Topic: Interesting Facts about Go in the Three Kingdoms
Playing Go was very popular during the Three Kingdoms era, and many famous figures liked to play two games in their spare time as a pastime.
Zhuge Liang and Cao Cao were the most famous politicians and military strategists during the Three Kingdoms period. Both of them could play chess. In the south of Shaoyang City, Hunan Province, there is a chessboard cliff. It is said that Zhuge Liang once "banqueted his troops and played chess" here. Cao Cao was very addicted to chess, and those who accompanied him in playing chess included Feng Yi, Shan Zidao, Guo Kai, etc., all of whom were celebrities at the time.
Fei Yi of Shu Kingdom, history books say that he was "a man of extraordinary knowledge". After Zhuge Liang's death, he was mainly in charge of the military and political power of Shu. Once, the army of Wei State rushed directly to the border of Shu, and the situation was very critical. Fei Yi was appointed as the general and led his army to resist. Before leaving, the doctor came to Min to practice and bid farewell to Fei Yi playing chess. At that time, "feathers and horses were galloping together, and men and horses were wearing armor." The military situation was very urgent. Fei Yi, however, concentrated on the chessboard without any sign of panic. At the end of the game, Lai Min congratulated and said: "The reason why I asked to play chess with you is to see your magnanimity. Now I believe that you are the best person to resist the enemy.
Sure enough, Fei Yi After arriving at the front line, they established strong walls and clear the country, and held on to the dangers, which made the Wei army unable to make achievements for a long time and returned without success.
Kong Rong was a famous civil servant under Cao Cao, and he was always disliked by Cao Cao. Once, Cao Cao found an "unfounded" crime and arrested him. At this time, Kong Rong's 9-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter were playing chess. Someone advised them to run for their lives. The brother and sister replied: "There is no way to destroy the bird." How can the nest and eggs be safe and sound (there are still intact eggs under the cover of the nest)? "After the two quietly played a game of chess, they were also captured and killed together with their father.
During the Three Kingdoms period, Go was also used in political strife and intrigues within the ruling group to fight for power and gain. After Cao Cao's death, the throne was passed to his eldest son Cao Pi. Cao Pi's younger brother Cao Zhang was appointed king of the city. He was a famous general with both wisdom and bravery, and was always tabooed by Cao Pi. One day, Cao Pi summoned Cao Zhang to the palace to play chess, and prepared a plate of dates in advance. Some of them were poisonous and some were non-poisonous. Cao Pi chose the non-poisonous ones to eat. Cao Zhang picked up food at will while playing chess. Before the game was over, he was poisoned to death. In this way, Cao Pi killed his younger brother and eliminated them.
Sun Ce, the leader of the Wu Kingdom, was a champion of the three armies and was known as the "Little Overlord". He was also good at Go. The oldest chess record handed down today is that of Sun Ce and his "Finance Minister" Lu Fan. Game. This score is preserved in "Wangyou Qingyue Collection" compiled by Li Yimin of the Southern Song Dynasty. It is not difficult to see from it that the chess game at that time was already quite advanced.
The prime minister of Wu State, Gu Yong, and the general Lu Xun were both famous chess fans. Sun He, the prince of Wu, opposed playing chess and said that chess was useless (see the section "Game Theory" and others). The prime minister, with his high position, pretended not to hear the prince's words and continued to play chess with guests in the palace. One time, while the chess game was in full swing, his son Gu Shao, who was an official in another place, fell seriously ill and died. His face did not change when he heard the news. , the chess game was as before. But under the chess table, he pinched the flesh of his palms with his fingernails until blood flowed to vent his pain. Among the politicians of the Three Kingdoms, Gu Yong's reputation was far lower than that of Zhuge Liang, Cao Cao, and others. However, after the death of the famous minister Zhang Zhao of the state of Wu, he took charge of the position and assisted Sun Quan. Although he was not aggressive enough, he was more than successful. History books said that he was magnanimous and unfazed by changes, which can be seen from his story of playing chess. "Shishuo Xinyu Yaliang Chapter" lists him as the first.
Lu Xun was a famous general during the Three Kingdoms. He once burned a company and defeated the Shu army. This was the famous "Battle of Ling" in history. "Three Kingdoms - Book of Wu - Biography of Lu Xun" says that in the fifth year of Wu Jiahe (AD 236), Sun Quan sent troops to conquer Wei in the north. Lu Xun and Zhuge Liang were ordered to attack Xiangyang. Unexpectedly, during the war, Wu's messenger Han Bian was captured by Wei. After being captured, Zhuge Jin was greatly frightened and hurriedly retreated to Wu. However, Lu Xun played chess and archery with the soldiers every day and remained motionless. General Wei did not dare to move at all when he saw that the Wu army was as calm as ever.
There is a famous chess player among the Wu people named Yan Ziqing. His chess skills are excellent and he is the most famous in the world. He is the same as Huang Xiang, Zhang Zibing, Chen Liangfu’s calligraphy, Cao Buxing’s paintings, Song Shou Dream fortune-telling, Zheng's fortune-telling, and Fan Dunda's fortune-telling are collectively known as the Eight Wonders of Wuzhong. "The Rise of the Three Kingdoms" said that he "shouldn't compete with others in Go". There is also Ma Suiming, who was good at chess at that time. "Guang Bo Wu Zhi" said: "Those who are incomparable in chess are called chess saints. Therefore, Yan Ziqing and Ma Suiming are now called chess saints." In the history of Chinese Go, the crown has These two are the earliest people to be known as chess masters.