The Four Marshals of Protection are four very famous Daoist deities of protection. There are three different theories about them. One theory is that they are the four generals Ma, Zhao, Wen and Zhou. This is the theory of the Qing Dynasty. Ma is Ma Lingyao, Zhao is Zhao Gongming, Wen is Wen Qiong (Ma, Zhao and Wen have their own introductions), and Zhou is Zhou Guangze. The “Travels in the North” says that Zhou Guangze was originally a demon in the Douge Mountain, known as the Great King of Guangze. He had red hair and fangs, wore wind and fire wheels on his feet, and held a big moon in his hand. He saw good things and beautiful people, and made strange things on the spot, and was involved in the cave. Later, he was captured by the Zhenwu Array, and the Jade Emperor named him the “Wind Wheel Zhou Marshal” and followed Zhenwu on his path.

    The other two refer to the four marshals Yue, Zhao, Wen and Kang. Yue refers to Yue Fei and Yue Muwang, who were deified after their deaths. Zhao refers to Zhao Gongming, Wen refers to Wen Qiong, and Kang refers to Kang Xi. The “Northern Travel Notes” called Kang Jie “the benevolent and holy marshal Kang,” who was once a demon in the Black Pine Forest in Xi'an Prefecture. When he was performing evil deeds in the benevolent and holy rock, he was subdued by the Supreme Lord of the Wonderful Land of Joy. The Jade Emperor bestowed upon him the title of “the benevolent and holy marshal Kang,” and he held a golden celery in his hand to help the true martial arts to subdue the demons.

    The third is a more popular and orthodox version, which is that the four heavenly protectors in the Taoist pantheon are called the Heavenly Marshal of the Heavenly Canopy, the Heavenly Marshal of Benevolence and Righteousness, the Heavenly Marshal of the Sacred Treasure, and the Heavenly Marshal of the Sacred Treasure. Volume 15 states: “The Heavenly Marshal's Treasure Seal shines on me, the Heavenly Marshal's Sword protects me, the Holy Marshal's Halberd guards me, and the Heavenly Marshal's Water and Fire help me.” This shows that the jade seal, jade sword, halberd, and water and fire are the sacred weapons of the four protectors. In addition, the thirty-ninth volume of the book also uses the four saints to name the four marshals, calling the Tianpeng Yuzhen Shouyuan Zhenjun the Tianpeng Marshal Zhenjun, Tianyou Renzhi Lingfu Zhenjun the Tianyou Marshal Zhenjun, and Yisheng Yi Sheng Hei Sha Zhen Jun as Yi Sheng Hei Sha Zhen Jun, and Yu Sheng Zhen Wu Ling Ying Zhen Jun as Zi Huang Tian Yi Tian Jun Yu Xu Shi Xiang Xuan Tian Shang Di, which is another name for the Four Guardian Generals in Taoism.

    There are many records in Taoist scriptures about the Four Marshals of the Law. For example, in the “Yunji Qixi” volume 45, “Cunsijue” says: “Tianpeng Tianpeng, Jiuyuan kills children, Wuding is the head of the department, higher than Beigong. Seven politics and eight spirits, the supreme is fierce, long skull and huge head, holding the emperor's bell in his hand. The two gods of Suyao, the spirit rides the dragon. The mighty sword god, slaying the traces of evil, the purple mist riding the sky, the red clouds covering the land, devouring demons and devouring ghosts... the great axe of the sky, slaying the five forms of evil, the blood of the fiery emperor; the bones of the Big Dipper, the broken bones of the fourth month, the destruction of the sky, the divine sword, and the ghosts will flee. Hurry, as the law of the great god of heaven. The “Great Heavenly Law of the Heavenly Emperor” also says: “I invited the Great Sage Dong to practice the Dao on Ximing Mountain in Shu, where he encountered the Great Marshal of the North Pole, the Lord of the Heavens, who bestowed three volumes of scriptures.” It also says: “The Heavenly Emperor's Law is based on controlling evil, and the main focus is on the Fire Hell.” It introduces the power of the Four Marshals' Demon-Subduing Array from different perspectives.

    In addition, the Daoist scripture Dao Guai Hui Yuan: The Great Method of the Four Marshals Qingwei Ma, Zhao, Wen, and Guan also gives the names of the four marshals: Ma Lingyao (Emperor of the Great Light), Zhao Gongming (one of the gods of wealth), Wen Qiong (Marshal Wen), and Guan Yu (Emperor Guan). In Taoist rituals, the four marshals are usually invited to descend to help drive away evil spirits. The novel “The Romance of the Three Treasures” vividly describes the scene of Zhang Tian Shi casting spells to fight demons and monsters: Zhang Tian Shi is seen with his hair flying, a walking stick and a sword in his hand, stepping on the five-pointed star and the eight-pointed star, twisting his fingers and chanting mantras, holding up a token, raising it and then dropping it, knocking three times, and then shouting, “One strike opens the heavenly gate, two strikes split the earth, and three strikes summon Ma, Zhao, Wen, and Guan to the altar!” Suddenly, there was a loud cracking sound in the air, and four generals appeared from the sky. Since then, it has been seen that the four generals of the Dharma protectors are mighty and fierce, with boundless magical power, upholding justice, slaying demons, and driving away evil spirits.

    Marshal Ma is also known as the Emperor of the Light, the Marshal of the Spirit, the Spirit of the Light, the Emperor of the Light, and the Lord of the Sky. He is one of the four protectors of Taoism. According to legend, his surname is Ma and his name is Lingyao. Because he was born with three eyes, he is also known as “Marshal Ma with three eyes.”

    The 36th volume of Dao Fa Hui Yuan also contains the “Qingwei Ma, Zhao, Wen, Guan Four Generals' Great Method,” which lists the names of the four generals, including Ma Lingxiong.

    According to Taoist records, Emperor Huaguang was first reincarnated as Ma Lingxiong's mother. According to the “Three Religions Search for Gods,” Ma Lingyao had three “manifestations of the divine,” first being reborn in a Ma family in Ma'ershan, killing the Dragon King of the East Sea, setting the Fire Pearl Spirit of the 81 states of Jiangnan on fire, stealing the Demon-Hunting Spear of the Purple Emblem Emperor, and being trapped in the Nine-Curve Pearl. Second, he was reborn in the belly of the Queen of the Bull Palace, worshiping the Wonderful Celestial Lord as his teacher, stealing the Dragon King's Treasure Pearl, smashing the Ghost-Repelling and set free two ghosts, and subdued the Shifeng Ears Master Kuang, the Thousand-Mile Eyes Master Li Lou, and the Fire-Floating General. The third time he was reborn in the womb of the wife of Xiao Shuifu of Xiao Village, Wuyuan County, Huizhou, Nanjing, he subdued 500 fire crows, and in order to save his mother, he made a ruckus in hell. Later, the Jade Emperor saw that he was a talented general and made him a general of the Zhenwu Emperor, protecting the heavenly realm. The “Biography of the Five Manifesting Gods of the Emperor Huaguang” describes Ma Lingguan as being good at playing with fire. He had gold bricks and fire pills hidden on his body, which he used to fight evil spirits at any time, so later the common people also regarded him as the “God of Fire” and often held “Huaguang Jiao” in August and September to pray for protection from fire and long-term health.

    Temples dedicated to the Emperor of Huaguang are often called Huaguang temples, but there are also temples that enshrine the statue of the Lord of the Horse in the city god temple. The image of Marshal Ma in the “Three Treasures of the Western World” is white, as white as snow: one is called Marshal Two Huaguang, with three eyes on his eyebrows, a hat on his head, and a metal brick in his hand. It is said that the birthday of Emperor Huaguang is on the 28th day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar.

    It is said that in the early Ming Dynasty, Emperor Hua Guang was reincarnated as Wang Lingguan. The biography of Wang Lingguan is recorded in the “New Search for Gods” and “Tongxi” and his real name was Wang Shan. He was a sorcerer during the reign of Emperor Huizong (reigned 1100-1125) and later learned the art of divination from the Shu native Sa Shoujian. After his death, the Jade Emperor of Heaven conferred upon him the title of “Lord of the Heavens” and appointed him to oversee the heavens and the human world. During the Ming Dynasty, he was conferred the title of “True Lord of the Heavens” and the imperial edict was issued to build a temple dedicated to him. During the Xuande reign (1426-1435), the temple was renamed “Temple of the Fire God”. Many Taoist temples have statues of Wang Lingguan, a strange-looking deity with red eyes, three eyes, armor and a whip, who is the guardian of the temple gate.It is said that in the early Ming Dynasty, Emperor Hua Guang was reincarnated as Wang Lingguan. The biography of Wang Lingguan is recorded in the “New Search for Gods” and “Tongxi” and his real name was Wang Shan. He was a sorcerer during the reign of Emperor Huizong (reigned 1100-1125) and later learned the art of divination from the Shu native Sa Shoujian. After his death, the Jade Emperor of Heaven conferred upon him the title of “Lord of the Heavens” and appointed him to oversee the heavens and the human world. During the Ming Dynasty, he was conferred the title of “True Lord of the Heavens” and the imperial edict was issued to build a temple dedicated to him. During the Xuande reign (1426-1435), the temple was renamed “Temple of the Fire God”. Many Taoist temples have statues of Wang Lingguan, a strange-looking deity with red eyes, three eyes, armor and a whip, who is the guardian of the temple gate.

    Zhao Gongming, also known as “Zhao Gongming of the Black Tiger Xuantan” or “Zhao Xuantan,” is one of the four Taoist protectors. He was originally an evil god, but after the Ming Dynasty, he was worshipped as the god of wealth by Taoism. His beliefs spread among the common people. According to the “Three Teachings Origin and Development: A Complete Collection of Gods,” Zhao Gongming was a native of Zhongnan Mountain. During the Qin Dynasty, he escaped to the mountains to avoid the chaos, and after refining his Taoist practice, he was appointed as the deputy commander of the Divine Realm by the Jade Emperor. Also known as Marshal Zhao, he was born from the divine breath of the sky and the wisdom of the heavens. He is in charge of the Taihu Mountain West Terrace. He is the supreme general of the palace, who receives orders from the Heavenly Gate, controls the three realms, inspects the five directions, and directs the nine provinces. He is the imperial censor of the North Pole. In the past, Zhang Daoling, the Heavenly Master, cultivated the elixir of immortality on Heming Mountain and requested the Jade Emperor to send a powerful deity to guard his furnace. Zhao Gongming then came down to earth and was appointed Marshal of the Zhengyi Xuantan, in charge of the furnace. After the Heavenly Master ascended to heaven, Zhao Gongming guarded the famous Dragon and Tiger Mountains and on the days of the three yuan, he opened a platform to pass on the teachings to those who practiced Taoism. He is in charge of those who have to thank Bodhisattva for their good deeds and those who are stubborn and unrepentant. He is responsible for rewards and punishments and is called the “Dragon and Tiger Altar”. He has eight generals under him, corresponding to the eight trigrams. He has six ambassadors of poison, corresponding to the heavenly, earthly, annual, monthly, daily and hourly calamities. He has five generals of thunder and five generals of divine soldiers, corresponding to the five elements. He has twenty-eight generals, corresponding to the twenty-eight constellations. There are two generals, Tianhe and Dita, to symbolize the opening and closing of the heavenly gate and the earthen door. There are two camp generals, Shuihuo, to symbolize the change of spring and autumn. Their supernatural powers are vast, and they can drive thunder and harness electricity, call the wind and summon the rain, eliminate pestilence and malaria, and protect the sick and ward off disasters. They can fairly judge unjust cases and make the right decisions in business and wealth. They are always effective. The gods have bestowed many titles on him, including “Commander-in-Chief of the Supreme Thunder Palace,” “Inspector of the Five Directions,” “Supreme Director of the Nine Provinces,” and “General of the Imperial Court.” He is the leader of the Thunder Generals, the Imperial Censor of the North Pole, the Commander-in-Chief of the Three Realms, the Commander of the Great Army of the Celestial Empire, the Commander of the Destiny-Determining Army, the Commander of the 28 Constellations, and the Commander of the Supreme Tribunal of the Celestial Empire.

    In coastal areas of China, Marshal Wen Qiong is one of the most famous deities. He is one of the four Marshal Generals, along with Ma, Zhao and Guan. Marshal Wen has a unique appearance, unlike Marshal Wang, who is all red, and Marshal Zhao, who is all black. According to the “San Bao Zhen Shi Xiang Ji” (Three Treasures Eunuch's Western Journey), “The indigo-dyed scarf is full of light, and the jade robe is full of flowers. The vermilion hair beam is all red, and the green face with fangs is too poisonous. Auspicious clouds drift away from the heavenly palace, and the ferocious demons are all lying down.” This vivid description shows that Marshal Wen is covered in blue and is extremely powerful.

    Song Lian, a scholar of the Ming Dynasty, wrote in the “Wen Zhongjing Gong Miao Bei” (Wen Zhongjing Gong Miao Bei) and Yuanren's “San Jiao Sou Shen Daquan” (San Jiao Sou Shen Daquan) that Marshal Wen was the god of Mount Tai and a general of the Eastern Emperor. His name was Wen Qiong, and he was from Wenzhou in eastern Zhejiang. His father, Wen Wang, had passed the imperial examination, but he was old and had no heir, so he and his wife, Zhang Daohui, prayed to God day and night. Later, Zhang dreamed at night that a giant god descended holding a fireball and said, “I am the god of the six months, the general of the Jade Emperor. I want to be born in a mother's womb and take on human form. Will you allow it?” Zhang replied, “Women are ignorant, and the saints and sages are gathered here. How dare you disobey the order?” The god threw the ball into her bosom and woke up. As a result, Zhang was pregnant for 12 months, auspicious clouds surrounded the room, and she gave birth to Wen Qiong on the fifth day of the fifth month of the first year of Emperor An of the Han Dynasty (142–144) (142). At birth, there were 24 seals on her left rib and 16 seals on her right rib. (Her mother) remembered dreaming of a god giving her a jade ring, so she named her “Qiong,” with the courtesy name Xiaoyu and the style name Yongqing. After that, Wen Qiong practiced the Yu-bu martial art at the age of seven, and by the age of ten, he was well versed in Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and the teachings of the Hundred Schools. At the age of nineteen, he failed the imperial examination, and at the age of twenty, he failed the imperial examination for the highest degree. He sighed and said, “I was unable to benefit the people in my life, and when I die, I will become the god of Mount Tai to rid the world of evil spirits.” In the midst of his depression, he suddenly saw a blue dragon spitting out a pearl. After picking it up and swallowing it, he instantly turned into a god with green face and red hair, wearing a helmet on his head, a body of armor, a jade ring in his left hand, and an iron hammer in his right hand. He was brave and fierce. The Great Emperor of Dongyue heard of his bravery and summoned him as the god of the mountain. Later, he was listed as one of the ten great protectors of Dongyue, so he was also called Wen Taibao. He was appointed as the commander of the army of the Eastern Mountain, the inspector of the whole country, the one who reported to the Jade Emperor in the Five Mountains, the one who took the criminals to the Jade Emperor, and the one who protected the people. Soon after, the Jade Emperor bestowed upon him the title of “Great God of the Yuan Gold” and gave him a jade ring, a jade flower, and a gold medal with the four characters “free to enter the sky” on it, so that he could freely enter and exit the heavenly gate and inspect the famous mountains of the five mountains, benefit the people, drive away evil spirits, and “the people of Dongjia respect and support him.” Later, Zhang Zongyan, the thirty-sixth generation of heavenly masters, used his magic to summon the spirits to help people get rid of disasters, and it was very effective. In the Song Dynasty, Wen Qiong was also named the General of the Imperial Army, the King of the Imperial Army, and the King of the Imperial Army.

    As the legend of Wen Qiong continued to develop, the story of Lei Qiong also emerged. In the nineteenth chapter of the “Journey to the North,” the image, magic weapon and weapon of the Marshal of the Plague are the same as Wen Qiong, except for the name and origin. This Marshal of the Plague was named Lei Qiong and was a commoner who sold tofu before becoming a god. It is said that Lei Qiong was born in the village of Banding, where the people were evil and angered the Jade Emperor, who sent the messenger of the plague god to destroy the village of Banding. The only good person in the village was Lei Qiong, and he was spared by the Jade Emperor's decree. The Jade Emperor first sent the Earth God to inform Lei Qiong of the situation. Lei Qiong did not want to die alone, and thought to himself: If I hang myself first and use my death to save the whole village, wouldn't that be better? So he snatched the medicine from the Earth God's hands and swallowed it, and immediately his limbs became hot and he died of plague. When the Jade Emperor heard the news, he was deeply moved and took his soul back, restoring his body and spirit. He also made him the “General of the Plague,” meaning that he died of the plague. He was also given a magnolia flower and a gold medal with the four characters “unfettered in the sky” on it, which meant that he could go in and out without any restrictions. Later, he was made a general of the Zhenwu Emperor, using jade rings and iron arrow formations to subdue demons. Therefore, when folk Taoist priests perform rituals for the dead, they must also worship his name.

    Wen Qiong's temples are called Guangling Temple or Wen Jiangjun Temple, and are mostly located in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The most famous of these is the Zhejiang Wenxian Zhongjingwang Temple, commonly known as the Marshal Temple. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, Wen Qiong's birthday, believers from all over come to worship him, carrying his statue in a parade through the streets, hoping to ward off evil and prevent disasters.

    Guan Yu is also known as “the Lord of the Heavenly Demon-Quelling” and “the Great Demon-Subduing Emperor.” Taoism regards him as one of the four protectors and worships him as the God of War (see later). Guan Yu is extremely popular in the palace and among the common people, and is known as “Guan Sheng Di Jun,” or “Guan Di,” or “Guan Gong,” or “Guan Lao Ye.”

    The belief in Guan Yu originated from the name of the Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period. Guan Yu (?-219), whose courtesy name was Yunzhang and original name was Changsheng, was a native of Xieyang (now Xieyu County, Shanxi).

    According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu was a man of great stature and martial prowess. When the world was in chaos at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, he joined forces with Liu Bei and Zhang Fei to fight for supremacy. In the fifth year of Jian'an (200), Cao Cao defeated Liu Bei and took Xiapi (now Suining, Jiangsu Province). Guan Yu was captured and made a general. Later, he defeated Yan Liang, a general of Yuan Shao, and relieved the siege of Baima (now the old county seat of Hua County, Henan Province). After that, he was given a gold seal and returned to Liu Bei. Liu Bei occupied Sichuan and established the Shu Kingdom, and Guan Yu was made the former general, stationed in Jingzhou. After his death in battle, he was posthumously given the title of “Zhuang Miao Hou.” He was a model of loyalty, filial piety, integrity and righteousness, and his reputation was not only the highest among the three brothers Liu, Guan and Zhang, but he was even worshipped in temples by later generations, ranking above all the famous generals of the past and becoming the “first general of all time,” as a couplet at Guanling in Dangyang, Hubei Province, says: “There is no one in the Han Dynasty who is as loyal and righteous as Guan Yu, and he is the first hero of all time.” From the Wei to the Tang Dynasty, Guan Yu's influence in the folk world was not too great. In the Tang Dynasty, he was mentioned in legends, and was called Guan Sanlang, a ghost. After the Song Dynasty, his reputation grew and his life story was gradually deified. For example, the “Comprehensive History of Immortals” says that he was a dragon god in the mountains and rivers of Leishou before his death. He offended the heavenly court by sucking the Yellow River to save the people from drought, and then reincarnated as a human being, “with a nature of loyalty and righteousness, and a divine quality.” The “Three Teachings Origin Search for Gods” also said that he was the reincarnation of the Green Dragon, born with raised eyebrows, an over-long face, and a long, nine-foot-five-inch tall body with a beard that was one foot eight inches long, a face like a jujube, lips like sand, and a pair of phoenix eyes. At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, Guan Yu was given the title of Gong (or Zhenjun), and it is said that he was a god-general under Zhang Tian Shi. During the Xuanhe reign (1119-1125), he was given the title of Wuan Wang, and was worshipped together with Wucheng Wang Jiang Taigong. During the Yuan dynasty, he was given the title of “Xianling Yongyi Wuan Yingji Wang”. During the early Ming dynasty, he was given the title of Hou. During the Wanli reign (1573-1620), he was given the title of “Sanjie Fumo Dadi Shenwei Yuan Zhen Tianzun Guansheng Dijun”. His family was also given a generous grant, and he was supported by two ministers who died defending the country against the Yuan Dynasty, Lu Xiufu and Zhang Shijie, with Yue Fei as the marshal and Yuchi Gong as the guardian deity. During the Qing Dynasty, the belief in Guan Yu was particularly strong, and he was regarded as the god who protected the country from the Yuan Dynasty. Emperor Shunzhi further bestowed the title of “the Great Emperor of the Longevity, the Virtuous, the Martial, the Divine, the Benevolent, the Valiant, the Powerful, the Guardian of the Nation, the Protector of the People, the Sincere, the Pacifying, the Beneficial, the Praiseworthy, the Auspicious, the Great Emperor of the Longevity, the Virtuous, the Martial, the Divine, the Benevolent, the Valiant, the Powerful, the Guardian of the Nation, the Protector of the People, the Sincere, the Pacifying In short, from the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, Guan Yu was included in the national sacrificial rites, and was not limited to religious beliefs, but was also worshipped as a god by the common people.

    The image of Marshal Guan is both a god of war and a god of wealth, responsible for the distribution of life and death, helping with the imperial examinations, healing the sick and warding off disasters, driving away evil spirits, punishing traitors, overseeing the afterlife, and bringing wealth and prosperity. In the Qing Dynasty in particular, Marshal Guan became the head of gods and men, known as the “Martial Saint,” on a par with Confucius, the “Sage of Letters.” There are countless temples dedicated to him, and in the early Qing Dynasty, they were already found all over the world. There are also temples dedicated to him and temples that worship him together with other gods. The former is dedicated to Guan Yu alone, while the latter is dedicated to Guan Yu together with other gods such as Yue Fei, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Zhao Gongming, Erlangshen, and the Earth God. The most common ones are the martial arts temple (or Guan Yu temple), the Sanyi temple, the Sanyi palace, and the Qisheng temple. According to the “Zhu Hai Cong Kao” (A Study of the Year of the Boar): “The South Pole Ridge, the North Pole Cold Wall, all children and women, none are not shocked by his majesty. The prosperity of the incense will be immortal with the heavens and the earth.” In Taiwan, Guan Yu is sometimes also called “Galan Ye” or “En Zhugong,” and there are many temples dedicated to him, which are highly revered. It is said that the 12th day of the fifth lunar month is the birthday of Guan Yu, and at this time, all temples are bustling with people and incense is burning.