Jin Danzi is the second son of Nianhan and one of the strongest young Jin warriors in The Story of Yue Fei. He arrives to reinforce Jin Wuzhu carrying two iron hammers and is said to possess the strength of ten thousand men. His first charges justify the boast. He drives Niu Gao away in only a few blows, defeats Yu Hualong after more than ten bouts, Dong Xian after fewer than ten, He Yuanqing after more than twenty, and Zhang Xian after a struggle of over forty rounds.
The string of defeats forces Yue Fei to hang repeated cease-battle plaques. Yue Yun smashes them and demands to fight, so his father sends him out under threat of punishment. The two young hammer warriors exchange forty bouts and then continue past eighty. Jin Danzi gradually gains the advantage, and Yue Yun begins to tire. Their contest is not a brief collision but a sustained measure between the best youth of the Jin camp and the most impetuous son of the Yue army.
Niu Gao then shouts that Jin Danzi must not be allowed to escape, making him think Jin Wuzhu has called from behind. Jin turns his head. Yue Yun seizes the instant, strikes him on the shoulder, and cuts off his head. The victory depends on distraction as much as strength, which preserves the defeated man’s stature. Jin Danzi has already broken a succession of established Song generals and is winning the long duel when one glance ends his life.
