Xiong's Zhang won the 6th Mao Dun Literature Prize "because of its rich cultural and historical accomplishment, grand and balanced artistic framework and contemporary revelation of specific historical details".
Social commentary:
Zhang's Juzheng is a political novel. The author's enthusiasm for realistic change lies in a political reform tragedy of "Chu Kuang" and "National Sage". The most popular narrative structure, the most popular way of discourse, contains the most elite deep thinking, which is also the reason why the novel has become a work that appeals to both refined and popular tastes.
From the author's creative preparation and the establishment of creative goals, we can see the correct expression of historical materialism. In the article "Reviving History", the author wrote: "Reviving history enables people today to look at the present and gain insight into the future from the distant past. This is not only the responsibility of historians, but also the responsibility of writers." Based on this social responsibility and historical mission, Xiong spent nearly ten years collecting relevant historical materials and conceived and wrote such a long historical novel, showing the political career and tragic fate of feudal social reformers. From the image of Zhang, we can see the author's correct view of history.
For the historical truth in the creation of historical novels, the author of Zhang also gave the correct answer from the summary of creative practice and its rise to theory. In Xiong's view, the so-called historical truth is not only the truth of some words and deeds of historical events and historical figures, but also the truth of some historical environment and atmosphere in a sense. In his view, the truth of this historical atmosphere should include the truth of laws and regulations, the truth of customs and people's feelings and the truth of culture. We can see that in Zhang, laws and regulations, official uniforms, memorials, poems and dialogues between characters have all been fully researched, striving to conform to the historical truth of the middle and late Ming Dynasty more than 400 years ago, especially the folk customs, characters' words and ways of thinking, and even more to conform to the cultural truth, thus building a real historical atmosphere. Only in this way can this novel truly reproduce and resurrect the history of the "Wanli New Deal" more than 400 years ago, and write more than 100 characters from the emperor, queen mother, prime minister and eunuch to civil and military officials, geisha and rangers.
Social reflection:
After the publication of Zhang, it immediately caused a sensation in the literary world. An old editor who is highly respected in the literary world said to Xiong, "Your book has brought me a surprise that I have never had in years. Many of our writers now don't respect literature, but you let me see your religious piety to literature and new hope for historical novels. "
In 2005, Zhang won the Mao Dun Literature Prize with 2 1 vote.
Since then, the novel "Zhang" has been made into a TV series "A Record of Zhang and Wanli", and Xiong wrote his own script. He said that it is very difficult to change a novel into a script, just like doing surgery for your own child. He has to ponder over every line and every look in the script for a long time, and he will make a detailed description of every prop. It can be said that one piece infiltrated his understanding of the Ming Dynasty.
Novel outline:
Emperor Qin Long was entrusted to orphans at his deathbed.
In the spring of the sixth year of Qin Long, Zhu Zai, the emperor of Qin Long, suffered a stroke in the early dynasty because of his long-term alcoholism. In the critical period of Qin Long, various forces of the imperial court and cabinet competed for the position of eunuchs and records.
At that time, Li Tinglian, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi who was sent to Guangxi to suppress bandits, was defeated. Zhang, the second in command of the Ministry of War, wanted to replace him long ago, but Li Yan was a protege of Gao Gong, who was dissatisfied with his incompetence in military command, but took good care of teachers and students and protected them.
When Qin Long was dying, there was an express saying that Li Ting was defeated at the front line in Guangxi. In order to imprison Zhang, Gao Gong suddenly changed his mind and ordered Li Yan to be removed from his post and replaced with Yin Zhengmao, a good friend of Zhang's in the same year. After Li Yan was dismissed, he wrote to Gao Gong, saying that he bought 5,000 mu of fertile land for Gao Gong with his salary.
Gao Gong was frightened, just as his good friend Shao Fang went to Beijing. He secretly arrested Shao Fang and then visited the prison late at night to give Shao Fang a face-to-face opportunity. Shao Fangxing went south at night and strangled Li Yan under the splendid stage behind Fuyan Temple in Hengshan Mountain. At this time, a eunuch from Beijing came to Hengshan to pray, and Zhang's good friend and Hunan provincial judge Li Yihe was responsible for the reception. As soon as Li Yan died, Li Yihe immediately blocked the scene, banned all his family members and found the title deed of 5000 mu of land. If he got the treasure, he sent someone to send it to Zhang, 800 miles away. At this time, the emperor had been in the funeral for a day. Before he died, he called the cabinet records Gao Gong, the second-level auxiliary Zhang and Gao Yi into the Ganqing Palace and asked them to help the young master who was only ten years old at that time. ...
It is difficult to take over the records.
Qin Long six years on June 25th, Zhu Yijun acceded to the throne, as emperor, change next year for the first year of Wanli.
The day after he took office, he ordered Meng Chong, the eunuch in the palace, to return to his hometown to live in seclusion, and let Feng Bao, the eunuch and prefect of the East Factory, take over. As soon as the imperial edict came out, the court public opinion exploded. Cabinet records show that Gao Gong, who has a good personal relationship with Meng Chong, foresaw that he would lose power and tried to expel Feng Bao. But I got the trust from my mother, which was planned by Zhang. At the end of June, the emperor of the early dynasty wrote a letter again, dismissing Gao Gong and records, and Zhang took over as records.
At the beginning of Zhang Ren's records, the political situation of the imperial court nearly collapsed, and the most serious thing was that the national treasury was empty and the Beijing official's salary could not be paid. At this time, Zhang used pepper and sappan to fold his salary. In this way, Gao Gong's girlfriends took the opportunity to make trouble.
On the first day when the major yamen in Beijing came to Chujicang to receive the discount of pepper hematoxylin, Zhang Dalang, deputy director of the North Town of Royal Guards, listened to the encouragement of the military attache and had an argument with the director of Guanzheng who distributed pepper hematoxylin. Elvis Presley, the messenger of Chu Jicang, came forward to comfort him, but Zhang Dalang killed him by mistake. Zhang Dalang's uncle is the most trusted eunuch in Li Taihou. Because of this relationship, Zhang Dalang has nothing to hide. Because of his troubles, Pepper Sumu was in trouble from the beginning. In order to prevent the situation from developing, Zhang ordered an imperial envoy to patrol the city to trick Zhang Dalang out of the Fusi yamen in Beizhen and arrest him.
Rectify official management and promote the new deal.
Who knows, in the second month of the implementation of the pepper-sappan fold, Zhang, the minister of rites, committed suicide because of his natural death. The opposition, represented by Wei Xuezeng, assistant minister of the left official department, and Wang Xilie, assistant minister of the right official department, took this opportunity to make a fuss and decided to demonstrate to Zhang in the form of children's sacrifice. At that time, there was an endless stream of officials who went to mourn, and the situation was extremely unfavorable to Zhang.
Who knows, during the public sacrifice, Feng Bao ordered the secret agents of the East Factory to secretly set fire and burned more than 20 officials on the spot. Thanks to Feng Bao's "Olympic aid", this confusing situation has turned for the better. Zhang took the opportunity to carry out "inspection in Beijing" at the 18th yamen in Beijing, and assessed officials above Grade 4. All the stupid and mediocre officials were laid off. From then on, Zhang began the reform he had been brewing for many years, which was called "Wanli New Deal" in history.
After stabilizing the political situation, Zhang put some officials determined to reform in important positions. By checking the grain fields, dealing with Jingzhou's tax resistance, and tracing the forged cotton-padded clothes of Beijing soldiers, we can rectify the economy and manage the national finance drastically. In order to realize the wish of Qiang Bing, a rich country, he did not hesitate to offend powerful people. Although the reform went smoothly, it also laid a curse and foreshadowed his future tragedy.
My father's death caused controversy.
In the five years of Wanli, the image of ZTE appeared in Wanli Dynasty. This year, Zhang's father died of illness. According to the official system of the Ming Dynasty, parents had to go home for three years after their death. At this time, if Zhang goes home, his "Wanli New Deal" will be in vain. Emperor Zongshen didn't want him to go home either, and asked him to "seize his feelings". Opponents of the New Deal took this opportunity to fight back and planned to expel Zhang from Beijing. Around this matter, the court once again launched a life-and-death struggle.
Zongshen and the Empress Dowager instructed Zhang Han, the official department minister, to persuade Zhang to "seize the affection". In the eyes of many officials, it is Zhang's "thing in the bag."
In the second year of Wanli, Bai Yang, the former official minister, became an official because of his age, and the three candidates were decided by the little emperor. At that time, Nate was slightly inferior in both qualifications and fame, ranking only third. According to past experience, the last one is just a foil. But this time, Zhang, on the other hand, suggested using Nate. Nate is so grateful to Zhang that he has asked him for instructions on big and small things for several years. This time, Nate unexpectedly refused to give his name and asked the emperor to allow Zhang to seize this relationship. First, because he believes that "taking love" violates filial piety, and second, because of the pressure from Beijing officials.
The emperor tried to save the situation.
The little emperor was disappointed with Nate and ordered Nate to be an official. As a result, public opinion exploded, and young officials, led by a group of ci ministers in imperial academy, turned their backs and asked the emperor to let Zhang go home and keep the system.
The first passbook was written by Zhao Yongxian and Wu Zhongxing, and their memorials attacked Zhang's "grabbing love". The little emperor sent a royal guard to arrest the two men and take them to the rafters outside the noon gate for public display. Not ashamed, they knelt on the ground and wrote poems very calmly to show their hearts. The troopers who carried out the raid thought they were too "crazy" and were about to punish them. At this time, two people came out from the officials attending the ceremony-Ai Mu, a minister of punishments, and Shen Sixiao, a minister of punishments. The two men objected to being masochists, and played the role of Shu again. Aimu read the emperor's memorial to them in public. Compared with Zhao Yongxian and Wu Zhonghang, Aimu and Shen Sixiao played the role of Shu more sharply.
For a time, public opinion in Beijing was fierce. Zhang had to ask the emperor to return to his hometown again. With the support of Li Taihou, the little emperor flatly ordered to punish four officials who wrote letters against "love" with a scepter. On the day of the execution, the Twitter cavalry took four "guilty ministers" to the square in front of the Wumen Gate Tower. At the executioner's command, blood rained down on the square, and four "guilty ministers" were beaten unconscious. Before waking up, he was dragged out of the Forbidden City, put on a mule cart, and constantly expelled from the capital. At this time, however, the scholar of the new department of punishments entered the meridian gate through blood relationship, and handed over the throne against Zhang's "grabbing love" for the third time. The little emperor wanted to order him to be beheaded. Due to Feng Bao's persuasion, he changed his name to Zou Yuanbiao Zhang Ting 80 and sent him to serve in the barren land of Guizhou. He said, "After Zou Yuanbiao, who dares to object to my purpose of grabbing love again? Kill without forgiveness! "
After the storm, Zhang purged the opposition again and punished a group of officials. At this point, Zhang Zai's prestige also reached its peak. The political situation of the imperial court is stable, the national financial resources are greatly increased, and the ruling and opposition parties are full of vitality.
Governing the country with an iron fist.
The following spring, the seventeen-year-old Emperor Wanli held a grand wedding. Zhang arranged to go back to Jingzhou to bury his father after marriage. On the way, he went to Gaojiazhuang to visit the high arch in the wilderness. Two old friends who are both political enemies and close friends meet again. As soon as they meet, there is a fire of calcium carbide. Although Gao Gong was in the countryside, he knew the movements of the imperial court like the back of his hand. He described his doubts about last year's "Great Victory in Liaodong".
On the day my father was buried in Taihui Mountain in Jingzhou, officials from Huguang and southern provincial capitals came, with more than 1,000 people. These court officials are all Zhang Wenming Pima Dai Xiao. When Zhang fell down and wept bitterly, He, his good friend in those days and now a world-renowned descendant of Yangming's mind, led a group of students to appear on the tomb. Before Zhang became a record, he had already rushed to the capital and put forward suggestions for governing the country to Zhang. Zhang thinks that although he is knowledgeable, he is paranoid and useless. When we met this time, he was sarcastic about Zhang Yu.
After Zhang came back from his father's funeral, he immediately sent someone to Liaodong to investigate the truth of "the victory or defeat of Liaodong" and thus recovered the royal reward given by the emperor to relevant officials. As a result, he not only offended powerful people, but also offended the executors of his reform plan.
At the same time, in Wuchang city, Huguang scholar Jin was ordered by Zhang to send someone to arrest He and put him to death in prison. After the news of the death, thousands of students surrounded the government offices in Zheng Xue, trying to incite people to revolt. Zhang ruled the country with an iron fist and never compromised. He used this incident to persuade the emperor to immediately close more than 70 schools across the country. ...
Nagatsuka is criticized by people.
In the ten years of Wanli, Zhang died of overwork.
As early as the seventh year of Wanli, Emperor Wanli was reprimanded for molesting maids in the meandering pavilion. Zhang wrote a notice for him that "the crime has been declared", so Emperor Wanli held a grudge.
When Zhang died, Emperor Wanli, who was only 20 years old, began to lead the country. He planned to expel Feng Bao from the capital, send him to Nanjing Xiaoling to grow vegetables, and then rob his property. At the same time, Emperor Wanli reused all the officials who were punished when Zhang was in power. In the eleventh year of Wanli, Zhang was deprived of all titles and his property was confiscated.
On the first anniversary of Zhang's death, at dusk, Zhang's beloved confidant and Jin, an official he had always admired and deliberately trained, came to Jingzhou to meet at Zhang's grave. At this time, Zhang's grave was very desolate, and they recalled what Zhang had done before his death and the desolation after his death with mixed feelings.
Since then, Zhang's "Wanli New Deal" has finally died.