The content of The Deer and the Cauldron is as follows:

In the early years of the Qing Dynasty, the world was in chaos. Wei Xiaobao, the son of a prostitute in Yangzhou, is smart and cunning, with neither learning nor skills. He accidentally rescued the Jiangyang thief Mao Shiba and was able to go to Beijing. He even sneaked into the palace and became a "little eunuch" around the old eunuch Hai Dafu to inquire about information. There was an undercurrent in the palace, and struggles continued.

Xiaobao skillfully dealt with various forces, and gained Kangxi's trust with his innocence and righteousness, and then captured the arrogant veteran minister Aobai and became a celebrity around Kangxi. But Ao Bai is just one of many ambitious people. In the southwest, there is Wu Sangui who is ready to make a move, in Taiwan, there are the forces of the Zheng family of the previous dynasty looking for opportunities, in the north, there is the Russian Rakshasa Kingdom expanding its territory, and in Liaodong, there is the Shenlong Cult making trouble.

In addition, Xiaobao's master, the chief rudder of the Tiandihui, Chen Jinnan, held high the banner of resisting the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty, vowing to take Kangxi's head. Xiaobao is extremely skillful and versatile. He not only learned martial arts, but also married seven beautiful wives, writing the legend of a little person in troubled times...?

Extended information

The anti-chivalrous image of Wei Xiaobao in "The Deer and the Cauldron" concentratedly reflects the characteristics of Chinese national character and reflects Jin Yong's criticism of Chinese national character; the image of Kangxi, as a supplement to Wei Xiaobao's image, summarizes another aspect of Chinese culture.

Kong Qingdong, a professor at Peking University, believes that "The Deer and the Cauldron" may not be able to catch up with Mr. Lu Xun's "The True Story of Ah Q" in terms of ideological depth, but because it is a full-length novel and is vast in length, it has greater breadth. Of. From the perspective of cultural value, Wei Xiaobao is the most glorious literary image in China in the 20th century after Ah Q. His value can be compared with Ah Q.

The image of Wei Xiaobao is very ironic. In the second half of the novel, Jin Yong once again connects history and art. He wrote about several real great scholars in Chinese history, including Gu Yanwu, Huang Zongxi and others, who actually wanted to support Wei Xiaobao as emperor. This plot can be compared with the Red Flower Society's plan to rebel against Qianlong in "The Book of Swords and Enmities".

The reason why the Red Flower Society instigated rebellion against Qianlong was because they believed that Qianlong was a Han, and Han people could not be their emperor. Qianlong should serve the Han people, unite with the Han people, and overthrow the Manchu rule.

"The Deer and the Cauldron" is similar to this book. The reason why people like Gu Yanwu supported Wei Xiaobao as emperor was because they felt that Wei Xiaobao was a Han (they didn't even know whether Wei Xiaobao was a Han), and they felt that as long as he was a Han, he would rule better than the Manchus. In "The Deer and the Cauldron", it is obvious who is the better emperor compared to Wei Xiaobao and Kangxi.

Jin Yong here severely satirized the great intellectuals of the Chinese Han nationality. These people are so learned, talented and knowledgeable, but they make such decisions and do such ridiculous things. The plot is of course fictional, but its essence is real. In the history of China, time and again a large group of intellectuals supported a rogue figure as emperor.

"The Deer and the Cauldron" uses Wei Xiaobao's words and deeds to downplay the definition of national issues in traditional martial arts novels, and improves and develops the traditional Chinese concept of "national unity".

Reference material: Baidu Encyclopedia-The Deer and the Cauldron