Weapon
Kaishan Dafu 開山大斧
About this item
The Kaishan Dafu (Mountain-Splitting Great Axe) is a great axe wielded by generals in the Romance. It belongs to no single person: Xing Daorong, senior general of Lingling, in Chapter 52, Han De, great general of Xiliang, in Chapter 92, and Xu Zhi, General Who Supports the State of Wei, in Chapter 109 each appear as generals who wield a Kaishan Dafu. All three die fighting with this axe against the troops on the side of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang. Romance, Ch. 52 §15 · 22Romance, Ch. 92 §4 · 13Romance, Ch. 109 §3–4 · 10
The name Kaishan Dafu does not appear in Chen Shou's text. Records of Wei 18 records that at the banquet Cao Cao held at Wan, Dian Wei stood behind him holding a great axe whose blade was a chi (about a foot) across, but no name is attached to it. The Romance mentions this axe in Chapters 52, 92 and 109. Records, Wei 18 §64Romance, Ch. 52 §15Romance, Ch. 92 §4Romance, Ch. 109 §4
In the Romance
In Chapter 52 of the Romance, when Liu Bei comes to attack Lingling, the Lingling side puts forward its senior general Xing Daorong, said to have the strength to match ten thousand men. Xing Daorong comes out holding a Kaishan Dafu and shouts loudly, and when Zhuge Liang, seated in a four-wheeled carriage, urges him to surrender, he scoffs that the battle at Red Cliffs was Zhou Lang's plan and charges, swinging his great axe. But after only a few bouts with Zhang Fei he flees, and when Zhao Yun blocks his way he dismounts and surrenders. Released, he tries to capture Zhuge Liang by turning the plan against him, but that night he is run through by Zhao Yun's spear and dies. Romance, Ch. 52 §14–19 · 20 · 22
In Chapter 92 Xiahou Mao, who has gathered troops at Chang'an, makes Han De, great general of Xiliang, his vanguard. The Romance says that Han De is skilled with the Kaishan Dafu and has a courage that ten thousand men could not withstand, and he leads 80,000 Western Qiang troops and his four sons to meet the Shu army at Mount Fengming. When all four sons fall at Zhao Yun's hands, Han De, vowing to avenge the killing of his four sons, charges at Zhao Yun swinging his Kaishan Dafu, but within three bouts he is run through by Zhao Yun's spear and dies. Romance, Ch. 92 §4–5 · 8 · 13
In Chapter 109 Xu Zhi, General Who Supports the State of Wei, becomes the vanguard against Jiang Wei and offers battle holding a Kaishan Dafu; he drives back Liao Hua and Zhang Yi in turn and forces the Shu army to fall back more than 30 li. But on hearing that provisions are being carried with the Muniu Liuma, the wooden oxen and gliding horses, behind Mount Tielong, he sets out to cut the supply route and falls into an ambush, and when Jiang Wei brings down his horse with a spear, he is killed by the swords of the soldiers. Romance, Ch. 109 §3–4 · 7–10
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
Ownership history
| Owner | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Xu Zhi(徐質) | 253 | Romance 「蜀漢延熙十六年秋」 · 「徐質使開山大斧,出馬挑戰」(yy-109:s4) |
| Xing Daorong | Romance 「道榮出馬,手使開山大斧」 | |
| Han De | Romance 「西涼大將韓德,善使開山大斧」 · 「縱馬輪開山大斧,直取趙雲」 |
Ownership is checked against the source texts (3KDEX) — each entry rests on the passage where the item changes hands. Owners not in the People index are not shown.