Flamboyant Chancellor Guan Zhong

Author: Zhu Xiujun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: The author uses history as a framework, freely creates fiction, and portrays Guan Zhong, the "outstanding statesman, thinker, military strategist, philosopher, and pioneer of Legalism," as a legendary prime minister in the field of Northern history. The narrative describes Guan Zhong's life experiences during his 40 years in power, employing political, military, and economic strategies to assist Qi's Duke Huan in upholding the Zhou Dynasty, rescuing the endangered, reducing punishments and taxes, enriching the people, strengthening the army, and uniting the nine states to rectify the world, transforming the once weak Qi into the leader of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period. The book vividly depicts the grand scenes of the wars between feudal lords,ing the battlefield where a hundred miles of camps were filled with corpses and rivers blocked by bodies; the romantic moments in the deep palace with jingling jewelry and soft, fragrant words; the unrestrained scenes of drinking wine from large bronze pots and singing wildly with swords; the tragic scenes of vast deserts and famine-stricken corpses; and the composed scenes of roaring to the sky and stepping into the cauldron to commit suicide—many heart-stirring scenes. It describes the romantic entanglements between Guan Zhong and his concubines and lovers, such as Ye Jing, Liu Hui, Bao Shu, Ji Ping, and Hua Ji, with vivid, winding, and lively descriptions that linger in the reader's mind. The author's writing style is ancient and elegant, concise, unrestrained, and unique among contemporary long historical novels, making the reader feel as if they are living in the scene.