Is “Before the execution, did the brothers 'cut flesh from the thigh' to repay Shan Xiongxin?” true?
According to the 'Old Book of Tang: Biography of Li Mi', after Shan Xiongxin was captured in defeat, his old friends such as Li Ji pleaded for his pardon but failed, and ultimately Shan Xiongxin was executed. There is no record in official history of the brothers cutting flesh from their thighs at the execution ground. In chapter 60 of 'Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties', before Shan Xiongxin's execution, Cheng Yaojin, Qin Shubao, and others, in order to repay his kindness, each 'cut off a piece of flesh and handed it to Second Brother', and Shan Xiongxin ate it in pain, a scene of extreme tragedy. This 'cutting flesh' plot is purely a fictional invention of the novel, used to extremely exaggerate the brotherhood and loyalty among the Wagang heroes.
The plot of 'cutting flesh from the thigh' before Shan Xiongxin's execution is a fictional invention of the novel, and there is no such record in official history.
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