In the novel “The Legend of the Condor Heroes”, Duan Yu is the adopted son of Duan Zhengchun, the “Prince of Zhennan” of Dali Kingdom. He met Qiao Feng and others in the Central Plains and inherited the throne with the beautiful woman Wang Yuyan after returning to Dali. However, he is said to have a relatively perfect ending in the novel.
According to historical records, there was a person named Duan Yu. His real name was Duan Zhengyan, also known as Duan Heyu, and he was the son of Duan Zhengchun, the Wen’an Emperor of Dali (which differs from the novel’s account that Duan Yu was born to Duan Yanqing and Dao Baifeng). Duan Heyu was actually the 16th emperor of Dali.
The territory of Dali Kingdom is located in the southwestern region of present-day China. During the Tang Dynasty, frequent wars broke out between the Tang Dynasty and the southwestern region of Nanzhao. The general of Nanzhao Kingdom, Duan Jianwei, once defeated the Tang army and made great military achievements for the Nanzhao Kingdom. He was promoted to the position of Qingping Official by the Nanzhao King Menggeluofeng. Duan Jianwei is the founder of Duan’s Dali family. By the time of the founding of the Northern Song Dynasty, the general Duan Siming of Daning, together with a group of nobles, launched a coup and ascended to the throne, changing the country’s name to “Li” and calling it “Dali”. Helping the nobles surnamed Li, Gao, Dong and others who seized the throne became the reliance that the Duan royal family had to rely on. These Dali clans basically controlled the government, and the Dali emperor had to rely on the support of these clans.
When Duan Zhengchun came to power, the noble surnames of Gao had already defeated other surnames and become a faction with great power in their hands. Although Duan Zhengchun was the emperor of Later Dali, the power was already controlled by the Gao family. Afterwards, the noble surnames of Gao inherited the position of prime minister and held great political power in Dali. Duan had power over the country, while Gao had power over the country. In 1108 AD, Duan Zhengchun saw that his power was declining and he could not control the Gao family, so he gave way to his son Duan Zhengyan and became a monk.
Duan Zhengyan was a relatively accomplished monarch compared to his father, diligent in governing and loving the people during his reign. However, the power of the country had already fallen into the hands of the Gao family, and Duan Zhengyan was unable to change this situation. During the reign of Duan Zhengyan, the fierce internal strife of the Gao family caused political turmoil, and various tribes under Dali rebelled from time to time. Coupled with frequent natural disasters, Duan Zhengyan was exhausted, so he surrendered the throne and went into hiding.
In 1147, Duan Zhengyan abdicated and became a monk due to internal strife and external rebellion among his sons. The struggle among the various sons was controlled by the various forces of the Gao family, accompanied by internal strife within the Gao family group and internal strife. In the end, Duan Zhengxing, supported by Gao Liangcheng, emerged victorious and inherited the throne.
