Is “Angered Jin Wushu to death, laughed Niu Gao to death” true?
The ending of "The Complete Tale of Yue Fei" arranges for Niu Gao to capture alive the Jin commander Jin Wushu, who dies in a fit of rage, while Niu Gao dies laughing. The original text reads: 「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》）This is completely contrary to history. According to the "Biography of Niu Gao" in the "History of Song", Niu Gao, after Yue Fei's death, was secretly poisoned to death by Tian Shizhong, who had taken over Yue's army, because he could not bear the humiliation. Through this satisfying fictional ending, the novel fulfills the psychological compensation of revenge for the common people.
A famous anti-Jin general who died from a conspiracy in official history was rewritten as a lucky general who jokes around in a historical novel.
This page was extracted from classical texts with AI assistance and revised; errors remain possible. Spotted a mistake? Tell us →