Lost Xiaonanzhou Group

Chapter 201 Random Guessing of the Date of "Water Margin" ([-])
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the second critical time period for the completion of "Water Margin", my personal guess is:
1364 to 1400.

Let me first talk about two stories about "reunion" in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty.One is "stories" and the other is fictional "ghost stories".

As clues to guess the authorship of "Water Margin", the two stories are very interesting to read.

Jia Zhongming (1343 ~ 1422 years later) recorded in the supplementary "Record Ghost Book":

"Luo Guanzhong, a native of Taiyuan, known as Huhai Sanren. He is out of harmony with others. Yuefu's secret language is very fresh. He and Yu are friends who have forgotten the years. We have suffered many times, and we are in different places. When the meeting resumed in Zhengjiachen (1364), don't come and have another six For more than ten years, I don't know where it will end."

From this biographical short story, the following information can be drawn:
1. Because Jia Zhongming was a small celebrity in the "ghost (opera)" circle who was very active in the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasties, when he was around 20 years old, he met Luo Guanzhong, a not-so-famous senior in the "circle" who was around 40 years old at that time, twice.At least before 1364, Luo Guanzhong had nothing to do with the completion of the popular Ming edition novels "Water Margin" and "Three Kingdoms".

2. At least from 1364 to 1422, regardless of whether Luo Guanzhong was dead or alive, he was at least in the "circle" and disappeared.At least before 1422, the manuscripts and manuscripts of "Water Margin" and "Three Kingdoms" were not officially released, or published on a large scale.

The second "reunion" story comes from Qu You (1347-1433)'s "Meeting an Old Man in Huating" in "Jiandeng Xinhua".

Storytelling:

In Songjiang at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, there were two literati, Quan and Jia, who not only had excellent poetry and literary talents, but also were powerful people in the world, with a chivalrous demeanor.

In the first year of Wu, Zhu Yuanzhang led his army to attack Zhang Shicheng and besieged Suzhou.Qian Hegao, a native of Shangyang, sent troops to aid Zhang Shicheng.The "Jia and Quan" mentioned above, the two "rich guests", compared themselves to being dignified and admirable, went to the door with sticks, participated in their counseling, and fell into Jiaxing and other counties.Not long after, the division collapsed, and both of them went to the water to die...

In the fourth year of Hongwu, Shi Ruoxu, a scholar in Huating, was an old acquaintance with "Jia and Quan". One day, he reunited with them in the wilderness after a long absence.

Talking after parting, the two expressed their destiny and feelings by referring to the deeds of Liu Heita, Li Mi, Tian Heng, Luo Binwang, Huang Chao, etc. one after another.

Each of them wrote a poem, the end of each sentence is:
Who is the master in a piece of spring, wild flowers are full of thistles and sand.

This is true of scattered life, but I hate my life ambitions.

After hearing this, Shi Ruoxu said in amazement: "The chanting on Ergong Day is extremely slow. How sad is today's work? It's so different from the past?"

The two looked at each other speechlessly, but they howled several times in embarrassment.After a while, I run out of wine, bid farewell and leave.

After I read this "ghost story" by Qu You, combined with the biography of "Luo Guanzhong" written by Jia Zhongming, I concluded:
The "literati" in western Zhejiang at the end of the Yuan Dynasty generally had the following fates under the background of Zhu Ming's dominance of the country.

1. For a small character in the literary world like Jia Zhongming, what is the fight between the gods who have changed dynasties and miscellaneous fish?If we can avoid the chaos of war, what should we do?At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, he was a dramatist who was in the "ghost" circle. When the country was founded in the early Ming Dynasty, he still continued to write dramas and continue to hang out in the circle.Judging from the existing bibliography of Zaju in Maiwangguan, there are many works of Jia Zhongming in existence.

2. Literary talents like Qu You, at the age of 14 (about 1360), could be appreciated by Yang Weizhen, a leading figure in the literary world, but because of the war, after the unification of the Ming Dynasty, they were stranded all their lives, their careers were not smooth, and they were depressed. .In the history of novels of the Celestial Dynasty, Qu You personally thinks that he is definitely a master at the same level as Pu Songling. The first draft of his "Jiandeng Xinhua" was completed in Hongwu 11, and the manuscript was circulated in a small range in the circle. Yongle 15 years (1417 ) He revised it himself (I guess it was for publication and distribution). It may be because the work was too popular in the society.But I couldn't help it soon, and the engraved edition of Chenghua (1442) Qingjiang Academy is now in existence.

3. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, there were three types of literati who were well-known in the western Zhejiang literary world around 1360.

First of all, there is no need to say more about scribes like Liu Ji who surrendered and assisted Zhu Yuanzhang.

Secondly, there are scholars like Yang Weizhen who both look down on Zhang Shicheng and refuse to serve Zhu Yuanzhang after the Ming Dynasty ruled the country.

The last category is just like the "Jia and Quan" two Songjiang tycoons described by Qu You in "Meeting an Old Man in Huating". Since they chose to serve Zhang Shicheng, even if Qu Youming knew their past "big names" It can only be remembered as "ghost".

In other words, as recorded by Jia Zhongming, Luo Guanzhong disappeared from the Jianghu for 60 years, hiding in the world like a "ghost". The completion of "Water Margin" and "Three Kingdoms", based on the time when the physical publications were handed down to the world, there was at least a "blank period" of 150 years in terms of time.

In my opinion, the origin of "Water Margin" must go back to the most critical Zhizheng Jiachen (1364).

(End of this chapter)