Chapter 11 Section Four "Yuan History" and "New Yuan History"

"Yuan History" (Figure 17), written by Song Lian and others in the Ming Dynasty.The book has 210 volumes, including 47 volumes of Benji, 58 volumes of Chronicles, 8 volumes of tables, and 97 volumes of biographies. About 160 years of history. In the first year of Hongwu (1368 A.D.), the year when the Yuan Dynasty fell, Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, ordered the compilation of "Yuan History".The compilation started in February of the second year, with Li Shanchang as the supervisor, Song Lian and Wang Yi as the presidents, and 16 people including Zhao Xun [xunxun] as the editors.Based on the Records of the 13 Dynasties and the "Jingshi Dadian" seized by Xu Da from Beijing, they wrote 159 volumes in only 188 days.Since Emperor Shun's reign had no actual records to support and could not be written, he sent 12 people including Ouyang You to the north to investigate and collect historical materials.In February of the third year of Hongwu (1370 A.D.), the Bureau of History was reopened, and 15 people including Zhu You were the editors. It took 143 days to continue editing 53 volumes, and then compiled the two editors together.It took less than a year to compile the history twice, and the actual editors were replaced many times. The work of the two groups of people before and after was not connected with each other, and they were hasty and hasty, resulting in many mistakes and omissions.

According to Zhu Yuanzhang's request, the "Yuan History" is written in a relatively simple and clear narrative, and the whole book does not contain praise, but it is written directly according to the facts, with written opinions, so that it can see good and evil for itself, which is different from other official revisions of history. style. In this section, except for the precious historical materials obtained through the special search and visit of Emperor Shun, the other dynasties are all excerpts from the records of the Yuan Dynasty that have been lost, and the historical materials are of relatively high value.The detailed content of each chapter of Emperor Ji is slightly different, the reason is that the number of original materials is different.The three volumes of Taizu, Taizong, Dingzong, and Xianzong have very simple narratives, and there is nothing recorded in the three years after Dingzong's death.In some periods, there are rich historical materials, so they are described in detail. For example, "Shi Zu Ji" has as many as 14 volumes, "Wen Zong Ji" has one volume per year, and "Shun Emperor Ji" has as many as 10 volumes.Although this is not in order to sort out and delete, it has played a role in preserving historical materials.

The annals of "Yuan Shi" are well written and are highly valued by the world.It contains a lot of valuable historical materials, reflecting the social life in many aspects of the Yuan Dynasty.Its annals such as "Election", "Hundred Officials", "Shihuo", "Soldiers" and "Criminal Law" are based on "Jing Shi Da Dian", which Yu Ji majored in. "Astronomical Records" reflects the research results of Guo Shoujing, an outstanding scientist in the Yuan Dynasty. "Li Zhi" was compiled based on Guo Shoujing's "Shi Shi Li Jing" and Li Qian's "Shi Shi Li Yi". "Geography" is based on "Dayuan Dayi Tongzhi" majored in by Yue Xuan [xuanxuan]. "Hequ Zhi" was compiled with reference to Ouyang Xuan's "Hefang Ji", "Sea Transport Jiyuan", "Hefang Tongyi" and other related geographical works.Many of the above-mentioned books have long been lost, and it is the annals of "Yuan Shi" that has preserved the essence of these works for us.The author canceled "Yiwenzhi" in an attempt to include relevant content in the biographies, so that the bibliography of the Yuan Dynasty could not be preserved.

"Yuan Shi" newly created "Shi Lao Zhuan", which records important figures in religion, from which we can understand the spread, development and historical status of religion in the Yuan Dynasty. The biography of "Yuan Shi" is more detailed than that of literati, and slightly less than that of Mongolian generals and ministers. This is also due to the limitation of historical materials at that time.But as far as the Mongols and Semu people are seen in the biographies, some of them have no other historical materials for reference.Some people who had great historical influence at that time can only understand their life stories through "Yuan History".

Some of the records in "Yuan History" are unique to the society of the Yuan Dynasty. in this way.In addition, for example, "Geography" appended Heyuan, Northwest, Annan County, etc., "Sacrifice" attached national customs and old rituals, and "Shihuo Zhi" added a volume of Suici, all of which were preserved according to the actual situation of the Yuan Dynasty. Important historical materials. Because "Yuan Shi" was compiled in a hurry and was written by many hands, there are many errors in compilation, such as repetitions before and after, sometimes contradictions, this chapter may be written again for one event, biographies may be republished by one person, different translations, historical facts, and chronology. The failure is inferior, there are quite a lot of problems, and it has been criticized and blamed by future generations.

"Yuan History" was first published in the third year of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty (AD 1370).Not long after the book was completed, Zhu You wrote "Supplements to Yuan History" and Xie Jin wrote "Zheng Mi of Yuan History" to correct errors and make up for gaps.Since the Qing Dynasty, people have continued to revisit the history of the Yuan Dynasty. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, but none of them can replace it. "Yuan History" is still a relatively primitive basic material that is valued by people. Its current better version is the corrected version of Zhonghua Book Company.

Since the end of the Qing Dynasty, there have been several special books on Yuan history compiled by sorting out the research results of predecessors and referring to relevant Chinese and foreign materials.Among them, Tu Ji's "Historical Records of the Mughals" is the best, with careful research and revision, and a fusion of old and new materials in one furnace, but it is a pity that it was not finished.Although Zeng Lian's "Yuan Shu" has a complete style, its content is simple.Later, it was Ke Shaomin [min Min]'s "New Yuan History" that received the most attention.

The first draft of "Xin Yuan Shi" was completed in 1919, later revised and finalized in 1930.Xu Shichang, the great president of the Beiyang warlord period, wrote a preface to it and issued a presidential decree to list it in official history.Therefore, in addition to the Twenty-Four Histories, "Xin Yuan History" was added, so there was the term "Twenty-Five Histories". "Xin Yuan Shi" has a large scale, including 14 chapters in Benji and 26 volumes, five chapters in 7 volumes, 13 chapters in Zhi and 70 volumes, and biographies in 154 volumes, totaling 257 volumes.Its main achievement lies in the comprehensive arrangement of many achievements in the study of Yuan History since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, a large number of revisions, corrections, supplements and adjustments to the original errors and shortcomings of "Yuan History", and the recompilation of old and new historical materials. Organized as a relatively systematic and rigorous book.Its more important additions, such as the newly added "Preface", supplement the details of the events before the founding of Genghis Khan.Regarding the uprising of the Red Turban Army that overthrew the rule of the Yuan Dynasty, the special "Han Liner Biography" made a systematic record and added many important historical facts.Many new characters have been added to the biographies, such as Timuge Wochijin, Huduhu, Ali Buge in the Mongolian period, and Zhu Qing, Zhang Xuan, Xu Maijie, Daosha, Zhao Tianlin, Zheng Jiefu, etc. after the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty. It is a person who has an important status and influence in a certain aspect without a biography in "Yuan History". There are biographers in "Yuan History", and many articles have added new content or revised historical facts.

The supplementary revision of "Xin Yuan History" has not been carried out thoroughly, and many tasks that should be done have not been done.For example, "Yuanshi" lacks "Yiwenzhi", and Qian Daxin and others in the Qing Dynasty made supplements one after another, while "Xin Yuanshi" still lacks this article and has not been completed.In addition to Hong Jun's "Yuan History Translation Zhengbu", which has been used as much as possible, other known Western historical materials have not been fully utilized.Religion was developed in the Yuan Dynasty, and the new book only slightly added a few people, but failed to describe the deeds of Yeli Kewen and Huihui in detail.When revising and supplementing, most of the original texts of old works were directly recorded, cut and combined, but failed to integrate and connect into one, so the style of the whole book is not consistent.Some translations are different, making it difficult to distinguish. "Xin Yuan History" does not draw materials beyond the scope of old scholars, and its style and viewpoint are still consistent.Although the author entered the Republic of China, he still regards himself as an old man of the Qing Dynasty, and his standpoint and historiographical thinking are quite outdated.Because there are all the original books on which the "Yuan History" was revised and supplemented, the value of its historical materials is not as precious as that of the old "Yuan History" which is mostly original materials.This is also the fundamental reason why "New Yuan History" cannot replace "Yuan History".