Li Guang, a flying general in the Han Dynasty, fought in the Great Wall for decades, and his archery was like a god. He only left a legend of "Li Guang shooting stones" when shooting tigers. He should have shot a real tiger, which is not specifically recorded in the history books. Later, there were many related records, and macho men emerged one after another. For example, Zhang Xingzu, a warrior in the Yuan Dynasty, recorded in the New Yuan History that "Xing Zu killed dozens of tigers in his life". He once brazenly held down the injured tiger and pulled out its beard, which was called "killing tiger Zhang".
However, when it comes to killing tigers, I'm afraid no one can compare with Pei Min, a great man in the Tang Xuanzong period. About Pei Min, the most widely known thing is that he is good at sword dancing and has superb skills. His sword dancing, Li Bai's poems and Zhang Xu's cursive script were praised by Tang Wenzong as "three wonders" in the Tang Dynasty.
Pei Min's sword dancing is recorded in the unique records of the Tang Dynasty. "Throw the sword into the clouds dozens of feet high. If you are struck by lightning, the sword will go through the air, and everyone will be surprised. " Pei Min's ability to throw the sword dozens of feet high and then catch it with the scabbard dazzled the onlookers. Wu Daozi, a great painter, learned something from his sword dance, and his skills went further.
In fact, Pei Min is still a valiant soldier, good at riding and shooting. According to historical records, he participated in the wars between the Tang Dynasty and Qidan and Tubo, and served as the military envoy of Longhua and the governor of Youzhou.
The great poet Wang Wei wrote a poem "To General Pei Min" to praise his bravery, saying, "There are seven swords around his waist and a bow engraved on his arm. I didn't know there were generals in the sky until I saw prisoners in the clouds. "
Pei Minzhi once guarded Beiping as the ambassador of Long Huajun. Tigers were rampant in Beiping. Geographically, they were close to the northeast, so they should not be smaller South China tigers. Pei Min's archery is superb, and he often hits tigers. According to historical records such as New Tang Book, his highest record is "3 1 tiger a day", and he actually shot 3 1 tiger a day. It's bad luck for the tiger to meet Pei Min.
According to historical records such as New Tang Book and Tang Shi Supplement, Pei was bold and didn't care about tigers at all. He once rested at the foot of the mountain where tigers infested. An old man passed by, knowing that Pei Minzhi had successfully killed a tiger, and said to him, "General, what you killed before was not a real tiger, but a tiger. If you meet a real tiger, you will be in trouble. "
Hearing this, General Pei turned over and mounted his horse: "Where is the real tiger?" The old man said, "There are real tigers not far from the north." PeiMinZhi more don't talk, flattery, walked to the north. He wants to see how powerful the "real tiger" is.
After running for dozens of miles, a little tiger jumped out of the grass on the roadside, but it looked very powerful. Pei Min's heart moved, and the tiger suddenly "roared", and the roar was earth-shattering. "The rocks shattered. It is almost inevitable to take the lead and bow and arrow will fall. From then on, I was afraid and stopped playing tigers. "
With a roar, the little tiger really broke the rock. Pei Min's horse almost collapsed and turned to run. Pei Min was frightened, too. His bow and arrow fell and he almost didn't run. This experience made Pei Min feel ashamed and afraid, and he never dared to shoot tigers again.
What is a "real tiger" and why it is so small but powerful are not recorded in historical materials. However, the old man Pei Min met was right, and he could scare the brave General Pei out of his wits. It can be seen that "real tigers" are extremely troublesome.
Coincidentally, Dong Fangshuo of the Western Han Dynasty also recorded similar animals in Hai Guo Zhi. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, a small animal, which looked as big as a puppy, was enshrined in Gulu Island in the West Sea. But the little beast roared like a landslide. The civil servants and guards of the Manchu dynasty, including Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, almost fainted, and the horses and cattle inside and outside the palace were scared to hide everywhere. Even tigers are afraid to move when they see small beasts.
Of course, "Ten Countries at Sea" is not an official history, and the record of small animals is not as credible as Pei Min's experience. If there is such an animal, it is even more unclear whether its fighting capacity is high except for its loud voice.
As one of the Thirteen Classics, Erya and Shan Hai Jing, the ancestors of China's dictionaries, recorded many strange animals in ancient times, which are totally incomprehensible from the perspective of modern natural science. One thing is basically certain, some mysterious beasts did exist, which may have disappeared because of changes in the environment and climate or other reasons.
About Pei Min, there are other records in unofficial history's new book Nanshu in Song Dynasty, which is also quite interesting. Pei Min once walked in the mountains and found a huge spider web, as thick as cloth, blocking the way. Pei Min hit a spider the size of a wheel with an arrow. He brought some spider silk, and when he returned, he applied the wound to the injured soldier, which was more effective than gold sore medicine and had immediate effect.