Chapter 11 postscript
The ending is a suspense, there is no sure ending.In the end, whether Hu Fei's knife will go on or not, let the readers make up their own minds.
This novel was published in 1959. For more than ten years, several friends and many unfamiliar readers hoped that I would write an affirmative ending.After thinking about it carefully, I think it is better to keep it as it is, so that readers have more room for imagination.It is also a kind of fun to have more than enough and appropriate implicitness.In my own mind, I have thought about seven or eight different endings, and sometimes thinking about different endings is also a pleasure.Hu Fei's decision to chop or not is a choice for Hu Fei, and every reader can make different choices based on their own personality and their views on humanity and the world.
After Li Zicheng was defeated, he withdrew from Beijing and retreated west to Xi'an, which was not good for the Qing army to fight, and hundreds of thousands of Dashun troops went south.The final outcome, the historical circles of our country originally had a lot of opinions, the Institute of History of the Academy of Social Sciences established a special research group, and held the "Li Zicheng Academic Symposium" in Beijing in May 1977, and the results were summarized into two different opinions: 1. Li Zicheng died in Jiugong Mountain, Tongshan; 2. Li Zicheng went to Jiashan, Shimen, Hunan to retire as a monk.Starting from Zhang Taiyan, Guo Moruo, Tong Shuye, Li Wentian and other famous historians, the two theories are controversial.Originally, the "Tongshan Theory" was supported by many people, because there were official documents and official works as evidence, but later historians studied in detail and found that the contents of the documents and historical materials were vague, uncertain, and insufficient to support. However, a large number of unearthed cultural relics were found, which proved to be related to Li Zicheng.One is vague, and the other is certain. In comparison, most contemporary historians tend to "Jiashan Zen Hermitism".Among the scholars and experts of historical income, the faction of Mr. Wang Rongsheng advocated the "Tongshan Theory", and the faction of Mr. Liu Chongbai advocated the "Jiashan Theory", and the two factions were at loggerheads. In September 2000, the author was invited by Hunan Yuelu Academy to give a speech. He had a meeting with historical experts and the person in charge of the Bureau of Cultural Relics in Shimen County, and had a long talk with Director Wei Wenbin of Hunan Radio and Television Bureau. I stayed in Shaanxi for a long time (maybe he is from Shaanxi, I can’t remember), and I chatted with him speculatively and became close friends.He said that as soon as he saw the cultural relics in Shimen, he knew that they were from the countryside of Shaanxi, not from Hunan.The soil and objects in the countryside have their own characteristics everywhere, so they cannot be confused.I have not personally seen Li Zicheng's relics in Shimen, but I know that the unearthed tombs, inscriptions, bronze wares, copper coins, horse bells, woodcarving remnants, etc., have been certified by the central and local cultural relics bureaus as authentic and issued certificates. When I was writing the two books, I didn't know that there was such a major debate on "Li Zicheng's home" in the mainland historian circles, but I adopted the "Jiashan Chanyin Theory" based on the author's inclination, which is different from Guo Moruo and Yao Xue. The opinions of the two gentlemen Yin are opposite, and they are consistent with the plot of Aying's script "Li Chuangwang".This is not whether my historical feeling is correct or not, but that novelists like legends and idiosyncrasies. Later, Li Zicheng appeared again in the novel, which was derived from the previous conclusion.This time, I will study the two opinions of the scholars of the Institute of History. From the academic point of view of history, I vote for the "Jiashan Chanyin Theory". To insert some historical background in the novel, of course, it is not necessary that all the details are completely in line with the historical facts, as long as the major events do not violate it.As for the inconclusive historical events, the author of the novel can naturally choose one of them to play.However, the old novels "The Romance of Wu Sangui" and "Tie Guan Tu" describe Li Zicheng's story, which is too far from the generally accepted facts. It is said in Romance that Li Zi was poisoned and killed by Niu Jinxing, so he was too free.
After it was published in the newspaper in 1959, no single volume approved by the author has been published.As far as I can see, there are eight kinds of booklets in the market, all of which are reprinted by booksellers without authorization.It's just that there are many typos in the book, and the reprinters insist on dividing chapters and writing chapters, which may not conform to the original intention of the author, and the illustrations attached to some editions are not to the author's liking. Now it has been added, deleted, and rewritten. It was first published in "Ming Pao Evening News", and several revisions were made when the book was published. It is roughly estimated that six or seven tenths of the sentences in the original book have been rewritten.Some corrections have been made to the omissions and omissions in the original book.It's just that the characters Baoshu, Ping Asi, Tao Baisui, Liu Yuanhe, etc. in the book are all rough people, and the tone of the story is still too literary. Too indecent, or cumbersome.Limited by talent, that is helpless. There is an English translation, which was serialized in the bimonthly "Bridge" published in New York.Later, the Chinese University of Hong Kong published a translation by Ms. Mo Ruoxian (Olivia Mok), and the English title is "Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain". Although it is related, it is two independent novels, so the content does not insist on consistency.It stands to reason that when Hu Fei met Miao Ruolan, he would definitely think of Yuan Ziyi and Cheng Lingsu.But as far as this novel itself is concerned, it seems that there is no need to let the characters of another novel appear, even if it only appears in Hu Fei's mind.In fact, the writing was done first, and the author never had the two characters Yuan Ziyi and Cheng Lingsu in his mind at that time. This book was revised for the first time in December 1974, for the second time in August 1977, and for the third time in 2003. Although almost every page has been changed, it is limited to a few There is no major modification of the words and plot. Recalling the past deeds, using the way of storytelling.Storytelling was originally the basic way of the origin of literature of all nationalities. Before humans invented writing, primitive people gathered by fires and in caves, telling how they killed an elephant while hunting during the day, and how several people surrounded and wiped out it. A big black bear.The speaker was elated and frothy, and the listener never got tired of it. They always felt that it was not exciting enough, so more and more elephants were killed, and the black bears were killed bigger and bigger. It is the origin of literature, mythology and religion. Storytelling is the ancestor of any literature, but then everyone gradually forgot.The modern and contemporary literary circles even feel that storytelling in novels is not advanced enough, not intellectualized enough, and too popular.The more there is no story, the more it makes people read incomprehensible, and it is qualified to be discussed in the literature department of the university.I wrote it in the form of several people telling stories. Before the newspaper finished publishing it, many readers in Hong Kong wrote to me and asked me: Is it an imitation of a movie?Among those who say this is even a very learned friend of mine.I was a little angry, so I simply replied: Please read the Chinese "Three Words and Two Beats", please read the foreign "Arabian Nights", and please read the Christian Bible "Old Testament·1 Kings·16-28" , please read the Chinese translation of the original novel by Akutagawa Ryunosuke. Since the popularity of movies, many people only watch movies and don't read novels.Now that TV is more popular, more people watch TV and play computer games, instead of reading books or novels.Japanese movies are screened in Hong Kong and are very popular. Most people have been educated by this movie and think that if two people speak differently and one of them is telling a lie, it is "Rashomon". In fact, the plots of the short stories written by the Japanese novelist Akutagawa Ryunosuke are very simple, and only describe a kind of desolate mood. The Rashomon Gate is located at the southern end of the Suzaku Bridge in Kyoto, Japan. , there are only thieves, foxes, crows and the like nearby.A poor servant went to the city tower to shelter from the rain and saw an old woman pulling out the hair of a dead girl to sell to a wig maker. The servant was very angry and grabbed the old woman and stripped her clothes to sell.Filmmaker Akira Kurosawa capitalizes on this melancholy mood when he tells the story of another Akutagawa novel, Bamboo Nobu, in which a bandit beats a samurai and rapes his wife.Robber, samurai, woman, three people (and ghost) tell the same story, but the content is quite different, showing the impermanence and helplessness of human nature.The film was very successful because of the director's skillful technique, the novel story, and the leading actor Toshiro Mifune's performance. I often pose an interesting question to my friends: Three worms walk in a row, the first worm says: "There are two worms behind me." The second says: "There is one worm in front of me, and one worm behind me. "The third said: "There are no worms in front of me, and there are no worms behind me!" Question: What is the reason for the third worm to say this? (As a side note: "Primary school students get it right in ten minutes, middle school students get it right in two days, college students take a week to get it right, and college professors get it wrong in a year." Why?) The answer is: "Third Worms lie." Children often lie, so they can guess that the third worm is lying. University professors can never answer correctly when they want to discuss N-dimensional space, relativity relations, arrangement, coordinates, the definition of worms in biology, and the field of view of worms. In any lawsuit, criminal or civil lawsuit, someone must lie and conceal the facts, so that several people have different opinions on the same matter, several or one person distorts the truth, and finally the truth is revealed. At this time, the fixed structure of all detective novels and crime stories, It must be, no surprise.Since ancient times, the basic structure of all trials, public cases, and case-solving stories is that each person has a different story. An upright official (or Bao Gong, Peng Gong, Shi Gong, Di Gong, Kuang Gong, King Solomon) or a detective (or Sherlock Holmes, or Poirot) , or Vance) to find out the truth, which is also a fixed structure. Among the short stories of the Ming Dynasty in China, Feng Menglong compiled "Kuang Taishou Judging a Dead Child". Someone abandoned a dead child and was found by Kuang Taishou. The man said it was rotten beef. After further investigation, it turned out to be an illegitimate child. The child was born by a widow. The man found out, and wanted to use it to rape the widow. After further investigation, it turned out that the child was born to the widow and a servant. After further investigation, it was the servant who lured the widow to conceive.In another article "Fifteen Guan Jokes Become a Misfortune", there is a man surnamed Liu who has a wife and a concubine. His father-in-law borrowed 15 Guan money to start a business with him. People, get the money.His concubine was unwilling and killed the man surnamed Liu.The concubine met a young man Cui Ning on the way, and the two went on the same road. Cui Ning happened to sell the silk and got fifteen guan to go home. The confessions were different, and the county magistrate was confused. Seeing that there were fifteen coins as evidence, they were sentenced to death. The story in the "Bible" is that in ancient Israel, there were two prostitutes who had a son each. Each holds his own.King Solomon ordered the sword to be brought, and the living child was to be split in two, and each half should be divided.His mother loves her son and would rather not have it, but the other prostitute is indifferent and thinks it might as well break up.King Solomon sentenced the child to his true mother and severely punished another prostitute. As for the stories in "The Arabian Nights", it is more complicated.A few years ago, I bought the complete translation by Richard Burton, published in London in 1883, in an ancient bookstore in Melbourne, Australia. There are as many as eight thick volumes. Wang tells continuous stories, the stories are brilliant and vivid.She is the ancestor of those who wrote serial novels in our newspapers.The carpenter is ancestral to Lu Ban, the actor is ancestral to Tang Minghuang, the ancestor of our serial novelist is extremely beautiful and intelligent, she told the continuous story of the Thousand and One Nights, the Sultan King could not bear to kill her anymore, so he had to marry her princess.Her stories are repeated one after another. A barber in Baghdad had six brothers. He told a story by himself, and each of the six brothers told another story. Some stories were true and some were false. Two of the three sisters turned into black dogs. Each has a story, and every black dog also has a wonderful story.When it comes to telling true and false stories, after the world has its own "Arabian Nights", it has swept the world, what a shame! I don't like to talk by nature, but since I started teaching at the School of Humanities, Zhejiang University, I had to say a few more words to the students, so that my new friend, Professor Kong Qingdong, said in the article that I was a bit "talking". Mr. bad habits.Originally, it was well-intentioned for readers to criticize my novels.Most of these opinions are very good. Recently, I reworked and revised the novel, and even accepted the unimportant criticisms and made revisions. I am really grateful to the critics.But it is unavoidable to add a lot of "notes" and explanations, and to respond to criticisms that disagree, which is still the result of the teacher's nagging habit.In fact, novel authors should not make more excuses for their works, if people disagree with them, they should not agree.Just like Yilin, a middle-aged and middle-aged nun, told a joke in the "Hundred Metaphors" that someone thought the bald man's head was a stone and hit it with a plow, and the blood came out. The bald man couldn't help but teach the other party: "This is my head, not a stone! "Actually, let him fight, why teach him to be good? June 2003
After Li Zicheng was defeated, he withdrew from Beijing and retreated west to Xi'an, which was not good for the Qing army to fight, and hundreds of thousands of Dashun troops went south.The final outcome, the historical circles of our country originally had a lot of opinions, the Institute of History of the Academy of Social Sciences established a special research group, and held the "Li Zicheng Academic Symposium" in Beijing in May 1977, and the results were summarized into two different opinions: 1. Li Zicheng died in Jiugong Mountain, Tongshan; 2. Li Zicheng went to Jiashan, Shimen, Hunan to retire as a monk.Starting from Zhang Taiyan, Guo Moruo, Tong Shuye, Li Wentian and other famous historians, the two theories are controversial.Originally, the "Tongshan Theory" was supported by many people, because there were official documents and official works as evidence, but later historians studied in detail and found that the contents of the documents and historical materials were vague, uncertain, and insufficient to support. However, a large number of unearthed cultural relics were found, which proved to be related to Li Zicheng.One is vague, and the other is certain. In comparison, most contemporary historians tend to "Jiashan Zen Hermitism".Among the scholars and experts of historical income, the faction of Mr. Wang Rongsheng advocated the "Tongshan Theory", and the faction of Mr. Liu Chongbai advocated the "Jiashan Theory", and the two factions were at loggerheads. In September 2000, the author was invited by Hunan Yuelu Academy to give a speech. He had a meeting with historical experts and the person in charge of the Bureau of Cultural Relics in Shimen County, and had a long talk with Director Wei Wenbin of Hunan Radio and Television Bureau. I stayed in Shaanxi for a long time (maybe he is from Shaanxi, I can’t remember), and I chatted with him speculatively and became close friends.He said that as soon as he saw the cultural relics in Shimen, he knew that they were from the countryside of Shaanxi, not from Hunan.The soil and objects in the countryside have their own characteristics everywhere, so they cannot be confused.I have not personally seen Li Zicheng's relics in Shimen, but I know that the unearthed tombs, inscriptions, bronze wares, copper coins, horse bells, woodcarving remnants, etc., have been certified by the central and local cultural relics bureaus as authentic and issued certificates. When I was writing the two books, I didn't know that there was such a major debate on "Li Zicheng's home" in the mainland historian circles, but I adopted the "Jiashan Chanyin Theory" based on the author's inclination, which is different from Guo Moruo and Yao Xue. The opinions of the two gentlemen Yin are opposite, and they are consistent with the plot of Aying's script "Li Chuangwang".This is not whether my historical feeling is correct or not, but that novelists like legends and idiosyncrasies. Later, Li Zicheng appeared again in the novel, which was derived from the previous conclusion.This time, I will study the two opinions of the scholars of the Institute of History. From the academic point of view of history, I vote for the "Jiashan Chanyin Theory". To insert some historical background in the novel, of course, it is not necessary that all the details are completely in line with the historical facts, as long as the major events do not violate it.As for the inconclusive historical events, the author of the novel can naturally choose one of them to play.However, the old novels "The Romance of Wu Sangui" and "Tie Guan Tu" describe Li Zicheng's story, which is too far from the generally accepted facts. It is said in Romance that Li Zi was poisoned and killed by Niu Jinxing, so he was too free.
After it was published in the newspaper in 1959, no single volume approved by the author has been published.As far as I can see, there are eight kinds of booklets in the market, all of which are reprinted by booksellers without authorization.It's just that there are many typos in the book, and the reprinters insist on dividing chapters and writing chapters, which may not conform to the original intention of the author, and the illustrations attached to some editions are not to the author's liking. Now it has been added, deleted, and rewritten. It was first published in "Ming Pao Evening News", and several revisions were made when the book was published. It is roughly estimated that six or seven tenths of the sentences in the original book have been rewritten.Some corrections have been made to the omissions and omissions in the original book.It's just that the characters Baoshu, Ping Asi, Tao Baisui, Liu Yuanhe, etc. in the book are all rough people, and the tone of the story is still too literary. Too indecent, or cumbersome.Limited by talent, that is helpless. There is an English translation, which was serialized in the bimonthly "Bridge" published in New York.Later, the Chinese University of Hong Kong published a translation by Ms. Mo Ruoxian (Olivia Mok), and the English title is "Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain". Although it is related, it is two independent novels, so the content does not insist on consistency.It stands to reason that when Hu Fei met Miao Ruolan, he would definitely think of Yuan Ziyi and Cheng Lingsu.But as far as this novel itself is concerned, it seems that there is no need to let the characters of another novel appear, even if it only appears in Hu Fei's mind.In fact, the writing was done first, and the author never had the two characters Yuan Ziyi and Cheng Lingsu in his mind at that time. This book was revised for the first time in December 1974, for the second time in August 1977, and for the third time in 2003. Although almost every page has been changed, it is limited to a few There is no major modification of the words and plot. Recalling the past deeds, using the way of storytelling.Storytelling was originally the basic way of the origin of literature of all nationalities. Before humans invented writing, primitive people gathered by fires and in caves, telling how they killed an elephant while hunting during the day, and how several people surrounded and wiped out it. A big black bear.The speaker was elated and frothy, and the listener never got tired of it. They always felt that it was not exciting enough, so more and more elephants were killed, and the black bears were killed bigger and bigger. It is the origin of literature, mythology and religion. Storytelling is the ancestor of any literature, but then everyone gradually forgot.The modern and contemporary literary circles even feel that storytelling in novels is not advanced enough, not intellectualized enough, and too popular.The more there is no story, the more it makes people read incomprehensible, and it is qualified to be discussed in the literature department of the university.I wrote it in the form of several people telling stories. Before the newspaper finished publishing it, many readers in Hong Kong wrote to me and asked me: Is it an imitation of a movie?Among those who say this is even a very learned friend of mine.I was a little angry, so I simply replied: Please read the Chinese "Three Words and Two Beats", please read the foreign "Arabian Nights", and please read the Christian Bible "Old Testament·1 Kings·16-28" , please read the Chinese translation of the original novel by Akutagawa Ryunosuke. Since the popularity of movies, many people only watch movies and don't read novels.Now that TV is more popular, more people watch TV and play computer games, instead of reading books or novels.Japanese movies are screened in Hong Kong and are very popular. Most people have been educated by this movie and think that if two people speak differently and one of them is telling a lie, it is "Rashomon". In fact, the plots of the short stories written by the Japanese novelist Akutagawa Ryunosuke are very simple, and only describe a kind of desolate mood. The Rashomon Gate is located at the southern end of the Suzaku Bridge in Kyoto, Japan. , there are only thieves, foxes, crows and the like nearby.A poor servant went to the city tower to shelter from the rain and saw an old woman pulling out the hair of a dead girl to sell to a wig maker. The servant was very angry and grabbed the old woman and stripped her clothes to sell.Filmmaker Akira Kurosawa capitalizes on this melancholy mood when he tells the story of another Akutagawa novel, Bamboo Nobu, in which a bandit beats a samurai and rapes his wife.Robber, samurai, woman, three people (and ghost) tell the same story, but the content is quite different, showing the impermanence and helplessness of human nature.The film was very successful because of the director's skillful technique, the novel story, and the leading actor Toshiro Mifune's performance. I often pose an interesting question to my friends: Three worms walk in a row, the first worm says: "There are two worms behind me." The second says: "There is one worm in front of me, and one worm behind me. "The third said: "There are no worms in front of me, and there are no worms behind me!" Question: What is the reason for the third worm to say this? (As a side note: "Primary school students get it right in ten minutes, middle school students get it right in two days, college students take a week to get it right, and college professors get it wrong in a year." Why?) The answer is: "Third Worms lie." Children often lie, so they can guess that the third worm is lying. University professors can never answer correctly when they want to discuss N-dimensional space, relativity relations, arrangement, coordinates, the definition of worms in biology, and the field of view of worms. In any lawsuit, criminal or civil lawsuit, someone must lie and conceal the facts, so that several people have different opinions on the same matter, several or one person distorts the truth, and finally the truth is revealed. At this time, the fixed structure of all detective novels and crime stories, It must be, no surprise.Since ancient times, the basic structure of all trials, public cases, and case-solving stories is that each person has a different story. An upright official (or Bao Gong, Peng Gong, Shi Gong, Di Gong, Kuang Gong, King Solomon) or a detective (or Sherlock Holmes, or Poirot) , or Vance) to find out the truth, which is also a fixed structure. Among the short stories of the Ming Dynasty in China, Feng Menglong compiled "Kuang Taishou Judging a Dead Child". Someone abandoned a dead child and was found by Kuang Taishou. The man said it was rotten beef. After further investigation, it turned out to be an illegitimate child. The child was born by a widow. The man found out, and wanted to use it to rape the widow. After further investigation, it turned out that the child was born to the widow and a servant. After further investigation, it was the servant who lured the widow to conceive.In another article "Fifteen Guan Jokes Become a Misfortune", there is a man surnamed Liu who has a wife and a concubine. His father-in-law borrowed 15 Guan money to start a business with him. People, get the money.His concubine was unwilling and killed the man surnamed Liu.The concubine met a young man Cui Ning on the way, and the two went on the same road. Cui Ning happened to sell the silk and got fifteen guan to go home. The confessions were different, and the county magistrate was confused. Seeing that there were fifteen coins as evidence, they were sentenced to death. The story in the "Bible" is that in ancient Israel, there were two prostitutes who had a son each. Each holds his own.King Solomon ordered the sword to be brought, and the living child was to be split in two, and each half should be divided.His mother loves her son and would rather not have it, but the other prostitute is indifferent and thinks it might as well break up.King Solomon sentenced the child to his true mother and severely punished another prostitute. As for the stories in "The Arabian Nights", it is more complicated.A few years ago, I bought the complete translation by Richard Burton, published in London in 1883, in an ancient bookstore in Melbourne, Australia. There are as many as eight thick volumes. Wang tells continuous stories, the stories are brilliant and vivid.She is the ancestor of those who wrote serial novels in our newspapers.The carpenter is ancestral to Lu Ban, the actor is ancestral to Tang Minghuang, the ancestor of our serial novelist is extremely beautiful and intelligent, she told the continuous story of the Thousand and One Nights, the Sultan King could not bear to kill her anymore, so he had to marry her princess.Her stories are repeated one after another. A barber in Baghdad had six brothers. He told a story by himself, and each of the six brothers told another story. Some stories were true and some were false. Two of the three sisters turned into black dogs. Each has a story, and every black dog also has a wonderful story.When it comes to telling true and false stories, after the world has its own "Arabian Nights", it has swept the world, what a shame! I don't like to talk by nature, but since I started teaching at the School of Humanities, Zhejiang University, I had to say a few more words to the students, so that my new friend, Professor Kong Qingdong, said in the article that I was a bit "talking". Mr. bad habits.Originally, it was well-intentioned for readers to criticize my novels.Most of these opinions are very good. Recently, I reworked and revised the novel, and even accepted the unimportant criticisms and made revisions. I am really grateful to the critics.But it is unavoidable to add a lot of "notes" and explanations, and to respond to criticisms that disagree, which is still the result of the teacher's nagging habit.In fact, novel authors should not make more excuses for their works, if people disagree with them, they should not agree.Just like Yilin, a middle-aged and middle-aged nun, told a joke in the "Hundred Metaphors" that someone thought the bald man's head was a stone and hit it with a plow, and the blood came out. The bald man couldn't help but teach the other party: "This is my head, not a stone! "Actually, let him fight, why teach him to be good? June 2003