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The most familiar history for Chinese people.

It must be the Three Kingdoms period, which is of course thanks to Luo Guanzhong's "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

Otherwise, this is the most chaotic period in history.

If there was no Luo Guanzhong, it would be as unknown as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.

It can be said that it was Luo Guanzhong's powerful pen that deeply engraved this era in the hearts of the Chinese people.

Luo Guanzhong can be regarded as the originator of China's classical long chapter-based novels, and he has epoch-making significance for the development of Chinese novels.

"Luo Guanzhong was a famous novelist in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty. He was also the originator of the Chinese chapter novel. His representative work, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, can be regarded as a classic in the history of literature."

"The novel depicts the famous Three Kingdoms period in history, creates many heroic characters, and its complicated plot attracts the attention of the world."

"However, Luo Guanzhong's life was not as brilliant as his novels. He once chose the wrong side and suffered a disastrous defeat."

"After that, he suffered a lot of hardships and it was under these circumstances that he wrote Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

"It can be said that as brilliant as Romance of the Three Kingdoms is, he is as miserable."

"In the middle of the Yuan Dynasty, as the trauma of the war to destroy the Song Dynasty gradually subsided, the economic and cultural center of gravity of society began to shift from the north to the south."

"Hangzhou, the former capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, not only became a prosperous city with advanced commerce, but also an important center for the development of theatrical performance art."

"Therefore, many scholars from the north, such as Guan Hanqing, moved to Hangzhou."

"As a novelist and playwright, Luo Guanzhong was inevitably influenced by this social trend and became one of these writers who migrated south."

"At the age of 7, Luo Guanzhong studied the Four Books and Five Classics in a private school."

"My mother died when I was 14, so I dropped out of school and went to Hangzhou with my father to do business."

"Although he was born into a merchant family, Luo Guanzhong was not interested in business."

"With my father's consent, I went to Cixi to study with Zhao Baofeng, a famous scholar at the time, and acquired a good literary talent to prepare for serving the emperor."

"In 1356, Luo Guanzhong bid farewell to Zhao Baofeng and went to the court of the peasant uprising army Zhang Shicheng as a guest."

"Chen Youliang has the greatest power and is stationed in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River."

"Zhu Yuanzhang is also quite powerful, but he is stuck in the middle."

"Zhang Shicheng is in the coastal area, where the economic situation is the best."

"After much deliberation, Luo Guanzhong finally joined Zhang Shicheng, believing that he could achieve great things in the future."

"The following year, Zhang Shicheng defeated the attack of Zhu Yuanzhang's men under Luo Guanzhong's advice, which shows that he did have some skills."

"However, Zhang Shicheng was not a wise leader, and his brother was captured by the Yuan Dynasty after his defeat."

"Plus, although the Yuan Dynasty was in decline at the time, it was still the world's number one power."

"After receiving the surrender document from the imperial court, Zhang Shicheng chose to surrender."

"After surrendering to the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Shicheng indulged in pleasure."

"It was not until the 23rd year of Zhizheng, when he saw the decline of the Yuan Dynasty, that Zhang Shicheng proclaimed himself king again."

"At this time, many aides, including Luo Guanzhong, suggested that he postpone his title of king because he would inevitably become the target of public criticism."

"Unfortunately, his suggestion was not adopted by Zhang Shicheng."

"Luo Guanzhong lost confidence in Zhang Shicheng from then on, resigned from his position as a staff member and returned to his hometown."

"I met a fellow villager on the road and unexpectedly learned that my father had passed away and my stepmother had remarried. I no longer planned to return to my hometown and instead wandered around the world."

Zhu Di: The reason why Luo Guanzhong was able to create the classic "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is that he had two dreams in his life.

One is the dream of being a hero, but one’s talent is wasted and one’s ambitions are never realized throughout one’s life.

The late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty when Luo Guanzhong lived was a turbulent time with successive dynasties and endless wars.

As the saying goes, heroes emerge in troubled times. Luo Guanzhong originally wanted to gain a reputation as a hero in these troubled times.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Luo Guanzhong chose the wrong leader and could only write books to fulfill his dream of being a hero.

Luo Guanzhong's bumpy mental journey is shown in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the royal family was in decline, discipline was weak, villains were in power, and the princes were constantly fighting for hegemony.

Luo Guanzhong chose this typical chaotic era as the background, which echoes the era in which he lived.

Luo Guanzhong lived in a turbulent time. He was extremely disgusted by the cruelty and ugliness of the Yuan Dynasty, had great sympathy for the suffering people in the turbulent times, and yearned for a benevolent monarch.

Therefore, in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Luo Guanzhong spared no effort to portray Cao Cao as an image that excludes dissidents and is jealous of talented people, thereby criticizing and satirizing the brutal rule of the Yuan Dynasty.

It strongly exaggerates that Liu Bei sympathized with the people and led 100,000 people across the river regardless of the marching speed.

Zhang Fei's benevolent and loving image, as he issued clear orders on his way from Jingzhou to Xichuan not to rob the people's property, deeply expresses Luo Guanzhong's sympathy for the people who were suffering because of the war.

The description of Xu Shu's self-recommendation and his generous treatment by Liu Bei, as well as Liu Bei's three visits to his thatched cottage, expresses his extreme yearning for a benevolent and wise ruler.

The descriptions of the whipping of the Inspector, Liu Bei's angry resignation, and the people's pleas express Luo Guanzhong's longing for clean and honest politics.

The second is a military strategist, who plans strategies in the tent and wins battles thousands of miles away.

The characteristics of Luo Guanzhong's "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" can be summarized as follows: it takes the background of turbulent times, uses political themes as material, and is best at writing about war.

He was best at writing about war, and this was particularly evident in Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Hundreds of wars are written with their own characteristics, without any repetition.

The description of the Battle of Red Cliff is extremely brilliant.

One of the characteristics of the Battle of Red Cliffs was that it involved two countries and three parties.

There were a large number of military activities as well as a large number of diplomatic activities, and the main strategists and generals of the Three Kingdoms period were involved in these activities.

The second characteristic is that the method of promoting and resolving contradictions is mainly based on a battle of wits and strategies, rather than on confrontation.

The works describe and narrate a lot of literary battles, rather than physical battles.

The third characteristic is the characteristics of the times. Before the Battle of Chibi, there was a melee among warlords.

The Battle of Red Cliffs created the Three Kingdoms situation that lasted for half a century.

The fourth characteristic is the geographical feature. There is a Yangtze River between Cao Cao and Sun Quan.

As a result, both sides of the war made a big fuss about this river.

The changes in the weather of this great river always affect the strategies and tactics of the warring parties.

The fifth characteristic is the intersection of multiple contradictions, including contradictions between enemies and ourselves, such as Cao Cao's desire to destroy Sun Quan.

There were also conflicts within the allied forces, such as Zhou Yu wanting to kill Zhuge Liang.

There are both open attacks and hidden arrows.

There are alliances and betrayals.

There is both justice being served and conspiracy being foiled.

The sixth characteristic is that the outcome of the struggle was unexpected, and the allied forces of Sun and Liu defeated Cao Cao with fewer troops.

The strongest lose, the weakest win.

The one with the most soldiers suffers the worst defeat, while the one with the fewest soldiers gains the most.

The fact that Romance of the Three Kingdoms can depict war so vividly is, to some extent, related to Luo Guanzhong's early experiences.

It can even be said that Luo Guanzhong was also interested in military affairs and was good at it.

When he was an aide to Zhang Shicheng in his early years, he frequently offered brilliant ideas and helped Zhang Shicheng achieve one victory after another.

From this we can say that Luo Guanzhong also had a military dream.

Through vivid descriptions of various wars, he expressed his ability to plan strategies in the tent and win battles thousands of miles away.

Although it is a bit romantic, it also expresses Luo Guanzhong's true thoughts very sincerely. "While wandering around the world, Luo Guanzhong met Shi Naian who was writing "Water Margin".

"Luo Guanzhong highly recognized the idea of ​​writing books to persuade the world, so he became his disciple and began his career of learning to write books."

"After Zhang Shicheng's uprising was successful, he asked Shi Naian to be his staff member."

"With the help of Shi Naian, Zhang Shicheng won many great victories and laid the foundation for a three-way confrontation with Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang."

"Zhang Shicheng was not a wise leader. After his success, he became arrogant and indulged in pleasure."

"Seeing that such a man was not a wise leader, Shi Naian became discouraged and left the officialdom to live in seclusion and write books, so the Liangshan in "Water Margin" is more or less related to Zhang Shicheng."

"As time went on, the time gradually came."

"Luo Guanzhong himself began writing The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, with much guidance from Shi Naian."

"Although I encountered various setbacks during this period, I was able to survive in the end and successfully wrote The Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

"It is worth mentioning that Shi Naian's Water Margin also has some influence from Luo Guanzhong."

"Shi Naian once moved his family to Xinghua to escape the war, but was imprisoned by Zhu Yuanzhang because of his work Water Margin."

"Luo Guanzhong rushed to Jinling to find his good friend to help rescue him. More than a year later, Shi Naian was finally released from prison."

"But he also suffered from a serious illness and died after all medicine failed to cure him."

"Luo Guanzhong helped with the funeral arrangements and took the manuscript of Water Margin to Fujian to find someone to print it. He also revised the book during this period."

"Whether it's Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Outlaws of the Marsh."

"The language in both novels is lively and popular, the dialogues are humorous, and the details are exquisitely described."

"It has a strong artistic appeal, and the characters and storyline are deeply rooted in people's hearts."

"After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered each province to hold three consecutive tests in order to consolidate his position."

"Because he had been an enemy of Zhu Yuanzhang, Luo Guanzhong had to give up the opportunity to enter the officialdom as a scholar."

"His early experiences and his special state of mind in his later years are the key to Luo Guanzhong's preference for political and historical novels and his artistic success in this type of novel."

"Luo Guanzhong was already in his sixties when he finished writing these works."

Cao Xueqin: Shi Nai'an does not exist at all, he is just a pseudonym for Luo Guanzhong.

There are many similarities in the plots of the two masterpieces, Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin.

Moreover, both authors lived in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty. What’s even more coincidental is that they were in the same place.

"Water Margin" contains content that alludes to Zhu Yuanzhang, so it was a banned book in the early Ming Dynasty and could not be published under a real name.

There is relatively more information about Luo Guanzhong's life, but there is no trace of Shi Naian in historical materials.

Many early Ming Dynasty versions of "Water Margin" were signed by Luo Guanzhong alone, while the joint signature of Shi Nai'an and Luo Guanzhong appeared only in later versions.

Analyzing from the name, if Shi Naian is read in Shandong accent, it is Shi Nai Wo, and if read backwards, it is Wo Nai Wo.

According to the habit of many writers at that time in signing their books, the subtext of Shi Nai'an - Luo Guanzhong is probably that I am Luo Guanzhong.

Therefore, the author of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Water Margin" is Luo Guanzhong, and Shi Nai'an is just a pseudonym given by Luo Guanzhong to avoid trouble.

"Luo Guanzhong's creative talents are multifaceted. He compiled dozens of novels, among which Romance of the Three Kingdoms is the most accomplished."

"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is Luo Guanzhong's masterpiece, with the struggle for supremacy among Liu Bei, Cao Cao and Sun Quan as the main plot."

"With the wisdom of Zhuge Liang, Zhou Yu, Sima Yi and others as the supporting line, it depicts a magnificent historical picture."

"The book depicts the complex political and military struggles of the Three Kingdoms period in a grand structure, starting with the Yellow Turban Rebellion and ending with the unification of the Western Jin Dynasty."

"The work condemns the cruelty and ugliness of the rulers, reflects the suffering of the people in the turbulent times and their yearning for a benevolent ruler, and embodies a clear tendency to support Liu and oppose Cao."

"The language of Romance of the Three Kingdoms is concise, lively and vivid, naturally combining history and literature, with realistic descriptions and a romantic and legendary color."

"When writing Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Luo Guanzhong mainly referred to the two historical books Records of the Three Kingdoms and Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms, but he also added his own subjective judgment and evaluation."

"For example, when describing the various forces during the Three Kingdoms period, there is a clear tendency and preference towards Liu Bei's side."

"He showed great disgust and criticism towards Cao Cao and Sima Yi's Wei Kingdom."

"Showing a certain amount of respect and understanding for Sun Quan and Zhou Yu's Wu."

"In particular, it shows great sympathy and praise for the mutual achievements of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang."

"In fact, this is also what Luo Guanzhong himself thought. He wanted to meet his mentor and achieve great things, but he met a master like Zhang Shicheng who was incompetent."

"Luo Guanzhong's Three Kingdoms is a piece of history, but also a piece of reality. What he wrote was also himself."

"He lived in the turbulent period between the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, and made many choices in the political struggle."

"The book Romance of the Three Kingdoms is his real experience, but also his own mistakes and sorrows."

"So Luo Guanzhong was great at writing books, but when it came to himself, he chose the wrong side."

“It’s not because of lack of wisdom, but because of lack of mentor.”

"A lot of the content in Romance of the Three Kingdoms is about the portrayal of Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei, and Zhuge Liang is exactly what Luo Guanzhong himself wanted him to be."

"In 1385 AD, Luo Guanzhong was years old and died in Luling, the hometown of Wen Tianxiang, a national hero of the Song Dynasty."

Wu Cheng'en: The reason why Luo Guanzhong respected Liu and disparaged Cao was simply because he yearned for orthodoxy.

You know, the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty was also an era of fierce competition between orthodoxy and barbarians.

The Yuan Dynasty conquered the Song Dynasty and was able to rule China, but the Han people have always been extremely dissatisfied with the barbaric rule of the Mongols from the bottom of their hearts and hoped to restore orthodoxy as soon as possible. Luo Guanzhong was naturally no exception.

The Yuan Dynasty's rule lasted less than two hundred years.

During his reign, riots and uprisings continued, and the Yuan Dynasty was almost in turmoil.

An important point in Luo Guanzhong's creation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms was to realize his dream of orthodoxy.

Whether you are reading the original novel of Romance of the Three Kingdoms or watching the TV series of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Everyone can feel a strong subjective tendency, which is to support Liu and oppose Cao and maintain orthodoxy.

Luo Guanzhong tried his best to portray the loyalty, generosity and honesty of the characters on Liu Bei's side.

The characters on Cao Cao's side were treacherous, hypocritical, deceitful and exploitative.

Because Liu Bei was a descendant of Liu Sheng, King Jing of Zhongshan, he represented orthodoxy.

Cao Cao's ancestors had enjoyed the Han Dynasty's financial support for generations, but they wanted to seize the throne and ignored the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty.

The plot in which Zhuge Liang scolded Wang Lang to death on the battlefield can be said to have demonstrated this tendency to the extreme.

The reason why Wang Lang was so angry that he fell off his horse and died was only partly due to Zhuge Liang's harsh and vicious words.

More importantly, Wang Lang was an old minister of the Han Dynasty. He must have been very afraid that others would scold him for ignoring orthodoxy, betraying the court, and being disloyal and unjust.

The orthodoxy that Luo Guanzhong upholds is not only something he hopes the general public will yearn for, but also something that will frighten those who rebel against orthodoxy and thus turn to the light.

Luo Guanzhong also expressed his longing for a close relationship between the monarch and his subjects through his description of the relationship between the monarch and his subjects.

In the TV series Romance of the Three Kingdoms, whenever Cao Cao appears, he is always followed by a large group of civil officials and military generals.

Cao Cao was serious, civil officials and military generals sat upright, the scene was solemn and dignified, and the hierarchy was strict.

And when Liu Bei appeared, he was mostly with only a few people like Zhuge Liang.

They were talking and laughing, and looked very relaxed.

Luo Guanzhong intentionally used this contrast in scenes to express his yearning for the close relationship between the monarch and his subjects under orthodoxy.

The description of the way Liu Bei got along with his subordinates in Romance of the Three Kingdoms fully reveals this yearning.

Therefore, whether from the perspective of maintaining orthodoxy or from the perspective of longing for a harmonious relationship between the monarch and his subjects, Luo Guanzhong chose to honor Liu and disparage Cao. (End of this chapter)