Wang Ba, styled Yuanbo, hailed from Yingyang in Yingchuan (present-day Henan Province) and was a renowned general under Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Wang Ba was born into an official family and in his youth worked as a minor prison warden, a position he deeply disliked. His father, recognizing his son's scholarly talent and character, once sent him west to Chang'an to study and broaden his horizons.
When Liu Xiu (later Emperor Guangwu) raised an army to restore the Han dynasty, he passed through Yingchuan. Wang Ba led a group of friends to meet Liu Xiu and said, "General, you lead a righteous army. We all admire your prestige and virtue and wish to follow you. Perhaps this is a bit presumptuous of us."
Liu Xiu said, "I dream of worthy talents joining me to build a great enterprise. Since you are willing to participate, what more could I ask for?"
Thus, Wang Ba and his men followed Liu Xiu into battle from then on. After defeating Wang Xun and Wang Yi at the Battle of Kunyang, Wang Ba returned to his hometown and urged his father to also join Liu Xiu. His father said, "I'm old now and can't endure the hardships of military life. Just keep up the good work and carry on!"
Wang Ba followed Liu Xiu all the way to Luoyang. By then, the dozens of men from Yingchuan who had joined Liu Xiu with Wang Ba had gradually deserted, unable to endure the hardships of war. Liu Xiu said to Wang Ba with emotion, "All those from Yingchuan who rose up with me have left one by one, but you alone have stayed. Keep striving—only in a fierce wind do you recognize a sturdy grass!"
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Wang Ba indeed lived up to Liu Xiu's expectations, fighting alongside him across the land, helping restore the Han dynasty, and later earning great merit in repelling the Xiongnu invasions.
Later, the idiom "Sturdy Grass in a Gale" came to describe how only through enduring hardships can one demonstrate unwavering will.
Source: *Dongguan Hanji*, "Biography of Wang Ba"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "疾风劲草" came to describe how only through enduring hardships can one demonstrate unwavering will.