Next, the bios of the 72 minor heroes. Because their bios tend to be shorter, they are not going to have abstracts.
Assistant Military Advisor (1 hero):Zhu Wu, the Military Advisor of Mysterious Knowledge; the Earthly Head Star
地魁星 神機軍師 朱武The assistant military advisor of Mount Liang. First appeared in chapter 2. Leader of the Mount Shao Hua heroes. Older sworn brother of Chen Da and Yang Chun, the other leaders of Mount Shao Hua. When Chen Da was captured by Shi Jin, Zhu and Yang offered to give themselves up and begged for Chen’s release, and thus befriended Shi Jin. Later, their friendship with Shi Jin was discovered, and Shi Jin’s estate was surrounded while they were feasting there. They broke through and went back to Mount Shao Hua. Shi Jin initially refused to join but later return to become its leader. Later, Shi Jin was captured for trying to save the artist Wang’s daughter from the governor of the Hua Prefecture. Mount Liang captured Hua Prefecture and rescued Shi Jin, and Zhu joined Mount Liang along with the rest of the Mount Shao Hua gang.
Zhu Wu was especially skilled in strategic formations. He was prevailed in a “formation contest” with Xi Sheng, an officer of the rebel Wang Xing.
He fought as a Mount Liang hero and after the amnesty. After the last campaign, Zhu Wu followed another hero, Fan Rui, to become a Quan Zhen Daoist.
Tiger Cub Officers and Scouts of the Cavalry (16 heroes):Huang Xin, the Protector of Three Mountains; the Earthly Ominous Star
地煞星 鎮三山 黃信One of the Sixteen Tiger Cub Officers and Scouts of the Mount Liang Cavalry. His choice of weapon was a sword. First appeared in chapter 33. A military officer in the Qing Prefecture and a martial art student of Qin Ming. Liu Gao, One of the two commanders of Fort Clear Wind, arrested Song Jiang, friend of the other commander, Hua Rong. (Again, Fort Clear Wind is not to be confused with Mount Clear Wind – Fort Clear Wind was a government outpost; Mount Clear Wind was a bandit hideout. In fact, Fort Clear Wind was probably established to protect the Qing Prefecture against bandits like those of Mount Clear Wind.) Hua Rong rescued Song Jiang, who was later captured again. Liu Gao requested further help from the Qing Prefecture to deal with Hua Rong, and the prefecture governor sent Huang Xin. Huang Xin invited Hua Rong to a feast in the pretext of settling the conflict between Liu and Hua, and only to have Hua Rong ambushed and captured. Huang Xin and Liu Gao led the troops to escort Song Jiang and Hua Rong to the Qing Prefecture city, only to be countered by the bandits of Mount Clear Wind. Huang Xin fled, Liu Gao was captured, and Song and Hua were rescued.
The Qing Prefecture governor then sent Qin Ming to attack Mount Clear Wind. Qin lost, and because Song Jiang (now the leader of Mount Clear Wind) had someone disguised as Qin Ming and burned down the suburb of the prefecture, the governor had Qin’s wife and children executed, and Qin was forced to join the bandits. Qin later led the bandits to attack Fort Clear Wind, where Huang Xin was garrisoned. Huang Xin, seeing that his teacher had joined the bandits, surrendered the fort and joined the bandits. Later, Song Jiang led the group to join Mount Liang, and Huang Xin became a Mount Liang hero. He fought as a Mount Liang hero and after the amnesty. He survived all the campaigns, and was afterwards appointed governor of the Qin Prefecture.
Sun Li, the Sick Yu Chi; the Earthly Courageous Star
地勇星 病尉遲 孫立One of the Sixteen Tiger Cub Officers and Scouts of the Mount Liang Cavalry. Used a metal club (鋼鞭) and a spear in battles. First appeared in chapter 49. A military officer of the Deng Prefecture. When the cousins of his sister-in-law were falsely arrested and about to be murdered in jail, Sun was compelled by his sister-in-law to help them break into the jail and rescue the cousins, Xie Zhen and Xie Bao. Afterwards, he also led the gang to kill the entire family of people who had falsely accused the Xie’s. The entire gang then joined Mount Liang and helped them defeat the Zhu Family Village.
He fought as a Mount Liang hero and after the amnesty. After the last campaign, he left his brother Sun Xin and his sister-in-law Gu Da Sao and resumed his old job at the Deng Prefecture.
Yu Chi is the name of a famous Tang general and pioneer.
Xuan Zan, the Ugly Prince; the Earthly Illustrious Star
地傑星 醜郡馬 宣贊One of the Sixteen Tiger Cub Officers and Scouts of the Mount Liang Cavalry. First appeared in chapter 63. Because of Xuan’s war merits, a guan-prince married his daughter to Xuan. (Jun-Prince: 郡王 – in ancient China, a male relative of the emperor was appointed “wang” or “king”, but it is a honorary position subordinate to the emperor and does not actually entitle one to ruling a kingdom. As such the position is more like that of a prince. To avoid the misunderstanding that the position is actually a king, and to avoid confusion with the “prince” in “ugly prince”, I’m translating it as “Jun-Prince.”) The daughter of the Jun-Prince was so distraught by Xuan Zan’s ugliness that she fell ill and died. Thus Xuan fell out of favor with the Jun-Prince and served as a low-ranking officer.
When the Mount Liang heroes besieged the Da Ming city during the first Da Ming campaign, Xuan Zan recommended Guan Sheng the Great Scimitar to lead the reinforcement. The Imperial Tutor approved the recommendation and sent Guan Sheng along with Xuan Zan to lead the reinforcement. Guan Sheng decided to attack Mount Liang lair instead of fighting the bandits at Da Ming. Guan Sheng eventually fell for Huyan Zhuo’s trickery and lost, and Xuan Zan was captured along with the rest of the troops. When Guan Sheng decided to join Mount Liang, Xuan Zan joined as well. He fought as a Mount Liang hero and after the amnesty. He was killed in the last campaign.
Hao Si Wen, the Jing Mu An; the Earthly Masculine Star
地雄星 井木犴 郝思文One of the Sixteen Tiger Cub Officers and Scouts. First appeared in chapter 63. A friend of Guan Sheng the Great Scimitar. The novel didn’t mention what he did, but he probably didn’t really hold any government. When Guan Sheng was summoned to lead the reinforcement for the Da Ming city, he followed Guan Sheng to war. When Guan Sheng lost and joined Mount Liang, he joined as well.
Note that the three men leading the reinforcement for Da Ming city: Guan Sheng, Xuan Zan, and Hao Si Wen, were all lowly ranked or rankles. Guan Sheng was some sort of “police-chief.” Xuan Zan was a low ranking officer because he fell out of favor with his father-in-law, the Jun-Prince. Hao Si Wen probably did not hold any government position.
Hao Si Wen fought as a Mount Liang hero and after the amnesty. He was killed in the last campaign.
Han Tao, the Invincible General; the Earthly Mighty Star
地威星 百胜將 韓滔One of the Sixteen Tiger Cub Officers and Scouts. His choice of weapon was a long wooden lance. First appeared in chapter 55. When Huyan Zhuo was sent to lead the army to attack Mount Liang, Han Tao led the vanguard. When Huyan Zhuo’s chained-horse strategy failed to Mount Liang’s use of the hooked spears, Huyan Zhuo’s army was routed and Han Tao was captured. Song Jiang then convinced Han to join. He fought as a Mount Liang hero and after the amnesty. He was killed in the last campaign.
Peng Ji, the General with the Heavenly Eye; the Earthly Heroic Star
地英星 天目將 彭玘One of the Sixteen Tiger Cub Officers and Scouts of the Mount Liang Cavalry. His choice of weapon was a three-point twin-edge sword. First appeared in chapter 55. When Huyan Zhuo was sent to lead the army to attack Mount Liang, Peng Ji led the rearguard. Lost in a duel with Mount Liang’s female warrior Hu San Liang and was captured. Song Jiang then convinced Peng to join.
He fought as a Mount Liang hero and after the amnesty. He was killed in the last campaign.
Shan Ting Gui, the General of Holy Water; the Earthly Wondrous Star
地奇星 聖水將 單廷珪One of the Sixteen Tiger Cub Officers and Scouts. First appeared in chapter 67. Used a black spear. Specialized in water attack. A commanding officer at the Ling Prefecture. The Imperial Tutor sent him and his colleague, Wei Ding Guo, to attack Mount Liang, but before they could disembark, Mount Liang’s hero Guan Sheng already led the Mount Liang troops to attack the Ling Prefecture. Shan lost in a fight with Guan Sheng and was captured. Guan Sheng convinced him to join, and asked him to convince Wei to join.
He fought as a Mount Liang hero and after the amnesty. He was killed in the last campaign.
Wei Ding Guo, the General of Divine Fire; the Earthly Ferocious Star
地猛星 神火將 魏定國One of the Sixteen Tiger Cub Officers and Scouts. First appeared in chapter 67. Used a scimitar. Specialized in fire attack. A commanding officer at the Ling Prefecture. The Imperial Tutor sent him and his colleague, Shan Ting Gui, to attack Mount Liang, but before they could disembark, Mount Liang’s hero Guan Sheng already led the Mount Liang troops to attack the Ling Prefecture. Shan lost in a fight with Guan Sheng and was captured. Guan Sheng convinced him to join, and asked him to convince Wei to join.
He fought as a Mount Liang hero and after the amnesty. He was killed in the last campaign.
Ou Peng, the Golden Wings in the Cloud; the Earthly Wide Star
地闊星 摩雲金翅 歐鵬One of the Sixteen Tiger Cub Officers and Scouts of the Mount Liang Cavalry. First appeared in chapter 41. His choice of weapon was a spear. He was a military officer, but he fled after he offended a local magistrate. He then joined the Mount Yellow Gate bandits. After Song Jiang was rescued from execution in the Jiang Prefecture and after Song Jiang and his gang had taken revenge on Wang Wen Bing, the man who accused Song Jiang of writing rebellious poems, Song Jiang and the gang was moving back to Mount Liang. En route, they were stopped by the Mount Yellow Gate bandits, who wished to join Song Jiang. Song Jiang accepted the Mount Yellow Gate gang and took them along to Mount Liang.
He fought as a Mount Liang hero and after the amnesty. He was killed in the last campaign.
Deng Fei, the Fiery-Eyed Lion; the Earthly Entire Star
地闔星 火眼狻猊 鄧飛One of the Sixteen Tiger Cub Officers and Scouts. First appeared in chapter 44. Used a metal chain for weapon. Was called “fiery-eyed” because of his red eyes. A bandit of the mountains of Water-Drinking Horse Rivers. When Dai Zong and a local bandit named Yang Lin the Golden Leopard were passing through there, he tried to rob them, and got into a fight with Yang Lin. The fighting stopped when they realized that they knew each other – they had in fact been in the same gangs of bandits many times before. Dai Zong then convined him to join Mount Liang.
He fought as a Mount Liang hero and after the amnesty. He was killed in the last campaign.
Ma Lin, the Immortal Iron Flutist; the Earthly Bright Star
地明星 鐵笛仙 馬麟One of the Sixteen Tiger Cub Officers and Scouts. First appeared in chapter 41. An unemployed man skilled in playing the iron flute. Used a scimitar and could fight a hundred men at a time. Joined the Mount Yellow Gate bandits. Joined Mount Liang along with Ou Peng (see Ou Peng’s bio right above).
He fought as a Mount Liang hero and after the amnesty. He was killed in the last campaign.
Yan Shun, the Golden-Haired Tiger; the Earthly Strong Star
地強星 錦毛虎 燕順One of the Sixteen Tiger Cub Officers and Scouts of the Mount Liang Cavalry. First appeared in chapter 32. A merchant of sheep and horses he turned into a bandit when his funds were depleted, and he was the leader of the Mount Clear Wind bandits. When Song Jiang was a fugitive wanted for killing Yan Poxi and on his way to see his friend Hua Rong, Yan Shun captured Song Jiang and was planning to have him cooked. After finding out that it was Song Jiang, Yan Shun spared his life and asked him to be the leader (as noted previously, Song Jiang had a reputation and was well liked by the heroes of the world.) Later when Song Jiang and Hua Rong were captured and being transported by Huang Xin and Lao Gao to the Qing Prefecture, Yan Shun led his men to stop the convoy and rescued Song Jiang and Hua Rong. After helping in the fight against Qin Ming and the capture of Fort Clear Wind, he followed Song Jiang to join Mount Liang.
He fought as a Mount Liang hero and after the amnesty. He was killed in the last campaign.
Yan Shun showed exceptional leadership skills in his successful rescue of Song Jiang and Hua Rong.
Chen Da, the Brook Leaping Tiger; the Earthly Circumventing Star
地周星 跳澗虎 陳達One of the Sixteen Tiger Cub Officers and Scouts. First appeared in chapter 2. Used a spear. One of the bandit leaders of Mount Shao Hua. The leaders: Zhu Wu, Chen Da, and Yang Chun were also sworn brothers. Leading his bandits to rob a county for food, he was stopped by Shi Jin and lost to him in a fight. The other leaders of Shao Hua, Zhu Wu and Yang Chun, gave themselves up and begged for Chen’s life, thus befriending Shi Jin. Later, Shi Jin got in trouble for associating with them, and eventually became their leader. When Shi Jin was captured for trying to rescue the daughter of the artist Wang, Liang Mount forces rescued him, and Shi led Mount Shao Hua to join Mount Liang.
He fought as a Mount Liang hero and after the amnesty. He was killed in the last campaign.
Yang Chun, the White-Spotted Snake; the Earthly Hidden Star
地隱星 白花蛇 楊春One of the Sixteen Tiger Cub Officers and Scouts of the Mount Liang Cavalry. Used a scimitar. One of the bandit leaders of Mount Shao Hua. The leaders: Zhu Wu, Chen Da, and Yang Chun were also sworn brothers. When Chen Da wanted to lead the bandits to rob a county for food, Zhu Wu and Yang Chun warned Chen Da about Shi Jin, but Chen Da went anyway. After Chen Da was captured, Zhu Wu and Yang Chun gave themselves up and begged for Chen’s life, thus befriending Shi Jin. Later, Shi Jin got in trouble for associating with them, and eventually became their leader. When Shi Jin was captured for trying to rescue the daughter of the artist Wang, Liang Mount forces rescued him, and Shi led Mount Shao Hua to join Mount Liang.
He fought as a Mount Liang hero and after the amnesty. He was killed in the last campaign.
Yang Lin, the Golden Leopard; the Earthly Dark Star
地暗星 錦豹子 楊林One of the Sixteen Tiger Cub Officers and Scouts of the Mount Liang Cavalry. First appeared in chapter 44. Used a “brush-tube” spear. Some sort of free lance bandit who joined various gangs over time. When Dai Zong was walking through using his magic-walk on his way to find Gongsun Sheng, Yang Lin recognized Dai Zong by his magically fast walking and called out to him. Dai Zong befriended him and asked Yang Lin to be his guide, and later recruited him to join Mount Liang.
He fought as a Mount Liang hero and after the amnesty. After the last campaign, he followed Pei Xuan the Iron-Faced Judge back to the Water-Drinking Horse Rivers area, and received his government position, and sought leisure.
Zhou Tong, the Little Tyrant; the Earthly Empty Star
地空星 小霸王 周通One of the Sixteen Tiger Cub Officers and Scouts of the Mount Liang Cavalry. First appeared in chapter 4. Originally the leader of Mount Peach Blossoms, he lost in a fight with Li Zhong the Tiger-Fighting General, and let Li Zhong become the leader. He forced Lord Liu of the Liu Family Village to hand his daughter over for marriage. Lu Zhi Shen promised Lord Liu that he would “convince” Zhou Tong, but instead beat him up when Zhou Tong showed up for his bride. Later, after Lu Zhi Shen found out that Li Zhong, a friend of Lu, was the leader of Mount Peach Blossom, Lu befriended and Zhou, and this time, really convinced Zhou Tong, who promised not to marry Liu’s daughter. Lu moved into Mount Peach Blossom, but realizing that Li and Zhou were stingy about money, he robbed them and escaped. Li promised that he would give his share from a recent loot to Zhou, but Zhou said that it was okay.
Much later, when Huyan Zhou had escaped to the Qing Prefecture area after losing the battle against Mount Liang, Li Zhong and Zhou Tong’s men stole Huyan Zhou’s horse, which was a gift from the emperor. Huyan Zhou went to the Qin Prefecture city and led an army against Mount Peach Blossom. Li and Zhou sought help from Lu Zhi Shen’s Mount Double Dragons. Later, Mount White Tiger also fought with Huyan Zhou’s forces and asked the Mount Double Dragons gang for help. Lu then suggested that they ask Mount Liang for help. Mount Liang joined the war and, with the help of the three other mounts, defeated Huyan Zhuo and the Qin Prefecture. The bandits of the three mounts then joined Mount Liang.
He fought as a Mount Liang hero and after the amnesty. He was killed in the last campaign.
Edited by MengTzu, 15 August 2007 - 07:28 AM.
