Classical Chinese Literature Masterpiece - The Story of Yueh Fei (Colored Illustrations Edition)

Author: Qian Cai
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-01-01
Features: The Legend of Yue Fei, also known as The Complete Story of Yue Fei with Added Loyalty and Martial Virtue, is a heroic romance novel based on the theme of Yue Fei resisting the Jin forces, with a touch of historical romance. Yue Fei, styled Pengju, was a renowned patriotic general of the Southern Song Dynasty. He fought resolutely against the invaders and was deeply beloved by the people both during his lifetime and after his death. Soon after his martyrdom, folk songs and stories about his life began to circulate. By the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the tales of his unwavering loyalty and patriotic deeds were widely disseminated. For example, in Yuan Dynasty zaju (a form of traditional Chinese opera), there were works like The Earthly King’s Expedition to East Window, and in the Ming Dynasty, there were tales like The Loyalty of Jingzhong. In Ming Dynasty novels, there were works such as Xiong Damu’s The Rise of the Great Song Dynasty in Popular Narrative and Zou Yuanbiao’s The Loyalty of Yue Wumu, which was revised based on Xiong’s original. Yu Huayu also wrote The Loyalty of Yue Wumu in Serving the Nation. By the early Qing Dynasty, The Legend of Yue Fei appeared, an eighty-chapter work attributed to "Qian Cai of Renhe" and "Jin Feng of Yongfu," with Qian Cai and Jin Feng considered co-authors of the book. Little is known about their personal lives, but they were likely intellectuals living in the lower strata of society. They synthesized works from various eras about Yue Fei and, based on these, created The Legend of Yue Fei. After its publication, the profound impact of The Legend of Yue Fei surpassed earlier works on the same theme, making it a concluding and definitive work in this genre.
The Legend of Yue Fei is a complex work in terms of its ideological content. It explores national conflicts through the lens of loyalty versus treachery, intertwining these struggles within the broader context of national tensions. The theme of loyalty versus treachery is ancient, but its specific manifestations differ across eras. In The Legend of Yue Fei, this struggle unfolds against the backdrop of the Southern Song Dynasty’s precarious establishment and the Jin forces’ massive invasion of Central China. Yue Fei and other patriotic generals championed resistance and the recovery of lost territories, while Qin Hui, leading the faction of corrupt officials, relentlessly advocated for surrender. Thus, the conflict between patriotism and betrayal, resistance and capitulation, became the concrete representation of loyalty versus treachery in the work. Since the highest ruler, the emperor, stood with the surrenderists, the author and the protagonist faced an insurmountable dilemma: on one hand, praising resistance was inherent to the core of the Yue Fei narrative and aligned with the author’s beliefs; on the other hand, loyalty to the monarch was the highest moral principle in feudal society, the "foremost of the Three Cardinal Guides," a principle the author could not transcend. In a situation where the emperor himself was the head of the surrenderist faction, loyalty and patriotism were mutually exclusive. Yet, in The Legend of Yue Fei, the author strove to reconcile the two, resulting in the complexity of the work’s themes and Yue Fei’s character. Unable to explain the tragedy of reality, the author added a comforting epilogue to the story of Yue Fei. Consequently, the eighty chapters of The Legend of Yue Fei naturally divide into two distinct parts: the first sixty-one chapters depict Yue Fei’s "heroic genealogy" and "foundational history," while the last nineteen chapters recount the story of Yue Fei’s posthumous vindication and his posthumous title as the "Loyal and Martial King of Yue."
Yue Fei is the central heroic figure the author meticulously portrays. To highlight this image, the work bestows on him a variety of legendary hues from his birth: his mother and him floating to a distant land in a flower pot during a flood; his acquisition of martial arts skills from Zhou Dong in adversity, becoming a master of both literature and martial arts and meeting other young heroes; later, he obtains a divine crossbow and the "Zhanlu" sword, as well as an extraordinary steed. During his examination for the rank of martial scholar in the capital, he kills the Young King of Liang, offending the powerful officials. All these events lay a solid foundation for this national pillar, who later achieved great deeds—"one who leads the troops into battle, showers love on his subordinates, and seeks no fame"—to serve his country.
With such ideological foundations and martial and literary prowess, Yue Fei, at the critical moment of the Southern Song Dynasty’s existential crisis, bravely enlisted in the resistance against the Jin forces and repeatedly defied the treachery of corrupt officials, fighting for his country and achieving numerous remarkable victories. With the support of the resistance faction in and out of the court, he eventually became a marshal. When Niu Gao and others led the Taishan rebel army to join him, his influence grew even stronger, terrifying the Jin general Wuzhu so much that he resorted to suicide to cover his humiliating defeat. At this point, Yue Fei’s heroic image reached its pinnacle.
Due to the profound ideological conflict between loyalty to the monarch and patriotism, when Qin Hui conspired with external forces and slandered the emperor, recalling Yue Fei from the brink of victory with twelve imperial orders, he blindly obeyed the emperor’s decree, "If it is the imperial order, what does it matter if powerful officials manipulate it?" He submitted without resistance, forbade Wang Heng from rebelling, and summoned his eldest son Yue Yun and General Zhang Xian to the capital to prevent further unrest. In the end, filled with resentment toward the treacherous officials and self-consolation for fulfilling the virtues of loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness, he was executed with Yue Yun and Zhang Xian at Fengbo Pavilion. This tragic loyalty to the highest feudal moral norms starkly contrasts with his heroic resistance against the Jin forces, reflecting the author’s sorrow over the suffering of loyal ministers who died unjustly and his indignation at the corruption that led to national ruin. It also reveals the author’s implicit endorsement of blind loyalty.
If Yue Fei is a tragic hero who achieved great military exploits for his country but died from blind loyalty, then Niu Gao is a rough and tumble hero who not only detested corrupt officials but also dared to criticize the incompetent ruler. The author vividly portrays his straightforward, optimistic, and righteous character who hated injustice and fearlessly fought for justice. He is one of the most colorful characters in the work, and the immense influence of The Legend of Yue Fei in the is inseparable from this figure. Unlike Yue Fei, he is not "naive." Though rough and impulsive, he is upright and discerning, maintaining a clear understanding and strong resistance against the incompetent ruler and corrupt officials. He holds fewer feudal dogmas than Yue Fei. After killing the Young King of Liang, Zhang Bangchang demanded the execution of Yue Fei, and Niu Gao boldly broke a flagpole with his cane, rallying the people to rebel. Later, he actually gathered an army in the Taihang Mountains, declared himself a king, and acted in the name of heaven, proclaiming himself the "King of Justice." When an imperial decree arrived offering amnesty, he said, "All emperors are heartless, and I, Niu Gao, will not be deceived by the emperor’s trickery." When imperial officials incited him with the threat of foreign invasion, he understood the greater good and prioritized national interests, resolutely descending the mountain to join Yue Fei’s resistance against the Jin forces.
If Yue Fei, as a tragic figure, embodies ideological, ethical, and moral values that move readers to tears, then Niu Gao’s character shines with the brilliance of personality, adding a comedic hue to the tragic atmosphere of the work. He is both a Lü Chui-style fierce hero and a Cheng Yaojin-style lucky general. The straightforwardness of Lü Chui blends with the boisterous wit of Cheng Yaojin, creating a blend of solemn absurdity rich in comedic aesthetic appeal. Compared to Yue Fei’s tragic character, Niu Gao’s comedic, rustic heroism is strikingly vivid, more authentic, and imbued with a strong sense of humanity and folk flavor. He is yet another living artistic representation of this series of comedic hero figures, such as Zhang Fei, Lü Chui, Lu Zhishen, and later Cheng Yaojin.
The Legend of Yue Fei is steeped in legendary charm. Scenes like Yue Fei single-handedly storming the enemy camp, Liang Hongyu beating the drums to fight against Jin forces at Jinshan, and Niu Gao laughing to death while riding Jin Wuzhu on his horse are vivid and deeply moving. Other memorable scenes include Li Ruoshui’s unwavering defiance under brutal torture, biting off the ear of the wolf chief; Zong Ze’s dying exclamation of "Kill the invaders after crossing the river," consumed by patriotic fervor; and Wang Zuo’s self-amputation of an arm to infiltrate the Jin camp and stage a betrayal using the "bitter flesh" tactic.
The plot arrangement of The Legend of Yue Fei has its own distinctive features. Centered around Yue Fei, it forms a constellation of stars around a moon. Additionally, while maintaining a clear vertical narrative thread, the work pays attention to the vividness of horizontal plotlines and the richness of character development, weaving a clear and intricate structure with prominent main themes and lush subplots. The novel skillfully employs traditional techniques such as suspense, foreshadowing, callbacks, embellishment, and enhancement, achieving considerable success.
The entire work is narrated in the style of a storyteller, with language that is straightforward, fluent, concise, and compelling, making it highly readable.
It should be noted that influenced by traditional notions of karma and retribution, The Legend of Yue Fei attributes the conflicts between Song and Jin, as well as loyalty and treachery, to past grudges and the will of heaven. The conflict between Yue Fei and Jin Wuzhu is explained as the of a great eagle and a red dragon, which to some extent weakens the sense of love and hatred in the realistic depiction. Moreover, the work concocts a happy ending where Yue Fei is posthumously honored, corrupt officials are punished, Yue Lei marches to Huanglong to defeat Wuzhu, and Wuzhu dies in anger. While this fictional resolution satisfies the audience’s desire for justice, it is weak and not particularly brilliant.
Overall, The Legend of Yue Fei is an outstanding work with a positive dominant ideology but also contains some flaws. In terms of artistic merit, it has commendable aspects but also shortcomings. Today’s readers, with the right attitude, can gain historical insights and artistic enjoyment from this novel.