The term “warrior” refers to one of great physical strength and courage. This inevitably eliminates warrior status from most able people in modern history. It is not that there isn’t any among us who is courageous and physically strong. But to find success in today’s society, we will need more than just courage and strength. Consequently, the chief pursuit of modern people is to become leaders rather than warriors. The following discussion will be narrowed to only warriors of ancient times. In this article, I will offer my list of the greatest warriors in history. Which one do you think is most deserving?
A warrior’s greatest asset is his or her courage. It is what allows a warrior to confront a life-or-death situation with absolute fearlessness. The first person on my list of the greatest warriors is an ancient swordsman named Jing Ke. During his time, his country was under the terror reign of the tyrant emperor Qin Shi Huang. Many people were forced into harsh labor; most of them would ultimately succumb to an awful death. Like many of his fellow warriors, Jing Ke was determined to seek justice for those who had suffered at the hand of the emperor.
By chance, the greatest warrior in Chinese history was able to secure an audience with Qin. When he was at a close enough distance from the emperor, Jing Ke attempted to assassinate the tyrant with the poisoned dagger he hid in his sleeve. Unfortunately, his initial attempt failed; he was stabbed several times by the imperial guards.
Despite his wounds, the warrior continued his pursuit for the emperor chasing the tyrant around the hall. In his numerous scuffles with the guards, Jing’s left arm and leg were dismembered. The courageous warrior would make one last attempt to kill the tyrant by hurling the poisoned dagger at him. Unfortunately, the attempt missed the target and he was brutally killed by the emperor’s men. Jing Ke may not be the most successful warrior in history, but he is definitely the most courageous.
The second person on my list of the greatest warriors is William Wallace, the Scottish national hero. Wallace’s life story was depicted in Brave Heart, the popular 1995 epic film. Like Jing Ke, William Wallace was not successful in achieving his main objective–to gain his country’s independence. But what he had managed to accomplish was admirable. Wallace and his vastly outnumbered forces were able to achieve a series of surprise victories against the much more superior British forces. He was later captured and executed by the English king. Nonetheless, Wallace’s unyielding spirit remained with his people who finally won their independence not too long after.
No list of the greatest warriors is complete without mentioning two notable women’s warriors-Trieu Thi Trinh and Joan de Arc. As women were traditionally believed to be unfit for military combat, the fact that both ladies were powerful warriors as well as able leaders is a fantastic achievement within itself. Trieu Thi Trinh was probably the strongest female warrior in history. She was said to be nine feet tall and could walk almost 3000 km per day. When she was young, Lady Trieu was renowned for her taming of wild bulls and tigers (with bare hands no less). Trinh was also among the first to ride an elephant in battle.
While Joan of Arc was certainly not as strong a warrior as Lady Trieu, she was no less brave. At only 18 years of age, Lady Joan outshined even the brightest of the French generals. Her extraordinary courage in battle gave strength to the French forces at a time of extremely low morale, and boosted their resolve for victory. Joan de Arc was a true heroine, who deserved to be among the greatest warriors of all time.