Three Kingdoms
The journey
through far eastern literature continues with ”Three Kingdoms”, a work so
classic for the Chinese that no introduction is necessary, but largely unknown
in the west. At least I had never heard of it before I found it on the List.
“Three
Kingdoms” is an epic tale of a period considered particularly heroic in Chinese
history, namely the transition period between the Han and the Jin dynasty,
roughly the period from 170 to 280, where China was divided in three kingdoms
constantly fighting each other for supremacy. We follow a fellow called Liu
Xuande who starts out as a militia leader with his two brothers-in-oath Lord
Guan and Zhang Fei. They are some mighty fellows and quickly they make a name
for themselves in the various battles caused by the decline and fall of the Han
emperor. Through the first third of the story all sorts of disasters befalls
the throne as various fractions fight over the waning imperial power. Xuande is
sometimes belonging to this sometimes to that fraction and when Cao Cao emerges
as the de facto leader of at least the northern heartland Xuande finds himself
opposed to Cao Cao since the last of the Han emperors has asked Xuande for help
against Cao Cao.
Xuande and
his band of merry men are wandering around China and finally settles in a
province nestled between Cao Cao’s northern provinces and Sun Quan’s southern
provinces. Here Xuande finds a supreme advisor, Kongming, who is administrator,
tactician, scientist and wizard in one person. A truly valuable fellow.
Together they ally with the south and successfully repel an attack from Cao
Cao, which takes up about another third of the story, and finally settles in
the western Riverlands area (modern Sichuan) where Xuande replaces the local
leader.
When Cao
Cao’s sons finally dethrone the last Han emperor and claim the title for
themselves, Xuande does the same, claiming to be a scion of the Han. Thus we
end up with the three kingdoms of Wei (north), Shu (west) and Wu (south).
Ultimately
all those wars wear out these three dynasties and so the story fizzles out and
a fourth party, the Sima family takes over the whole thing.
The above
summary is a bit unfair because this is actually a both complex and engrossing
affair and resembles nothing so much as “Games of Thrones”. In fact I am
convinced George R R Martin read and was inspired extensively by “Three
Kingdoms”. There is everything here: Feuding families, heroic battles, cunning
wizards, epic scales and struggles that just never seem to end. Frankly I found
it the most entertaining read so far on the List.
“Three
Kingdoms” is actually a story that has developed over the ages. Much of what is
told in the story actually happened back then, but as the history has been
handed down through the ages it has taken a life on its own so that the final
version is an odd mix of history and fiction. A fellow called Luo Guanzhong is
credited for writing it sometime in the fourteens or fifteenth century, but I
guess it was more a matter of compiling it. As much as one can complain about
historic distortion, he or whoever is responsible made this a very readable
text and one that inspires the reader to read on. Read as a novel I do not
really care about historic precision anyway.
Given the
backstory of this novel it is no wonder that there are countless versions
floating around. My copy was an abridged version (yes, I have not read the
complete version, shame on me) translated and commented by Moss Roberts and
though it is obvious that entire passages are left out of such a version I also
get the feeling that the editing is well done and I am especially grateful for the
modern flow of the language. What could have been a drag was in fact an easy
read.
I liked a
lot of the drama involved and the sheer scale of the story. Fans of “Game of
Thrones” will find a lot to love here. What I liked less was the resolution to
the story. When Xuande dies a lot of the air goes out of the balloon and when
Kongming is gone as well it is barely keeping afloat. I guess there is some
Chinese logic to this, but I cannot help feeling that the story is somewhat
unfulfilled.
Part of the
book I read on a visit to Beijing and that made it quite special. I was unable
during my short stay to find any exhibitions relating to the period, but it
does make the story more vibrant and real and lends depth to such a visit.
Highly recommended.
