Spear and Spear Users

[kidd]

Besides Yang Tiexin and Zhuge Zhengwo, any other spear user(s) appear in wuxia novels? Who are they?

What do u think of spear as a weapon?

[SkineePanda]

In the real world, it is regarded as the most effective weapon of the 18 weapons. It was the mainstay of the military throughout the ages. Personally I would love to learn the weapon, must hassle sifu about it.

[Phoenix_Aquaris]

I think I read this quote somewhere, probably from a wuxia novel.. My memory is failing me

It takes a hundred days to master a sabre, a thousand to master a spear, and ten thousands to truly master a sword.

IIRC, it's from LOCH, but I've been reading that novel many times already, just can't seem to find this darn quote.

[kidd]

In the real world, it is regarded as the most effective weapon of the 18 weapons. It was the mainstay of the military throughout the ages. Personally I would love to learn the weapon, must hassle sifu about it.

You practice martial arts? So far, what type of martial art have u learn?

[SkineePanda]

only Wing Chun, we only have two weapons.

[kidd]

I've read up on the spear after starting this thread. Never knew a spear could be this flexible. I also learn that those red threads at the foot of the spearhead are made of horse hair and are used to distract the vision of the opponent from the spearhead and also to prevent blood from sliding down the wooden shaft (blood will make the shaft slippery when wet and sticky when dry).

[kidd]

only Wing Chun, we only have two weapons.

I thought the 2 weapons of Wing Chun are the long pole and the Butterfly Swords. Your sifu know spear also? Multi-talented leh.

[SkineePanda]

Exactly!! If you need to put a blood guard on a object, then you know that its deadly.

[kidd]

Found this when reading up on spear.

Four Major Weapons

Sword - "The Gentleman of Weapons"
Sabre - "The Marshall of all weapons" or "The Courage of All Soldiers"
Spear - "The King of Weapons"
Staff - "The Father of all Weapons"

[kidd]

So, Yang Tiexin and Zhuge Zhengwo are the only spear wielders around?

[CFT]

I thought the 2 weapons of Wing Chun are the long pole and the Butterfly Swords. Your sifu know spear also? Multi-talented leh.

You can easily adapt the Wing Chun long pole techniques to the spear.

[resident:alien]

Zhao Yun mos def. (okay, i used to play DW like crazy)

And what's his face from the "RED DRAGON" film starrin' jet li. wasn't he part of a novel? they made references to the RED LOTUS SOCIETY, the Ching Dynasty, and Fong Sai Yuk.

[Athena]

So, Yang Tiexin and Zhuge Zhengwo are the only spear wielders around?

There are a lot more.

In LOCH: We have one of the Four Ghosts of the Yellow River who used a spear, Wu Qinglie.

In HSDS: There was an old hero called Tan Rui, whose nickname was "The Divine Spear Awing 8 Directions." He had a large number of disciples and was a renowned martial arts expert, Zhang Cuishan had heard of him. But soon we find out that Tan Rui was defeated by one of Yin Tianzheng's servants, Yin Wushou 20 years ago. And Yin Wushou knew some of Tan's "secrets."

In HSDS: There was an entire martial arts school devoted to training spears. The school was called "Soul Destroying Spear." A lowly martial arts school, its disciples joined the attack on the Ming Cult after the 6 Orthodox Schools left. Yin Tianzheng even scoffed when he mentioned this school.

In Smiling Proud Wanderer: When the Sun and Moon Sect people attacked Xiang Wentian (during Xiang's first appearance). There were 8 unnamed cultists who used spears.

In The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain: Miao Renfeng was said to have trained in using the spear when he was young. In fact he learnt many different types of weapons when he studied martial arts in his younger years. It seemed that Miao was a prodigy in martial arts.

In the Young Flying Fox: The three head disciples of the Weituo School were also trained in using the spear. I forgot their names.

A Deadly Secret: Hua Tiegan (one of the Four Heroes of Jiangnan, the one stuck in the snow valley with Di Yun and Shui Sheng) used a spear, Liuhe Spear.

And I think there are still some other unnamed characters that used spears.

[Ken Cheng]

Didn't Ohr Jen Ngok's (Gong Nam Freak # 1) walking staff also double as a spear?

[kidd]

Thanks Athena, for the long list.

Amount them, which one can be considered powerful?

I guess these are the powerful ones Tan Rui, Miao Renfeng and Hua Tiegan.

Is the Four Ghosts of the Yellow River powerful?

Are the people u listed strong or weaker than Yang Tiexin?

Zhuge Zhengwo should be more powerful than the rest since he's the main character in 'Jing Yan Yi Qiang' [惊艳一枪]. Even the title of the story got the word 'spear' in it.

[Ken Cheng]

Is the Four Ghosts of the Yellow River powerful?

Not really. They were bottomfeeders. Even one of the Gong Nam 7 Freaks could own them. In LOCH '82, the Freaks killed one of them.

[Athena]

Thanks Athena, for the long list.

Amount them, which one can be considered powerful?

I guess these are the powerful ones Tan Rui, Miao Renfeng and Hua Tiegan.

Is the Four Ghosts of the Yellow River powerful?

Are the people u listed strong or weaker than Yang Tiexin?

Zhuge Zhengwo should be more powerful than the rest since he's the main character in 'Jing Yan Yi Qiang' [惊艳一枪]. Even the title of the story got the word 'spear' in it.

Kidd, you're welcome.

I suppose that Hua Tiegan could be the best spear wielder of his time. Tan Rui was said to be good, but hardly Wudang Heroes, Ming Cult Elite, Miejue Shi-Tai calibre. Miao Renfeng only studied using the spear when he was young, his family style is sword based.
I think all of those people on my previous list were better than Yang Tiexin. Yang Tiexin's Yang Family Spear was good in military combat, but was not very efficient in Wulin fights. Jin Yong even wrote that in LOCH.

Zhuge Zhengwo should be the best, indeed.

[Extremer88]

Zhao Yun is most probably the most powerful Chinese ever to wield a spear.