Question: What manga series is loosely based on a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty?

Context paragraphs:
Huaben: A huaben () is a Chinese short or medium length story or novella written mostly in vernacular language, sometimes including simple classical language.  In contrast to the full length Chinese novel, it is generally not divided into chapters and recounts a limited number of characters or events.  The earliest "huaben" are reported in the 12th century during the Song dynasty but the genre did not flourish until the late Ming dynasty, and after the mid-17th century did not produce works of originality.  In the development of Chinese fiction, the "huaben" are heirs of the "bianwen" (Buddhist tales) and "chuanqi" of the Tang dynasty, and are the predecessors of the stories and full-length novels of the Ming.

Monkey King Festival: The Monkey King Festival () is celebrated in China on the 16th day of the eighth Lunar month of the Chinese calendar, corresponding to September according to the Common era calendar, a day after the Mid Autumn Festival.  The origin of the festival is traced to an epic novel titled "Journey to the West" (Xiyou Ji, 西游记) written by the Chinese novelist Wu Cheng'en (1500–1582) in the 16th century during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).  The novel brings out the concept of immortality from Taoism and rebirth from Buddhism.  The monkey Sun Wukong, a character in the novel, is the featured figure of the festival.

Investiture of the Gods: The Investiture of the Gods or The Creation of the Gods, also known by its Chinese names Fengshen Yanyi and Fengshen Bang, is a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major vernacular Chinese works in the gods-and-demons ("shenmo") genre written during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).  Consisting of 100 chapters, it was first published in book form around the 1550s.  The work combines elements of history, folklore, mythology, legends and fantasy.

Eight Banners: The Eight Banners (in Manchu: ᠵᠠᡴᡡᠨ<br>ᡤᡡᠰᠠ "jakūn gūsa", ) were administrative/military divisions under the Qing dynasty into which all Manchu households were placed.  In war, the Eight Banners functioned as armies, but the banner system was also the basic organizational framework of all of Manchu society.  Created in the early 17th century by Nurhaci, the banner armies played an instrumental role in his unification of the fragmented Jurchen people (who would later be renamed the "Manchus" under Nurhaci's son Hong Taiji) and in the Qing dynasty's conquest of the Ming dynasty.  As Mongol and Han forces were incorporated into the growing Qing military establishment, the Mongol Eight Banners and Han Eight Banners were created alongside the original Manchu banners.  The banner armies were considered the elite forces of the Qing military, while the remainder of imperial troops were incorporated into the vast Green Standard Army.  Membership in the banners became hereditary, and bannermen were granted land and income.  After the defeat of the Ming dynasty, Qing emperors continued to rely on the Eight Banners in their subsequent military campaigns.  After the Ten Great Campaigns of the Qianlong Emperor, the quality of banner troops gradually decreased, and by the 19th century the task of defending the empire had largely fallen upon regional armies such as the Xiang Army.  Over time, the Eight Banners became synonymous with Manchu identity even as their military strength vanished.

Manchuria under Yuan rule: Manchuria under Yuan rule refers to the Yuan dynasty's rule over Manchuria, including modern Northeast China and Outer Manchuria from the beginning to the end of the dynasty.  Mongol rule over Manchuria was established during the Mongol Empire's conquest of the Jurchen Jin dynasty in the early 13th century.  It became a part of the Yuan dynasty, division of the Mongol Empire, when the dynasty was founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan.  Even after the overthrown of the Mongol Yuan dynasty by the Ming dynasty founded by native Chinese in 1368, Manchuria was still controlled by the Northern Yuan dynasty based in Mongolia for almost 20 years, until it was conquered by the Ming during the Ming military campaign against Naghachu and put under Ming rule.

Saiyuki (manga): Saiyuki (最遊記 , Saiyūki ) is a manga series by Kazuya Minekura which was serialized in "G-Fantasy" from 1997 to 2002.  It spawned multiple manga sequels, anime adaptations, video games and other media.  The story is loosely based on the Chinese novel "Journey to the West".

Sino-Tibetan relations during the Ming dynasty: The exact nature of relations between Tibet and the Ming dynasty of China (1368–1644) is unclear.  Analysis of the relationship is further complicated by modern political conflicts and the application of Westphalian sovereignty to a time when the concept did not exist.  Some Mainland Chinese scholars, such as Wang Jiawei and Nyima Gyaincain, assert that the Ming dynasty had unquestioned sovereignty over Tibet, pointing to the Ming court's issuing of various titles to Tibetan leaders, Tibetans' full acceptance of these titles, and a renewal process for successors of these titles that involved traveling to the Ming capital.  Scholars within China also argue that Tibet has been an integral part of China since the 13th century and that it was thus a part of the Ming Empire.  But most scholars outside China, such as Turrell V. Wylie, Melvin C. Goldstein, and Helmut Hoffman, say that the relationship was one of suzerainty, that Ming titles were only nominal, that Tibet remained an independent region outside Ming control, and that it simply paid tribute until the Jiajing Emperor (1521–1566), who ceased relations with Tibet.

Dorgon: Dorgon (Manchu: , literally "badger"; 17 November 1612 – 31 December 1650), formally known as Prince Rui, was a Manchu prince and regent of the early Qing dynasty.  Born in the Aisin Gioro clan as the 14th son of Nurhaci (the founder of the Qing dynasty), Dorgon started his career in military campaigns against the Ming dynasty, Mongols and Koreans during the reign of his eighth brother, Huangtaiji, who succeeded their father.  After Huangtaiji's death in 1643, he was involved in a power struggle against Huangtaiji's eldest son, Hooge, over the succession to the throne.  Both of them eventually came to a compromise by backing out and letting Huangtaiji's ninth son, Fulin, become the emperor; Fulin was installed on the throne as the Shunzhi Emperor.  Dorgon served as Prince-Regent from 1643–1650, throughout the Shunzhi Emperor's early reign.  In 1645, he was given the honorary title "Emperor's Uncle and Prince-Regent"; the title was changed to "Emperor's Father and Prince-Regent" in 1649.  Under Dorgon's regency, Qing forces occupied Beijing, the capital of the fallen Ming dynasty, and gradually conquered the rest of China in a series of battles against Ming loyalists and other opposing forces around China.  Dorgon also introduced the policy of forcing all Han Chinese men to shave the front of the heads and wear their hair in queues just like the Manchus.  He died in 1650 during a hunting trip and was posthumously honoured as an emperor even though he was never an emperor during his lifetime.  A year after Dorgon's death, however, the Shunzhi Emperor accused Dorgon of several crimes, stripped him of his titles, and ordered his remains to be exhumed and flogged in public.  Dorgon was posthumously rehabilitated and restored of his honorary titles by the Qianlong Emperor in 1778.

Jiao Yu: Jiao Yu () was a Ming dynasty (1368–1644 AD) military officer under Zhu Yuanzhang, who founded the dynasty and became known as the Hongwu Emperor.  He was entrusted by Zhu as a leading artillery officer for the rebel army that overthrew the Mongol Yuan dynasty, and established the Ming Dynasty.  As a senior adviser and general, he was later appointed to the venerable and noble status of the Count of Dongning.  He edited and wrote a famous military treatise that outlined the use of Chinese military technology during the mid 14th century based on his military campaign of 1355 AD.  However, descriptions of some gunpowder weapons in his treatise derive from Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD) materials on battles against the Khitans, Jurchens and Mongols. His "Huolongjing", translated as the "Fire Drake Manual", contains descriptions of fire arrows, fire lances, grenades, firearms, bombards, cannons, exploding cannonballs, land mines, naval mines, rockets, rocket launchers, two-stage rockets, and various gunpowder solutions including poisonous concoctions.

Journey to the West: Journey to the West is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en.  It is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.  In English-speaking countries, the work is widely known as "Monkey", the title of Arthur Waley's popular abridged translation.

Supporting paragraphs: Saiyuki (manga) Journey to the West
Answer: Saiyuki