The literary era since 1979

On the 7th day after the release of "Science Fiction World", a train departed from Shanghai and headed north to Yanjing.

The carriage was bumpy all the way. Xu Ke and Shi Nansheng lived in a high-end soft sleeper, facing each other, with the table filled with novels and magazines.

“I didn’t expect that in just one year, Teacher Fang has produced so many masterpieces!”

Xu Ke casually flipped through "Malice".

Shi Nansheng said with emotion: "Even if Once Upon a Time in China fails to be filmed, I think both The Ring and Malice are fine!"

"This is the first time I've seen suspense novels and science fiction novels written this way."

Xu Ke shook his head and laughed, "None of the screenwriters in Hong Kong have such vigorous creativity and novel ideas as Teacher Fang."

Shi Nansheng deeply agrees that the biggest problem in the Hong Kong film industry is following the trend.

Whenever a movie becomes popular, a series of works that copy and plagiarize it will emerge.

For example, when Cheng Long's "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow" was a big hit on the screen, there were all kinds of "cat hands" and "eagle hands", and the only thing missing was the "Kato Eagle Hand".

It is indeed not easy to set a trend for a generation, but it is not difficult to mess up and discredit a type of film. It is like raising a bonsai tree, and then someone immediately puts all the plants that can be transplanted into the pot until all the green plants inside have consumed all their fertility and then "die together".

This is the case with Hong Kong's genre films.

In the past, there were Shaw Brothers' erotic films and ancient costume Huangmei operas, then there were hard-core martial arts films and kung fu films, followed by modern action films, urban comedies, and supernatural zombie films, going from one dead end to another.

Today's Hong Kong film market is dominated by comedy films such as "Best Partner" and the "Lucky Stars" series.

When I think of this, I can't help but worry, "After I finish filming the comedy, what should I shoot next?"

"This is why we went north to look for Teacher Fang."

Xu Ke felt that the Hong Kong film market could not be dominated by only comedies, so he was eager to shoot "Once Upon a Time in China" in the context of a grand narrative.

"It would be better to ask when the third part of Once Upon a Time in China can be written."

Shi Nansheng gave a reminder.

Xu Ke nodded repeatedly. The ending of the second part of "The Grandmaster Huang Feihong" is that Huang Feihong, together with Huo Yuanjia, Wang Wu and others formed a "heroic alliance" to escort Liang Qichao and other reformists abroad, and then went to rob the execution ground and save Tan Sitong. The next part should be the Boxer Rebellion.

This trilogy, based on the historical and political background, can definitely elevate Huang Feihong from a common hero to a national hero.

"I really hope to meet Teacher Fang sooner."

"There are also Huang Feihong and Aunt Thirteen, who were chosen by Teacher Fang."

Shi Nansheng looked out the car window at the dark night sky. As he thought about it, his thoughts drifted away.

…………

The next day, the sun was shining brightly, and the roses, roses and other flowers in the flower beds were in full bloom, colorful.

After watering the flowers, Gong Xing turned around and saw Fang Yan lying leisurely in the rocking chair, rocking back and forth, holding a pile of manuscript paper in his hand.

"Are these all the manuscripts you wrote for Mystery World?"

"No, this is the third novel of Once Upon a Time in China."

"When did you finish writing it? Why didn't you publish it?"

"When I go to eastern Guangdong with my brother-in-law, I can talk to the editor of Huacheng about the revision of the manuscript in person."

Seeing her stretch out her hand to see, Fangyan handed it over.

Gong Xing sat sideways on her man's lap as usual. She took a closer look and saw the title was written in four large characters written in a flamboyant style:

"Lion King Battle".

Compared with the movie in the previous life, the plot was changed from "The Assassination of Li Hongzhang in the Lion King Competition" to "The Three-Party Competition in the Boxer Rebellion".

The book continues from the end of the second part of the previous chapter. Yuan Shikai was highly valued by betraying the reformists and joining Empress Dowager Cixi, and was appointed to a post in eastern Shandong.

The eastern part of Shandong was the birthplace of the Boxer Rebellion, which grew stronger with the connivance of the former governor.

However, after Yuan Shikai took office, he reached a consensus with Li Hongzhang and others that the Boxers were a "heretical cult" that destroyed railways and poles everywhere, undermining social stability. Therefore, he changed the policy of his predecessor Yu Xian, drove away the Boxers, and suppressed them wantonly. The Boxers could not gain a foothold in eastern Shandong, and like the red lanterns, they all fled to northern Hebei and Beijing and Tianjin.

It was at this time that Western powers were surrounding China and attempting to encroach on more Chinese territory. They were also strongly dissatisfied with the fact that Cixi's house arrest and dethronement of Guangxu were detrimental to the interests of the powers. At the instruction of Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong, several southeastern provinces in China began to protect each other.

Amid internal and external difficulties, the Boxers, who were determined to "support the Qing Dynasty and destroy the foreigners," came into Cixi's sight.

They were taken in as a force "protecting the emperor and the Qing Dynasty", and the public sentiment was used to allow the Boxer Rebellion to grow and develop in the Beijing-Tianjin area.

Immediately, there were protests from external powers.

Internally, there was also opposition from Li Hongzhang, Yuan Shikai and others, who did not want the Boxers to be used by the Qing court, nor did they want to anger the great powers.

However, Cixi ignored the opposition and issued an edict to protect the Boxers, which was actually an attempt to "retaliate" against the foreign powers by using the Boxers.

Under such a complicated situation, Li Hongzhang wrote a letter to the emperor, suggesting that a "Chinese Lion King Competition" be held after the North-South Lion Dance Conference.

On the surface, it was "using the lion to drive the sheep (foreigners) and promote national prestige", but secretly it was letting the Boxers kill each other and engage in intrigue for the title of "Lion King", causing the Boxers, who shared a common hatred of the enemy, to fall apart and engage in endless internal friction, while the Western powers also had their own calculations.

They planned to use this "Lion King Conference" to plot the assassination of Puyi, the new puppet that Cixi was going to support, to prevent Guangxu from being replaced.

In such a dangerous background, Huang Feihong was invited by Wang Wu, the Big Knife, to return to the capital with his disciples including Aunt Thirteen and Liang Kuan.

"how do you feel?"

Fang Yan put his arms around her waist and moved his face closer.

Gong Wei was very surprised. "Why does this Lion King Conference feel like the Tower of Babel to me?"

"Smart! It's the Tower of Babel!"

“When we are going to shoot this movie, we will also build a tall tower on this site.”

What the dialect refers to is that human beings united to build a tower that they hoped would lead to heaven. In order to stop human beings' plan, God made human beings speak different languages ​​so that they could not communicate normally with each other, and the Tower of Babel could no longer be built.

"Thank goodness you thought of this."

Gong Xing's eyes revealed loving admiration.

Fang Yan smiled and said, "The more interesting things are still to come."

Following his eye signal, Gong Xing continued to read, and when he saw the arrogant scene of Huang Feihong being jealous of Thirteenth Aunt, he smiled sweetly.

Thirteenth Aunt was also jealous because Huang Feihong was deeply respected by the female disciples of the Red Lantern Society, especially the Yellow Lotus Mother "Lin Heier".

Against the serious and heavy historical background, the film cleverly blends delicate and funny emotional lines with exhilarating martial arts scenes.

“What makes me most proud is actually this ending.”

Fangyan gave a mysterious smile and took the last few pages of paper from her hand.

On the surface, Wong Fei-hung disrupted the assassination of the foreigners, won the gold medal of the Lion King Conference, and thwarted the Boxer Rebellion's infighting conspiracy.

But in the background, because the assassination plot of the foreigners was exposed, Cixi was so angry that she shouted at the court: "Why don't you speak? Are you all mute?"

"Ministers of the Qing Dynasty, are you just going to sit there and watch as the foreigners bully me?"

"What's the point of you dying? I want the foreigners to die!"

Therefore, with the support of the Empress Dowager and her party, Cixi, who was confident that she had the power of the Boxers, "acted on behalf of the emperor" and spoke in a domineering manner:

"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims: The foreigners have bullied us too much, and have brought our country to the brink of extinction. Rather than trying to survive in a cowardly way and bringing shame to the world, it is better to launch a massive attack and decide the outcome. I, today, solemnly swear to go to war!"

"War on America!"

"War on France!"

"War on England!"

"War on Germany!"

“………” (End of this chapter)