Kingdoms in Peril: A Novel of the Ancient Chinese World at WarThis abridged edition introduces readers to the power and drama of the electrifying classic Chinese novel. One of the great works of Chinese literature, beloved in East Asia but virtually unknown in the West, Kingdoms in Peril is an epic historical novel charting the five hundred years leading to the unification of China under the rule of the legendary First Emperor. Writing some fourteen hundred years after the unification, the Ming-era author Feng Menglong drew on a vast trove of literary and historical documents to compose a gripping narrative account of how China came to be China. Here, translated into English for the first time, Kingdoms in Peril recounts the triumphs and tragedies of those five hundred years, through stories taken from the lives of the unforgettable characters that defined and shaped the ages in which they lived. This abridged edition distills the novel’s distinct style and its most dramatic episodes into a single volume. Maintaining the spirit and excitement of the original novel, this edition weaves together nine of the most pivotal storylines––some extremely famous, others less well known. Readers will glimpse the intensity of tectonic events that shaped everyday lives, loves, and struggles, with powerful women featuring as prominently in the novel as they have in Chinese history. There are many historical works that provide an account of some of these events, but none are as thrilling and breathtakingly memorable as Kingdoms in Peril. |
Contents
Chapter One | 35 |
Chapter Two 50 | 50 |
Chapter Three | 68 |
Chapter Four | 87 |
Chapter Six | 115 |
Chapter Seven | 130 |
Chapter Eight | 147 |
Chapter Nine | 161 |
Chapter Ten | 181 |
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Common terms and phrases
afraid army asked attack Bo Pi bowed capital chariot Chen Cheng Ying Chonger court crown prince Dog Rong dowager queen Fan Wuqi father Feng Menglong gates Ghost Valley heard Heaven Honorable Jing Jing Ke killed King Fuchai King Goujian King Hui king of Qin king of Yue King Xuan King Zhuang kingdom of Wu Kingdoms in Peril Kong Ning Lady Wen Jiang Lady Xia Ji Ladyship Li Ke Lian Cheng Lord Ling Lord Xiang Lordship Lü Buwei Majesty Mao Jiao Marquis of Lu Marquis of Shen ministers ordered palace Pang Juan Pi Zhengfu punish replied ruler scion servants Shensheng shouted song summoned Sun Bin sword Tian Guang Tian Ji troops Tu’an Tu'an Gu Wang Jian Wen Zhong wrote a poem Wu Zixu Xia Zhengshu Xian Yi Xingfu Yiwu Zhao clan Zhou dynasty