84 replies to this topic

[General_Zhaoyun]

I'll describe some of the characters here

Song Jiang (宋江) (天魁星呼保义)

He was described as "Rain at the right time (及时雨)" . He was a magistrate assistant at Yun city in Shandong province (山东郓城押司), just involved in paperwork. During the event when Chao Gai and other 7 heros plundered the birthday presents for the emperor, they were caught, but due to Song Jiang, they were able to escape. This secret relationship with the bandits was known to Song Jiang's wife Yan Poxi, and she threatened Song Jiang. Song Jiang killed her in a fit of anger and then escaped to Cangzhou and was forced to go up to Mt. Liang. Later, Song Jiang became the leader of the Bandits in Mt. Liang.

After surrendering to the Court, he was conferred the title "Wu De Dai Fu 武德大夫" by Emperor Song Hui Zong. But in the end, he was poisioned by Gao Qiu and died.

Li Kui (李逵) (天杀星黑旋风)

Li Kui was one of the characters in Shui Hu Zhuang who displayed a rather crude/rough brainless personality. His appearance was dark and rough, and he was called "Iron Boar 铁牛". In the Pugilist world, he was called "Black Whirlwind 黑旋风", and was the no. 22 hero in ranking of Outlaw of Marshes. He was the no. 5 leader in the Infantry of Mt. Liang.

When Song Jiang was dispatched to Jiangzhou (for imprisonment), Wu Yong 吴用 (one of the strategist for Mt. Liang) wrote a letter to let the Jail Janitor of Jiangzhou, Dai Zong 戴宗, to take care of Song Jiang. Li Kui was one of the subordinates (a soldier) of Dai Zong and got to know Song Jiang. As Dai Zong's secret connection with Wu Yong was discovered, both Dai Zong and Song Jiang were sent for execution, and Li Kui was the first to use the axe to fight their way out and escape to Mt. Liang. After reaching Mt. Liang, he thought of his mother and sought to bring his mother to Mt. Liang, but on the way, his mother was eaten up by tigers. In a fit of anger, he killed 4 tigers. During the surrender to the court, Li Kui at first refused to surrender and even raided the city court and tore the emperor's edict.

Li Kui was in the end poisoned to death when Song Jiang let him drink the poisoned wine together with him.

Yan Qing 燕青 (天巧星浪子)

Yan Qing was the last hero in the 36 heavenly stars. In the 10 leaders of Mt. Liang's infantry, he ranked no. 6. Yan Qing was Lu Junyi (卢俊义)'s care-taker. His parents died when he was young, and he was raised by Lu Junyi. He could play the flute very well and was well-skilled in archery. When Lu Junyi was deceived to go up to Mt. Liang, one of the care-takers Li Gu 李固 (who had an affair with Lu Junyi's wife), took this chance to snatch over Lu Junyi's property and wealth and banish Yan Qing. When Lu Junyi returned home, Li Gu went to the court and accused Lu Junyi of secret liaisons with Mt. Liang's bandits. Lu Junyi was dispatched to Sa Meng Island. Li Gu bought over Dong Chao, Xue Ba in an attempt to kill Lu Jingyi on the route to Sa Meng Island. But when they were about to Kill Lu Junyi, they were shot to death by Yan Qing's two arrows and Yan Qing saved Lu Junyi. After that, they went up to Mt. Liang.

Song Jiang uses Yan Qing to liase with Li Shishi in an attempt to meet the emperor hoping to surrender to the court. After the surrender, Yan Qing left the team.

[General_Zhaoyun]

Lin Chong (林冲) (天雄星豹子头)

Lin Chong was ranked no. 6 in the hero of outlaw of marshes. He was the no. 2 Tiger in the Cavalry troop of Mt. Liang. During his early time, he was the leader of the 800,000 imperial guards in the Eastern Capital, i.e. Kaifeng (东京八十万禁军枪棒教头). Because his wife was sexually harassed by Gao Qiu's son (Gao Wei Nei 高卫内) and he was also victimized by Gao Qiu, he was later dispatched to Cangzhou. On the way to Cangzhou, Gao Qiu ordered the guards to kill him, but he was saved by Lu Zhi Shen 鲁智深 at Wild Boar Forest. After being dispatched to Cang Zhou, Gao Qiu's assistant Lu Qian tried to kill Lin Chong by setting fire to his dwelling hut. Lin Chong killed Lu Qian, and after that he went to Mt. Liang. At that time, the leader of Mt. Liang Wang Lun (王伦) did not want to take him in. After Chao Gai and Wu Yong plundered the Emperor's birthday presents and went to Mt. Liang, Wang Lun did not want to accept them. In a fit of anger, Lin Chong killed Wang Lun and pushed Chao Gai to be the new leader of Mt. Liang.

Lin Chong was highly-skilled in martial arts. He fought several battles. After the campaign against Fang La, Lin Chong began to fall ill and was forced to rest at Hangzhou's Liuhe temple. 1/2 year later, he passed away.

In the novel, Lin Chong was initially described as one who was content with his life (he has a good profession, a happy family), such that he did not dare to rebel and keep to his life. But as the plots unfold where he was increasingly victimized (his wife was harassed by Gao Wei Nei, someone in high rank), and later a series of assassination attempts on him, his character began to change and develop. He grew to be a determined, resolute, impatient, direct and righteous person. This was reflected by him killing 3 people at "Wind Snow Hill God Temple (风雪山神庙)" and him killing Wang Lun (unable to tolerate his narrow-mindedness). He was one who demonstrated multiple "tolerance" until at some point in time, he was not able to tolerate anymore.

[Yun]

Lu Zhi Seng 鲁智僧

I think there's a typo here, his name should be Lu Zhishen:

http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Lu_Zhishen

[General_Zhaoyun]

Lu Zhishen (鲁智深) (天孤星花和尚)

Lu Zhishen was the no. 13 hero of the Outlaws of the Marsh. He was no. 1 leader in the infantry of Mt. Liang. His real name was "Lu Da 鲁达" and he was a local military constable (经略提辖). On one occasion, he saw that the butcher Zheng Guanxi (郑关西) was taking advantage of the weak Jin Cuilian and her father (金翠莲父女), and killed him with only 3 punches. Later he was chased after by the court people who wanted to arrest him for the murder, and he escaped to Mt. Wutai to become a monk and changed his name to Zhishen. Lu was not able to tolerate the peaceful and quiet nature of Buddhist monastery regulations, and he became drunk and made a havoc in the temple. Later he was sent to the Xiangguo monastery in Kaifeng to look after a vegetable plantation. Because he kicked Popi 泼皮, who attemped to steal vegetables, into a dung pit, he became famous. Later Lu saved Lin Chong at Wild Boar Forest , but Gao Qiu sent someone to arrest Lu and Lu was forced to become a bandit at Mt. Er Long. Later he defected to Mt. Liang and became the leader of the infantry. During the invasion against Fang La, Lu fought successfully against Fang La. He later passed away at Hangzhou Liuhe temple.

In the novel, through his action, we can see Lu as one who is righteous, and free-spirited in terms of personality. He was not bound by any rules and hated evil and was always acting to restore righteousness. We can see this from the scenes of him killing Zheng Guanxi, creating havoc at Shanmen, and saving Lin Chong at Wild Boar Forest.

[General_Zhaoyun]

I think there's a typo here, his name should be Lu Zhishen:

http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Lu_Zhishen

thanks.. already corrected the error.

[General_Zhaoyun]

Yang Zhi (杨志) (天暗星青面兽)

Yang Zhi was the no. 17 in the heros of outlaw of marshes. He was the no. 8 tigers and vanguard in Mt. Liang's Cavalry forces, and was ranked no. 3. When Lin Chong came to Mt. Liang, Wang Lun did not welcome him, and wanted him to kill a person. When Lin Chong went down, he met Yang Zhi and they fought without any win or loss. Actually, Yang Zhi was the descendent of the Yang Family's general, and was initially the guard operator (殿试府制使). He was initially ordered to transport the Flower Stone (花石纲) but lost it at Yellow river (when it overturned), and tried to escaped. Later, Lin Chong welcomed him to Mt. Liang, but Yang Zhi had always wanted to be an official in the city and refused to join Mt. Liang. In the city, he tried to sell his sword , but was involved in a quarrel with Niu Er. Unwillingly, he killed Niu Er and was dispatched to Da Ming Court to become a soldier. When he was involved in transporting the birthday present to the capital, his envoy was plundered by Chao Gai. Unwillingly, Yang Zhi (together with Lu Zhi Shen) went up to Mt. Long Er, killed Deng Long and became the chief. Later he joined Mr. Liang. During the campaign against Fang La, he fell ill and passed away.

In the novel, Yang Zhi was described as someone who always favored being an official. He was the descendent of 3 generations of generals. Even though he lost the Flower Stone, he still did not give up being an officer. His hope of being official only ended after he lost the birthday present when they were plundered by Chao Gai.

[Master Ghost Valley]

Yang Zhi (??) (??????)

Yang Zhi was the no. 17 in the heros of outlaw of marshes. He was the no. 8 tigers and vanguard in Mt. Liang's Cavalry forces, and was ranked no. 3. When Lin Chong came to Mt. Liang, Wang Rong did not allow welcome him, and wanted him to kill a person. When Lin Chong went down, he met Yang Zhi and they fought without any win or loss. Actually, Yang Zhi was the descendent of the Yang Family's general, and was initially the guard operator (?????). He was initially ordered to transport the Flower Stone (???) but lost it at Yellow river (when it overturned), and tried to escaped. Later, Lin Chong welcomed him to Mt. Liang, but Yang Zhi had always wanted to be an official in the city and refused to join Mt. Liang. In the city, he tried to sell his sword , but was involved in a quarrel with Niu Er. Unwillingly, he killed Niu Er and was dispatched to Da Ming Court to become a soldier. When he was involved in transporting the birthday present to the capital, his envoy was plundered by Chao Gai. Unwillingly, Yang Zhi (together with Lu Zhi Shen) went up to Mt. Long Er, killed Deng Long and became the chief. Later he joined Mr. Liang. During the campaign against Fang La, he fell ill and passed away.

In the novel, Yang Zhi was described as someone who always favored being an official. He was the descendent of 3 generations of generals. Even though he lost the Flower Stone, he still did not give up being an officer. His hope of being official only ended after he lost the birthday present when they were plundered by Chao Gai.

Greetings:
While I am in no position to make a contribution to this discussion, but, can not resist saying sincere thanks to the members who have organized this data and posted it. It must have been an gigantic effort. The descriptions of the characters give life to the names. It is amazing how effective the few words about each historical figure sum up the essence of the person.

This is a treasure trove for any author looking for the flavor of the times and place , and also a source of enjoyment to this member.

Well done, perhaps the the title "DOERS OF VALUABLE AND FANTASTIC FEATS" should be affixed to those who have produced this thread.

A would be : Master Ghost Valley

[MengTzu]

It's sad that this thread is pretty dead. Let's see if I can revive it by doing the bios for the 108 heroes. Perhaps after these, I can do the bios for other characters as well.

Needless to say, there'll be lots and lots of spoilers. For the ones that GZ already did, I'm gonna build on what he already wrote, making some modifications where I see fit (I hope you don't mind, GZ). Edit: I started out building on the bio of Song Jiang written by GZ, but I added so much to it and changed so much of it that I ended up writing almost all of it. And I am just writing all the other bios myself.

Before I do the bios, let me post a basic plot summary for the entire novel so the bios would be easy to follow.

:SPOILERS:

Note: There are many version of the Outlaws of the Marsh. Some of you are probably reading the 70 (or 71) chapter version or the 100 chapter version. The following is the plot line in some of the versions that have use a 120 chapter format.

Introduction - Ch 1: prologue

Ch 2 - 13: the stories and adventures of Gao Qiu, Wang Jin, Shi Jin, Lu Da, Lin Chong, and Yang Zhi.

Ch 13 - 23: Chao Gai and his robber gang, and their robbing of the Imperial Tutor's treasures; Song Jiang helped Chao Gai escape; Chao Gai took over Mount Liang; Song Jiang was blackmailed by Yan Poxi and killed her; Song Jiang fled and met Wu Song.

Ch 23 - 32: Wu Song's story and adventures -- killing a tiger, avenging his brother's death, meeting the Zhang's couple, defeating Jiang Zhong, masscring at the Meng Prefecture, reuniting with the Zhang's couple, becoming a wandering monk, reuniting with Song Jiang, and joining the Mount Double Dragons bandits.

Ch 32 - 42: Song Jiang's story and adventures -- being captured by Mount Clear Wind bandits, trouble in Fort Mount Clear Wind, joining the Mount Clear Wind bandits, defeating Qin Ming, going to Mount Liang, going home, turning himself in, being exiled to the Jiang Prefecture, meeting various heroes en route and at the Jiang Prefecture, being sentenced to death for writing rebellious poems, being rescued, receiving the "heavenly books" from the Goddess Jiu Tian Xuan Nu.

Ch 43: short adventure of Li Kui -- fetching his mother, killing four tigers.

Ch 44 - 46: story of Yang Xiong and Shi Xiu

Ch 46 - 60: the "expansion sequence" -- Song Jiang led the heroes on various battles and campaigns: the Zhu Family Village campaign, the Gao Tang Prefecture campaign, the battle against Huyan Zhuo, the Qing Prefecture campaign, the Hua Prefecture campaign, and the battle with the Mount Mang Dang bandits.

Ch 60: the first Town of Zengtuo campaign; death of Chao Gai.

Ch. 61 - 70: the "Lu Jun Yi sequence" -- Lu Jun Yi's getting into trouble, the first Da Ming campaign, the battle with Guan Sheng, the second Da Ming campaign, the Ling Prefecture campaign, the second Town of Zhengtuo campaign, the "city-capture" race between Song Jiang and Lu Jun Yi.

Ch. 71: the heroes held a religious ceremony for all those who have died as a result of their military expeditions. The stone tablet containing the names of the 108 heroes fell from the sky. The appointment of the heroes to their positions. The "great gathering" and swearing into brotherhood.

Ch. 71 - 82: The "amnesty sequence." The "chrysanmenthum flower celebration," in which Song Jiang expressed his wish for amnesty. The heroes visited the Kaifeng imperial capital. Li Kui and Yan Qing's adventures. The first amnesty. The first invasion of Mount Liang (two battles.) The second invasion of Mount Liang (three battles, with the second amnesty taking place after the second of the three battles.) The third amnesty.

Ch. 82 - 90: The Liao campaign.

Ch. 90 - 100: The Tian Hu campaign.

Ch. 100 - 110: The story of Wang Xing; the Wang Xing campaign.

Ch. 110-119: The Fang La campaign.

Ch. 119-120: The ending.

:END OF SPOILERS:




There are 108 Mount Liang heroes. I'll first post the bios of the 36 major heroes (a.k.a. heavenly stars,) and thenpost the bios ofthe 72 minor heroes (a.k.a. earthly stars.)

So, first, the 36 major heroes:

:SPOILERS:

Song Jiang, the Opportune Rain, a.k.a. the One Who Calls for Righteousness, the Filially Pious and Righteous Black Third Brother; The Heavenly Head Star
天魁星 及時雨 呼保義 孝義黑三郎 宋江

The first in command in the Mount Liang lair. Called "the Opportune Rain" because of his readiness to perform acts of charity for both the average people and the "good fellows" (好漢) travelling the world. Though born into a wealthy landowner family, he decided, like any student in ancient time, to make a career and a name serving the country. He left the countryside and moved to the nearby town, where he became a low level magistrate assistant at Yun city in Shandong province. When Chao Gai and his gang of robbers were identified as the thieves of the Imperial Tutor's one-hundred-thousand-guan birthday present, Song informed Chao Gai just in time that his gang could escape the pursuit by the government troops. This secret relationship with the bandits was known to Song Jiang's concubine Yan Poxi, and she blackmailed Song Jiang for money. Song Jiang killed her in a fit of anger and then escaped to various locations where he could hide at his friends' houses. Later, he became the leader of the bandits on Mount Clear Wind and led them to fight against governmental troops. He then led them to Liangshan, only to receive the news of his father's death.

He left his friends to go home, only to find that the news of his father's death was a lie made up by his father himself in order to lure him home, as his father wished that that he would no longer associate himself with the bandits and hide out at home to wait for imperial amnesty. Divided between his loyalty to his father and his friends, he had a sudden ethical epiphany and turned himself in to the court. He was sent to the Jiang prefecture for exile. While there, he met new friends, including Li Kui, who would become one of his most loyal follower. Then one day, Song went to a restaurant by himself. Having had a little too much to drink, he wrote two poems on the wall with hidden rebellious messages. A scholar saw the poems and reported them to the magistrate, resulting in Song's imprisonment, his receiving the sentence to death, and the gang from Mount Liang, led by Chao Gai, saving him last minute at the execution site.

Song now had no choice but to join the Liangshan bandits, but he must return home first to fetch his folks. On his way there, he was pursued by government troops. While he hid in a temple, the troops attempted to enter but was driven away by a strange wind. Then, while sleeping inside the temple, Song had a dream in which he met the Goddess Jiu Tian Xuan Nu, who entrusted to him the three volumes of the heavenly book, charging him with the mission to punish corrupt government officials and, after receiving imperial anmesty, serve the state.

Song Jiang then became the second in command of the bandits in Mt. Liang, where Chao Gai was the leader. He led them into many victories and considerably expanded the influence of Mt. Liang. Many heroes came to join the gang during this time. Then during the campaign against Town Jin Tou, Chao Gai died from a poisonous arrow. Before he died, he charged Song Jiang with the promise to let whoever capture his killer become the next leader. Song became the temporary leader. Eventually, however, another hero, Lu Jun Yi, captured Chao Gai's killer. But since most of the heroes wanted Song to become the leader, Song and Lu decided to fate decide: each of them were to attack a prefecture, and whoever succeeds first will become the leader. Song won that contest, and it was eventually decided both of them became "lords of the lair", with Song as the first in command and Lu as second.

After the entire gang of Mount Liang was granted imperial amnesty, Song led the 108 heroes to fight in various campaigns for the court. They defeated the Liao armies and the armies of three rebels -- Tian Hu, Wang Xing, and Fang La. In the last campaign, most of the heroes passed away. To reward the heroes for their works, the government appointed Song Jiang and most of the surviving heroes to various positions in the government, in addition to granting honorary titles to some of the heroes who have passed away (some of the surviving heroes chose not to continue serving the government). Jealous of Song's achievement and feeling their positions threatened, the villain Gao Qiu and another official had Song poisoned. The emperor ordered a temple be built for Song and his fallen heroes.

Song Jiang's achievement must not be overlooked. Before he joined Mount Liang, Mount Liang was mostly in a defensive, self-sufficient position, as the the leader of Mount Liang, Chao Gai, had little ambition for expansion. After Song Jiang took over as second in command, he led the heroes in many battle and campaigns: the Zhu Village campaign, the Gao Tang Prefecture campaign, the battles with Huyan Zhuo, the Qing Prefecture campaign, the Hua Prefecture campaign, and the Mount Mang Dang campaign. After Chao Gai's death, Song Jiang led the heroes to the fight the first Da Ming Prefecture campaign, the battles with Guan Sheng, the second Da Ming Prefecture campaign, the Eastern Ping Prefecture campaign, the Eastern Chang Prefecture campaign, and perhaps most remarkably, the five battles against the two enormous invasions of government forces. It was through these numerous battles and campaigns as well as Song Jiang's ability to recruit new members that Mount Liang became the most powerful gang at least in the north. He continued to lead the heroes after the amnesty to fight the four campaigns.

Song Jiang was perhaps the most complex of all the heroes. He had a dual personalty: on the one hand, he wanted to leave behind a good name as a loyal subject of the state, serving the emperor and the people. On the other hand, he treasured his friendship with the heroes. When the heroes became involved in criminal activities, he could no longer remain neutral. When he helped Chao Gai escape, it was his "heroic" side prevailing. When he turned himself in, it was his "loyal" side prevailing. Imperial amnesty was his way to reconcile the two sides of his personality -- if all the heroes were granted amnesty, they could together serve the state as loyal subjects, and at the same time, he could ensure the well-being of the heroes and continued his friendship with them. Unfortunately, it was amnesty that eventual led to the demise of the heroes.

:END OF SPOILERS:

I'll try to continue the bios in the order of the heroes' ranks. Stay around for more!

Edited by MengTzu, 13 November 2008 - 08:04 PM.

[MengTzu]

:SPOILERS:

Lu Jun Yi, the Jade Unicorn; the Heavenly Northern Star
天罡星 玉麒麟 盧俊義

The second in command in the Mount Liang lair. One of the "Three Greats of Hebei" (the book never mentioned who the other two "Greats" are.) Born to a reputable family in the Da Ming Prefecture, Lu was a very wealthy merchant. When Song Jiang and his advisor, Wu Yong, heard about Lu's greatness from a monk, they decided to "invite" Lu to the gang. Wu Yong tricked Lu into travelling to Mount Liang, only to have him captured. Wu Yong then tricked Lu's servants into believing that Lu had decided to join the gang and become a bandit. The gang treated and entertained Lu for months, while Lu's treacherous steward, Li Gu, seized Lu's properties and married his wife. When Lu finally expressed that he could no longer stay on Mount Liang, the gang let him return home. Upon returning home, Lu was tricked by Li Gu and arrested by the government soldiers.

Having heard the news of Lu's arrest, the gang of Mount Liang hurried down to Da Ming, and a series of battles ensued, culminating in Wu Yong's master plan of sending in the heroes into the Da Ming city in disguise on the night of Yuan Xiao (the so-called "Chinese Valentines Day," when many men and women customarily went out to the many festivities at night.) The heroes captured the city by fighting within and outside, driving out the government commander and saving Lu.

Lu later captured Chao Gai's killer. Pursuant to a promise that the captor of the killer (see Song Jiang's bio), Lu were to become the first in command, but most heroes wanted Song Jiang to become the leader. Song and Lu decided to let fate decide had a competition in which the first to capture a prefecture becomes the new leader. Although Lu lost, both Song and Lu became "lord of the lair", with Song as first in command and Lu second. In many expeditions, before and after the amnesty, Song Jiang and Lu Jun Yi would often divide the troops in two (not including those who stay behind to defend newly captured cities) and fight in coordination.

After the imperial amnesty, Lu led the heroes along with Song Jiang to fight in various campaigns for the court. At the end, the villain Gao Qiu had Lu poisoned and killed.

It's debatable how brilliant a leader Lu was. Early in his career, he made a devastating strategic mistake during the Liao campaign, but he improved over time. His physical strength and martial art skills were not always clear in the novel, but one incident should be enough to show his ability -- in the Liao campaign, his troops were separated from Song's (this was before the aforementioned incident in which he made a strategic blunder). He fought four of the Liao's princes all by himself at the same time and managed to slay one of them. He then, again all by himself, fought back a thousand Liao troops.

:END OF SPOILERS:

Edited by MengTzu, 09 August 2007 - 10:05 AM.

[MengTzu]

:SPOILER:

Wu Yong, the Intelligent Star; the Heavenly Shrewd Star
天機星 智多星 吳用

The main military advisor (out of two) of Mount Liang. Practically the Zhuge Liang of Mount Liang. He first appeared in the story as a village teacher in Eastern Stream Village and was a friend of Chao Gai, the "lizheng" of Eastern Stream Village. (A lizheng is some sort of village elder or leader appointed by the government to take care a certain number of village units. The division of families into such units was a part of Wang Anshi's reform.) When a man named Liu Tang approached Chao Gai to convince him to organize a group of robbers to seize the Imperial Tutor's birthday gift of one hundred thousand guan, Wu Yong offered assistance. (I have no idea how much one guan is worth, but I have the feeling that one hundred thousand guan is a lot of money.) With a gang of seven assembled (not including Bai Sheng, an accomplice), Wu Yong created the plan to rob the treasure. The plan went smoothly, but because the accomplice, Bai Sheng, was later arrested, and the cover of Chao Gai and his gang were blown, Wu Yong organized for the escape route -- to flee to Mount Liang. Before doing so, the gang -- under the direction of Wu Yong -- dealt a devastating blow to the pursuing government soldiers.

At the time, there were already bandits on Mount Liang under the leadership of Wang Lun, a scholar who failed the imperial exam. Seeing that Chao and his gang were capable enough to steal treasures from the government soldiers and defeat them, Wang Lun feared that they would replace him and take over the lair. Sensing that they would soon be ousted from the lair, Wu Yong instigated one of Wang Lun's men, the great Lin Chong, who was also treated poorly by Wang Lun, to kill Wang Lun. Lin Chong killed Wang Lun, and the gang took over the lair, with Chao Gai as the new leader.

Wu Yong continued to be the master mind behind the many expeditations of the Mount Liang heroes. He planned the strategies of almost every single campaign and battle. He was arguably the most important person in obtaining favorable imperial amnesty for the entire gang: when the court offered amnesty under harsh terms, he instigated the heroes to reject the amnesty despite Song's ardent wish. The government then sent in two waves of massive invasion, but under Wu's strategies, the heroes defeated them in five battles. The court eventually granted amnesty to all the heroes under favorable terms.

Wu Yong continued to be the strategist for the four campaigns after the amnesty. When Song Jiang was poisoned and killed, Wu Yong committed suicide.

:END OF SPOILER:

Edited by MengTzu, 09 August 2007 - 10:07 AM.

[MengTzu]

:SPOILERS:

Gongsun Sheng, the Dragon Entering the Clouds; the Heavenly Leisurely Star
天閒星 入雲龍 公孫勝

One of the two militiary advisors of Mount Liang. A Daoist priest and a student of Master Luo. When Chao Gai was planning with several men about seizing the Imperial Tutor's birthday gift of one hundred thousand guan (see Wu Yong's bio), Gongsun Sheng approached Chao Gai with the information of where the delivery route of the treasures. He helped with capturing the treasures, and later when they fled, he fled with the gang to Mount Liang. Later, he left Mount Liang to return to serve his mother and his master.

Later, when the Mount Liang heroes were battling Gao Lin, a relative of the villain Gao Qiu and a master of magic, the heroes lost because of Gao Lin's spells. The heroes then sought out Gongsun Sheng and invited him back to the lair. With his master's permission, Gongsun Sheng helped the gang defeat Gao Lin with superior magic and joined the gang of Mount Liang.

In the chapter of the "Great Gathering" (when the heroes' number reached 108, Song Jiang first held a religious ceremony for all lives they have killed. He then held another ceremony where the heroes swore brotherhood, which I'll simply call the "Great Gathering"), Gongsun Sheng was appointed as the second military advisor (Wu Yong was appointed the first military advisor).

After the heroes were granted imperial amnesty, Gongsun Sheng participated in three of the four campaings for court. Before the last one, he left the gang and returned home to his mother and his master.

:END OF SPOILER:

Edited by MengTzu, 09 August 2007 - 10:07 AM.

[snowybeagle]

:SPOILERS:

Lu Jun Yi, the Jade Unicorn; the Heavenly Northern Star
天罡星 玉麒麟 盧俊義

One of the "Three Greats of Hebei" (the book never mentioned who the other two "Greats" are.)
:END OF SPOILERS:

I presume you are referring to the phrase 河北三绝 hé běi sān jué?

Personally, I'd translate to Three Ultimates of Hebei.

水浒传中河北玉麒麟卢俊义号称河北三绝，请问是哪三绝？ makes a compelling case to identify the three.

1. 卢俊义的棍棒 : Lu Junyi's wielding of the staff/pole
2. 燕青的厮扑 : Yan Qing's wrestling/grappling skills
3. 张清的飞石 : Zhang Qing's stone-throwing.

Both Lu Junyi and Yan Qing lived in Daming prefecture seat in Hebei proper. Zhang Qing (the featherless arrow, not to be confused with the other Zhang Qing who was husband to Sun ErNiang) was from Zhangde (彰德), north of the Yellow River, and probably under jurisdiction of Hebei during the Song era.


On a side note, the ostensible reason for the outlaws to recruit him was to help them deal with the Zeng fortified hamlet because the latter had the formidable Shi Wengong (史文恭).

Somehow, I rather doubt if it was really so.
The best mounted combatant was supposed to be Lin Chong (林冲) while the best combatant on foot was supposed to be Wu Song (武松).

One commentary I read had it that Song Jiang just wanted to introduce more top-notched followers under his sponsorship. A reluctant and noble-background Lu as the second-in-command would make things easier for Song Jiang in persuading the other more belligerent outlaws to be open to amnesty.

[MengTzu]

:SPOILER:

Guan Sheng, the Great Scimitar; the Heavenly Courageous Star
天勇星 大刀 關勝

One of the Five Tiger Generals of the Mount Liang Cavalry. First appeared in chapter 63. He was the descendant of Guan Yu of the Romance of Three Kingdoms. He started out as some sort of "police chief" in Pu Dong Prefecture (today's Shanghai). When the Mount Liang was fighting with the forces of Da Ming Prefecture, the Imperial Tutor, Cai Jing, was looking for a general to lead the reinforcement troops to help out, as the commander in Da Ming is Cai Jing's son-in-law. Xuan Zan, the Ugly Prince, recommended Guan Sheng. Guan Sheng was then appointed the commander of a 15000-men army, with the assistance of Xuan Zan and another friend, Hao Si Wen. Guan Sheng suggested that they should attack Mount Liang directly instead of reinforcing at Da Ming. The Mount Liang troops were forced to retreat. However, Guan Sheng did not seize the opportunity to ambush the retreating Mount Liang troops (either an oversight due to inexperience, or perhaps out of honor for a fair fight.) Song Jiang then sent Huyan Zhuo to fake surrender and lure Guan Sheng into attacking the Mount Liang's encampment, only to have himself and his assistants, Xuan and Hao, both captured. Song Jiang spared their lives and tried to convince them to join. Touched by Song Jiang's mercy and noble purpose, Guan and both of his assistants joined the gang.

In the chapter of the "Great Gathering," Guan Sheng was appointed one of the Five Tiger Generals of the Cavalry. Guan Sheng participated in various battles and campaigns after joining the gang, both before and after the amnesty. His weapon of choice was the Blue Dragon Half Moon Scimitar -- the same weapon that of Guan Yu from ROTK (which is why he was called the Great Scimitar). His horse was also a Red Hare Horse like Guan Yu's. He led the campaign against Ling Prefecture and convinced Shan Ting Gui and Wei Ding Guo to join. During the campaign against Tian Hu, he convined three of Tian Hu's generals to join. It was his deep sense of honor that convinced some of these men to join.

Guan Sheng survived all of the campaigns. He was later appointed commander of Da Ming's troops. While drunk one night, he fell his horse and died.

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Edited by MengTzu, 13 August 2007 - 12:59 PM.

[MengTzu]

:SPOILERS:

Lin Chong, the Leopard Head; the Heavenly Masculine Star
天雄星 豹子頭 林沖

One of the Five Tiger Generals of the Mount Liang Cavalry. He got his title because his head looked like that of a leopard. His physical appearance was remarkably similar to Zhang Fei of the Romance of Three Kingdoms, but his personalities were significantly different Zhang Fei's. He was a gentleman of quiet integrity and reservation, and at times appeared mild, timid, and even weak. But a part of his apparent cowardice was due to his concern for his family, which he loved dearly and strove every effort to protect. Therefore, he and Zhang Fei are two very different types of characters.

Despite his gentle personality, Lin Chong was one of the best fighters in Outlaws of the Marsh.

He first appeared in chapter 7. He started out as a trainer of the imperial army. One day, he went with his wife and maid to the temple, and he ventured off while his wife and maid were worshipping. He saw the monk Lu Zhi Shen performing martial arts. The two instantly became friends and swore brotherhood. On the other hand, Lin's wife was being harassed by the villain Gao Qiu's foster child, Gao Junior. Gao Qiu was one of the commanders of the imperial army and therefore Lin's supervisor, so Lin swallowed his pride and did not deal with Gao Junior. The confrontation was eventually broken up, but Gao Junior was determined to have Lin's wife. Lu Zhi Shen wanted to punish Gao Junior, but Lin Chong stopped him.

Gao Junior approached Lin's friend, Lu Xin (not to be confused with the monk Lu Zhi Shen mentioned above), to set up a plot to divert Lin and trap his wife in Lu Xin's house. The plot almost worked, except Lin's maid informed Lin so he could rescue Mrs. Lin just in time. Lin's friendship with Lu Xin ended as a result of this incident.

Lin's timely rescue scared Gao Junior so much that he fell sick. Lu Xin and Gao Junior's companion, Fu An, offered a new plan to Gao Qiu: have someone sell a sword to Lin Chong, then summon him to meet Gao Qiu at the White Tiger Hall, which was a place for discussing military matters and off limit to unauthorized personel. The plan worked perfectly. Gao Qiu accused Lin Chong of entering the forbidden area in an attempt to assassinate Gao Qiu. A righteous judge saw through the plot and helped Lin Chong, lowering the charge to "mistakenly venturing into a forbidden area with a sword." Lin Chong was sentenced to exile to Cang Prefecture.

Before leaving for Cang Prefecture, Lin Chong signed a divorce document allowing his wife to remarry, as he could no longer protect her from Gao Junior and he figured that this was the best way. His father-in-law, however, refused to have his daughter remarry. Mrs. Lin was also shocked with sorrow and fainted.

With his initial plan failed, Gao Qiu ordered the guards who were to escort Lin Chong to Cang Prefecture to kill Lin Chong while they were on their way. They tied him to a tree in a forest, and just before they could kill him, the monk Lu Zhi Shen rescued Lin Chong. Turned out that Lu Zhi Shen had been following them all along. Lin Chong begged Lu Zhi Shen to not kill the two guards, and Lu Zhi Shen complied. He then travelled with them all the way to Cang Prefecture and left. There, Lin Chong was welcomed by the landlord Chai Jin (not to be confused with the Imperial Tutor Cai Jing), who gave him money to bribe the prison guards at Cang Prefecture.

Gao Qiu had not given up. He ordered Lu Xin and Fu An to have Lin Chong killed in Cang Prefecture. The prison guard chief cooperated and had Lin Chong placed in an isolated camp with lots of hay. Lu Xin, Fu An, and a prison guard then went to burn the camp, but because his hut in the camp had collapsed, Lin Chong was resting in a temple nearby while the burning took place. Lin Chong killed all three assassins and fled.

Through Chai Jin's recommendation, Lin Chong then went to Mount Liang. The leader of the Mount Liang lair at the time was Wang Lun, a scholar who failed the imperial exam. He feared that Ling Chong was better than him and might took over the lair, so he initially refused to let him stay. However, Wang Lun's men begged him to let Lin Chong stay. Wang Lun compromised and made an offer: if Lin Chong could kill a person in three days, he could stay in Mount Liang. Although Lin Chong eventually failed, Wang allowed him to stay, but treated him with humiliation.

Eventually, Chao Gai and his gang of robbers went to Mount Liang, and Wang Lun likewise wanted them to leave (see Wu Yong's bio). Wu Yong instigated Lin Chong to kill Wang Lun, and Chao Gai took over the lair.

Lin Chong later learned that his wife had committed suicide because of pressure from Gao Junior, and his father-in-law died of illness half a year later. His maid had remarried.

Lin participated in various battles and campaigns before and after the imperial amnesty. His weapon of choice, like Zhang Fei's, was the snake spear. He was appointed one of the Five Generals of the Cavalry after the Great Gathering. He died of illness during or after the last campaign.

Lin Chong's story was adapted into a Hong Kong movie called 水滸傳之:英雄本色 starring Tony Leung Ka Fai as Lin Chong. Very flashy, kung fu-ish, but definitely a great film.

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Edited by MengTzu, 07 August 2007 - 05:49 PM.

[MengTzu]

Continuing the biographies....

:SPOILERS:

Qin Ming, the Thunderous Fire; the Heavenly Ferocious Star
天猛星 霹靂火 秦明

One of the Five Tiger Generals of the Mount Liang Cavalry. First appeared in chapter 34. He was a man with a short temper and was easily provoked. He was a army commander in Qing Prefecture. At that time, Song Jiang had just joined the bandits at Mount Clear Wind. Qin Ming was sent to defeat the bandits. Song Jiang and his assistant, Hua Rong, set up various ambushes and traps and tricked Qin Ming into capture. They treated Qin Ming with a feast and convined him to stay for night. During that night, however, they sent out some bandits with their leader dressed in Qin Ming's armor and carrying his weapon to attack the Qing Prefecture, leaving its suburb in ruins. The next day, Qin Ming went back to the Qing city, and the magistratre refused to let him in. Instead, he showed Qin Ming that he had already executed his wife and children. Qin Ming then went back to Mount Clear Wind and was convined by Song Jiang to join the gang. Qin Ming later married Hua Rong's sister.

Song Jiang later led the bandits to join the gang at Mount Liang. Due to the false news of his father's death, Song Jiang left his men at Mount Liang and went home himself (see Song Jiang's bio.) Hereafter, Qin Ming became a member of the Mount Liang gang, and participated in variosu battles and campaigns. The Mount Liang troops later attacked the Qing Prefecture, and during that campaign, Qin Ming killed the governor who had executed his wife and children.

Qin Ming was appointed one of the Five Tiger Generals after the Great Gathering. His weapon choice was the Wolf-Teeth Spiked Staff. He died in battle in the final campaign.

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Edited by MengTzu, 07 August 2007 - 05:53 PM.