How many Mo Dong Heroes would it have taken to defeat Tse Tsun?

[Ken Cheng]

Near the beginning of HSDS, Mo Dong Hero # 5 Cheung Chui San seemed almost helpless against Golden-Furred Lion King Tse Tsun. Cheung Chui San not only believed that even he and Yan So So (no weak fighter herself) combined could not defeat Tse Tsun, but that the only person in wulin who could defeat the Lion King was Cheung 3 Fung himself.

Obviously, Tse Tsun wasn't as powerful as Cheung Chui San believed, but he was clearly more than enough for one Mo Dong Hero to handle. How many Mo Dong Heroes would it have taken to defeat Tse Tsun (no Dragon Sabre in hand) at that point? Would Cheung Chui San and an uninjured Yu Doi Nam combined have been enough? What about Cheung Chui San, Yu Doi Nam, and Yu Lin Chou combined?

[Mandred Skavenslayer]

I would say 2 would be enough.

6 of them managed to fight 3 Shaolin monks to a stalemate so 2 combined should be able to handle 1 monk.

The 3 monks were of the same generation as the monk the Golden-Furred Lion King couldn't hurt so their martial arts should be on a par.

[Ken Cheng]

I would say 2 would be enough.

6 of them managed to fight 3 Shaolin monks to a stalemate so 2 combined should be able to handle 1 monk.

The 3 monks were of the same generation as the monk the Golden-Furred Lion King couldn't hurt so their martial arts should be on a par.

Monk Hung Geen was unique in his generation for having mastered the Diamond Invincibility Art, which made him impervious to Tse Tsun's attacks. The other three Hung-generation monks, however, did not demonstrate comparable skill. My belief is that Hung Geen was somewhat more powerful than his Hung-generation peers.

[ChronoReverse]

Near the beginning of HSDS, Mo Dong Hero # 5 Cheung Chui San seemed almost helpless against Golden-Furred Lion King Tse Tsun. Cheung Chui San not only believed that even he and Yan So So (no weak fighter herself) combined could not defeat Tse Tsun, but that the only person in wulin who could defeat the Lion King was Cheung 3 Fung himself.

This not accurate. It was that the only person he KNEW of that could beat Xie Xun was Z3F.

Everyone’s gasped at what has happened. Zhang CuiShan had seen many powerful fighters in the martial world, but never someone of Xie Xun’s caliber. He knew that he has no chance against Xie Xun. Even his big brother and second brother would not likely defeat him either. Other than his master, Zhang CuiShan could not think of a second person that is this man’s match.

And it doesn't imply that ZCS though Z3F was Xie Xun's equal either. Looking at the context, it's talking about "defeating Xie Xun" and he clearly puts Z3F in the class of "Will defeat Xie Xun" which is even more clear when we look at what he thought later:

Xie Xun looked at him, said, “I’ve long heard that your teacher Zhang SanFeng’s martial arts is unmatched in the world, but unfortunately never had the chance to meet him. You are one of his top disciples, yet you are so mediocre. Guess there’s no reason to visit him after all.”

Zhang CuiShan, fuming at these words that belittled his master, said angrily, “Do you think you’re worthy to judge my master’s abilities? Your kung fu is extremely high, but still nowhere near my master’s level.”

He might have been angry but it still corroborates that he felt Z3F would defeat Xie Xun (he just had NO IDEA how far apart they were; he got the relative levels right but didn't realize Z3F's might).

[ChronoReverse]

Monk Hung Geen was unique in his generation for having mastered the Diamond Invincibility Art, which made him impervious to Tse Tsun's attacks. The other three Hung-generation monks, however, did not demonstrate comparable skill. My belief is that Hung Geen was somewhat more powerful than his Hung-generation peers.

I think Xie Xun considered the other Shaolin monks his superiors:

Xie Xun said, “Although I am arrogant, there are still many who are superior. For example, Shaolin’s Reverend Kong Wen…” He paused here for a moment, a hint of regret appearing on his face, “… Shaolin’s Reverends Kong Zhi and Kong Sheng, Wu Dang’s Taoist Zhang SanFeng, the leaders of E Mei and Kun Lun. All of them have unbelievable skills. Although the Qing Hai Sect lies far in the western regions, its kung fu is mysterious and exceptional. The Ming Sect’s Left and Right Messengers… Awesome! Even your Heavenly Eagle Sect’s Leader Yin, White-Browed Eagle King, is an exceptional talent. I doubt I could defeat him.”

[BlackRaven]

6 of them managed to fight 3 Shaolin monks to a stalemate so 2 combined should be able to handle 1 monk.

This battle between 3 Shaolin monks and 6 Wudang experts occurred when Zhang Wuji was 10 years old, so at least 10 years after Zhang Cuisan's first meeting with Xie Xun, which was the point in time of the Xie Xun vs Wudang fight proposed by Ken.

At the time of Zhang Cuisan's first meeting with Xie Xun, Wudang's #6 and #7 Yin and Muo were not yet adults, so Xie Xun could easily kill Cuisan, Yin and Muo combined.

Personally, I think Cuisan and 30 year old Yu Dainan would also lose to Xie Xun. It was said that #1 Wudang disciple Song was certain to lose 1v1 vs Xie Xun during that time period. Wudang's inner power progress is slow at the beginning, but is greatly rewarding after decades of practice. So the 25 and 30 years old Cuisan and Yu Dainan would stand no chance vs Xie Xun.

Throw in Yu Liangzhou in the mix though, and I am unsure of the result. I think Xie Xun could fight the 3 of them to a tie. Xie Xun BEFORE learning Qishang Fist was able to beat the 5 Kong Tong elders, thanks to secret assistance from Cheng Kun. The much improved Xie Xun should be able to tie 3 Wudang disciples who had yet to hit their prime, I think. We know that during the battle of Brightness Peak, when Zhang Wuji was 20, the 5 Wudang heroes surpassed the Kong Tong elders and rivaled the leader of Emei in reputation. However, when Zhang Wuji was 10, Wudang heroes reputation were only on par with the 5 Kong Tong elders. Before Zhang Wuji was born, one younger Wudang disciples would be, at best, equal to one Kong Tong Elder.

[Ian Liew]

I think Yu Lianzhou, with the assistance of another brother, should be able to beat Xie Xun. For all his might, I cannot see Xie Xun beating one of the Xuanming Elders, and the Xuanming Elders were wary enough of Yu Lianzhou to not use their full power against him in case it reflected back on them. While that doesn't mean that Yu Lianzhou was equal to a Xuan Ming elder (he certainly wasn't) or even better than Xie Xun, he'd probably be good enough to give Xie Xun a decent challenge while the addition of another Wudang hero should be enough to tip the balance in his favour. Song Yuanqiao's inner power wasn't far off from Yin Tianzheng, while Mo Shenggu's swordplay was not inferior to Yin's swordplay either (even taking into account his fatigue), and so I feel that two Wudang heroes (assuming one was Yu Lianzhou) should be enough to handle Xie Xun.