Some Important Moments in "The Water Margin" Quiz

Answer: By winning the favor of Prince Duan, the future emperor, by playing football skillfully

The previous history of Gao Qiu is like this: as an exile, he was introduced to Dong Jiangshi by Liu Shiquan after amnesty, and then he was introduced to Su Junior, the Court Scholar by Dong, and then Su sent him to Wang Jinqing, the Young Prince Consort. One day Wang ordered him to send gifts to Prince Duan, and he accidentally showed his football skill in front of Prince Duan and thus won his favor. Afterwards, when Prince Duan was made the emperor, Gao Qiu was appointed as a marshal commanding the Imperial Guards.

A famous Chinese critic once remarked that "The Water Margin" has a great beginning in that it starts with Gao Qiu the villain, rather than the 108 heroes. If it started with the 108 revolting heroes, it would mean that chaos stemmed from the confusion of the lower people. Since it starts with Gao Qiu, it means that chaos stemmed from the corruption of the upper strata.

What is interesting is that some people claim that the Gao Qiu story shows that ancient Chinese invented the game of football (soccer). This saying makes me laugh out loud. What Gao Qiu played has nothing to do with the modern game of football.

Answer: Because he wanted to avenge Old Jin and his daughter, who were picked on by Zhen the butcher

Zhen the butcher forced Jade Lotus, Old Jin's daughter, to marry him as a concubine, but in less than three months his wife compelled him to divorce her. Afterwards the couple asked for the contract money back, which Zhen hadn't paid them in fact. When Lu Da was told the story, he was boiled with rage. Lu was a man who hated evil like an enemy.

Lu Da pummeled Zhen the butcher to death with three fist punches. But Lu Da didn't mean to kill him. After Zhen died, Lu shook his finger at his corpse and shouted: "Go on playing dead. I will settle with you later." This shows that Lu, unlike Li Kui (nickname The Black Whirlwind), was quick-witted when dealing with an emergency.

Answer: Because he was tricked by Lu Qian, his long-time friend, into entering White Tiger Inner Sanctum by mistake with a sword in hand, and accused falsely of intending to kill Marshal Gao Qiu

Why did Marshal Gao frame Lin Chong? The superficial reason is that his adopted son wanted to marry Lin's wife. The real reason is that Lin didn't collaborate with Marshal Gao and his people.

Lin Chong was an obedient man. He endured any injustice done to him because he still hoped for a bright future in the official hierarchy. Marshal Gao wanted to kill him again and again, but he never considered revolting, until he had no way out. At last, he had to go to the Liangshan Marsh to become an outlaw.

Answer: They toppled Yang Zhi (nicknamed The Blue-Faced Beast) and other escorts with drugs and took the gifts away

The gifts were sent to Premier Cai Jing to celebrate his birthday by Governor Liang. Liang ordered Yang Zhi to escort the gifts. Yang was very cautious and kept urging the soldiers to hurry on with the journey. But on Yellow Earth Ridge, he still fell into the trap set by Wu Yong (nicknamed The Wizard) and lost the gifts. Thus his career was completely ruined.

The gifts were valued at a hundred thousand strings of cash, which was a big amount. What interests me is how Chao Gai and his people dealt with their winning after capturing it. The book doesn't state it clearly but I guess they simply divided it among them, which shows that they were only short-sighted peasants and didn't know how to develop their cause well.

Answer: Poxi hid the letter from Chao Gai away and threatened to inform of his colluding with the Liangshan Marsh heroes to the court

To thank Song Jiang for his favour of life-saving, Chao Gai sent him a letter and one hundred ounces of gold. Song took the letter but refused the money. Poxi, Song's discontented concubine, hid the letter away and asked three things from Song. The first two, letting her marry Zhang Wenyuan by returning the contract of sale and giving all the ornaments and clothes and furnishings to her, were agreed to by Song.

But the last one, giving one hundred ounces of gold from Chao Gai to her, was impossible and refused by Song Jiang. So she threatened to inform against Song Jiang.

In a fight to grab the letter, Song killed her.

Answer: Because she committed adultery with Xinmen Qing and, together with Mistress Wang, killed Wu Zhi, Wu Song's elder brother, by poisoning him

While Wu Song was away for a business trip, Pan Jinlian committed adultery with Xinmen Qing, a rich medicine businessman. Wu Zhi, her useless husband, found it out but was wounded badly by Xinmen. Then Pan Jinlian killed him with the help of Mistress Wang. When Wu Song was back home, he looked into the whole matter and killed Pan, Xinmen and Wang all.

What happened between Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing may be the most famous adultery story in China. Pan Jinlian was long taken as a synonym for lustful women in Chinese folklore. But now it is generally thought that Pan is also a victim of the feudal family culture. In the first place she was a maidservant of a wealthy family but the master of the house kept pestering her. She didn't want him so she told his wife. He hated her so much that he married her off to Wu Zhi, a useless man. When she met Wu Song, she did like him very much. But Wu Song was a so-called "away-from-women" hero. Last, at the instigation of Mistress Wang, she had an affair with Xinmen the villain. It seems she was cornered and ruined by the destiny.

Answer: Disguised as snake charmers, medical cure pedlars, porters and merchants, they raided the execution grounds and saved Song there

Song Jiang found no way to serve the country and wrote a poem on the wall of Xunyang Pavilion to give vent to his discontent. But this poem was interpreted by Huang Wenbing as rebellious, so he was captured. When the Liangshan Marsh heroes learned the news, they went to the Jiangzhou prefecture and saved Song from the execution grounds, because Song once did them a big favour by saving Chao Gai and his people.

What disturbs me is that in this story, the Liangshan Marsh heroes killed too many people, including both soldiers and civilians. "By now bodies of soldiers and civilians were sprawled all over the crossroads, and blood flowed in rivulets. Countless more had been felled and wounded." This shows these "heroes" had no real sympathy and reverence for human life.

Answer: They took the Manor by collaborating with inside forces led by Sun Li (nicknamed The Sickly General)

Song Jiang attacked the Zhu Family Manor thrice but failed the first two times. It happened that Sun Li revolted in the Dengzhou prefecture and went to the Liangshan Marsh for shelter. Sun Li was an old friend of Luan Tingyu, the arms instructor of the Zhu Family Manor. So Song Jiang had him collaborate from within with the Liangshan Marsh forces from without.

Why did Song Jiang want to take the Zhu Family Manor? Of course the Manor defied the Liangshan Marsh in the first place. But I guess the more important reason is that Song, as a new man in the Marsh, wanted to establish his own authority by defeating a powerful oppnent. At that time, provincial farms were allowed to keep their own military forces so the farms near the Liangshan Marsh posed a big threat to the development of the Marsh.

Answer: He died of an arrow wound made by Shi Wengong, the instructor of Zengtou Village

Chao Gai led troops to attack Zengtou Village. After the first attempt failed, he fell into a trap set by the enemy and was shot by a poisoned arrow in his forehead, an arrow on which was stamped the name of "Shi Wengong". When back the Marsh, Chao soon died of the wound.

What is interesting is that Chao Gai didn't name Song Jiang, the then second leader of the Marsh, as his successor. In his will he just said that whoever captured Shi Wengong would become the ruler of Liangshan Marsh. In fact, Chao's strategy had collided with Song's already. Chao wanted to go on rebelling, while Song wanted the Marsh to accept amnesty from the court. So Chao possibly didn't want Song to become the first leader of the Marsh. But Song enjoyed big fame and authority in the Marsh, which no one else could challenge. So Chao just left a vague will.

Answer: He had to join the band after being saved from the execution grounds by the Liangshan heroes

Wu Yong designed the ruse. He deceived Lu Junyi into leaving home and making a journey past Liangshan Marsh. Then the Marsh heroes managed to capture Lu and told Li Gu that Lu had joined the Marsh band. When Lu was released by the Marsh and back home, Li Gu, who had married Lu's wife, collaborated with local authorities and arrested Lu with a charge of colluding with the Marsh. Then Lu was imprisoned and had no way out. At last the Marsh heroes saved him from the execution grounds and he had to join the band.

But why did Song Jiang try all means to make Lu Junyi join the band anyway? After becoming the first leader, Song wanted to implement his strategy of accepting amnesty, but there was much opposition in the Marsh, mainly from the lower people, like Sagacious and Wu Song. Lu was a very rich man in the North Capital and would support his strategy for sure. If Lu joined the band, Song would expand his forces and practiced his policy with more assurance.