Take <<Romance of the Three Kingdoms as an example to talk about your understanding of the imaginary and real in historical novels

Jin Yong spoke highly of his favorite classical Chinese novel, Three Kingdoms, in a literary conversation with the famous Japanese writer Daisaku Ikeda. Jin Yong also revealed that he had intended to write a "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" focusing on Eastern Wu, with Zhou Yu and Lu Xun

as the main characters. But this intention was soon abandoned. The following are excerpts from Jin Yong's talk for the benefit of readers.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms enjoys a lofty position among China's classical novels. Among China's Four Great Wonders --

-The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The Water Margin, Journey to the West, and The Plum in the Golden Vase -- it is the most important. Among the Chinese classical novels, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" enjoys an extremely high status, which is unmatched by any other novels, and has been called "the first book of talents" or "the first book of wonders" for the past 300 years. Recent literary

critics have argued from a purely literary point of view that Meng of the Red Chamber is of higher value, and I think so too. Mao Zedong, who thought that Dream of Red Mansions had a revolutionary significance in attacking feudalism, raised it to an

unprecedented height

from a class standpoint, and even General Xu Shiyou, who was famous for his brash character and outstanding achievements in battle, said that he wanted to study Dream of Red

Man of the Red Mansions. But I believe that General Xu, after reading it, will be impatient with the "love of the night, the flowers, the meaning of the quiet day, the fragrance of jade"

that will be even more appreciative of the "Tiger's Nest Pass, the Three Heroes battle Lü Bu", "

Jin's fierce battle at Red Cliff".

The social impact of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms far exceeds its literary value. Although, as far as literature is concerned, its characterization was first-rate, and later generations of Chinese novelists drew from it.

Its layout and atmospheric arrangements are also brilliant, for example, Liu Bei's three visits to his hut, step by step, the protagonist Zhu Geliang from

the noisy sound of gongs and drums to lead the field; and for example, the "straw boat borrows arrows" of the writing of arrows, "borrowing the east wind" of the writing of the wind, step by step, forcing a

down on the field, or flash shrinkage, blurred face.

The characters of Romance of the Three Kingdoms are clear, loyal to the righteousness of the sky, treacherous to the vicious, readers turn

open the book to see each character's position is clear, love and hate clearly.

Any great work always brings readers a lot of imagination, and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms plays the same role in modern times

, giving readers a variety of spiritual food for thought. When I was a child reading "Three Kingdoms," I was on the side of Liu Bei's Shu Han, and I would never admit that Shu Han would die before Wu and Jin, and I debated with my older brother for hours. Big brother

No way, had to bring out his secondary school history textbooks, pointing to the book clear lines, proving that Shu Han for

Deng Ai, Zhong will be destroyed, I was resentful of defeat, angry half a day, shed a lot of tears. In fact, Deng Ai, Zhong will destroy

Shu and Jiang Wei was killed and other episodes, the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is also written in detail, but since Zhuge Liang in the five zhangyuan to the sky, to

After the story I do not have the heart to read on.

My favorite characters: Zhao Yun, Zhou Yu, Lu XunMy favorite among the characters of Romance of the Three Kingdoms is Zhao Yun, who I

have always felt far superior to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. His seven entries and seven exits in Cao's army at Chang Ban Po were unstoppable and courageous, much more difficult and wonderful than Guan Gong

beheading Yan Liang, executing Wen Chou, and crossing the five hurdles to cut down the six generals. At the same time, Zhao Yun is very noble, fine and

intelligent.

My next favorites were Ma Chao and Lu Bu. At that time, I was too young to pay much attention to Ma Chao's

impatience and Lu Bu's stupidity and unrighteousness, which were major flaws. The fact that these two were handsome

beautifully costumed on the stage also added points in my mind.

It's hard to change an image once it's fixed. Luo Guanzhong, the storyteller of the Three Kingdoms and the author of the novels, which are based on historical events and folklore, was too biased in favor of the Shu Han. Luo Guanzhong is especially

particularly biased in favor of his fellow countryman Guan Gong because he is a native of Taiyuan, Shanxi Province (previously thought

to be from my hometown of Hangzhou, but Peking University professor Mr. Zhou Zhaoxin has recently convincingly demonstrated that he is a native of Taiyuan). Cao Cao, so be it; even the figures of the Eastern Wu are disparaged, and I have often felt disconcerted in my old age. Sun Jian, Sun Ce, and Sun Quan are from my hometown of Fuyang, Zhejiang Province (Fu Chun County during the Han Dynasty,

Yu Dafu's hometown), and I have even thought of writing a "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" focusing on the Eastern Wu, with Zhou Yu and Lu Xun as the main characters, and Sun Ce, Sun Quan, and Gu Yong (who was a great statesman), as well as the beautiful Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao as the sub-protagonists. However, this

was against the y rooted traditional thinking of the nation's people, and the consequences were bound to be bad, and the intention was soon abandoned.

In historical fact, the defeat of Cao Cao in the Battle of Red Cliff was entirely the work of Zhou Yu, with no contribution from Zhuge Liang.

I have sometimes imagined for myself how Zhou Gongjin was "handsome" when Xiao Qiao was first married, how he was "wrong

, Zhou Lang Gu", and how he "made friends with Zhou Gongjin", and how he was "a good friend of Cao Cao's". "To be friends with Zhou Gongjin is like drinking wine and mash without realizing that you are drunk" (Cheng Pu, a great general of the Eastern Wu, said: "To be friends with Zhou Yu is like drinking the best wine without realizing that you are drunk in the charm of his personality"). It is also a pleasure to describe

some more Jiangnan characters and Jiangnan scenery.

Lu Xun was a brilliant writer and a great warrior, and his political ability to endure insults and humiliations made him a first-rate figure in Chinese history, and I admire him to the core

. In their own minds to play the "Three Kingdoms of the subject of the Eastern Wu" word game, since the imagination, has been enough to enjoy, really

The pen in the text, not inevitably laborious, but also unnecessary.

"Romance of the Three Kingdoms" written characters do not directly narrate their hearts, based on words and actions alone, the spirit of the characters since the emergence of this is the drama

manner. Drama and movies show only the words and actions of the characters, but the inner life is revealed naturally. This is

the high skill of the classical Chinese novel. Some modern Chinese novels try to learn from Western novels by focusing on the inner thoughts of the characters, but not only are they dull to read, but the characters' personalities are not clear, which is because they do not learn the techniques of classical Chinese novels.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is y rooted in the hearts of the people. The story of the Three Kingdoms has become a part of the spiritual life of the Chinese public, from which the people receive moral education and value standards.

The story of the Three Kingdoms has become a part of the spiritual life of the Chinese public, from which the people receive moral education and value standards. One should be like Liu Bei and Guan Yu, who valued righteousness to their friends and had to love

protect the people, and never be like Cao Cao, who was ungrateful and did treacherous and venomous things for his own benefit. Liu Bei and Guan Yu

moral models are more popular, effective and important than Confucius and Mencius. Police officers as well as triad figures in Hong Kong have to set up altars to worship Guan Yu

and never Confucius, nor Jesus or Buddha. Fictional characters have become the object of religious worship for the masses

this is something that no literary work in the world can do.

There are Guan Di temples all over China, and the one near Luoyang is so large that I was very impressed when I saw it

. In fact, the real Guan Yu in history is nothing special, personal bravery, but and Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, not

much, Cao Cao's brave Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Xu Chu, etc. probably and Guan Yu can fight to a draw. Lu Bu is certainly better than him

. When it came to fighting, Guan Yu was certainly not as good as Cao Cao, Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi, Zhou Yu, Lu Meng, Lu Xun, Yang Hu, Lu

Resistance, and Zhao Yun. The fact that Guan Yu has been honored by later generations is due to the fact that the Romance of the Three Kingdoms exaggerates the importance of his righteousness. The most highly regarded virtues in Chinese folklore

are filial piety and righteousness. The fact that a novel made a military general a god is not only due to the charm of the novel, but also

due to the traditional character of the Chinese people.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms in fact really had a major impact on the development of Chinese history. When the Manchu women's nation attacked the Ming Dynasty

, they were still a rough nation with little culture outside of Guanwai, so naturally they did not read difficult books like The Art of War

. Their generals led their armies and marched to war, relying on methods and techniques learned from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

It is said that Huang Taiji, the second ruler of the Manchurian Qing Dynasty, used the "counterplan" to trick the Chongzhen Emperor of the Ming Dynasty into killing his general Yuan Chonghuan. (This historical fact was quoted in Jin Yong's novel

The Sword of Blood.) This ploy was copied from Zhou Yu's ploy in Romance of the Three Kingdoms to trick Cao Cao

into killing Cai Mao and Zhang Yun, governors of the navy. If Yuan Chonghuan hadn't died, Wu Sangui wouldn't have guarded the Shanhai Pass, and the Manchu army

couldn't have fought its way into Beijing so easily.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms has a large literary component, which I read with great interest as an elementary school student, and although there were many literary phrases

that I did not understand, the story and the characters were so compelling that I finally skipped over the parts I didn't understand, and read all the way through.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a historical novel. According to Zhang Xuecheng of the Qing Dynasty, it is "seven parts fact and three parts fiction" (七分事实) and "three parts fiction" (三分 fiction). Three parts are fiction" (《丙辰札记》). Therefore, many people even treat it as real history. However, after all, it is no longer true history. Rather, it is a history that the author has reshaped according to certain political and moral concepts and aesthetic ideals, and it is an artistic world of fiction created by the author that can be corresponded to the history of the Three Kingdoms but can no longer be equated with it, adding the author's subjective value judgments. Specifically. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is the product of a close combination of moral standards centered on "loyalty and righteousness" and political standards permeated by folk ideals. This is especially manifested in the characterization of the characters. Whether it is the positive image portrayed by the author. Or the antithesis. All of them reflect a strong tendency. Among the many characters, the author seldom makes an absolute statement about any one of them. The author seldom makes an absolute judgment on a certain image. Such as praise for the "righteousness of the ancient and modern" moral integrity of Guan Yu also has a headstrong human weaknesses. Demeaned as a "traitor" of the generation of Cao Cao. In the author's mind is still not lost in the leadership style of eloquence. But in all the characters depicted. Dong Zhuo is an exception.

Cao Cao: brave and resourceful, but too suspicious.

Liu Chan: indecisive, pleasure-seeking, no ambition, useless

Zhang Fei: courageous, but tactless

Guan Yu: sentimental, courageous, good martial arts, but too proud

Jiang Wei: successor to Kong Ming, brilliant mind, also has a literary and martial arts

Geliang Zhuge Liang: brilliant mind, bowing to the best of his ability, know astronomy, know the geography, knowledge of the human heart, the actual numbers The ancient wizards