When Will the Sun Set over the Long River?

The Han frontiers described by Ma Boyong are always full of soldiers and warriors, but the most moving thing about "Sunset over the Long River" is the setting sun that straddles the gap between hatred of family and country and personal kindness. The story begins with the kindness of young general Li Changhe - he picked up the dying prairie girl Sunset on his bloody return. Three years of companionship, the son of the Han family taught her language, horseback riding and archery. Those were the tender years when her humanity revived; however, in the decisive battle in Hexi three years later, the identity reversal was shocking: the former maid became the enemy commander, and the redeemed "Sunset" is now an avenger holding the divinity of the "Sun Goddess". "My arrows only shoot at the scorching desert sun." When the sunset scimitar points at Li Changhe, this oath is not only a declaration of war against the old master, but also a rebellion against one's own destiny. The novel brilliantly constructs a "dislocation": he saves her in order to live, but she kills him in order to die a worthy death. This is not a simple battle between good and evil, but a violent collision between two civilizations and the sense of powerlessness of individuals in the grand history. The long river rolls and the setting sun melts gold. When the savior and the rescued draw swords at each other at the foot of the Qilian Mountains, the tenderness they once had is no match for the torrent of the times. Tragic and breathtakingly beautiful.