Chapter 13 Section 3 Outlaws of the Marsh

At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, a peasant uprising by Song Jiang and others broke out.After Song Jiang's uprising failed, their stories were widely circulated among the people, with obvious sense of resistance and legendary color.During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, these stories began to attract the interest and attention of some literati.In Luo Ye's "Drunkard Tanlu" in the Southern Song Dynasty, there are titles such as "Blue-faced Beast", "Warrior", and "Flower Monk".At the end of the Song Dynasty, Gong Kai wrote "Songjiang Thirty-Six People Praise", which completely recorded the names and nicknames of the 36 leaders in the Songjiang uprising team.The story of the Water Margin has become an important theme for artists to tell and sing.Song and Yuan history storybook "Liangshan Po Juyi Benmo" (preserved in "Da Song Xuanhe Suicides") is the most complete Water Margin story that can be seen today before it was written.The content and structure of this storybook have already begun to take shape.There are also many Water Margin dramas in the Zaju of the Yuan Dynasty.These Water Margins jokingly say that Liangshanbo "benevolence and benevolence spread all over the world", think that "Liangshanbo is more loyal", and praise Liangshan heroes for "eliminating harm for the people" and "drawing their swords to help each other".The stories of the Water Margin are becoming richer and more lively, the characters are becoming more and more vivid, and the plots are becoming more and more tortuous and reasonable.At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the writer carried out arduous re-creation on the basis of the predecessors and wrote a book.There are three theories about who wrote it: Shi Naian, Luo Guanzhong, and Shi and Luo cooperated.The general saying is that Shi Naian made it.

and went through a similar book-making process.However, compared with that, the historical authenticity of the book is very thin.The proportion of its fictional elements is much larger than that of historical novels.Most of the so-called 108 generals are fictitious, and there is no mention of the relationship between the Song Jiang Uprising and Liang Shanbo in the history books.The vast majority of the stories come from folklore. Through the various stories of many heroes going to Liangshan, it reveals such a great theme as "the government forces the people to rebel".The rascal Gao Qiu became a captain just because he played well with Qi.He threatened to take revenge on Wang Jin, the coach of the Forbidden Army.His adopted son Gao Yanei fell in love with Lin Chong's wife, and planned to frame Lin Chong, causing Lin Chong's family to be destroyed.The local snake Zheng Tu cheated into marrying a woman who sold singing, and later abandoned the woman, and wanted to pursue the pawn money.The bully Ximen Qing colluded with Pan Jinlian, the wife of Wu University who sells cooking cakes, and poisoned Wu University to death, but he was able to get away with it.The landlord Mao Taigong blackmailed a tiger killed by the Orion, and instead threw the Orion Xie Zhen and Xie Bao into prison.Corrupt official administration not only forced civilians, but also some members of the ruling group to rebel.It convincingly describes how characters with different identities, upbringings, and experiences converged into the same torrent of rebellion through thousands of different paths.Regarding the nature of the Liangshan Uprising, some said it was a peasant uprising, while others said it was an armed struggle by vagrants.The discussion on this issue has not yet been fully developed and in-depth, and there is no generally accepted conclusion.

Among the Liangshan heroes, Lin Chong's character change is the best written.Lin Chong was originally the coach of the 800,000 forbidden army.A martial artist, respected by others.The wife is gentle and beautiful, the family is harmonious, and the life is prosperous and peaceful.Unexpectedly, a catastrophe fell from the sky.He accompanied his wife into the temple to burn incense, and when he went out to watch Lu Zhishen practice martial arts, Gao Yanei molested his wife in the temple.The author deliberately chooses this moment to portray the cowardice of the hero. "At that time Lin Chong was about to come over, but he recognized that he was in charge of Gao Ya Nei, so he softened his hands first." The shame and humiliation of his wife being molested by others, Lin Chong, a hero like him, let it go lightly and let it go.What is the reason?Lin Chong explained clearly what he said to Lu Zhishen: "Originally I was in the yamen of my official Gao Taiwei. I didn't recognize Mrs. Jing, and the time was rude. Lin Chong was about to beat up that fellow, but the Taiwei didn't want to Looks good. Since ancient times: "Don't be afraid of officials, just be afraid of being in charge." Lin Chong doesn't agree with him, let him accept it this time." This was written in the depths of Lin Chong's soul at once. He wanted to keep his current status. Unwilling to break with the ruler over this.Lin Chong endured again and again, begging for perfection.Even after suffering an unjust lawsuit and being assassinated in Cangzhou, he still swallowed his anger and hoped that one day he would "struggle back".However, Gao Qiu and his gang never give up until they achieve their goals. They did not become kind because of Lin Chong's tolerance.When one plan fails, another plan is made, pressing harder and harder, and finally burning the forage field, Lin Chong must be put to death.Lin Chong heard the proud conversation between Lu Qian, Fu An and Chai Pai outside the temple gate, and understood all their conspiracies and schemes. Only then did he completely abandon the illusion of a ruler. erupted like a volcano.After Lin Chong went through hard ideological struggles and overcame his weaknesses in thinking and character, his mental outlook was completely renewed.From a "gentle, courteous, thrifty" instructor of the Forbidden Army to an all-powerful backbone of the Rebel Army.Lin Chong's story leads directly to the theme.The image of Lin Chong is very representative.A person like Lin Chong who respected the feudal order, strictly abided by the feudal law, and did not dare to go one step beyond the threshold, such a person who kept his own law and did not dare to have any unreasonable thoughts, finally had to go to the ranks of the rebels, which was even more profound. It reveals the corruption and darkness of feudal society.

Lu Zhishen was Lin Chong's good friend, and he also went to Liangshan in the end, but Lu Zhishen's path was different from Lin Chong's.Lu Zhishen is a junior officer from the army.Reckless and brave, he acts bravely when he sees justice, and loves to fight injustice.He hated evil like an enemy, and killed Zhen Guanxi with three punches, eliminating one harm for the local area.He taught the bully Zhou Tong a lesson, and protected Liu Taigong's daughter.He made a big fuss in the wild boar forest because of his wronged friend Lin Chong.If it wasn't for Lin Chong's obstruction, then the wild boar forest would be the place where Dong Chao and Xue Ba were buried.He "kills people with blood, and saves people with blood", and escorted Lin Chong to Cangzhou.Lu Zhishen has no home, no job, no relatives, no reason, no concern at all, and seldom considers his own interests.No wonder Jin Shengtan from the Qing Dynasty lamented in his commentary: "Writing about Luda as a human being, a burst of enthusiasm spurts out. It makes people read it, and I am deeply ashamed that I was born in this world and never contributed to others." Especially sensitive to injustices in life.Lu Zhishen has a very strong sense of rebellion.He didn't have a good opinion of the imperial court.He had no illusions about the law.He beat Zheng Tu to death, and unlike Wu Song who surrendered himself to the county, he walked away and left.When he met Lin Chong, he had become a homeless man with nothing.He said to Lin Chong: "But you are afraid of his own official Taiwei, and the Sa family are afraid of him as a bird? If I bump into that group of birds, I will teach him to eat the 300 Zen sticks of the Sa family." Lu Zhishen also had thick and thin moments. Seeing that Zheng Tu was about to die, he thought to himself: "I only hope to beat this guy hard, I don't want to kill him with three punches. The Sa family will have to sue, and there is no one to deliver food, so it is better to let go as soon as possible." So he " He stepped forward and left, turned his head and pointed at Zheng Tuhu, saying: "You are cheating to die, the Sa family and you will take care of it slowly", cursing at the same time, and striding away at the other end."Lu Zhishen's climb up the mountain was not the result of reality oppressing him, but the result of his active resistance to reality.

Wu Song's boldness and bravery are similar to Lu Zhishen; but Wu Song's subtleties are not comparable to Lu Zhishen.Wu Song's ideological temperament is also different from that of Lu Zhishen, who was an officer.Wu Song grew up among the citizens, and he has a stronger atmosphere of the city.Wu Song has traveled all over the world since he was a child. He is well-informed and has a quick eye and a quick hand.Is a lone hero.Shizipo's Mongolian sweat medicine was broken by his cold eyes.Jiang Menshen of Happy Forest beat him to the ground.On Feiyunpu, he sent the two tolerances, plus the two apprentices of Jiang Menshen, to the west.People want to count him, but he counts.Wu Song is scheming and careful.For all major matters, you have calculated the front and back, and then you will do it decisively.The magistrate accepted Ximenqing's bribe and spoke for Ximenqing, but Wu Song complained and refused.But Wu Song didn't explode on the spot, he had his own ideas in his heart.Wu Song quietly bought paper, pens and ink, as well as some supplies for the memorial ceremony, and made intensive preparations.After everything was ready, he invited his neighbors over, and the front and rear gates were guarded by native soldiers, who were not allowed to enter or leave freely.Then I explained my idea to everyone, interrogated Pan Jinlian and Wang Po, obtained Pan Jinlian's confession of murdering her husband, recorded it, and killed Pan Jinlian.Then he went to Ximen Qing to settle accounts and killed Ximen Qing.Come back and use the enemy's head to pay homage to the brother's soul.Finally, he went to the county to surrender.Everything was realized in an orderly manner according to Wu Song's prediction.

Wu Song's personal consciousness is very strong.Always feel like a hero.The waiter in the shop kindly advised him to drink two bowls less, and advised him to stay overnight and avoid the time when tigers come and go, but he thought he had ulterior motives.After he went to the hill, he saw the seal letter posted on the gate of the temple, and he knew that there really was a tiger.At this time, he wanted to go back, but he was afraid that the shopkeeper would laugh at him.So, he bit the bullet and went to the hill with a lucky heart.When the tiger came suddenly, he was very surprised and fell off the bluestone all at once.Sweeping a stick hard, it will hit the dead tree and break in two.It can be seen that Wu Song was also a little flustered at the time.But Wu Song is a hero after all, he finally calmed down, punched and kicked, and killed a big tiger with a dangling eye and white forehead.Wu Song often talked about the heroic performance of fighting the tiger.Shi En was afraid that he would not be able to beat Jiang Menshen if he drank too much, but Wu Song laughed and said, "You are afraid that I will not be able to do it when I am drunk, but I have no ability to drink. One point of wine is one point of skill; five points of wine, Five-point ability. If I had drunk a lot of wine, I don’t know where this strength came from. If I hadn’t become drunk and bold, how could I beat this big worm on Jingyang Ridge? Powerful and powerful." Wu Song beat Jiang Menshen until his face was blue and his mouth was swollen, and he taught him a lesson: "Don't tell me you're a stupid idiot! That big bug on Jingyang Ridge only punched and kicked three times. I beat myself to death." Wu Song's favorite saying is "Wu Song only wants to beat the tough guys in the world".Wu Song became a prisoner, but he didn't get Wu Song's "favor", so he came to teach Wu Song a lesson, but Wu Song contradicted him face to face: "You speak instead, expecting the master to give you a favor, and there is nothing. I have a pair of fine fists." Give away! I have some gold and silver, I saved it to buy wine to eat, and see what you can do to me? If there is no land, I will be sent back to Yanggu County!" Guan Ying wanted to hit him with a killing stick, he said: "I don't want you If you want to fight, you don't want to fight. If I dodge a stick, I am not a good man. If I have fought before, I will not count it. I will fight again. If I yell, I am not a good man.", " If you want to be beaten, you can fight poisonously, if you don't want to be humane, you won't be happy if you beat me."It's all the tone of a tough guy, and he won't be a bit of a coward in his life.He killed Zhang Dujian's family, as well as Zhang Tuanlian and Jiang Menshen who were present at the same time.He decided to cut a piece of clothes from the dead body, dip it in blood, and write eight large characters on the white powder wall: "The murderer hits Wu Song." Wu Song has a very strong sense of personal grievances.The magistrate promoted him to be a capital, and asked him to take the gold and silver he had looted to Tokyo as a gift, "seeking a promotion."Wu Song agreed straight away: "The villain has to be favored by his kindness, how dare he deny it?" Shi En took care of Wu Song in everything, spared Wu Song's killing stick, took good care of him with good wine and food, and he went to beat Jiang Menshen for Shi En , Take back the happy forest business.Zhang Dujian accepted him as a "confidant", rewarded him, promoted him, and married his adoptive mother Yulan to help him start a family and start a business.Wu Song was so grateful that he completely lost his vigilance.He knelt down and thanked him: "The villain is a prisoner in the prison camp. If he is favored by his kindness, the villain should follow him with a whip and serve his kindness." Later, he found out that he was fooled, so he made a big fuss in Feiyunpu, blood spattered Yuanyang Tower, Luocao became a "bandit".Wu Song originally recognized feudal law and order.After killing Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing, he went to the county to surrender.He knew that to avenge his elder brother and kill the "adulterate husband and adulterous woman", he would get the tolerance and sympathy of the law.However, later on he killed Dujian, Tuanlian, Dujian's family boy, and Tolerance, so he simply left.At this time, he had no way out.The author writes about such a hero who was born in the market.Well written, full of character and believable.Wu Song became a hero loved and admired by the people.

Yang Zhi is "after the three generations of generals, the grandson of the five princes Yang Linggong".When he was young, he "had participated in martial arts examinations and became an envoy in the palace division system".Just because Hua Shigang was lost and could not return to Beijing to take up his post, he "buy and sue" some gold and silver belongings in an attempt to make an appointment.Unexpectedly, after Gao Taiwei read the document, Lei Ting was furious, and he overturned the document and drove Yang Zhi out of the Dianshuai's mansion.Yang Zhi seeks fame and fame with all his heart, and he wants to win his wife and son with his ability, so as to honor his ancestors.Wang Lun persuaded him to fall into the grass, and he thought, "Wang Lun persuaded me, and I can see it. It's just for the sake of the innocent surname of the Sa family, and he refuses to defile his parents' remains."Yang Zhi's background and experience are not only different from Lin Chong, but also different from Lu Zhishen and Wu Song.In Yang Zhi's body, he has more fantasies about the ruler and a stronger desire for fame.However, fate is easy to play tricks on people.Selling precious knives happened to meet the rogue Niu Er, and he unexpectedly killed this famous scoundrel in the capital in a moment of temper.As a result, not only was there no hope for an official position, but he was imprisoned instead, and he was full of the taste of being behind bars.Unexpectedly, Liang Zhongshu took a fancy to his martial arts and hired him out of the ordinary. Yang Zhi's dream of wealth and honor was about to come true.Unexpectedly, on the Huangnigang, he fell into the trap carefully designed by Zhi Duoxing, "Fifteen people were top-heavy, and they all looked at each other, and they all collapsed." They watched Wu Yong, Chao Gai and others put the birthday outline on the car. , walk away.Yang Zhi, who is meticulous and scheming, is not the opponent of Zhi Duoxing after all, not to mention the old governor sent by Liang Zhongshu, who is called to assist but actually supervises.After these encounters, Yang Zhi had no way out, and finally embarked on the road of rebellion.

There is an obvious contradiction in the ideological tendency of the author: on the one hand, he capitalizes the resistance of the heroes of the Water Margin, which is sympathetic and admirable;This contradiction is not surprising.The ruler's resistance to the people has always been "suppressed" and "pacified".One hard and one soft, each has its own use.Under the conditions at that time, it was impossible for farmers and citizens to have the idea of ​​fundamentally denying imperial power.Only against corrupt officials, not against the emperor, this is the limitation imposed by the times.We cannot judge the ancients by today's standards.It is true that Zhao'an was written, and Song Jiang went to fight Fang La, but the ending of Zhao'an was written very miserable in the book.This description itself constitutes a negation of Zhao'an.The overall feeling for people is: the chaos is self-made, and the government forces the people to rebel.Readers can understand the author's criticism of the emperor who reused treacherous ministers from the descriptions of Gao Qiu, Cai Jing and others in the book.Although this kind of criticism is not sharp enough and lacks strength, it can still be clearly felt.Judging from its social effects, it sings the praises of the rebels and encourages those who resist the darkness.This is the reason why it was designated by the ruler as a work of "instructing robbers" and listed as the first banned book.The description of Zhao'an in the book is related to the background of the Song and Yuan dynasties.At that time, the national crisis was very serious. Seeing the weakness of the imperial court, the people hoped to recruit a talented bandit like Song Jiang to resist foreign enemies.Therefore, after recruiting An in the novel, there is a story about Zheng Liao.Ming Zhong Xing wrote in his preface: "Hey! There is no Li Kui and Wu Yong in the world, which makes Ha Chi rampant in Liaodong! Every time I recite the autumn wind, I think of warriors, and I scream for it. And Zhang, Han, Yue, Liu Wu For the sixth generation, sweep away the demonic atmosphere of Liao and Shu, eliminate them, and then go to court.” Zhong Xing sighed because of the foreign aggression in the Ming Dynasty, “There are no Li Kui and Wu Yong in the world”, which just shows that Zhao’an has the meaning of recruiting robbers to resist foreign enemies.

The internal ideological contradictions are concentrated in Song Jiang.Song Jiang was born a rich man and worked in a government office.He is proficient in knives and pens, and skilled in officials.As a prefect, he is very convenient.Donate righteously and donate money, treat people equally, "Love and respect everyone, and no one in the county will let him go."He made a lot of heroes, was unwilling to be lonely, and had great political ambitions.He sympathizes with the suffering of people's livelihood, and even sympathizes with and protects Chao Gai and others' actions to outwit the birth plan, but he himself does not want to devote himself to it.Although Song Jiang had a long relationship with Chao Gai and others, he hesitated to wait and see for a long time, unwilling to fall into the grass.Later, he had no choice but to go to Liangshan, and he still didn't want to be a thief for the rest of his life.Li Zhi's "Preface to the Water Margin of Loyalty" said that Song Jiang "lived in the Water Margin, his heart was above the court, he was determined to recruit security, and he only wanted to serve the country", which was in line with Song Jiang's ideological reality.Song Jiang is mainly responsible for Brother Liang Shan's tragedy.At the same time, Song Jiang was able to adapt to the situation at that time and put forward such an appealing political slogan and action program as "walking for the sky".He united the rebels from all over the world, from three religions and nine streams, and twisted them into a single rope.Song Jiang has a lot of credit for the prosperity of Liangshan's business before Zhao'an.The contradictions of the characters' thoughts reflect the contradictions of the author's thoughts.

Literature is human studies, and novels are the art of directly describing characters through various stories.Inheriting the excellent tradition of storybook novels and developing them to some extent.It unifies legend and authenticity, plot description and characterization at a very high level.This unity reflects the historical trend of ancient Chinese novels leaping from heroic legends to novels of human feelings. The unity of the artistic achievements, legend and authenticity is concentrated in the portrayal of the characters.The predecessors praised "Water Margin" narrates a hundred and eight people, people have their temperament, people have their temperament, people have their shape, and people have their voice".The predecessors also pointed out, "Writing is wonderful through the ages, and it is all in the same but different. People such as Lu Zhishen, Li Kui, Wu Song, Ruan Xiaoqi, Shi Xiu, Hu Yanzhuo, Liu Tang, etc., are all acute. Each has its own style, each has its own situation, each has its own number, and each has its status, one is exactly the same, and the other half is not mixed. Readers can make their own distinctions, and they don’t need to see their names, but they can know someone when they see the facts.”Not only the character's character is written, but also the social environment on which the character's character is generated, so that the character can reflect rich social significance.The social environment of a character is mainly reflected by the many auxiliary characters surrounding him, especially by the relationship between him and the auxiliary characters.And it is precisely at this point that a great deal of success has been achieved.It not only writes many heroes vividly, but also writes the auxiliary characters related to them very realistically and vividly.For example, the novel revolves around the important character Lin Chong, and arranges a series of auxiliary characters, both positive and negative.The predecessors appreciated the depiction of these auxiliary characters very much. Ye Zhou, a man of the Ming Dynasty, said: "If you are Guan Ying, if you are dispatched, if you are Dong Chao, if you are Xue Ba, if you are Fu'an, if you are Lu Qian, the emotions are lifelike, and the laughter is vivid. "The novel reveals the hopeless corruption of the entire state apparatus at that time through the descriptions of characters such as Gao Qiu, Lu Qian, and Cha Pao.This kind of corrupt government is exactly the environment in which Lin Chong lived, and it is the objective basis for his character to change from cowardice and patience to fierce resistance, and it is also the objective basis for the theme of the whole book "Forced to the top".Without the description of these characters, or if these characters are not written successfully, it will affect the shaping of Lin Chong's image, and further weaken the depth and strength of the theme, and the social significance of Lin Chong's character and transformation cannot be fully reflected.Numerous auxiliary characters themselves formed a vast society, and made a concentrated summary of the social contradictions at that time, exposing and criticizing them very deeply.This arrangement reflects the author's deep understanding of the society and entrusts the author's distinct love and hatred.

The language has always been praised by people.Developed from the storybook, it doesn't seem like there is a "Three Kingdoms" as a reference.Its language is based on spoken language and refined by the speaker.Concise and vivid, without lengthy and rigid problems.The language of the characters has reached the height of individuality.The upbringing, identity, personality and psychology of the characters can be seen from the characters' language.The same boldness, but Lu Zhishen, Wu Song and Li Kui are different.Lu Zhishen has the status of an officer in his boldness.Li Zhong said that after selling the plaster and begging for money, he went to drink with Lu Zhishen.But Lu Zhishen said unceremoniously to Li Zhong: "Who is waiting for you? Go and go together." Zheng Tu asked the knife hand to cut Lu Zhishen's meat, but Lu Zhishen said: "Don't wait for the pickle guys to do it, you cut it yourself " Zheng Tu asked him why he cut the fat, and he opened his eyes to contradict Zheng Tu: "Msg Gongjun's decree, to distribute to the Sa family, who dares to ask him?" Lu Zhishen, who is an officer, and Li Kui, who is a prisoner, are both jealous. It shows the difference of status and upbringing.In Wu Song's boldness, there is a kind of shrewdness in going through the rivers and lakes, a kind of self-confidence of a hero.Before going to Tokyo, he said to Pan Jinlian in front of Wuhan University: "My sister-in-law is a delicate person, so there is no need to use Wu Song to say more. My brother is simple, and it is all up to his sister-in-law to look at him. As the saying goes: 'The outside is not as strong as the inside. .'My sister-in-law is in charge of the family, what is my brother worried about? Don't you hear the ancient saying: 'A dog cannot enter a fence.'" These words are thorny and thorny, and they are actually a warning to Pan Jinlian , but without losing his uncle's identity.This kind of talk is soft but hard, Lu Zhishen can't say it, and Li Kui can't say it.Li Kui's boldness is mixed with recklessness and naivety, coupled with his astonishing frankness.When he saw Song Jiang for the first time, he called Song Jiang "black man" and "Black Song Jiang".When Song Jiang introduced himself and said: "I am Hei Songjiang from Shandong", Li Kui clapped his hands and shouted: "My lord, why didn't you say something earlier, so that Tieniu likes it." He turned over and bowed.Really fast talk, without any pretense. It is the first vernacular novel in ancient my country and an outstanding representative of hero legends.Its huge capacity, profound theme, vivid description of characters, and expressive language are enough to make it a glorious milestone in the history of ancient Chinese novels.However, the significance in the history of fiction is not limited to this.Although it is a representative work of hero saga, the successful portrayal of many people in the market and the truthful depiction of the world and human conditions in the novel make this peak work of hero saga herald the leap forward of classical novels from hero saga to world situation novels. trend.