Guo Jing is meant to represent the ideal of dedication and hard work overcoming all challenges.
Zhang Wuji represents the prodigy who learns quickly and utilizes those skills to their maximum potential.
In my opinion, naturally Zhang Wuji was not a gifted nor a prodigy, it took him 5 years in the secluded valley to learn and to practice the Nine Yang Internal Energy Cultivation method. He could quickly achieve the high level of the Universal Grand Shift skill because of his strong foundation in Nine Yang Internal energy.
However, what I really want to say in that article was, the reason for learning those fancy things had a very big contrast between Guo Jing and Zhang Wuji. Guo Jing learned it to take revenge, while Zhang Wuji learned it to heal himself.
Being trained as a doctor and sick since he was young, Zhang Wuji learned how precious a life was. In addition, knowing how XieXun had deep pain in his heart because of his senseless killings to take revenge, Zhang Wuji learned to have compassion to everyone, for him taking a life was not an easy choice, friends or foes. Even if he were to die under the hands of those villains, he would die as a happy man, his heart was pure and clean. (This was a trait, I wish, I had)
However Guo Jing grew up being taught by the stupid 7 freaks who only cared about the chivalry code of the Wulin. The purpose in his life was to take revenge for his father’s death. Though, he was a good person in general, but his mind was always with just one side of thing, thus he was being less compassion toward villain characters. With this kind of trait, he was being used by Temujin and easily fooled by YangKang. His actions caused lot of innocent lives.
In the long history of the Central Plains, there were many example of Guo Jing’s trait, for example HanXin was used by LuiBang. Another example which JY took it from the recorded history and put it in his novel, XuDa was used by Zhu Yuanzhang.
I disagree with the notion that “GuoJing was the greatest hero of his era”. Appearancely, it may look like so. To me, he was fighting a losing war, the Song court was so corrupted, just as the Yuan court was very corrupted in HSDS. It was never about the Han VS Mongol. It was about how to return peace to the common people.
Then the next question one could ask me would be, “Then, what should GuoJing do?” My answer would be, he should have done what Zhao Kuangyin did at Chen Bridge.
In their similarity, both Guo Jing and Zhang Wuji did not have streetwise trait. Both met a wonderful partner who guided and helped them through difficult times.
Specially Zhao Min who guided Zhang Wuji even though Zhang Wuji was about to kill her. Through reasoning, she taught him a very important lesson in life, “Wuji Gege! You must not get to an easy and quick conclusion, if you don’t see it with your own eyes, heard it with your own ears and test it with your own hands.” This was something I always try to remember and practice. Ideally, One should try to have a heart like Zhang Wuji and have a mind like Zhao Min.
Sorry, I went a bit too long again.
psksvp