As a treasure of mainland classical literature, "Water Margin" shows the social turmoil of the Song Dynasty through the legendary story of one hundred and eight generals.
However, if you carefully experience "Water Margin", you will find many differences, and there are many deep meanings hidden in the character names and story structure. In particular, the names of the three village owners in Liangshan reveal the inevitability of the ultimate fate of Song Jiang, or the fate of the Northern Song Dynasty.
This metaphor not only makes the novel more layered, but also hints at the tragic fate of the heroes and the development of history. So, what's the story? Let's talk about it today.
At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, the world was in turmoil
In the last years of the Northern Song Dynasty, the political corruption officialdom was dark, the people lived in dire straits, Gao Yu, Cai Jing and other traitors controlled the government, and corruption prevailed.
Land annexation was serious, peasants were forced to leave their homes, life was poor, thieves were rampant, local security was extremely poor, the government was unable to protect the people, and even colluded with thieves to extort money.
Against this turbulent backdrop, heroes from all over the world rose up to rebel against the tyranny of the imperial court, and Liangshanbo, as a dangerous place that was easy to defend and difficult to attack, became a haven for many insurgents.
It was against this background that the three main owners of Liangshanbo, namely Wang Lun, Chao Gai and Song Jiang, emerged and led a group of heroes who were dissatisfied with the status quo to launch a magnificent struggle.
The first owner of Liangshan is named Wang Lun, his hometown is located in Shandong, he has been smart and outstanding since he was a child, and he stood out in the local imperial examination, but because of his arrogant personality, he was unwilling to go with corrupt officials and corrupt officials, and repeatedly offended his boss and had a bumpy career, and was finally forced to go to Liangshan.
After Wang Lun ascended Liangshan, he gradually established the foundation of Liangshanbo with his talent and a group of like-minded brothers.
He is proficient in calligraphy and painting, likes to recite poems, and often discusses literature and art with his brothers in his spare time, so he has the nickname of "white-clothed talent".
This person does not exist in the history of the Northern Song Dynasty, but the character setting in the novel has a profound significance, he seems to symbolize the early state of Liangshan, like a closed door, preventing more heroes from joining.
Wang Lun has a narrow-minded personality and a narrow heart, and harbors great jealousy of people who are more talented and capable than himself, and when Lin Chong was framed by Gao Yu and fled to Liangshan, Wang Lun pretended to welcome him on the surface, but in fact he was suspicious.
Lin Chong was the head of the 800,000 forbidden army, and was forced to go to Liangshan because he offended Gao Yu, hoping to find a new home here. Wang Lun was afraid that Lin Chong would threaten his position, so he was wary of him everywhere, and even secretly made a stumbling block to try to force the other party away.
His performance was particularly disgusting, and he even asked Lin Chong to kill people and make meritorious contributions, which not only limited Liangshan's development, but also prevented Liangshan from truly growing.
At a gathering of brothers, Wang Lun was killed in a fierce argument with Lin Chong, and his death symbolized the liberation of the heroes of Liangshan from their shackles and ushered in a new stage of development, which was also true from later developments.
The second place in command is Chao Gai
After Wang Lun's death, Chao Gai became the second lord of Liangshan, a true heroic figure whose arrival brought new hope to Liangshan.
Chao Gai was just an ordinary farmer before going up the mountain, his hometown was in Dongxi Village, he grew up in the fields since he was a child, practiced a good kung fu, was honest and brave, and often presided over justice for the villagers.
Later, Chao Gai, Wu Yong and others carefully planned and used camouflage and resourcefulness to successfully intercept the Birth Gang in Huangnigang.
This operation was originally to take revenge on the corrupt officials of the imperial court and seize their birthday gang for looting the people's fat and ointment, but without thinking about it, they stabbed the hornet's nest and inadvertently offended the Taishi Cai of the dynasty.
The group successfully escaped to Liangshan, initially feared by Wang Lun, Lin Chong was provoked by Wu Yong to kill Wang Lun, and then Chao Gai was elected by everyone as the new owner of Liangshan.
He actively recruited heroes and heroes to strengthen Liangshan's strength, not only attaching importance to the love between brothers, but also striving to improve Liangshan's internal management, formulating a series of rules and regulations, and deeply supporting the heroes.
Chao Gai's nickname is "Tota Heavenly King", which symbolizes suppression and suppression, just like the demon suppression stone tablet in the Demon Palace, suppressing all cows, ghosts, snakes and gods, making Liang Shanbo's power grow stronger and more famous.
However, he also faced many challenges and dilemmas in the process of leading Liangshan, especially after Song Jiang was forced to go to Liangshan.
Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes, and this is especially true in such a mixed place as Shuibo Liangshan, under the leadership of Chao Gai, the heroes of Liangshan have performed many feats, and Song Jiang has changed as soon as he goes up the mountain.
Song Jiang's reputation and ability posed a serious threat to Chao Gai's position, and at some times showed rejection and suppression of Song Jiang and the heroes he recommended, and this internal contradiction affected Liangshan's unity.
Chao Gai's end was not good, he was shot by the enemy's poisoned arrow in the battle against Zengtou City, and finally died tragically, which also heralded that Liangshan would usher in a new leader, that is, timely rain Song Jiang.
Song Jiang: Great Song Jiangshan
Song Jiang is the third owner of Liangshan, his hometown is in Yuncheng County, Shandong, he was born in a scholarly family, his character is witty and sleek, he has received a good education since he was a child, and he has both literary and martial arts.
Song Jiang is the soul of the Liangshan Uprising and a key figure in "Water Margin", whose fate is destined to be full of tragedy.
After being forced to Liangshan for rebelling against the government, Song Jiang quickly became the core figure in everyone's hearts with his outstanding leadership skills.
Chao Gai advocated "brotherly righteousness", so the hall of Liangshan was called "Juyi Hall", and the big guys gathered together to fight against the tyranny of the imperial court.
Song Jiang was different, he advocated "doing the right thing for heaven", hoping to obtain legal status through Zhao'an, and the lobby of Liangshan was "Zhongyi Hall", and "loyalty" was naturally loyal to the imperial court.
After Song Jiang became the owner of the village, he actively recruited talents, strengthened the team, and formulated a series of strict disciplines and policies, so that Liangshanbo gradually developed into a rebel army with strict discipline and strong combat effectiveness, and repeatedly defeated the imperial army's prestige.
Song Jiang won a series of brilliant victories in the early struggles, but all this was only a foreshadowing of his acceptance of the imperial court's recruitment, and when he made a suggestion, it caused a huge controversy within Liangshan.
Many heroes believed that accepting Zhao'an meant giving up freedom and independence to become the eagle dog of the imperial court, and opposition arose. Song Jiang thought that it was the best choice to solve the problem of the way out for the heroes of Liangshan through legal channels, and finally Liangshan accepted the imperial court's recruitment.
The fate of the three village owners of Liangshan is entangled
Zhao'an's choice made the fate of Liangshan fundamentally change, and the heroes of Liangshan became the eagle dogs of the imperial court, and were sent to the north to conquer the Liao State and the south to fight against Fangla, in the process many heroes died in the battle, and Liangshan's strength was gradually exhausted.
As the leader of Liangshan, Song Jiang's fate also changed with Liangshan's recruitment, and although he made great achievements for the imperial court, he finally ended up with a tragic ending of being given poisoned wine.
Looking back at the history of Shuibo Liangshan, the fates of Wang Lun, Chao Gai and Song Jiang are intertwined to jointly write the legendary development of Liangshanbo.
Wang Lun was the founder of Liangshan, but his lack of ambition and jealousy prevented him from controlling Liangshan for a long time, and he was eventually killed by Lin Chong and replaced by Chao Gai.
Chao Gai won the respect of everyone with his boldness and righteousness, but his unfortunate death in the battle made Liangshan face a new leadership vacuum.
Song Jiang's ascension brought new vitality and hope to Liangshan, and with his wisdom and leadership, the heroes of Liangshan won many victories in the struggle.
However, Song Jiang's policy of recruiting an eventually led to the fall of Liangshan, and the heroes of Liangshan were used by the imperial court to fight against other rebel armies after accepting Zhao'an, and many heroes died in battle.
Although Song Jiang was appointed as an official position, he was never trusted by the imperial court, and finally died of poisoned wine at a banquet, and the legend of the heroes of Liangshan also came to an end with Song Jiang's death.
If you read the names of the three village owners of Liangshan, you will find that they not only represent the three stages of Liangshan's development, but also symbolize the fate of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Through ingenious arrangement, Shi Nai'an connected the names of the three village owners in Liangshan to form a metaphor, Wang Lun, Chao Gai, and Song Jiang are "the death of the Song Dynasty".
The three people represent the different stages of development of Liangshan, and also take Liangshan step by step to glory, but after the glory, only a place of chicken feathers remains, "prosperity and decline" is the eternal truth, this is the fate of Liangshan, but also the fate of Song Jiang, and it is a metaphor for Shi Nai'an to the Northern Song Dynasty.
Under the ingenious layout of Shi Nai'an, the fate of Song Jiang is closely linked with the rise and fall of the Great Song Dynasty, symbolizing the Great Song Dynasty, and the death of Song Jiang symbolizes the end of Liang Shanbo and the tragic fate of the heroes, but it also indicates the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Song Jiang's death symbolized the end of Liang Shanbo and the tragic fate of the heroes, but it also foreshadowed the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty. The tragedy of Song Jiang and his brothers is not only a personal tragedy of fate, but also a microcosm of that turbulent era.
In fact, such a "metaphor" writing method not only exists in "Water Margin", but also in "Dream of Red Mansions", Cao Xueqin has repeatedly used metaphors and other techniques to hint at the ending of characters and events with personal names.
For example: the four young ladies in Jiafu, Yuanchun, Yingchun, Tanchun and Xichun, are connected together to "sigh"; Xue Baochai's nickname is a poisonous snake, implying that she is a cold-hearted person, and in the end she is destined to be lonely and desolate.
Art comes from life, and fiction is also a kind of embodiment and criticism of reality, and it is common to use literary techniques to counter reality, so when Wang Lun, Chao Gai and Song Jiang alternate step by step, it is destined that Liangshan will fall at the peak, and the fall of Liangshan also implies that the Northern Song Dynasty will die.
What do you think differently about this?
Reference: "Water Margin"
Analysis of the tragic ending of Zhao'an in "Water Margin" - CNKI (cnki.net)