【Sea and River Night Talk】Among the Five Tiger Generals in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which one do you admire the most?

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The Five Tiger Generals appear in Chapter 73 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when Liu Bei became the King of Hanzhong and then appointed these five men as the \"Five Tiger Generals\". At this time, it was a period of intense conflict among the three kingdoms. The five valiant generals joined Liu Bei at different times; the earliest to do so were Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who came together through the Oath of the Peach Garden. Next to join Liu Bei was Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun met Liu Bei while trying to save Gongsun Zan; at that time, Liu Bei held him in great respect and felt reluctant to part with him. However, since Zhao Yun had already pledged loyalty to Gongsun Zan, the two parted with tears in their eyes. Later, as Liu Bei was eager to escape from Hebei, Zhao Yun resolutely joined him and remained until his death in the later years of the Shu Han dynasty. The veteran general Huang Zhong was involved in the Battle of Chibi; at that time he was the governor of Changsha and was in hostile relations with Liu Bei. It was only after Liu Bei personally went to Huang Zhong’s home to invite him that the old general joined Liu Bei’s side. Ma Chao was the last of the five to join Liu Bei’s camp. He first joined Zhang Lu but was not given any important roles; later, he tried to resist Liu Bei, yet was persuaded by an old acquaintance sent by Zhuge Liang to join Liu Bei’s forces. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu is an extremely important character; he possessed extraordinary martial skills, loyalty to Liu Bei, and a sense of righteousness toward others. He passed through five passes and defeated six generals, killing enemies with ease. However, in the \"Records of the Three Kingdoms,\" there is already a story about Guan Yu’s spirit taking possession of Lu Meng after his death. Later generations, based on these brief historical accounts as well as their own desires and imaginations, created countless legends and miraculous stories about Guan Yu’s apparitions, seeking to sustain his legacy in their hearts. Eventually, they even included him in their pantheon of deities and worshipped him. Zhang Fei was a fierce warrior, rough on the outside but delicate in his tactics; in particular, when he drove back Cao Cao’s troops at Longban Bridge, he employed the tactic of feinting an attack. In the romances, Zhang Fei’s character is essentially portrayed as brave, brutish, and bloodthirsty. In fact, Zhang Fei had more than just these qualities; historical records such as the \"Annotations to the Records of the Three Kingdoms\" state that he was also capable of writing poetry and painting. What’s even more surprising is that he is also a decent calligrapher. Zhao Yun was not only highly skilled in martial arts but also a man who understood the bigger picture. However, the deeds of Zhao Yun in novels do not conform to those recorded in historical documents. For example, the act of single-handedly saving the Last Emperor at Changbanpo did indeed take place, but it wasn’t as exciting and dramatic as described in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Ma Chao was also a man of great martial prowess, but \"among the Five Tiger Generals, Guan, Zhang, Zhao, and Huang were all generals of exceptional talent.\" If it were Ma Chao, he could be a combat general, but not a supreme commander. ”There is also a big difference between Ma Chao as described in \"Romance of the Three Kingdoms\" and the real Ma Chao in history. To make Cao Cao even more brutal, Luo Guan changed the order in which Cao Cao killed Ma Teng and Ma Chao, thereby prompting them to rise in rebellion. In this way, the nature of the facts changes. In fact, the one truly responsible for the downfall of the Ma Teng family is Ma Chao. Huang Zhong wielded a large sword and was an expert archer, hitting his targets every time he shot. Despite his advanced age, he never gave in to old age. Historically, Huang Zhong passed away in 215 AD, the year following his victory over Xiahou Yuan at Dingjun Mountain; he was posthumously titled \"Marquis Gang\". It is clear that Huang Zhong was by no means killed by some Ma Zhong from the Wu state; by the time of the Battle of Yiling, Huang Zhong had already been dead for five or six years. Historical records on Huang Zhong are particularly brief, and there are hardly any evaluations regarding his character or moral qualities. It seems that there are always some differences between romances and history. Yet it is precisely because of the form of romance that the images of the Five Tiger Generals have become even more deeply ingrained in people’s minds and more beloved by them.