In the eyes of rulers, Guan Yu's symbolic meaning has its special value. It can also be seen from the seals of rulers of past dynasties that Guan Yu is more valued than Confucius. Judging from whose fist is hard, Guan Yu and the power symbolized behind him mean a kind of power to subvert, rebuild or consolidate political power, which is obviously the weakness of Confucius' theory.
Yong Zhengdi once said that this is insightful. He said: "Since ancient times, sages and famous officials have each eaten their soil with merit. It was enshrined in sacrificial ceremonies and spread from the capital to all parts of the world. When the county and city have secretaries, they pay tribute to the worshippers with courtesy. Surrounded by mountains and rivers, Confucius and Guan Sheng are the only masters. Confucius worships Confucianism all over the world, and Guandi Temple is thin at home and abroad, and its land is from the capital to the remote village market of mountains and seas. Its people range from those who respect virtue and justice to those humble servants and stupid women and children. They worship the appearance of the temple, pray for it and look forward to it with awe. Cover Confucius with saints and Guan Di with gods. " This passage points out a "saint" and a "famous minister", but the scope of sacrifice they enjoy is different. Confucius was only a "man of the world", but Guan Yu's memorial went far beyond this scope, and it was a very broad space from Datong to the hinterland. The difference is that Confucius is only a saint, while Guan Yu is a superhuman god. From the word "Guandi" used by Yongzheng, we can understand Yongzheng's respect for Guan Yu. From this, we can see the subtle differences between Wen Sheng and Wu Sheng in the minds of rulers. Guan Yu is also known as the emperor, Guan Jun, Guan, Guan Laoye and. In society and among the people, Confucius can be relegated to Kong Laoer, and there are many legends that undermine his glorious image, such as frustration and being trapped. When it comes to Guan Yu, few people sayno. The deeds associated with Guan Yu are either going through five customs and defeating six generals, or riding a thousand miles alone, and the hero is extraordinary. This is also very interesting.
There is a legend circulating among beggars' gangs that when Confucius was trapped in Chen and Cai, he sent his disciples to borrow food from Fan Ran. This celebrity, who is famous for being poor, is famous among beggars. It is said that he is the founder of the beggars' gang. Fan Ran said: "What is more or less in the world? What are you happy about? " Such a question tested Luz, which made Luz not know how to answer it. Yan Hui is still smart. He replied: "There are many people in the world, but few gentlemen. If you take advantage, you should be annoyed." . So I borrowed rice and flour from Fan Ran. After I came back, I collapsed in front of Confucius, and instantly became a mountain, a mountain. Confucius Xie Fanran said: I'm afraid I can't afford to borrow rice and flour. Fan Ran said that if it is later, it will be returned to my disciples and grandchildren. Confucius had to go with the flow and said, this account is on my apprentice. In the future, members of the Beggars' Sect can ask anyone who puts couplets on the door. On the one hand, this legend has found sufficient theoretical basis for the existence of beggars' gangs, so that beggars can feel at ease at home. On the other hand, it also shows us that it is always easy for Jianghu people to find the weakness of Kong family. People in the Jianghu respect Guan Yu very much. They worship Guan Yu as an idol. Guan Yu's righteousness before his death is an unshakable action guide for Jianghu people all their lives. Guan Yu became a god after his death and became the most powerful umbrella for Jianghu people to shelter from the wind and rain. It seems that Jianghu people can ridicule, ridicule and laugh at Confucius or Confucius figures, but they dare not treat Guan Yu lightly.
You can also enter the long river of history and look at the treatment of Confucius and Guan Yu in previous dynasties. Just look at the history of their knighthood, we can weigh their weight in the minds of rulers. Since the establishment of the orthodox position of Confucianism, the titles of Confucius books given by emperors in past dynasties have emerged one after another. Emperor Han Ping named Confucius "Praise Xu Anni Gong"; The Northern Wei Dynasty called Confucius "Wen Sheng Nigong"; Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was named "King of Wenxuan", and Confucius began to be called "sage" in the Tang Dynasty. In the Yuan Dynasty, it was also named "King of Wenxuan, Great Sage". In the Ming Dynasty, Confucius was renamed as the Great Sage. In the Qing Dynasty, the rulers simply followed the five generations of kings of Confucius, that is, the so-called "King Sheng Kai, King Chang Sheng, King Yi Sheng, King Yu Sheng and King Zhao Haoqi Sheng". No matter how powerful Confucius is, he only stops at becoming a saint and a king. Guan Yu, on the other hand, experienced a process from man to god. When talking about this process, Yao Ming said: "The former Jingzhou general was also named. Han Shou Hou Ting, whose seal is also. Feng Hou, Tang title also. Song Zhenzong sealed the King of Wu 'an, and he is the King of Wu 'an. With a seal, Baining became the King of the Truth, and then he became a god. Today, I am honored as Emperor Xie Tian, and I am also honored as the Emperor of the Three Realms, the Great Devil, the Great Power of Megatronus, and the Emperor Guan Sheng. I am also given a jade belt, which is supreme. " In other words, Guan Yu has reached a kind of "supreme", and he has reached the peak.
Judging from their official titles, Confucius and Guan Yu are no longer on the same level. Confucius was made king in the Tang Dynasty, and Guan Yu was listed as Yuquan Galand in the Tang Dynasty, and was made a god. In Song Dynasty, Guan Yu won three titles of the throne, namely Hui Zongwu, Wang An, Gao Zong, Miao Zhuang, Wu An, and Xiao Zong, Ying Ji in the 14th year of Xi Chun. In the first year of Yuan Wenzong, he was made king, showing his spirit and being brave and good at fighting. By the Ming dynasty, I had already ascended the throne, so how could I seal it again? There's always a way. In the 22nd year of Wanli, at the request of Taoist Zhang Tongyuan, Guan Yu was made emperor. Later, he was called the Demon-declining Emperor of the Three Realms and the Great God Guan Sheng. Throughout the Qing dynasty, Guan Yu was constantly being chased. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, his titles added up to "defending the country and loving the people, sincerely appeasing the righteous praise of Xuande and loyalty to Guan Sheng the Great". It seems that Kong can only sigh. At that time, the market system was not perfect, otherwise Guan Yu's brand would be invincible. I really don't know how much gold and silver I could harvest.
In addition to Confucianism dominated by Confucius, Guan Gong also has a good market for Taoism and Buddhism. Taoism and Buddhism also regard Guan Gong as the protector of the law, and named him "the real monarch who plays the devil", "the emperor who conquers the devil" and "the God of Guanlan". In folk New Year pictures, the image of Guan Yu often occupies a prominent position, sometimes in the middle, and its image size is comparable to that of the Jade Emperor. This image design is also well-founded, because people call Guan Gong the Jade Emperor, so it is not surprising that Guan Gong is juxtaposed with the Jade Emperor in the sky. This kind of treatment is beyond the reach of Confucius. Confucius enjoyed worship only in schools all over the world, while Guan Yu went beyond the limitation of "specialization" and became the object of worship by temples and Shan Ye.
Moreover, Guan Yu's various legends among the people are a dime a dozen, and almost as long as it is related to Guan Yu, it will immediately form legends among the people. According to Ma Changyi's introduction, Guan Yu's magical legend among the people mainly includes ten aspects: first, the birth of magic; Second, the red face Guan Gong; Third, Taoyuan became sworn; Fourth, general loyalty; Fifth, Guan Gong's sharpening and landscape legend; 6. Guan Gong and Zhou Cang; Seven, Guan Yu appeared; Eight, the legend of Guandi Temple; 9. The story of Guan Gong and Kitchen God, Earth God and Poseidon; Ten, the legend of Qinglong crescent moon blade and red hare. The legend of Guan Gong reflects the magical deeds of Guan Gong, who is both a god and a man, from god to man and from man to god, and shows the folk foundation of Guan Gong's belief in China for more than 1000 years. As far as the deep relationship with the people is concerned, Guan Gong is at least as good as Confucius.
Even the rulers of past dynasties have a meaningful relationship with Guan Yu. Since Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty have created a public opinion that Guan Gong led hundreds of heavenly soldiers to help him break the enemy. After Ming Taizu Judy seized the throne, she also created the legend of Guan Gong's help, and awarded the dragon and phoenix banner to Chengdu Wang Guan Temple. Yongzheng attached great importance to Guan Yu, and Qianlong was no exception. According to legend, Guan Yu's jade emperor status was sealed by Qianlong. This includes a trick to dry up. Qianlong imagined himself as the reincarnation of Liu Bei, which was inextricably linked with his second brother Guan Yu. Naturally, he named Guan Yu the jade emperor, and he was equal to the jade emperor. The purpose of promoting Guan Gong by Qianlong was different from that of Ming Dynasty. He wanted to win back the hearts of all Han people in Qian Qian. The purpose of advocating Guan Gong religion from top to bottom in Qing Dynasty is to stabilize the people's hearts and stabilize the ruling position. A Guan Yu, like Confucius, has a lot of articles to do. That's because Guan Yu has accumulated a lot of official social capital and folk cultural capital. Of course, rulers of past dynasties are unwilling to give up such an opportunity. On the other hand, it is intriguing that Guan Yu's attitude is in step with the people from the imperial court to the rivers and lakes.