Sword Stained with Royal Blood (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Jin Yong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-11-01
Features: The true protagonist of The Sword Stained with Royal Blood is actually Yuan Chonghuan, followed by the Golden Snake Knight, two characters who do not appear in the book. Yuan Chengzhi's character is not well-defined. However, Yuan Chonghuan was also not written well, so in May and June 1975, the author wrote an additional Biography of Yuan Chonghuan as a supplement. The Sword Stained with Royal Blood is my second novel, written in 1956. The true protagonist of The Sword Stained with Royal Blood is actually Yuan Chonghuan, followed by the Golden Snake Knight, two characters who do not appear in the book. Yuan Chengzhi's character is not well-defined. However, Yuan Chonghuan was also not written well, so in May and June 1975, the author wrote an additional Biography of Yuan Chonghuan as a supplement. The Sword Stained with Royal Blood underwent two major revisions, increasing its length by about one-fifth. The effort put into revising this book was the most of all. Biography of Yuan Chonghuan is a new attempt by the author, aiming to write historical texts without directly quoting others' words, while not completely adopting a detached, bystander's perspective. The main innovation of this "biography" is the argument that the fundamental reason for Emperor Chongzhen's execution of Yuan Chonghuan was not due to being misled by a fabricated plot, but rather the conflict in their personalities. This point has never been pointed out by previous scholars. This text has little academic value, as the books referenced are limited to what the author had on hand. Some references from works like The Veritable Records of the Taizong Emperor and The Long Chronicle of Chongzhen are indirect quotes and could not be verified for their original sources, which may lead to inaccuracies. If this text has any significance, it may lie in its "readability." The author made considerable effort to avoid the complexity and obscurity often found in historical texts. The current version is smoother than the initial draft, A Heroic Yuan from Guangdong, which was published in Mingbao.