Contents

Translator's Note

ONE

Zhang the Divine Teacher Prays to Dispel a Plague;

Marshal Hong Releases Demons by Mistake

TWO

Arms Instructor Wang Goes Secretly to Yanan Pre-

fecture; Nine Dragons Shi Jin Wrcaks Havoc in Shi

Family Village

THREE

Master Shi Leaves Huayin County at Night;

Major Lu Pummels the Lord of the West

FOUR

Sagacious Lu Puts Mount Wutai in an Uproar;

Squire Zhao Repairs Wenshu Monastery

FIVE

Drunk, the Little King Raises the Gold-Spangled Bed

Curtains; Lu the Tattooed Monk Throws Peach Blossom

Village into Confusion

SIX

Nirie Dragons Shi Jin Robs in Red Pine Forest;

Sagacious Lu Burns Down Waguan Monastery

SEVEN

The Tattooed Monk Uproots a Willow Tree;

Lin Chong Enters White Tiger Inner Sanctum by Mistake

EIGHT

Arms Instructor Lin Is Tattooed and Exiled to Cang-

zhou; Sagacious Lu Makes a Shambles of Wild Boar

Forest

NINE

Chai Jin Keeps Open House for All Bold Men;

Lin Chong Defeats Instructor Hong in a Bout with Staves

TEN

Lin Chong Shelters from the Snowstorm in the Mountain

Spirit Temple; Captain Lu Qian Sets Pire to the Poddcr

Depot

ELEVEN

Zhu Gui Shoots a Signal Arrow from the Lakeside

Pavilion; Lin Chong Climbs Mount Liangshan in the

Snowy Night

TWELVE

Lin Chong Joins the Bandits in Liangshan Marsh;

Yang Zhi Sells His Sword in the Eastero Capital

THIRTEEN

The Blue-Faced Beast Battles in the Northern Capital;

Urgent Vanguard Vies for Honors on the Training Field

FOURTEEN

Red-Haired Demon Lies Drunk in Lingguan Temple;

Chao the Heavenly King Acknowledges a "Nephew" in

East Bank Village

FIFTEEN

Wu Yong Persuades the Three Ruan Brothers to Join;

Gongsun Sheng Becomes One of the Righteous Seven

SIXTEEN

Yang Zhi Escorts a Convoy of Precious Goods;

Wu Yong by a Ruse Captures the Birthday Gifts

SEVENTEEN

The Tattooed Monk Assaults Two-Dragon Mountain

Alone; With the Blue-Faced Bcast He Takes Precious

Pearl Monastery

EIGHTEEN

Song Jiang Secretly Helps Ward Chief Chao Flee;

Beautiful Beard Cleverly Fools the Winged Tiger

NINETEEN

Lin Chong Stirs Internal Strife in thc Water-Girt Strong-

hold; Chao Gai Wins a Battle in Liangshan Marsh

TWENTY

The Men of Liangshan Marsh Make Chao Gai Their

Chief; Liu Tang Leaves Yuncheng Town on a Moonlit

Night

TWENTY-ONE

Drunk, the Old Bawd Beats Tang the Ox;

Song Jiang Slays Poxi in a Fit of Anger

TWENTY-TWO

Mistress Yan Raises a Row at thc County Office;

Constable Zhu Tong Gallantly Lets Song Jiang Escapc

TWENTY-THREE

Lord Chai Accommodates Guests in Henghai County;

Wu Song Kills a Tiger on Jingyang Ridge

TWENTY-POUR

For Money Mistress Wang Arranges a Seduction;

In Anger Yunge Riots in the Tea-Shop

TWENTY-PIVE

Mistress Wang Instigates Ximen Qing;

The Adulterous Wife Poisons Wu the Elder

TWENTY-SIX

Coroner He Steals Bones from the Puneral Pyre;

Wu Song Offers Heads as Memorial Sacrifices

TWENTY-SEVEN

The Witch of Mengzhou Road Sells Drugged Wine;

Constable Wu Meets Zhang Qing at Crossroads Rise

TWENTY-EIGHT

Wu Song's Prestige Shakes Anping Stockade;

Shi En Retakes Happy Grove

TWENTY-NINE

Wu Song, Drunk, Beats Jiang the Gate Guard Giant;

Shi En Once More Controls His Mengzhou Establish-

ment

THIRTY

Shi En Three Times Enters the Condemned Cell;

Wu Song Goes Wild at Flying-Cloud Ponds

THIRTY-ONE

General Zhang's Blood Spatters the Duck and Drake

Bower; Pilgrim Wu Song at Night Travels Centipede

Ridge

THIRTY-TWO

Pilgrim Wu, Drunk, Pummels Kong Liang;

Elegant Tiger Chivalrously Frees Song Jiang

THIRTY-THREE

Song Jiang at Night Views the Hill of Lanterns;

Hua Rong Turns Topsy-Turvey Clear Winds Fort

THIRTY-FOUR

Suppressor of the Thrce Mountains Embroils Qingzhou;

Thunderbolt at Night Travcrses a Ficld of Rubble

THIRTY-FIVE

Shi Yong Delivers a Letter in a Village Tavern;

Hua Rong Shoots a Wild Goose on Mount Liangshan

With a staff as tall as himself he smote so hard that four

hundred prefectures and distficts ackno-wledged his sovereignty.

He swept the land clean and pacified the Central Plains. Nam-

ing his empire the Great Song, he established his court at

Bianliang.1 Tai Zu was the first of eighteen Song emperors

and founder of a dynasty lasting four hundred years.



That is why Master Shao Yaofu said in his praise: The

clouds dispersed and revealed the sky. For the people it was

indeed like seeing the sun again.



At that rime on Huashan, the West Sacred Mountain, lived

a Taoist hermit named Chen Tuan. A virtuous man, he could

foretell the future by the weather. One day as he was riding

his donkey down the mountain towards the county town of

Huayin he heard a traveller on the path say: "Emperor Chai

Shi Zong2 has surrendered his throne to Marshal Zhao3 in the

Eastern Capital."



Chen clapped his hands to his brow and laughed so de-

lightedly that he fell off his donkey. Asked the reason for his

joy, he said: "The empire will be firmly settled from now on.

Por this is in accord with the will of Heaven above, the laws

of Earth below, and the hearts ot men between."



Marshal Zhao accepted the abdicarion in 960 and estab-

lished his regime. He ruled for seventeen years, and there was

peace throughout the land. He was succeeded by his younger

brother, Tai Zong, who ruled for twenty-two years. After Tai

Zong came Zhen Zong, wbo was succeeded by Ren Zong.



Emperor Ren Zong was actually a re-incarnation of the

Barefoot Immortal. When he came down and was born on

earth he cried day and night without cease. The imperial courf

posted a proclamation, inviting any man who could cure him

to come forward. Heaven was touched and sent the Great Star

of White Gold in the guise of an old man. Announcing he

could cure the prince's weeping, the old man took down the

proclamation. The officer in charge conducted him to the

palace, where the empeiror directed that he be allowed to sce

Ren Zong in the inner apartments.



The old man went in, picked up the baby, and whispered

eight words into his ear. At once the prince stopped crying.

The old man disappeared in a puff of air without cven reveal-

ing his name. What were the eight words? They wcre these:



"Clvil and military affairs, both have their stars."



The fact was that the Jade Emperor of Heaven had dis-

patched two stars from the Propitious Constellation to serve the

future emperor. The civil affairs star became Bao Zheng, pre-

fect of Kaifeng and a senior member of the Dragon Diagram

Academy. The military affairs star became Di Qing, the grcat

general who led an expedition against the Kingdom of Western

Xia.



With the help of these two ministers, Ren Zong ruled as

emperor for forty-two years, in the course of which he gave

special names to nine periods of his reign. During the first nine

years, or the Tian Sheng period, all went well. Grain harvests

were large; the people were happy at their work; no one kept

articles lost by others on the road; doors were left unlocked at

night. That was the period of the "First Abundance".



From the beginning of the Ming Dao period to the third year

of Huang You another nine years of prosperity followed. That

was the period of "Second Abundance".



From the fourth year of Huang You to the second year of

Jia You, nine years more, the fields continued to flourish. That

was the period of the "Third Abundance".



These three nine-year periods, twenty-seven years in all, were

known as the Era of Three Abundances. During that time the

people enjoyed great happiness. Who could have forescen that

extreme joy would give birth to sorrow?