APPRECIATION OF CHINESE LITERATURE(2)

Blood and Iron：

The Great Liao Dynasty

Wang Zhiguo

Liaoning People’s Publishing House

January 2022

86.00 （CNY）

Wang Zhiguo

Wang Zhiguo is a native of Heihe County， Liaoning Province， and a member of China Writers’ Association. His main works include long historical novels such as Prequel to the Journey to the West， Coiling Dragon and Crouching Tiger， Three Yan Dynasties， and many others.

This book tells the story of the rise， prosperity， and decline of the Khitan people living in the northeast of China more than a thousand years ago， recreating the intricate and legendary history of the late period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. It reveals the delicate relationships between Liao and Song， Jin and Western Xia， as well as many other countries. Readers will not only be led back to that turmoil of wartime but also be re-introduced to many significant historical events and influential men from those years， in order to solve the mystery of the rapid rise and sudden fall of these valiant nomadic people that formed a dynasty of iron and blood.

In the southeast of the vast Inner Mongolia grasslands， there is a place called Hexigten. With plenty of water and lush grass， its unique scenery consists of mountains and waters full of ancient stories and legends. It is said that when the Monkey King created an uproar in the Heavenly Palace， wreaking havoc and turning the world upside down， the unrefined elixir， as well as the furnace fire， were poured onto the land. As a result， red mountains were formed， glowing with a strange beauty under the sun. Ambrosia from the celestial banquet fell to earth， took root， and grew into a dense pine forest， just like a charming， dark-colored jade embedded in the pastures. Unopened jars fell to pieces as well. The nectar within became the thousands of streams， flowing from the pine forest and gradually converged to form a long river pouring cheerfully to the east. This famous， jade belt-like river was called Xar Moron. From here， our story began.

A long， long time ago， right next to the pine forest and at the confluence of three streams （that is to say， at the source of today’s Xar Moron River）， there was a small courtyard with tree branches as fences. In the courtyard， there were three huts made of thatch， and in the huts lived a beautiful and innocent girl. She had dresses white as the clouds in the sky， long flowing hair like an ink-dyed waterfall， a face fairer than the peach blossoms in March， and bright eyes like a clear autumn stream. She， a heavenly nymph， alone was the owner and guardian of this paradise. On the day of her departure， bees and butterflies danced in the mild winds. Birds sang for her. Cattle and horses ran back and forth like a cheering crowd.

The bullock cart parked in front of the hut was loaded with her clothes and daily necessities. The huge black ox， her companion for many years， was so happy to see her that it mooed to the sky as if saying goodbye to other living creatures by the pine forest. Hundreds of eagles drawn by the sound circled the sky above. Dozens of cranes danced by the hut. The heavenly nymph waved her hand and gave out a nice whistle to express her thanks to these friends. Following the river flow， she then led the black ox towards the place where the sun rises， full of hope.

The heavenly nymph appeared to be as calm as the blue sky above， as she watched the sunrise in the east and listened to the rushing river underneath her feet. But a violent storm dominated her heart. Her fleeting thoughts， like colorful clouds， were constantly flying towards and away from her， but with surprising clarity and continuity.

She was originally a white crane with many years of spiritual practice in the Thousand Lotus Mountain and had been flying freely everywhere for quite a while. Having the advantage of proximity， she often went to the Taoist Temple of Five Dragons to learn the Taoist scriptures. As the years went by， she started to understand the true meaning of Taoism and learned the ability to transform herself into human form. One day Daode Tianzun （the Heavenly Lord of Dao and its Virtue） came to preach in the Temple. She sneaked into the crowd and listened so intently that she forgot to eat or sleep. When finally spotted by Daode Tianzun， she was not punished for her intrusion but was shown mercy and appreciation. Daode Tianzun made an exception to accept her as a disciple. A few years later， he took her to the Tusita Heavenly Palace， appointing her as a Taoist nun responsible for caring for his ox. He gave her the Taoist name of the Heavenly Nymph with Dark Feathers and granted her immortality. She stayed there for many years.

The life of a Taoist nun was actually quite simple. She had only one purpose， which was to care for Daode Tianzun’s ox. She fed it when it was hungry， gave water when it was thirsty， stood by when it slept， and bathed it when it got dirty. When Daode Tianzun traveled on the back of it， she had to follow along. At first， she was enthusiastic about the job， curious about everything. She believed that although the task was tedious， it was better than fanning flames for the alchemy stove. But after a while， she felt bored and lonely. The prestige of being immortal in heaven could not even compare with the pleasure she had had down on earth. What was the point of watching a black ox day after day？ So， whenever she had spare time， she would take the ox out for a walk. She wanted to see the other parts of heaven.

As the heavenly nymph often went to the riverside with the ox， she met a lot of the celestial patrol guards. One of them was called Qian Zhuo， who was young， tall， and handsome， with ramrod straight posture， a Grecian nose， star-like eyes， a red dot on his forehead， and flowing long hair. He usually wore a white robe beneath the silver armor and rode a white horse， carrying a silver spear as well as a bow and arrows， all of which added to his majestic appearance. When she first saw him， she felt a sense of déjà vu， but couldn’t remember where she had met him. His eyes were so deep and full of wisdom that she felt she had known him for a long time. After knowing him for a while， the heavenly nymph learned that he used to be a small dragon down on earth in the Liao River， northeast China. Because they shared the same hometown， they spent more and more time together and became closer and closer in friendship. They could share almost any personal secret with each other. Later， they missed each other so regularly that one day apart seemed like three years of separation.

One day by the riverside， the heavenly nymph said to Qian Zhuo， “Back on earth， I longed for heaven and thought everything must be perfect here. But when I finally got here， I felt unbearably lonely and extremely bored. My life here is nowhere near as good as in my hometown. Ah， the Thousand Lotus Mountain， what a sweet home you were！”

Qian Zhuo looked into her eyes and replied with strong empathy， “I can’t agree more. We heavenly guards have to show up at morning roll calls and report regularly to the superiors when the day is done. We patrol the river day after day to monitor the activities of evil dragons and water monsters. For years and years， we have stayed in the same place. What for？ When can we see light at the end of the tunnel？ This place starts to feel like a big cage， and I have had enough！”

After hearing these words， the heavenly nymph couldn’t help but blurt out， “Then why don’t we both go back to our hometown！ The real paradise is down there！”

“That’s great！” Qian Zhuo agreed， “If I can stay with you day and night， even if it’s just for one day， I will be genuinely happy！”

The heavenly nymph said， “Is this true？ There will be no going back once such a decision is made. Going down to earth without permission is a serious violation of the laws in heaven and will be punished severely！ We may even be damned to hell for this， let alone being allowed to go home. Please give it a second thought！”

Qian Zhuo took her hands and said with a firm gaze， “No need to think twice！ I have made up my mind. Wherever you go， I will follow， through sky falls and earthquakes， till the seas dry up and the rocks decay. I will not waver in my resolution， even if our bones are shattered， and our bodies are turned to dust.” They stared at each other for a long time afterward， tightly holding hands. Their eyes were filled with tears of excitement as if they would never part again.