[Kim Yong/Gemini] AI analyzes why the Mongolian faction in The Return of the Condor Heroes is set as weaker

A precise analysis of the original text ((4)The Return of the Condor Heroes.txt) clearly reveals the novelistic and narrative reasons, as well as the circumstances within the text, why author Kim Yong meticulously arranged the story so that **"compared to the overwhelming power of the righteous faction (Guo Jing, Huang Yaoshi, Ilteng Daishi, Zhou Botong, and the growing Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu), the supporters of the Mongolian State Preceptor Jinlun Fawang (Xiao Shangzi, Yun Juxu, Ni Ma'sheng, Ma Guangzuo) are set at a much lower level and placed at a disadvantage."**
1. Decisive structural difference from the previous work, 《The Legend of the Condor Heroes》: "External Villains vs. Internal Conflict"
The central axis of 《The Legend of the Condor Heroes》 was a clear battle between good and evil—**'Guo Jing vs. Ouyang Feng/Wanyan Honglie'**—and a struggle for the title of supreme martial arts master (the Mount Hua Competition). However, the real conflict Kim Yong brought to the forefront in 《The Return of the Condor Heroes》 was not **"defeating the external enemy, Jinlun Fawang,"** but rather **"the Confucian feudal ethics and the prejudices of the Jianghu that Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu's love encountered."**
- The ones who most harshly constrained Yang Guo and drove him to the cliff were not the Fawang, but the orthodox sects of the Central Plains.
Those who criticized and tried to separate the forbidden love between master and disciple were the symbols of morality and etiquette: **Guo Jing, Huang Rong, and the Quanzhen Sect (including Zhao Zhijing).**
The one who cut off Yang Guo's right arm was not Jinlun Fawang, but Guo Jing's daughter, **Guo Fu.**
The one who trampled on Xiaolongnu's chastity and sowed the seeds of tragedy was not a Mongolian warrior, but the third chief disciple of the Quanzhen Sect, **Yun Zhiping (Jian Zhibing).**
In other words, because the narrative weight of 《The Return of the Condor Heroes》 was focused more on **'the hypocrisy, order, misunderstanding, and harshness of fate within the Central Plains orthodox sects'** than on 'martial arts battles with heterodox villains,' there was little narrative necessity for the external villain faction to possess multiple heavyweights on the level of the Great Five (Five Great Masters).
2. The existence of 'three-dimensional mid-bosses' other than Jinlun Fawang: Gongsun Zhi and Li Mochou
While you pointed out the four great experts of the Mongolian faction (Ni Ma'sheng, Ma Guangzuo, Yun Juxu, Xiao Shangzi), looking at the entire original text, independent villains possessing pure lethality and danger who pushed the protagonists to the brink of death dominated half of the narrative alongside Jinlun Fawang.
- Gongsun Zhi, Master of the Peak Valley (公孫止)
Evidence from text: He used the 'Yin-Yang Blade-Saber Method (陰陽刃刀法),' which combined blood-draining techniques with black swords and golden sabers, to defeat Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu's Jade Maiden Heart Sutra techniques and plunge them into crisis; he is also the one who inflicted the worst curse in the world, the venom of the Love Flower (情花), upon Yang Guo.
His martial arts level was also a peak master, ranked just below Jinlun Fawang and capable of overwhelming Huang Rong and Li Mochou.
- Li Mochou, the Red Maiden (李莫愁)
Evidence from text: A female villain who survived persistently from Volume 1 to the end, striking fear into the Jianghu with her venomous palms, ice-white needles, and the Fire-extinguishing Needle. She was the greatest practical threat who endlessly tested Xiaolongnu and Yang Guo and pushed them to the brink of destruction.
In short, because the three major villain axes—**[Mongolia's Jinlun Fawang] - [Gongsun Zhi of Peak Valley] - [Li Mochou of the Jianghu]**—operated while intertwined with different interests, the structure was never one where the Fawang was the sole villain.
3. Why were the four Mongolian experts 'quasi-first-class' rather than 'Great Five level'?
The Ni Ma'sheng, Xiao Shangzi, Yun Juxu, and Ma Guangzuo invited by Kublai (Khubilai Khan) in the original text certainly do not reach the level of the Five Greats of Mount Hua; they are merely 'quasi-first-class' experts who compete with the top tier of Huang Rong or the Seven Masters of Quanzhen. There is a clear reason why the author set them this way.
① To portray Guo Jing's martial prowess and the sense of despair in the "Battle to Defend Xiangyang"
- Source file: (4)The Return of the Condor Heroes.txt (Battle in the Mongolian Camp)
- Original description: Guo Jing alone charges into the Mongolian camp, defending Xiangyang while simultaneously facing the combined, treacherous assault of Jinlun Fawang's Five Rings and the four great experts.
- If these four experts were each at the level of Ouyang Feng or Huang Yaoshi, Guo Jing would have been killed in battle at Xiangyang before even finishing the first volume, and the novel would have ended there.
- By creating a combat structure of **[1 Absolute Master (Jinlun Fawang) + 4 quasi-first-class experts using treacherous and unconventional weapons (poison sand, iron whip, jewel whip, snake staff)]** against a single Guo Jing, the author could maximize Guo Jing's superhuman bravery while maintaining tension by putting him in serious danger and making the front line precarious.
② The inherent limitation of the Mongolian faction: 'Self-interest and Division'
- In the original text, these four experts and Jinlun Fawang never unite with one heart. They betray their comrades, fight over merits, and are busy fleeing during crises, all while coveting the title and rewards of being the 'No. 1 Warrior of Mongolia.' (Later, Xiao Shangzi and Yun Juxu kill each other out of suspicion while fleeing with the Nine Yin Manual.)
- To depict the moral flaws and disorganized greed of the Mongolian invaders, the author positioned them not as noble warriors, but as 'bizarre and greedy foreign mercenaries.'
4. Narrative devices that 'sealed' the strongest righteous characters (Huang Yaoshi, Ilteng, Zhou Botong)
Even though the Five Greats of Mount Hua (Huang Yaoshi, Ilteng Daishi, Zhou Botong) survived on the righteous side, the reason Jinlun Fawang could survive for 16 years and threaten Xiangyang was that the author thoroughly **isolated (debuffed)** these former masters from the center of the narrative.
- Huang Yaoshi: After his daughter's (Huang Rong) marriage, he became disillusioned with the world and lived in seclusion, wandering alone between Peach Blossom Island in the East Sea and the Jianghu.
- Ilteng Daishi: Due to past guilt (the incident with the child of Ying Gu), he completely forbade killing and became a compassionate high monk reciting sutras in a mountain hermitage.
- Zhou Botong: Due to his childlike personality, he is only interested in fun pranks and martial arts play, having no interest in the survival of the nation or the defense of Xiangyang.
Ultimately, the only practical blade defending Xiangyang was **'Guo Jing alone,'** and because even Guo Jing was tied down by injuries and the defense of the city, Jinlun Fawang and the Mongolian army were able to hold an overwhelming numerical advantage.
Summary of Conclusion
- Difference in Theme: The main enemy of 《The Return of the Condor Heroes》 was not 'external villains' but **'the hypocrisy of the world and Confucian etiquette that stood in the way of Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu.'**
- Dispersion of Villains: Besides Jinlun Fawang, lethal villains like **Gongsun Zhi (Peak Valley) and Li Mochou (Ancient Tomb Sect)** divided the narrative sense of crisis.
- Power Balance Limit: If the four Mongolian experts had been true Great Five level, Guo Jing, who was defending Xiangyang, would have inevitably died early on; thus, they were designed as an **'appropriate weight class (a quasi-first-class combined assault team) that pushes Guo Jing to the brink while highlighting his heroism.'**