In the long river of ancient Chinese literature, "Water Margin" has become a popular classic with its unique historical background and distinctive characters. The one hundred and eight heroes depicted in the book, each with a different background and story, gathered in Shuibo Liangshan for various reasons to fight against the corrupt court and the powerful who oppressed the people. However, during the same period, another leader who rebelled against the imperial court, Fang La, also rose to prominence in the south, establishing his own sphere of influence. However, what is curious is why none of the Water Margin heroes chose to defect to Fang La? What are the historical, cultural and human factors behind this?
1. Historical background and geographical factors
First of all, we need to understand the historical background of "Water Margin" and the Fangla Uprising. In the last years of the Northern Song Dynasty, the imperial court was corrupt, the society was in turmoil, and the people lived in poverty. Against this backdrop, rebel armies rebelled against the imperial court in various places. Most of the heroes of Shuibo Liangshan are ordinary people who were born poor and persecuted by the government. They gathered in Yangsan to survive on the one hand, and to find a place that could protect them and realize their ideals.
At the same time, Fang La also raised troops in the south to rebel against the imperial court. The territory he occupies is mainly in the Jiangnan region, which is far away from Yangshanbo. In ancient times, when the transportation was inconvenient, the heroes of Liangshan not only needed to cross thousands of mountains and rivers to defect to Fangla, but also might face the pursuit and encirclement of the imperial army. Such risks and difficulties make it difficult for them to choose to defect to Fangla.
2. Cultural differences and conflict of values
In addition to geographical factors, cultural differences and conflict of values are also one of the important reasons why the Water Margin heroes did not defect to Fangla. Although the heroes of Liangshan come from all over the world, they share a common cultural background and values. They advocated loyalty, righteousness, bravery, and justice, and believed that only by uniting and resisting the oppression of the imperial court could they realize their ideals and pursuits.
However, Fang La's rebel army had obvious cultural differences and value conflicts with the heroes of Liangshan. Fang La's rebel army consisted mainly of peasants and fishermen from the south, and their original intention was mainly to resist the oppression and exploitation of the imperial court. However, in the course of the uprising, Fang La gradually embarked on the path of hegemony and began to implement tyranny and oppress the people. This is a far cry from the justice and fairness pursued by the heroes of Liangshan. Under such a conflict of values, the heroes of Liangshan are naturally reluctant to defect to Fang La. In addition, Fang La started from Zoroastrianism, and they have the same religious beliefs, and the heroes of Liangshan do not have this belief, so they will naturally not integrate into it.
3. Leadership and personality charm
In ancient societies, leadership and charisma had an important impact on the cohesion and centripetal force of an organization or group. The reason why the heroes of Liangshan were able to unite and resist the oppression of the imperial court together was inseparable from their leader Song Jiang. Song Jiang not only has excellent leadership skills, but also has a deep personality. He was able to treat every good man kindly, care about their life and growth, and won their trust and respect.
However, Fang La's leadership and charisma are relatively weak. Although he received the support of many in the early days of the uprising, he gradually lost the hearts and minds of the people in the later period. His tyranny and oppression of the people left many disappointed and angry. Under such leadership, Fang La's rebel army naturally struggled to attract and retain talent. The heroes of Liangshan are more willing to work together with a leader with excellent leadership skills and charisma.
Fourth, internal solidarity and external pressure
In addition to the above factors, internal unity and external pressure are also one of the important factors affecting the defection of the Water Margin heroes to Fangla. The reason why the heroes of Yangsan have been able to maintain a state of unity and stability for a long time is closely related to their close cooperation and mutual support. They trusted and supported each other, and together faced pressure and threats from the imperial court. In such an environment, it was difficult for them to choose to leave Liangshan and go to Fangla.
At the same time, external pressure from the imperial court also strengthened the determination of the heroes of Liangshan to resist. In order to suppress the Liangshan rebel army, the imperial court did not hesitate to use a large number of troops to encircle, suppress and suppress. This makes the heroes of Liangshan face great pressure and danger for survival. Under such circumstances, it is all the more necessary for them to unite and resist the oppression of the imperial court. Therefore, it is difficult for them to choose to defect to external forces like Fang La.
To sum up, there are many reasons why the Water Margin heroes did not defect to Fang La. This includes both objective factors such as geography, cultural differences, and clash of values, as well as subjective factors such as leadership and charisma. At the same time, internal solidarity and external pressures also had an important impact on their choices. Under the combined effect of these factors, the heroes of Liangshan chose to stay in Liangshan and jointly resist the oppression of the imperial court. This has also become one of the most moving and touching stories in the classic "Water Margin".
(For the story of the Water Margin, please pay attention to the official account Shujiantang)