever his soldiers go, the local people can also live and work in peace and contentment, without causing trouble.
In addition to leading troops to fight, Li Jing also wrote a number of military books with his rich practical experience and military theory. Today, only Qing scholar Wang Zongqi is based on Du You's "Tong Dian", Du Mu's "Notes on Sun Tzu" and Song Dynasty "Taiping Yulan" and "Wuwu" The Art of War of Li Weigong, compiled from books such as Jing Zong Yao, records Li Jing's art of war. Li Jing was good at using troops and was good at strategy. The "Seven Armies and Six Flowers Array" he created had an important influence on later military strategists, especially famous generals such as Yue Fei and Qi Jiguang.
Tang Gaozu Li Yuan once praised Li Jing's excellent military ability: "Li Jing... The ancient famous generals Han (West Han Han Xin) , Bai (Qin general Bai Qi) , Wei (Wei Qing) , Huo (Huo Qubing) can't match !" Tang Taizong also praised Li Jing: "In the past, Li Ling (the general of the Western Han Dynasty) raised 5,000 soldiers, and he could not help but surrender to the Xiongnu, and he was named Bamboo and Silk. The Qing used 3,000 light cavalry to go deep into the court, overcome Dingxiang, and powerfully reinvigorate Beidi, which is unprecedented in ancient and modern times. ."
In view of Li Jing's outstanding military exploits against the Tang Dynasty, he was named Duke of Wei by Emperor Taizong during his lifetime. In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan (643) , he was invited to Lingyan Pavilion again, ranking eighth among the twenty-four heroes of Lingyan Pavilion. After his death, Li Jing was invited to the Wu Temple again, and together with Bai Qi and other famous generals, he became the famous "Ten Zhes of the Wu Temple", which was truly listed in the national sacrificial code, followed by Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others. During the Ming Dynasty, Li Jing was listed among the thirty-seven heroes of ancient and modern times by Ming Taizu, who was entitled to enjoy the temple of the emperors of the past dynasties.
Into the altar: The emergence of King Tota
Thanks to the recognition of successive dynasties, the folk ancestral temples dedicated to Li Jing have flourished. According to relevant county records and related historical records, during the late Tang and Five Dynasties, various Li Jing temples appeared in the folk.
In addition to his own merits, Li Jing's transformation from human to King Tota has a deep religious origin.
The first is the popularity of Taoism. The popularity of the Huang-Lao technique made Li Jing a Taoist fairy in the Song Dynasty. One of the specific manifestations is that in the many unofficial history novels that appeared in the Song Dynasty, there are a lot of stories about Li Jing being deified as a Taoist fairy. According to "Taiping Guangji · Li Weigong", during the Dali period of the Tang Dynasty, Master Shan Zun of Yuanyangguan met a stranger on a boat, and listened to him about meeting an old man who had become a fairy in the mountains. The old man called himself "Gong Wei in the early Tang Dynasty. Li Jing", Li Jing cured the sickness for him, persuaded him to "practice Taoism" and live forever, and agreed to meet again in twenty years.
Followed by the Buddhist worship of Bishamon. The King Bishamon, also known as the King of the North, is one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Buddhist Dharma Protectors and enjoys a respected position in Buddhism. The Bishamon belief in Khotan (an ancient Buddhist kingdom in the Western Regions) and other places was popularized in the interior of the Tang Dynasty by the eminent monk Bukong and others in the Western Regions. At that time, the war in the northwest continued, and people believed that King Bishamon could lead his troops to attack the enemy and guard the frontiers and borders.
The "Bishamon Ritual" translated by Tang Bukong once recorded a story about the King Bishamon helping the Tang army to defeat the enemy in the northwest. During the Tang Tianbao period, Anxi was besieged by the Fan army and asked for help. But Anxi is a long way to go, and it is difficult to rescue soldiers in a short time. When there was nothing else to do, someone offered a suggestion: "Why don't your majesty ask the divine soldiers of the northern king of Bishamon to support him?" Later, Emperor Xuanzong calmed down the chaos and asked for the blessing of Bishamon Tianwang, so Bishamon Tianwang was gradually respected by the Tang army as the "God of War".
Liu Che's "Baotang Temple Bishamen Heavenly King Lantern Praise and Preface" once recorded: "The king of heaven hangs down, Zhaoxing Khotan; , □ Tengdian serpent."
It can be seen that people at that time believed that Bishamon Tianwang played an important role in the opening of the territory in the northwest of the Tang Dynasty.
With the increasingly prominent status of Bishamon in the Tang Dynasty, statues of Bishamon began to appear. The image of King Bishamon is usually dressed in armor, wearing a crown, holding a halberd or a stick in the right hand, holding a pagoda in the left hand, and stepping on the earth god or Yaksha, so the world often calls him "Tota King".
The pagoda here is a symbol of Buddhism. Generally, temples have pagodas, which are places where Buddhists place scriptures, Buddhist objects and relics. In "Journey to the West", Tang monk often admonished Wukong that "saving one life is better than building a seven-level pagoda", the "Buddha" refers to the pagoda. Since then, the "tower" has become one of the symbols of King Bishamon. In the early days of Emperor Gaozong's ascension to the throne, he made a statue in the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, and on the left side of the statue of Lushena, there was the image of King Tota. By the time of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, Xuanzong had ordered the construction of Bishamon Tianwang Temple in various places. In addition to building statues and building temples, the army will also make divine flags with the image of the heavenly king.
At this time, King Tota was still King Bishamon, and he had nothing to do with Li Jing, a famous general in the Tang Dynasty. As for why Li Jing could replace King Bishamon and become King Tota, and he was given the surname "Li", it was also related to Li Jing himself.
Fusion: The Origin of King Tota and Li Jing
Li Jing's military ability was excellent, and he once led the army to break Tuyuhun in the west. In addition, Li Jing has been worshipped by both the official and the public, and has been promoted to a Taoist god. Therefore, it is easy for people to associate Li Jing, who has been initially "deified", with Bishamon.
And the birth of the name "Bishamen Tota Li Tianwang" marks the beginning of the relationship between Bishamen Tianwang and Li Jing.
Introducing the original novel "Leyi Tuqi Qiguo Spring and Autumn Pingshu", a novel written by Tianwang Tota Li, the "Ghost Valley Goes Down the Mountain" has a cloud: "Dugujiao fights four generals alone, five horses fight meleely, such as black killing. God, the true warrior, the sage, Bishamentota Li Tianwang."
In Yang Jingxian's drama "Journey to the West" in the Yuan Dynasty, it was mentioned that the surname of King Bishamon was Li, and Nezha was the son of King Li of Bishamon. At this time, Li Tianwang was not Li Jing. In the Ming Dynasty, when Nezha was introduced in the "Three Religions Origin and Streams Searching for Gods" compiled based on the Yuan Dynasty data, it was clearly pointed out that he "was born to Li Jing, the king of Tuota". It is worth mentioning that everyone in the world knows that Nezha is the son of King Tota Li, but everyone knows that there is Nezha, the son of King Tota, and then there is Li Jing, the King of Tota. As early as in the "Bishamon Ritual" of the Tang Dynasty, Nezha was the second grandson of the third prince of Bishamon. In Kaitian Chuanxinji, he is also said to be "the son of King Bisha".
On the occasion of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, the change of Nezha's identity also indicated that Li Jing not only officially became the king of Tota Li, but also replaced the king of Bishamon as the father of Nezha. In addition, the long-standing grievance between King Bishamon and Nezha's father and son, as well as the Buddhist story of Nezha's "cutting the flesh to return to the mother, cutting the bones to return to the father" has also been grafted into the plot of the father-son conflict between Li Jing and Nezha.
The image of King Bishamon, regardless of his appearance or family setting, had an important influence on the image of Li Jing after the deification. Therefore, in a certain sense, rather than saying that Li Jing, a famous general of the Tang Dynasty, is the prototype of King Tota, it is better to say that King Bishamon is the prototype of King Tota. The appearance of Li Jing, the king of Tota Li, is the product of the combination of Bishamon religious culture and local civilization, and it is a major testimony of localization.
In the Ming Dynasty, Wu Chengen wrote "Journey to the West" in combination with the folklore of the past dynasties, which enabled Li Jing to have a complete version of the mythical story as the king of Tota. After that, another novel, Romance of the Gods, enriched Li Jing's story again on the basis of Journey to the West, making the image of Li Jing, the king of Tota, as the father of Nezha widely circulated. At the same time, because "Fengshen Romance" describes the story of King Wu's attack on Zhou, in order to match the background of the story, Li Jing was given the identity of the general soldier of Chen, Tang and Guan of the Shang Dynasty.
From the famous Tang general Li Jing to Tota Li Tianwang, there are real historical achievements, official and folk sacrifices, religious fusion, literary and artistic processing and creation, and the imagination and word of mouth of the common people. , created the "Tota King Li Jing" that we are familiar with today.
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