Preface
Song Jiang, as a member of Shuibo Liangshan, his three decisions have aroused heated discussions and discussions among countless people. On the must-kill list, Li Kui was marked as number one, which raises an even more sensational question: Who is the second place?
This question not only makes people curious, but also makes people think about Song Jiang's strategic layout and inner choice. What kind of character can be as famous as Li Kui and become the second on Song Jiang's must-kill list?
So, is Song Jiang really the leader of Liangshan? Does he really care about his brother? Today, let's walk into the world of Water Margin and unveil the layers of Song Jiang's complex character.
1. Li Kui: A henchman who knows too many secrets
As we all know, Li Kui was one of the important leaders of Liangshan. He is honest and honest, and he is loyal to Song Jiang. Whether it was making a fuss in the restaurant for Song Jiang, or risking his life to go deep into Zengtou City as a hostage, Li Kui never considered his own safety. However, such a loyal subordinate died in the hands of Song Jiang in the end.
It turned out that Li Kui knew too many secrets that he shouldn't know. He witnessed the tragic situation of Song Jiang's slaughter of Hu Jiazhuang, and also knew Song Jiang's covetousness for Hu Sanniang. Li Kui has an upright personality and likes to talk nonsense after drinking, Song Jiang was afraid that he would leak his mouth one day and ruin his prestige in Liangshan, so he moved to kill.
Song Jiang wanted to kill Li Kui with a knife several times. For example, when Li Kui returned to his hometown to visit his mother, Song Jiang only sent the timid and fearful Dai Zong to accompany him, as if he wanted Li Kui to face danger alone. Another example is when attacking Zengtou City, he deliberately let the reckless Li Kui go deep into the enemy camp alone, knowing that this was a mission that was almost certain to death.
However, the witty Li Kui was lucky enough to avoid these traps, which made Song Jiang secretly complain. Seeing that he couldn't kill people with a knife, Song Jiang decided to take matters into his own hands. At the Liangshan Gathering Hall, he pretended to be reluctant and persuaded Li Kui to drink the glass of wine mixed with poison. Until Li Kui died, he didn't expect that the one who killed him was actually the most trusted brother Song Jiang.
He may still be wondering what he did wrong to make Song Jiang so angry. But he will never know that he died only because he knew too much. Li Kui's tragedy reveals one aspect of Song Jiang's personality.
He is benevolent and righteous on the surface, but he is ruthless on the inside. For him, the loyalty of his subordinates is not important, but whether they will become a stumbling block to his power. Once there is a threat, even if it is the closest brother, Song Jiang will not hesitate to eradicate it. How can such a person be worthy of the word "benevolence and righteousness"?
2. Wang Ying: The unlucky one who robbed Song Jiang's woman
Speaking of the name Wang Ying, it is estimated that many people will ask: "Who is Wang Ying?" It's no wonder that he doesn't have many scenes in the original book. But Wang Ying offended Song Jiang because of an affair.
Song Jiang has long secretly promised the beautiful Hu Sanniang. Who knew that Wang Ying, who was not open-eyed, actually took the lead in asking for Hu Sanniang's heart. For the sake of face, Song Jiang had to endure the pain and marry Hu Sanniang to Wang Ying. From then on, every time he saw the intimacy between the two, Song Jiang was so angry that his teeth itched.
You must know that with Song Jiang's mind and the city, he can't swallow this breath. If it was in the past, he would have quietly found someone to teach Wang Ying a lesson. But now Wang Ying is his brother-in-law and the leader of Liangshan, so it is not good-looking to deal with it. Song Jiang secretly remembered this hatred in his heart.
We can imagine how Song Jiang wore Wang Ying's shoes everywhere in the days that followed. He would deliberately assign some dirty and tiring errands to Wang Ying when assigning tasks, so that he would be bored. When Wang Ying made a mistake, he would reprimand him in public and make him lose face. What's more, Song Jiang may also quietly instruct his subordinates to speak ill of Wang Ying behind his back, making him embarrassed in front of everyone in Liangshan.
Wang Ying naturally felt Song Jiang's hostility, but what could he do? He neither has Song Jiang's power nor Song Jiang's scheming, so he can only swallow his anger and hide behind Hu Sanniang as a turtle with a shrunken head. But even so, he is afraid that he will be afraid all day long, for fear that one day he will inexplicably die under Song Jiang's conspiracy.
Wang Ying's experience reflects the other side of Song Jiang. He is generous on the surface, but he is narrow-minded behind the scenes, and he will repay him. For those who have violated their own interests, even if it is just a little mustard, Song Jiang will secretly make a stumbling block until the other party is completely destroyed. Where is this a leader who has a heart for the world? It's just a scheming villain who loves to hold grudges.
3. Chai Jin: The most threatening political opponent
Among the brothers, the one who gave Song Jiang the most headache was probably Chai Jin. Chai Jin is one of the earliest leaders of Liangshan and the eldest brother of the three female generals of Taohuashan. His prestige in Liangshan is no less than that of Song Jiang. What's more, Chai Jin had ambitions to revive the Song dynasty.
Although Song Jiang seemed to treat everyone equally, Wu Yong and other henchmen could see that he always had a hostility and fear towards Chai Jin. Song Jiang knew that Chai Jin was not a reckless man like Li Kui and Wang Ying, but a real political threat. He is well versed in the art of war, and he has a skill, if he wants to rebel one day, I am afraid that the entire Liangshan will be turned upside down by him.
Chai Jin also felt Song Jiang's suspicion, so he secretly recruited troops and horses, accumulated grain and grass, and prepared for seizing control of Liangshan in the future. He understands that in this world of the jungle, whoever has a hard fist can be the boss. What is just a Song Jiang?
One mountain does not tolerate two tigers. Song Jiang and Chai Jin, Liang Shan will have to divide the winner sooner or later. Wu Yong saw this thoroughly, so he suggested that Song Jiang preemptively get rid of Chai Jin. But Song Jiang knew that Chai Jin had deep roots in Liangshan, and he was only afraid of provoking civil strife if he made a rash move. He decided to wait and see what happened.
In this power game, Song Jiang undoubtedly had the upper hand. He has Wu using this think tank to advise him, and he has many henchmen to overcome obstacles for him. On the other hand, Chai Jin, although he also has some supporters, most of them are reckless martial artists, and when it comes to scheming and scheming, they are still far inferior to Song Jiang. In this wrestling, the victory or defeat was actually predestined from the beginning.
Chai Jin's story tells us that in the jungle of power, it is not enough to have ambition, but also to have extraordinary scheming. The dispute between gentlemen is about morality and benevolence; The battle in troubled times is compared to the scheming of the city government. Chai Jin loses because he loses too much, while Song Jiang wins because he has a lot of eyes in his heart and is good at calculation. This is the rule of survival for heroes in troubled times.
Fourth, Lu Zhishen: If you can't afford to provoke, you can only hide
If you want to say that the heroes with outstanding martial arts on Liangshan are none other than Lu Zhishen. When he was young, he single-handedly fought Wutai Mountain, subduing the dragon and subduing the tiger, and no one was invincible. What's even more rare is that Lu Zhishen has traveled extensively and has excellent popularity.
Song Jiang was both in awe and awe of Lu Zhishen. He knew that this man was outspoken and jealous. If Lu Zhishen is killed, Lin Chong, Wu Song and others will inevitably be the same enemy. At that time, I am afraid that Liangshan will fall apart.
Song Jiang imagined that scene for a moment: Wu Song came to the door angrily with a double-ring knife; Lin Chong led the soldiers and horses and killed them mightily. Thinking of this, Song Jiang couldn't help but shudder.
What's more, with Lu Zhishen's skills, it is not easy to kill him. Song Jiang thought about it and felt that it was really worth the loss to provoke Lu Zhishen. decided to hide if he could, not to provoke this tricky master.
In the days that followed, every time Lu Zhishen came to Song Jiang for a drink, Song Jiang always greeted him with a smile and agreed. In private, he complained to Wu Yong: "This flower monk drinks like a cow, and I am going bankrupt when I drink!" Wu Yong could only smile and comfort Song Jiang: "Big brother, patience will pass." We can't afford to mess with others, so we can only accompany the smiling face. "
Lu Zhishen's existence is undoubtedly a thorn in Song Jiang's heart. He reminded Song Jiang that his power was not impregnable. In Liangshan, there is a more powerful force than conspiracy, and that is righteousness. Lu Zhishen's fame is based on his straightforwardness. And Song Jiang can only survive by scheming. This may be the fact that Song Jiang is most reluctant to admit, but he is helpless.
5. Wu Yong: A military advisor who helped Song Jiang give advice
Among Song Jiang's henchmen, the one who reassured him the most was Wu Yong. Wu Yong is resourceful and not greedy for power and profit. He was loyal to Song Jiang and often solved problems for Song Jiang. The two can be described as monarchs and ministers, and they cooperate tacitly.
Wu Yong saw through Song Jiang's thoughts. He knew that Li Kui, Chai Jin, and Wang Ying were all big troubles for Song Jiang. In order to help Song Jiang get rid of hidden dangers, Wu Yong is likely to give advice and teach Song Jiang how to kill people and eliminate dissidents.
If Liang Shan didn't recruit An, Wu Yong would persuade Song Jiang to do it as soon as possible. In this way, it can not only stabilize Song Jiang's position in Liangshan, but also help him avenge Wang Ying's robbery of women. For Wu Yong, it is simply a clever plan to kill multiple birds with one stone. It is not difficult for us to imagine how eager Wu Yong would be when discussing getting rid of these people.
He would take out stacks of strategy books and analyze the pros and cons to Song Jiang endlessly. "Big brother, if you want to get rid of Li Kui, we can do this and this; To deal with Chai Jin, you can do this and this; As for Wang Ying, it's simpler, let's do it like this. When Song Jiang heard this, he would definitely applaud and praise Wu Yong, and he would trust and rely on Wu Yong more.
However, is Wu Yong really Song Jiang's courtier? Was his loyalty just a well-woven illusion? We might as well make a bold assumption: if one day, Song Jiang loses power, will Wu Yong betray him without hesitation and take refuge in the new master?
There are countless examples of this in history and literature. Sima Yi is to Cao Cao, Qin Hui is to Gaozong, all the same. In the eyes of the advisers, there is only profit, not morality. Their loyalty, always vassal, can be changed at any time.
Perhaps, Wu Yong's feelings for Song Jiang are not deep in his own interests. The reason why he is willing to be subservient to others is only because Song Jiang can give him a platform to realize his ambitions. Once he had a better choice, he would probably abandon Song Jiang without hesitation, just as he suggested that Song Jiang abandon Li Kui.
Monarchs and ministers are related to interests. The relationship between Song Jiang and Wu Yong is probably far from being as stable as it seems on the surface. In the Game of Thrones, there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests. Wu Yong is just taking what he needs with Song Jiang.
epilogue
Song Jiang has always been a mystery. He seems to talk about brotherhood, but he is still a competitive man in his bones. In order to defend his place in Liangshan, he can poison his cronies.
No wonder some people commented that he "hides a knife in his smile", and his heart is unfathomable. Through Song Jiang's murderous intentions, we seem to see an eternal topic: how power corrodes a person's heart.
When a person climbs to the peak of power, can he still stick to his heart and practice morality? Or do you become cold-blooded and cruel, and do whatever it takes to achieve your goals? This is worth pondering for each of us.