The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

During the Kaiyuan Period of the Tang Dynasty, culture flourished greatly.

The people who had the greatest influence on the culture of the Tang Dynasty were the three wise men and five saints famous in history.

During the reign of Emperor Wenzong of Tang, a rare imperial edict was issued to the whole country, naming Li Bai's poetry, Zhang Xu's cursive script, and Pei Min's sword dance as the three wonders of the Tang Dynasty.

People also respectfully call Zhang Xu, the Saint of Cursive Script, Wu Daozi, the Saint of Painting, Lu Yu, the Saint of Tea, Du Fu, the Saint of Poetry, and Pei Yu, the Saint of Sword, the Five Saints.

It is no exaggeration to say that Pei Min is the only sword saint recognized by the imperial court throughout history.

"The sword is the most important weapon among all weapons. This weapon integrates the technical essence of the cold weapon era and has become the representative of Chinese cold weapons."

"In many literary and film and television works, there are characters who are good at using swords, such as sword masters, making the sword the most popular element in martial arts."

"Speaking of sword masters in movies and TV shows, it's obvious that these characters are fictional and not real."

"In fact, there really was such a swordsman in ancient China."

"He has also been recognized by the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. He is the famous Tang general Pei Min."

"Pei Min lived during the Kaiyuan period of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty."

"Pei Min was born into one of the most prominent families in the Tang Dynasty, the Hedong Pei family."

"The Pei family has been a prominent family in Shanxi since ancient times, and is also a prominent and powerful family in Chinese history."

"Pei Min's historical reputation is not very high, at least not as high as his contemporary disciple Li Bai."

"Unlike the Sword Saint character invented by later generations, Pei Min's Sword Saint was personally chosen by the emperor."

"During the reign of Emperor Wenzong of Tang, Li Bai's poetry, Zhang Xu's cursive script, and Pei Min's sword dance were called the three wonders of the Tang Dynasty."

"Throughout history, there has only been one Sword Saint recognized by the imperial court, and there is no other."

"Although Pei Min is a swordsman, he is definitely not a rare and idle person."

"During the Kaiyuan period, Pei Min was appointed as the envoy of Longhua Army and commanded a large number of troops."

"Pei Min participated in the wars between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo and Khitan."

"Later, Pei Min was named General of the Left Jinwu Guard for his military exploits."

"This official position is of the third rank, and can be regarded as the highest general in the Tang Dynasty's military."

"Whether it is the imperial guards of the capital or the local soldiers, they are all under the command of this position."

"The battle that made Pei Min famous was the one in which he led 30,000 Tang troops to attack the Xi people."

"Because the Tang army was ambushed by the enemy, General Pei and his men were trapped in a dangerous place by the ambushed troops."

"That day, the Tang army arrived at a valley. Suddenly, a large group of enemies armed with bows appeared on both sides of the valley."

"Instantly, arrows flew like locusts, killing and wounding countless people."

"Just when it seemed that this army was about to be defeated, a great general of the Tang army came out."

"Pei Min leaped into the enemy camp, not afraid of the rain of arrows coming at him."

"Pei Min drew out his precious sword and drew a circle in front of him, knocking all the arrows flying towards him to the ground."

"When the enemy general saw this man had such a miraculous skill, he turned pale with fear and immediately led his troops to retreat."

"To block a flying arrow with a knife requires extremely fast reaction time and superb skills."

"Because of this legend, Pei Min was questioned by later generations."

Du Fu: Pei Min's swordsmanship is so superb that he truly deserves the title of Sword Saint.

Pei Min's title as the Sword Saint is well-known to him.

After Pei Min became famous, he won praise from the world for his superb swordsmanship and gained many admirers.

So they established their own lineage, calling themselves the patriarch, and would not accept or teach anyone who was not recognized.

There was an endless stream of people seeking to become Pei Min's disciples, which shows that Pei Min's swordsmanship was rare in the world.

Pei Min is a descendant of an aristocratic family that has been passed down for hundreds of years. He is also the founder of a sword school that is regarded as the ancestor of the sect. Such a person would generally never perform in public.

A proud person like Pei Min has his own persistence and would regard this kind of public performance as a shame and hate it.

But there are exceptions to everything. Pei Min once demonstrated his superb swordsmanship in public, which amazed the onlookers.

Pei Min was an expert swordsman, and it was said that he had a unique skill that was even more eye-opening.

When Pei Min's mother passed away, he invited the painter Wu Daozi to his home to paint a picture to comfort his mother's soul.

Before painting, Wu Daozi felt that he had no inspiration or insights, so he asked Pei Min to perform a sword dance to liven up the atmosphere.

Pei Min readily agreed and started dancing immediately.

Pei Min's sword dance was so superb, extraordinary and brilliant that all the spectators cheered.

Finally, it's about to end.

Pei Min threw the sword into the clouds, dozens of feet above the ground, and then used the scabbard to catch the falling sword without any error.

This move was similar to the one used by immortal cultivators to fly swords out of thin air. It frightened many onlookers present so much that they trembled with fear, turned pale, and were unable to recover for a long time.

When the painting saint Wu Daozi took the opportunity to ask to learn swordsmanship, Pei Min did not hesitate.

At this time, Pei Min took off his aristocratic pride, concealed his identity as a master, and put away his dignity as a real man.

At that moment, Pei Min was just an ordinary person, a filial son who asked the painting saint to paint a mural of the underworld for his mother.

"From ancient times to the present, doubts about Pei Min have never stopped."

"But unfortunately, there are very few chapters about Pei Min in the official history."

"This is because of the Kaiyuan Era, so the battles where Pei Min demonstrated his strength were all glossed over."

"Besides, during the Kaiyuan period, the Tang Dynasty's military power reached its peak."

"There are many talented people like Pei Min who have special skills, so his brilliance has been more or less overshadowed."

"Although the historians were reluctant to describe this swordsman in detail."

"But fortunately, poets of the same period and even later generations were keen to write about General Pei Min in their poems."

"One hundred years after Pei Min's death, his reputation not only did not disappear, but became even more famous with the spread of these poems."

"Among them, the more famous ones are Yan Zhenqing's "Presented to General Pei" and Wang Wei's "Presented to General Pei."

"Li Bai's swordsmanship is very advanced. He once created a record of killing three tigers with his sword in one day. However, these records are nothing compared to his master Pei Min."

"Pei Min also trained with tigers. He killed 31 tigers in one day, which is ten times more than his apprentice."

"Some people think that the reason why Pei Min was willing to teach Li Bai swordsmanship was because Li Bai was quite talented and famous, and he was just giving him some face."

"But as we all know, the ancients had strict etiquette and ethics, and taking in apprentices was not something that could be taken lightly."

"If Li Bai didn't have a talent for swordsmanship, Pei Min probably wouldn't have taught him."

"What's more, General Pei is the Sword Saint appointed by the Emperor."

"If you teach Li Bai a few tricks casually, and he makes a fool of himself in the future, you will be slapped in the face."

"So, Li Bai must have some basics."

"Although he is not one in a million, he is still considered a prodigy."

"Otherwise, Li Bai would not have become a master swordsman after receiving Pei Min's instruction."

"According to records, Pei Min was an expert swordsman and had demonstrated the art of flying swords in public."

"The art of flying swords has obviously gone beyond the realm of martial arts and is quite legendary."

"But I think Pei Min's swordsmanship must have some unique features, otherwise the literati would not have spent so much time and effort to brag about it."

Su Shi: There is no conclusive evidence to prove whether Li Bai really worshipped Pei Min as his teacher.

Some people believe that Li Bai did take Pei Min as his teacher, and some historical materials record the situation of Li Bai taking Pei Min as his teacher.

According to these records, Li Bai asked Pei Min for advice on swordsmanship when he was young, and was guided and influenced by Pei Min.

The images of swordsmanship and warriors often appear in Li Bai's poems, which is related to the influence of Pei Min.

But some people believe that Li Bai did not really worship Pei Min as his teacher, but borrowed Pei Min's image to enrich his own poetry creation.

Li Bai was inspired by Pei Min's swordsmanship and heroic spirit when composing poetry, but there was no direct master-disciple relationship.

Although historical records show that Li Bai became Pei Min's disciple, there are doubts about this record.

Some Confucian scholars believe that this record may be a beautification of Li Bai's image and an exaggeration of the legend.

Li Bai was a free-spirited poet who did not like being bound by constraints. It is hard to imagine that he would actually learn from a master.

In addition, there is relatively little information about Pei Min in history books, and it is difficult to find conclusive evidence to prove that he and Li Bai did have a master-disciple relationship.

On the other hand, some Confucian scholars held the opposite view.

They believe that the frequent appearance of swordplay and warrior images in Li Bai's poems has a lot to do with the influence of Pei Min. Although there is no conclusive evidence that Li Bai worshipped Pei Min as his teacher, it is possible that Li Bai and Pei Min met and communicated.

Regardless of whether Li Bai really worshipped Pei Min as his teacher, his encounter and communication with Pei Min had an important influence on his poetry creation.

As a swordsman, Pei Min's swordsmanship and heroic style undoubtedly brought inspiration and enlightenment to Li Bai.

Li Bai often depicts swordsmanship and warriors in his poems, expressing his pursuit of freedom and heroism.

This depiction and pursuit of the image of a swordsman gives Li Bai's poetry a unique artistic style.

The significance of the master-disciple relationship lies not only in its influence on Li Bai personally, but also in its contribution to Chinese poetry.

With his outstanding literary talent and unique artistic style, Li Bai has become a treasure in the history of Chinese literature and set an example for future generations.

The legends and stories about the relationship between master and apprentice have enriched the traditional heritage of Chinese poetry culture.

"In addition to the flying sword, there are two other legends that are sufficient to prove Pei Min's high martial arts skills."

"However, in these two legends, Pei Min used a bow instead of a sword."

"When Pei Min was serving in the Longhua Army, he was ordered to garrison in Beiping."

"The ecological environment during the Tang Dynasty was very different from today. There were many tigers in Beijing at that time."

“Tigers appeared in large groups in the mountains and became a scourge for a time.”

"One day, Pei Min went up the mountain with a bow and arrow, and killed thirty-one tigers in one day."

"Pei Min thought the tiger was nothing special and walked down the mountain leisurely."

"He acted arrogantly and told everyone he had killed thirty-one tigers."

"At this time, an old man walked out of the crowd and told Pei Min that what he killed was not a tiger at all, but a leopard that looked like a tiger."

"The old man also warned Pei Min that his martial arts skills were indeed good and he could kill Biao quite well."

"But if you encounter a real tiger, it probably won't be of much use."

Pei Min was a little dissatisfied and asked where the real tiger was.

"The old man pointed to the north and told Pei Min that a real tiger appeared thirty miles to the north."

"Pei Min immediately rode north and went to a forest to look for the tiger's traces."

"After a while, a tiger really jumped out of the forest."

"Although this tiger looks small, it is very ferocious."

"When he saw Pei Min coming, he immediately jumped out from the bushes."

"With a loud roar, the earth shook and the wind and clouds changed."

"Just one roar frightened Pei Min's horse, and Pei Min's bow and arrow were lost, and he was almost eaten by the tiger."

"Pei Min had no weapons, so he could only calm his horse and retreat from the woods, unable to fight the tiger."

"From then on, Pei Min never went to shoot tigers again."

"Instead, he concentrated on practicing sword skills and guarding Beiping County with all his heart."

"Finally, achieve the reputation of a swordsman."

"Although the thirty-one leopards killed by Pei Min were not tigers, they were also cats that were as ferocious as tigers. They were probably beasts like leopard cats."

"To be able to kill thirty-one of these beasts in one day shows how skilled Pei Min is in martial arts."

"I think if Pei Min's horse hadn't been frightened, he would have been able to fight the tiger to the death."

"Another legend about Pei Min is that he killed a spider."

"When Pei Min was traveling around the world in his early years, he saw a big spider on a mountain."

"This spider is as big as a wheel. It's very scary."

"When the spider attacked Pei Min, the web it squeezed out of its butt was as thick as cloth, and Pei Min was almost caught."

"However, Pei Min's reaction was very quick."

"He escaped from danger before the web covered him, and he took out his bow and arrow to kill the giant spider."

"Pei Min collected the spider web as a souvenir."

"When Pei Min was a general, he heard that one of his men was injured."

"He took out a spider web, cut off a few inches from it, and used it as a bandage to stop the bleeding, which worked wonders."

"Although these can only prove that Pei Min is very good at archery, they are also closely related to swordsmanship."

"Pei Min once used a knife to deflect arrows and repel enemies, which is enough to show that Pei Min was good at using various cold weapons, rather than just sticking to the sword."

"Just like in martial arts novels, plants, bamboos, and rocks can all be used as swords. Pei Min's martial arts skills have reached a level where he is not restricted to weapons."

"However, legends are just legends after all. No matter how fantastic they are, they are hard to convince people."

"Some people have commented that Pei Min's swordsmanship is actually very ordinary. It was only because his swordsmanship was very fancy that he won the emperor's favor, so he was conferred the title of Sword Saint."

"However, although Pei Min performed sword dance for the emperor, his main job was a general."

"Pei Min fights with others on the battlefield every day, so he naturally uses practical swordsmanship, not fancy tricks."

Zhu Di: Sword Master Pei Min was scared away by the tiger, but it was more of a self-inflicted loss.

When Pei Min was stationed in Beiping as the commander of the Longhua Army, he knew that there were many tigers in the area and the people suffered greatly from them.

So he went hunting tigers himself, and shot and killed thirty-one tigers in one day.

After that, he stood at the foot of the mountain where no one was around, feeling very satisfied. He looked around and laughed out loud.

Unexpectedly, a man appeared and told Pei Min that the real tiger was thirty miles to the north.

When we arrived, we found that the tiger was small but fierce, which was even more surprising.

Pei Min's horse was frightened and ran away, his bow and arrow were lost, and he almost died.

From then on, Pei Min felt very ashamed and never hunted tigers again.

Pei Min was a general. Not to mention his heroic feat of chasing the enemy and breaking arrows on his horse against the wind.

Take Pei Min’s bravery of shooting and killing thirty-one ferocious beasts in one day. How could he be so embarrassed when he met a little tiger and almost lost his life!
When tigers threaten a certain area, the government will set up a special tiger-catching team.

The existence of more than 30 tigers in a place like Beijing is indeed a huge threat.

After Pei Min killed thirty-one tigers, the remaining few tigers should be quickly eliminated by the local tiger hunting team.

So what Pei Min was considering at this time was not the problem of the tiger, but the reputation of a person who shot and killed thirty-one tigers in one day.

There is no way to know what the political environment was like for Pei Min at the time, but there is one principle that is common.

What often comes after fame is not flowers, but sharp swords.

The great achievement of the first part was offset by the embarrassment of the second part, just neutralizing it into nothing.

Everyone will treat it as a joke and laugh it off.

Pei Min would also smile knowingly, as the common people enjoyed the fact that there was no tiger harm.

Pei Min himself was not burdened by his fame, so who can say that the old man was not fabricated by Pei Min?

Pei Min was well aware that a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind, and he believed that damaging his reputation could save himself.

However, no matter how much Pei Min hurt himself, his superb swordsmanship is unquestionable.

Xiang Zhuang danced with a sword at the Hongmen Banquet. Why did Fan Zeng, the father-in-law of the emperor, send Xiang Zhuang to dance with a sword instead of someone else?
Fan Zeng, the father-in-law of Xiang Zhuang, did not let him onto the stage because Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was beautiful, but because Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was the most practical.

Only Xiang Zhuang, who was skilled in swordsmanship, had a chance to kill Liu Bang.

What is certain is that Pei Min's swordsmanship was used in actual combat.

The singing and dancing troupes of the Tang Dynasty were very outstanding, and the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty had seen all kinds of sword dances.

The reason why Pei Min was asked to perform on stage was just to see a real killing sword.

If not for this, how could Pei Min be given the reputation of Sword Saint.

There were many masters of sword dancing in the Tang Dynasty, and Gongsun Da Niang was one of them.

If she was given a title simply because she was good at sword dancing, then Gongsun Da Niang would also have been given a title.

Therefore, General Pei Min's swordsmanship is definitely different from Gongsun Da Niang's sword dance.

Gongsun Da Niang was a dancer in the palace, who performed purely for viewing purposes.

After all, Pei Min is a fierce general who has fought on the battlefield. The battlefield is not a dance floor, so his swordsmanship is definitely real martial arts.

If Pei Min considers himself second in swordsmanship, I believe no one would dare to claim to be first. He is the undisputed only swordsman in history. (End of this chapter)