The first reference to the Guaizi Ma appears in Yue Ke's (岳珂) E Wang Xingshi Biannian (鄂王行实编年) or Account of the Lord of E’s life [A] published in the final years of the Southern Song dynasty.
The book follows Wang Ruohai’s (汪若海) established principle that "three soldiers become five when roped together with a leather thong",[B] believing this to be the reason that the Jin army was able to triumph in every encounter with their enemies.
This view of the Guaizi Ma persisted until the time of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), yet no mention of the tactic is made in either the military records or biography sections (including that of Wuzhu) in the History of Jin.
[8] Yue Fei’s most northern victory was at Xiaoshang Bridge (小商桥, 12 kilometers south of Linying County, Hebei Province) where Yang Zaixing (杨再兴/楊再興) died in battle."
Liang Dingming's (梁鼎铭/梁鼎銘) 1956 painting Yue Fei’s Major Victory (岳飞大破拐子马图/岳飛大破拐子馬圖) shows Song infantry hacking at the feet of Jin cavalry horses with long handled pikes.