"Say Yue Quan Chuan"

Author: (Qing) Qian Cai, (Qing) Jin Feng, revised and supplemented; Tang Songbo, annotated
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: The full title of The Story of Yueh Fei is The Complete Story of Yueh Fei with Loyalty and Martial Virtue; it was written around the Kangxi to Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty and was once banned during the Qianlong era. The Story of Yueh Fei is a heroic romance novel set against the backdrop of resisting the Jin forces, with Yue Fei and his army as the main thread, integrating historical facts with fiction. It praises the patriotic fervor and heroic deeds of generals like Yue Fei, Yue Yun, and Niu Gao, while exposing the crimes of treacherous officials like Zhang Bangchang and Qin Hui, who sought personal gain at the expense of loyalty and the incompetence of the ruler. The novel features vivid stories, intricate plots, and colloquial yet witty language, creating a host of lifelike characters. As the saying goes, "the wheel of destiny turns, with rise and fall." This poem by me sets the stage for the story of the loyal and martial King Yue of the Southern Song Dynasty. To begin with, during the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, when the court shifted between Liang and Jin, the common people suffered greatly. At that time, on Mount Hua in the west, there lived a hermit named Chen Tuan, known as Master Xi Yi, a sage of great moral integrity and spiritual attainment.