Later depiction of Wanyan Zongbi
Later depiction of Wanyan Zongbi · 2019A transmitted or later depiction, not presented as a contemporary documentary portrait千里走单骑Source·CC-BY-SA

CIVILIZATION DOSSIER

Jin Wushu金兀术

JinHistory × Fiction

A Jin general, defeated by Wu Jie.

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DIRECT FIGURES
37
RELATION RECORDS
60
SOURCE WORKS
4

RELATIONSHIP COMPASS

Jin Wushu, and the people around them.

Open one chapter at a time. Each chapter gives the relationship first, then the source text behind it.

01
KINSHIP

Kinship

Blood, marriage and sworn bonds

2 figures · 3 records
02
ALLEGIANCE

Allegiance

Rulers, appointments and allegiance

6 figures · 10 records
2 more in the complete record
03
CONFLICT

Conflict

Battles, captures and defeat

20 figures · 25 records
16 more in the complete record
04
THE UNSEEN

Mythic acts

Transformation, aid and divine punishment

2 figures · 2 records
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12 key relationships are shown here. The complete record remains below.

FeatureThe History of Song dedicates an entire volume to Yue Fei, yet the most famous events are not included.History of Song made an exception by devoting an entire volume to Yue Fei's biography, detailing his military achievements, wrongful imprisonment, memorials to the throne, and literary works. However, the most familiar stories to later generations—Yue's mother tattooing characters on his back, his spearing the Young Prince of Liang, and the Eight Hammers causing a stir at Zhuxian Town—are not mentioned at all in this biography. Conversely, the most striking episodes like the twelve gold medals and the charge of 'perhaps there is' were first recorded in the official history and later copied by novels. This piece compares the two side by side, noting the source volume for each item.

In history · History of Song

A Jin general, killed Zongpan and Talan, invaded; a Jin general, a pro-war advocate, fought with the Song; a Jin general, fought with Yue Fei multiple times.

In fiction · Correct Meaning of the Zuo Tradition · Water Margin · The Story of Yue Fei

A Jin general, defeated by Wu Jie.; The fourth prince of Jin, defeated by Jin Jie with Liu Guangshi.; The commander of Jin, led troops to invade Song, retreated and then redeployed troops.

Across source works

How this figure changes across texts

Works are shown side by side, not as a chronology. No influence between texts is inferred.

  1. Literature / legend

    Water Margin

    2 profile notes
    0 relations0 verified quotations

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  2. Literature / legend

    The Story of Yue Fei

    47 profile notes
    32 relations57 verified quotations
    • Yue Fei→ battle →Jin Wushu
    • Jin Wushu→ battle →Yue Fei
    • Jin Wushu→ collude →Qin Hui
    • Jin Wushu→ ally →Qin Hui
    Verified original text · 57
    1. 岳元帅大喝道……兀术，你等不识人伦

      battle · The Story of Yue Fei, 第三十九回

    2. 岳爷挺枪迎战。枪来斧挡，斧去枪迎

      battle · The Story of Yue Fei, 第二十七回

    55 more verified quotations in the relationship records below.

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  3. Official history

    History of Song

    46 profile notes
    13 relations23 verified quotations
    • Yue Fei→ battle →Jin Wushu
    • Jin Wushu→ collude →Qin Hui
    • Han Shizhong→ battle →Jin Wushu
    • Niu Gao→ anger to death →Jin Wushu
    Verified original text · 23
    1. 兀术趋杭州，飞要击至广德境中，六战皆捷

      defeat · History of Song, 云传

    2. 兀术怒，合龙虎大王、盖天大王与韩常之兵逼郾城

      battle · History of Song, 云传

    21 more verified quotations in the relationship records below.

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  4. 1 profile notes
    0 relations0 verified quotations

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History vs. fiction

The southern invasion commander of the Jin Dynasty: his real deeds largely match the romance, but his ending is far from it.

  • attestedCommanded the main Jin forces and fought multiple battles with Yue Fei.

    In the 《宋史》 and 《金史·宗弼传》, Wanyan Zongbi (i.e., Jin Wuzhu) was indeed the core commander of the Jin state's southern invasion. He once led troops directly to Lin'an and engaged in extremely fierce battles with the Yue family army led by Yue Fei at Yancheng, Yingchang, and other places. The original text records: “岳飞及兀术战于郾城县，败之。”（《宋史·高宗本纪六》）The historical fiction portrays him as the chief external threat to the Southern Song, and this basic historical positioning is completely consistent with the historical records.

  • novel inventionWas captured by Niu Gao and died of anger.

    To avenge Yue Fei, the novel arranges for Jin Wushu to be captured alive by Niu Gao in the final decisive battle, where he dies of anger and humiliation. The original text directly states: 「兀术被牛皋擒住，愤怒气死，牛皋也大笑而亡。」（《说岳全传·第八十回.txt》）However, according to the 《金史·宗弼传》, Wanyan Zongbi, after the Southern Song's submission and peace negotiations, continued to hold military and political power in the Jin dynasty, eventually dying of illness in the Jin capital Shangjing in the eighth year of Huangtong. This fictional defeat ending is purely a creation of the historical novel to cater to the public's desire for justice and retribution.

Relationship network

36 figures · 211 links
Jin WushuJin WushuYue FeiYue FeiQin HuiQin HuiEmperor Gaozong of SongEmperor Gaozong of SongHan ShizhongHan ShizhongNiu GaoNiu GaoLiu QiLiu QiLi XianzhongLi XianzhongWu LinWu LinYue YunYue YunYue LeiYue LeiYang CunzhongWu JieZhang XianZhang BangchangLiu YuZhan HanHa MishiJi QingWang ZuoHong HaoHan YanzhiLu WenlongYang YizhongGuan LingWang LunDu ChongZhao LiLu DengZhang ShuyeZheng GangzhongZong LiangRuan LiangGao ChongSong RuweiNian Deli
historyliteraturedual
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Sources: History of Song, 云传; Correct Meaning of the Zuo Tradition, ch. 1; Water Margin, ch. 110; The Story of Yue Fei, 第七十七回; History of Song, 刘锜吴玠吴璘挺传; Water Margin, ch. 112; The Story of Yue Fei, 第七十三回; History of Song, 叛臣传上

This page was extracted from classical texts with AI assistance and revised; errors remain possible. Spotted a mistake? Tell us →

Compiled with AI assistance from public-domain texts; for cultural reference. Mythological accounts vary — corrections welcome.