The Cold Great River
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Summary
At the Yellow River ferry, amid wind and sand, Tang Mengzhou, son of a provincial governor, is drawn into the feuds of the martial world. In an inn, the girl Fang Yafen steals a leather pouch from a man in blue and entrusts it to him; it holds secret objects linked to the legacy of the Hermit of the Universe. He later befriends the swordsman Sha Qingyun and the Red-robed Rakshasa Lu Wanling, and faces contests with many factions, including Luo Chong of the Ghost Hand and Iron Palm and the White-robed Stranger. His mentor Shao Gonghu, the One-Palmed Yama, teaches him martial arts, and he also gains the supreme skills of Leng Fei, the One-armed Human Demon. Disguising himself, he braves danger, rescues captives, and moves among gangs such as the Seven Stars Gang and the Five Poisons Fort. On the way he swears brotherhood with Bai Yuexia of Carefree Valley, helps her escape drug control, exposes Yan Hongqing's plot, and probes the secrets of the leather pouch and the whereabouts of Li Hensheng. The jianghu is treacherous and right and wrong are hard to tell, as all sides intrigue for the Hermit of the Universe's legacy and the Purple Lightning Sword.
Editor's review
Dajiang Han is a traditional long martial-arts novel that begins at a Yellow River ferry; the author, Wuling Qiaozi, continues the old-school wuxia approach of intricate plotting and a wide cast of jianghu figures. The book follows Tang Mengzhou, son of a provincial governor, as he stumbles into martial-world feuds; the contending parties circle around the Hermit of the Universe's legacy and the Purple Lightning Sword, with gangs such as the Seven Stars Gang and the Five Poisons Fort appearing one after another, and characters like Luo Chong of the Ghost Hand and Iron Palm and the White-robed Stranger pressing in by turns as suspense builds layer upon layer. Tang Mengzhou learns from Shao Gonghu, the One-Palmed Yama, and later from Leng Fei, the One-armed Human Demon; he disguises himself, braves danger, and rescues captives, and his growth is clearly traced. Passages such as Fang Yafen entrusting him with the pouch, his sworn brotherhood with Bai Yuexia, and his help in freeing her from drug control balance loyalty with clever maneuvering. The line between good and evil is blurred, and all sides intrigue for the secret objects, making the book suitable for readers who enjoy traditional jianghu grudges, gang maneuvering, and a protagonist's gradual growth to read continuously in their spare time, and also as a sample for understanding old-school wuxia narrative conventions.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers who enjoy traditional wuxia and jianghu gang conflicts
- Readers who prefer stories of a protagonist disguising himself, braving danger, and gradually growing
- Readers interested in old-school wuxia's ensemble casts and layered suspense
- People who want a long jianghu story to follow continuously in their spare time
Not a good fit for
- Readers who prefer short, fast-paced modern suspense with strong reversals
- People with no interest in traditional wuxia conventions and gang conflicts
- Readers expecting rigorous historical research or accurate geographical detail
Reading tips
- First sort out Tang Mengzhou's relationships with the various gangs and factions, then begin continuous reading
- When a new character appears, note their stance and affiliation to help track the suspense
- Read in stages: ferry pouch entrustment, learning skills and disguising, sworn brotherhood and rescue, struggle for the secret objects
- Slow down where right and wrong are hard to tell, and pay attention to the author's groundwork for character motives
Contents
- 版权信息
- 第一章
- 第二章
- 第三章
- 第四章
- 第五章
- 第六章
- 第七章
- 第八章
- 第九章
- 第十章
- 第十一章
- 第十二章
- 第十三章
- 第十四章
- 第十五章
- 第十六章
- 第十七章
- 第十八章
- 第十九章
- 第二十章
- 第廿一章
- 第廿二章
- 第廿三章
- 第廿四章
- 第廿五章
- 第廿六章
- 第廿七章
- 第廿八章
- 第廿九章
- 第三十章
- 第卅一章
- 第卅二章
- 第卅三章
- 第卅四章
- 第卅五章
- 第卅六章
- 第卅七章
- 第卅八章
- 第卅九章
- 第四十章
FAQ
I haven't read Wuling Qiaozi's works. Can I start with this one?
Yes. The book opens with Tang Mengzhou's personal encounters, and the main line revolves around the pouch's secret objects and the Purple Lightning Sword. Though there are many characters, they are introduced gradually from the ferry incident, so new readers can enter the story through the protagonist's viewpoint without knowing the author's other works beforehand.
There are many characters and gangs. Will it be easy to get confused while reading?
The opening brings in Fang Yafen, Sha Qingyun, Lu Wanling, Luo Chong, and others, as well as forces such as the Seven Stars Gang and the Five Poisons Fort, so attention is needed. It helps to note each character's stance and gang as you read and sort events into stages; the confusion will lessen noticeably.
Is this wuxia more about fights or plot suspense?
From the available material, the book includes action passages such as disguising himself, braving danger, and rescuing captives, but the core drive is the multi-sided struggle over the Hermit of the Universe's legacy and the Purple Lightning Sword, along with suspense such as Yan Hongqing's plot and Li Hensheng's whereabouts; the plotting matters more than simple fight description.
Comments
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About the author
Wuling Qiaozi
Author · Chinese · 1910
Wuling Qiaozi, whose real name was Xiong Renqi, was a native of Hunan and a Taiwanese writer of martial arts fiction. He served in the military in his early years, rising to the rank of army colonel, before turning to the writing of wuxia novels. He rose to fame in 1960 with Ten Years of a Lone Sword in the Vast Sea and Snow Flying over the Baqiao Bridge, and is regarded as one of the representatives of Taiwan's "novelty school" of wuxia. His writing career produced fifteen works, including, besides his early hits, Zhu Yi Hua Liu, Blood Dyeing the Autumn Hills and Sunset Red, Rainbow Shadow in the Blue Sky, The Record of Starry Illusions, Calamity of the Heavenly River, Lone Shadow in the Setting Sun and the West Wind, and The Dragon-Slaying Saber. His novels mix classical and vernacular language and feature novel plots, giving him a certain influence in the development of Taiwanese wuxia. Public information on his early life and the background of his writing is limited.
