Is “Gongsun Sheng, the Dragon in the Clouds, mastered the art of sorcery and could summon wind and rain. During the attack on Gaotangzhou, he used the Five Thunder Celestial Heart Orthodox Method to defeat Gao Lian.” true?

novel invention

While depicting brutal cold-weapon warfare, "Water Margin" introduces intense supernatural and fantastical elements, such as Gongsun Sheng performing rituals to command the weather in battle, breaking Gao Lian's sorcery, and subduing Qiao Daoqing. However, according to the "History of Song" records of the late Northern Song, the Song Jiang uprising was a very realistic peasant or bandit armed revolt that occurred in the regions of Shandong and Hebei. The rebels' confrontation with the imperial court relied on cold weapons, with absolutely no scenes of Taoist priests summoning wind and rain. All such magical feats are purely fictional inventions of the novel. The original text states that Gao Lian "won two or three battles using sorcery" and also says Gongsun Sheng "therefore changed his name to Qingdao Ren and hid here." ("Water Margin", Chapter 53)

Gongsun Sheng

The mystical aura of the Liangshan sorcerer

Sources cited above. Compiled with AI assistance and checked against those sources; for cultural reference.Data & method →

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