Chapter 896: Completion Reflections

Completion Reflections

Writing the three words "The Whole Book Ends," I let out a heavy sigh of relief. Six years — this book that tormented me for six years has finally come to an end. Fortunately, as I wrote the very last word, I savored it carefully, reflected on the whole picture, and felt that I had basically captured the original intent I held when I began.

I recall writing a passage when this book was featured on the front page: "If the Great Ming were likened to a woman, she would surely wear no powder or rouge, no splendid attire, yet she would be naturally pure of spirit, with an orchid's heart and a wise soul. Though you see her smile, that smile is deeply enigmatic, for she is cautious everywhere, guarded at every moment. If you trespass against her even slightly, the one harmed will only be yourself, while she will only smile forever, sending you away in shame."

One of the original intentions when I took up the pen to write Little Soldier was to mourn the sinking of this quiet, serene, and graceful civilization. So I wanted to explore in the book: if the Great Ming had continued to exist, what would that have been like? Especially after being reformed by the protagonist, a refined civilization with its dregs purged away.

Just like now, if you see an Embroidered Uniform Guard, don't you feel how cool that is — the awe of those magnificent robes and hats.

And so, this story came to be.

Of course, this book mainly covers the events of the last decade of the Ming — those people and those affairs. What I wanted to express has already been expressed. Writing further would feel like adding legs to a painted snake, so the story ends here. Yet those imagined scenes have already settled in my mind, because that world and those characters have already unfolded. That is enough.

A sudden stop, with lingering echoes — I believe this is the best way to conclude, leaving an aftertaste, without the sorrow of a hero's twilight years, and also a way of cherishing the characters I wrote.

But a story also needs the savoring and companionship of its readers. I am deeply grateful for my readers' unwavering loyalty over all these years. Little Soldier's performance has always satisfied me greatly. Now it has 17,000 peak subscriptions and 8,000 average subscriptions — a result I am very content with. Thank you all for your support.

Also, I would like to respond to the recent debate among readers regarding the deaths of certain historical figures.

I believe that death is a complete cycle for a historical figure, an inseparable part of their life. Without death, their life is no longer whole.

For example:

If Lu Xiangsheng did not die, would he still be Lu Xiangsheng?

If Sun Chuanting did not die, would he still be Sun Chuanting?

If Yang Guozhu did not die, would he still be Yang Guozhu?

If they did not die, the characters would lose their charm, because they would no longer be themselves.

If they did not die, their brilliance would be erased — that would be a disrespect to them.

If you respect them, let them die.

And though they die, they remain great.

Though they die, they still live on, remembered by generations to come.

I believe that a time-travel story can change the overall fate of a nation, the destiny of a civilization, but there is no need to erase the brilliance of the original historical figures.

As for those historical figures who had no brilliance to begin with, whether they live or die is unimportant — just handle them purely for the needs of the plot.

Finally, some readers have asked about the new book. Although the new book, Continuing the Southern Ming, has over a hundred thousand words in draft, I feel that some settings and characters still need further consideration; otherwise, problems might arise in the later stages. And I am extremely tired right now — writing truly is an extreme sport combining mental and physical exertion.

So, I need to rest for a while. I estimate the new book will be released around mid-to-late September.

Here, I will post the synopsis of the new book, Continuing the Southern Ming:

"The August Ming unified all within the seas, surpassing the Three Dynasties and outstripping Han and Tang, to the ends of heaven and the limits of earth, none were not its subjects and handmaidens…"

In the sixth year of the Xuande reign of the Great Ming, Zheng He led his fleet on his seventh voyage to the Western Oceans, proudly proclaiming thus on the stele of the "Record of the Celestial Consort's Miraculous Response." At that time, the Great Ming's national power was at its zenith.

Yet by the final years of the Chongzhen reign, the great edifice was about to collapse, the empire on the verge of destruction. The shadow of an age of chaos loomed over the hearts of every commoner.

Barbarian invaders ran rampant, roving bandits wreaked havoc, natural disasters and man-made calamities left corpses strewn across the wilderness. Civilization was about to be destroyed, and no hope could be seen ahead. Since the Five Barbarians brought chaos to China and the Mongol Yuan invaded, the Middle Kingdom was once again about to step into a dark, bottomless abyss. It was in this autumn of the fourteenth year of Chongzhen that a soul from a later age accidentally arrived in the Great Ming, among the dying famine victims north of the Huai River…

Thank you all for your support. Old White Ox, 0:48, August 23, 2016! (~^~)