Hundreds of years after the birth of "Water Margin", a sequel to water margin came out, which is the classical novel "Dang Kouzhi" written in the Daoguang years of the Qing Dynasty.
This novel, which is inherently opposed to "Water Margin", has received extremely mixed praise and criticism from the day of its publication.
For example, some people describe it as a completely reactionary work, because it completely defames the peasant uprising led by Song Jiang, and is a book of "capitulationism", a completely negative teaching material.
Some people worship it as a god, believing that it is a true reproduction of the song river uprising in history, and it blackens the song river, which actually implies a special meaning.
So, in today's increasingly pluralistic thinking, how should we understand this "Dangkouzhi"?
The author of "Dang Kou Zhi" is named Yu Wanchun. Born into a family of eunuchs, he was well-read and knowledgeable from an early age. In addition, he also learned to ride and shoot with bows and horses, trained a good martial art, and had a certain study of military books and tactics, which can be called both literature and martial arts.
Like Shi Nai'an, Yu Wanchun was a witness to the peasant uprising, but his role was that of a suppressor.
Yu Wanchun once suppressed the revolts of the Li and Yao tribes, and was rewarded by the imperial court for this, and won a meritorious name.
This special life experience also provided Yu Wanchun with first-hand materials for the creation of "Dang Kou Zhi".
The story of "Dang Kou Zhi" continues from the seventy-first time of the original "Water Margin" to the end of the 119th time.
The story does not have the bridge sections such as zhengliao and zhengfangla in the original work, but ends with Song Jiang being captured by Zhang Shuye and correcting the law.
Although in the original work of "Water Margin", Song Jiang and others mostly ended in tragedy, but the good villains also left the name of "Loyalty", and in "Dangkou Zhi", the ending of one hundred and eight generals was a "tragic" word. Like what:
Song Jiang was recognized and captured by two fishermen on the way to escape, and sent to Tokyo Lingchi to be executed; Lu Junyi was shot in the shoulder by Zhang Shuye's arrow, and then captured, the same was sent to Tokyo Lingchi to be executed; the military master Wu Yong was captured by the officers and troops, and was also sent to Tokyo Lingchi for execution;
In addition, the five tiger generals of Liangshan, except for Lin Chong, who were killed by anger, the rest of Guan Sheng, Qin Ming, Hu Yanzhuo, and Dong Ping were all killed by the enemy generals.
The deaths of some other martial arts masters in Liangshan are even more paradoxical, such as: Lu Zhishen went crazy after being injured, made a big fuss about Zhongyitang, and then died; Wu Song fought three people and finally died of exhaustion; Yang Zhi, who was strong in martial arts, was stabbed to death from behind by a person who had been tricked into surrendering.
In addition, some good men with "special functions" in Liangshan also died very strangely, for example, Hua Rong, who was good at shooting, was shot by the enemy with a bow and arrow; Zhang Qing, who was good at making stones, was killed with a foreign gun; Dai Zong, a "Shenxing Taibao" who was good at running, was caught up and captured; Ruan Xiaowu and Ruan Xiaoqi, who were good at water warfare, were caught in the water with fishing nets;
Ling Zhen, a "thunderbolt" who was good at making artillery, was eventually killed by the explosion; An Daoquan, a "divine doctor" who was good at curing diseases, eventually died of ineffective treatment for illness; and Wang Ying, the lustful "short-footed tiger," was first captured by the enemy's female general Chen Liqing, but still did not forget to use his hands and feet, and finally was killed by Chen Liqing.
Through the above description of the ending of the good man of Liangshan, it is not difficult for us to see that Yu Wanchun is undoubtedly a senior "black fan" of "Water Margin".
However, we cannot simply because Yu Wanchun maliciously defaced the image of the hero of the Water Margin and called him a "brainless troll".
Yu Wanchun's "Dang Kou Zhi" actually has a different kind of artistry.
Although "Dang Kou Zhi" is everywhere in the Black Water Margin and the Black Song River, in fact, the purpose of the author Yu Wanchun is to save the hearts of the world's people who are about to fall apart.
Yu Wanchun's life, through the Qianlong, Jiaqing and Daoguang dynasties, this is the Qing Dynasty from strong to declining turning period.
Beginning in Jiaqing, the social contradictions of the Qing Dynasty became increasingly intense, peasant uprisings rose up in various places, and even peasant rebels directly invaded the Forbidden City.
The Taiping Rebellion, the largest peasant uprising in Chinese history, was also brewing at this time and was about to erupt.
In the context of such an era, Yu Wanchun, who was deeply influenced by Confucianism and had experience in suppressing peasant uprisings, naturally felt that he had an obligation to clean up the world's people's hearts that had collapsed.
"From now on, all those who are robbers in the world and the hereafter have looked at Song Jiang's likeness, and they are robbers in their hearts and loyal in their mouths."
In "Lang Kou Zhi", Yu Wanchun deliberately highlights Song Jiang's power skills and skills, shaping him into a hypocritical, ambitious, false benevolence and false righteousness.
And this negative image, in fact, in the "Water Margin" or hidden or appeared, such as he deliberately set up the chao cover, and eventually replaced it.
While Yu Wanchun deliberately blackened Song Jiang, he did not slander all the good people of the Water Margin.
For example, he wrote that the "big knife" Guan Sheng fought the enemy general in front of the battle, but unfortunately he was injured by the flying hammer and vomited blood. When the general saw it, they all wept bitterly, but Guan Sheng drank, "You guys are not like this!" I was mistakenly caught in the treacherous plan, and if I died, I would die, and if I was in a hurry, I would like to press the army. ”
He wrote that Qin Ming had fraudulently surrendered the officers and troops, and for a moment he was faced with a dilemma, and thought to himself: "The court of Ende, the enemy can not break the love of Gongming's brother", so he plotted to kill the enemy village, wanted to behead his cousin Yan Shude, and made meritorious contributions to Liangshan, and was finally killed by the enemy.
He wrote that when Hu Yanzhuo's army was defeated, he cried loudly alone, regretting that he did not listen to the words of his clan brother at that time and returned to the official army, so that he was ruined. But he still sighed: "To this day, if you have any face to join the official army again, it is better to die and follow Song Gongming." In the end, he defeated the four generals and was assassinated by the darts.
In Yu Wanchun's pen, although Guan Sheng, Qin Ming, Hu Yanzhuo and others did not end up well, their sincere hearts regardless of their private feelings have already touched the reader.
And it is precisely under this kind of anti-positive background that Song Jiang's image is undoubtedly darker and more obscene.
Through "Dang Kou Zhi", Yu Wanchun expressed his personal ideal of safeguarding the hearts of the people of the world and longing for peace in the world.
From this point of view, this book can not be completely denied, it is conducive to the revitalization and improvement of social morality, which is a positive energy worthy of affirmation, and it can also be called a masterpiece.