Three Heroes and Five Righteous Ones

Author: Shi Yuquan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-01-01
Features: The Loyal and Righteous Heroes is considered an ancient vernacular martial arts novel in China. The novel is divided into three parts, with the earliest being The Three Heroes and Five Righteous Men, first published in the fifth year of the Guangxu reign (1879). Subsequently, The Younger Five Heroes and The Continued Younger Five Heroes were published in the sixteenth year of the Guangxu reign (1890), both of which have been over a century old. During this period, due to the strong recommendations and praise from the great scholars of the time, it stood out among the rather depressed late Qing Dynasty novels and secured a place in literary history. The Three Heroes and Five Righteous Men was originally titled The Loyal and Righteous Heroes Tale, first published in the fifth year of the Guangxu reign (1879) by Beijing Juzhen Tang in movable-type printing. The cover author was listed as "Shi Yuquan Narrates" in four characters. Shi Yuquan, styled Zhenzhi, was from Tianjin; due to his long residence in Beijing for storytelling and singing, he was mistakenly thought to be a native of Beijing. He was a renowned storyteller and singer in the capital during the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty. Shi Yuquan integrated and innovated various stories and legends about Bao Zheng, whether in stage plays, storytelling, or written folk histories, and wrote novels with great care and attention to detail. As a result, his storytelling of Bao Zheng's Case was exceptionally vivid and rich in content, with intricate and lively plots, enhanced by his extraordinary storytelling skills, making it extremely popular in Beijing.
During the reign of Emperor Renzong, severe drought struck Chenzhou in Henan. Bao Zheng was sent by imperial decree to Chenzhou to distribute grain and provide relief. The local tyrant Pang Yu, relying on his status as a royal relative, sent men to assassinate Bao Zheng. The Southern Hero Zhan Zhao, the Skillful Rat Bai Yutang, and the elderly recluse Yan Ziduo secretly protected and assisted Bao Zheng, enabling him to execute the royal relative with a sword and restore justice. Later, Bao Zheng also uncovered the long-standing imperial injustice of "The Cat and the Prince," bringing Emperor Renzong and Empress Li together as mother and son. Emperor Renzong enfeoffed the Southern Hero Zhan Zhao as the Imperial Cat. Bai Yutang, the Skillful Rat, was deeply resentful and repeatedly provoked trouble and tormented the Southern Hero, but he was ultimately won over by Zhan Zhao's magnanimity, sincerity, and superb martial arts skills and submitted to the Kaifeng Prefecture.
Thereafter, the Southern Hero, the Five Rats, the Northern Hero Ouyang Chun, and the Black Fox Zhi Hua, along with other heroes, risked their lives to assist the Imperial Commissioner Yan San in eliminating the followers of the rebellious Prince of Xiangyang. Bai Yutang, but the heroes ultimately pacified Junshan, laying the foundation for later suppressing the rebellion of the Prince of Xiangyang.