This article is excerpted from the 16th chapter of China's classic Water Margin, in which Yang Zhi escorted the gold and silver bear and Wu Yongzhi took the birth outline. The relevant chapters are 12, 12, 13, Green Beast Fighting Wu in Beijing, Dongguo Deep Water Bomb, 14 and 15. Yang Zhi, who said "three generations behind the door" earlier, "expected to use all his skills in the court, marry and have children, and fight against his ancestors". He doesn't want to be ill-fated He first fell into the "Huashigang", then killed the villain Niu Er in arrogance, fought a lawsuit and was sent to the army. After flattery, Liang Zhongshu shut himself in the door, "at your disposal sooner or later", and entrusted him with the task of escorting Birthdays. Who knows that the birth outline has not been delivered, and the wind has already spread. Starting from Liu Tang, beading generally led to seven heroes, such as Chao Gai and Wu Yong. In order to let Qi Xin win this precious treasure together, Wu Yong decided a clever strategy. As for what the plan is, the author left a suspense, not writing, but writing how Yang Zhi accepted the task and how to escort it. Yang Zhijiu is in the Jianghu and knows the risks of this trip. Unable to refuse, he made careful arrangements: first, he asked to pretend to be an ordinary merchant guest and travel quietly to avoid publicity and attention; Later, he asked Liang Zhongshu to give himself the power of all people to prevent internal discord, which took advantage of the "thief". This is also "a subtle close-up of Yang Zhi's hero", and the facts also prove that his worry and preparation are necessary. This part of the text was written from Yang Zhi's journey, which is also the climax of the whole story. Although it is an excerpt, the story is relatively independent and dramatic.

The text can be divided into two parts.

The first part mainly describes the contradiction between Yang Zhi and soldiers such as Lao Duguan and Hou Yu, which lays the groundwork for the future robbery of birth classes.

In order to cope with the unexpected, Yang Zhi can be said to be careful everywhere and pay attention to everything. At first, I traveled when the weather was cool. Later, I went to a mountain road with few people and pedestrians. For safety reasons, I travel when the weather is hot. This is a precautionary measure to conform to the terrain. How can he stand the hot weather, the heavy burden and the difficult mountain road? He doesn't pay attention to methods. "If it's light, he will scold you, if it's heavy, he will hit you with a cane." Soldiers and Han Chinese are "sweating like a pig", suffering and complaining. The intensification of his contradiction with the soldiers is an important factor in Yang Zhi's failure. If the Han people in Juntong are just small people who are afraid of his authority and dare not openly resist, then he does not pay attention to coordinating the relationship with his old manager, which makes him disdain his old manager to openly resist. The intensification of this contradiction is fatal. As a direct result, soldiers and Han Chinese refused to listen to Yang Zhi's insults (supported by some people) and insisted on resting in Huangnigang pine forest, which was haunted by powerful people. In this way, Yang Zhi and his party lost their time, place and people, and finally failed.

The second half is the climax of the full text, which mainly talks about the wits and courage of Yang Zhi and Classical.

Wu Yong took advantage of the unbearable hot weather and knew that Yang Zhi and his party would be thirsty after driving for a long time, so he designed to put antiperspirant in the wine. When Yang Zhi and his party were resting in the pine forest, Chao Gai and others appeared, but they pretended to be guests of Hong Shang, keeping themselves in the dark first, paving the way for later proving that there was no medicine in the wine. Then, Bai Sheng took a bucket full of attractive white wine (this fashion is good wine) onto the hill. Sure enough, the soldiers and Han Chinese were salivating, but they were immediately stopped by Yang Zhi, suspecting that there was antiperspirant in it. Bai Sheng, playing hard to get, immediately said not to sell. Then, Chao Gai and others came and ate a bucket first. One showed that the wine was myrrh, which made Yang Zhi relax his vigilance. The other used a spoonful of wine as a cover. The first spoon pretends to take advantage, and the second spoon is drugged. And Bai Sheng chasing this, holding that, even like ordinary vendors selling wine, there is no flaw. With such a show, Yang Zhi couldn't help believing that it was good wine, so he agreed to buy it. But once again, it is hard to get Bai Sheng without selling, completely paralyzing Yang Zhi's vigilance. Finally, he was completely carried away by drugs and watched the delivery class being robbed.

In this passage, the battle of wits between Yang Zhi and Chao Gai has been going on nervously, but it is not obvious, and there is no fierce conflict from beginning to end, because we don't know that those jujube vendors are Chao Gai and others, and the struggle between them is also covered up by the superficial struggle between "soldiers buy wine" and "Yang Zhi gives up drinking". Yang Zhi is between disobedient soldiers who want to drink and classicists who want to lure them to drink. Although he is cautious, he is also struggling to cope. More importantly, Chao Gai and others are better at "planning". No matter how Yang Zhi guesses and how to guard against it, they all seem to fully understand Yang Zhi's psychology. They have a way to resist, and it's fake. Really, everything is ahead.

Second, the problem exploration

1. What are the structural features of this novel?

The title of the text is "The Outline of Intelligence and Birth", but the author does not point out how Chao Gai and others got it and what preparations they made. Instead, it focuses on how Yang Zhi was at odds with all the soldiers, how to whip all the soldiers, how to restrain the old people, how to spread rumors and slander in times of crisis, and how the soldiers complained. The reader's eyes were completely attracted by the contradiction between Yang Zhi and his party. Yang Zhi tried to guard against other people's plot against him. Although internal discord, but because of his caution, it seems foolproof, but Wu Yong's coup has been carried out as planned. When Yang Zhi and his party were knocked to the ground by drugs, watching the birthday class pushed away, the readers were in a fog, wondering which step of the wine was drugged. Finally, the author added various situations. In this way, while clearly writing how to prevent and protect Yang Zhi, the plan to rob Yang Zhi was secretly carried out under the eyes of readers, and finally it was completely brought out, which caused unexpected effects and made readers have to admire Wu Yong for "really surpassing Zhuge Liang". If this story is written in a different way, the tricks and actions of Chao Gai and others are clearly written, and their actions and faces are directly displayed in front of the audience, then the story will be unremarkable. Visible, the same story, from different narrative angles, the effect will be very different.

2. How does this novel portray the characters?

From the above analysis, we can see that both the description of Yang Zhi's shrewd, cautious and overbearing character and the description of the resourceful and United group of seven people, such as Chao Gai, are put in stories and expressed through their words and deeds. This is a feature of China's classical novels, which is quite different from the modern novels that attach importance to psychological description. In the history of China's classical novels, from the initial emphasis on story narration to the neglect of character description, to the later emphasis on both characters and stories, this is a great progress, and Water Margin is the representative in this respect. In Water Margin, every hero's journey to Liangshan has a vivid and tortuous story, and this plot is precisely the history of the development of the character's personality, and different plot arrangements adapt to different descriptions of the characters. Yang Zhi, the "three generations behind the door", is devoted to "marrying and having children" and has a skill, so he wants to do his best to seize the opportunity, so he is a little eager for quick success. Coupled with his grumpy personality, the contradiction between himself and the non-commissioned officers eventually intensified. Rao is clever and capable, but he can't control himself and will eventually fail. The shrewd description of Yang Zhi's concentrated pen and ink not only increases the tragic color of this character, but also embodies the wisdom of Wu Yong and others.

3. What kind of personality characteristics does Yang Zhi have?

The birth class was finally taken away. Does this mean that Yang Zhi is a very stupid person? In fact, combined with other chapters describing Yang Zhi in Water Margin, we can see that Yang Zhi is a smart and capable person. Yang Zhijiu is in the Jianghu and knows the danger of escorting birth procedures. As soon as he accepted the task, he evaded it again and again. In the case that he could not refuse, he made careful arrangements: First, he asked to pretend to be an ordinary merchant guest and go quietly to avoid making a big splash and attracting attention; Later, he asked Liang Zhongshu to give himself the power of all people to prevent internal discord, which took advantage of the "thief". Later, on the road, the travel time was changed according to different terrain. At first, we took advantage of the cool weather to travel Later, we went to a mountainous area with few people and pedestrians. For safety reasons, we changed it to "Chen Pai gets up and takes a rest at the application time", and we are not allowed to rest in the pine forest in Huangnigang when it is hot. Later, the soldiers wanted to buy wine to drink, but they tried every means to stop it. All this reflects Yang Zhi's shrewdness.

Then, since Yang Zhi was so careful, why did he finally fail? On the one hand, it is of course necessary to highlight Wu Yong's exquisite and impeccable tactics, but the main reason is the other side of his personality: quick success and instant benefit, rudeness and arrogance. It is this character that makes his soldiers "lightly scold and beat vines" and intensifies the internal contradictions of the transport team. "Fortress is the easiest to break from the inside", coupled with infighting, failure is inevitable.

Judging from the overall description of Yang Zhi in Water Margin, Yang Zhi's character has experienced the development process of "frustration-success-disillusionment". Yang Zhiben is a "three-generation queen". Originally, he "expected to put all his skills into the court, make a knife and a gun, get a wife and children separated, and fight with his ancestors to the death." It should be said that he was also full of ambition at the beginning. I don't want to be unlucky. First, he fell into the "Hua Shi Gang", then he killed the ruffian Niu Er in a rage, took the lawsuit and was sent into exile. This is a frustrating period in his life. But what I didn't expect was that every cloud had a ray of light, which was appreciated by Liang Zhongshu, and he was locked in the door, "at your disposal sooner or later" and entrusted with the important task of escorting the birth class. As long as this task is completed, his future will be bright, his fate seems to be "bright", and the day of complacency will not be far away. But he cares too much about this task, for fear of failing to live up to Liang Zhongshu's love (this is also a bit of a "bosom friend dies" mentality), so he is careful everywhere and always worried, so he is a little eager for quick success and instant benefit and a little impatient. Moreover, when he is too careful, his thoughts become rigid. He suspected that there was an antiperspirant in the wine, so he waited for others to drink it before letting the soldiers buy it, but forgot that there might be no antiperspirant in the wine. Although others can prove that there is no medicine in the wine, they may not be innocent. So I lost my birthday program, my fantasy was finally disillusioned, and I had to go to Liangshan to become an outlaw.

4. Are there two clues in this novel?

According to traditional analysis, this novel can be divided into bright lines and dark lines, which clearly describes the contradictions and conflicts of Yang Zhiyi's party and secretly describes the process of Wu Yong and others' intelligence. So is this really the case? In an article, a teacher thinks that there is no dark line in the novel (Teng Weiming's "There is no dark line in the outline of intelligence", published in the sixth issue of Sinology 1983). He thinks:

If Yang Zhi and his party are active in the light and Wu Yong and others are active in the dark, then the clues are also divided into light and dark, so the plot and structure are chaotic. If the "intelligence" part does not specify the names of Wu Yong and others, then it is considered as a dark line, so the use of dark lines is no different from the supplementary narrative. ..... "Don't play", "don't fight" and "moral" are the main characteristics of the dark line. Let's look up "Intelligence and Birth Outline".

① Wu Yong and others didn't play? No, they appeared in Huangnigang, and their works were described positively and in detail.

(2) Wu Yong and others didn't fight with Yang Zhi and his party? No, they had a complicated "battle of wits" with Yang Zhi and his party, and it was this "battle of wits" process that constituted the climax of the story.

(3) Is the theme of the novel, that is, praising the great wisdom and courage of Juyi heroes, expressed by "hints"? No, the victory of Juyi hero's "outwit" and the failure of Yang Zhi's clever escort directly show this theme, and it is not necessary to "realize".

Therefore, the clue that Wu Yong and others outwit the birth class is a dark line on Huangnigang, which is untenable.

We agree with this view. Because open lines and dark lines refer to the arrangement of structures. Yang Zhi and his gang are active in the light, while Wu Yong and others are active in the dark. This is only the plot representation described by the narrator, but from the structural point of view, Yang Zhi and Chao Gai's wits and wits are always ahead, and they are not displayed in the dark. If we compare Lu Xun's Medicine, we can clearly see that there is no dark line in this passage. There are two clues in Lu Xun's Medicine. The open line is that Hua Laoshuan went to the execution ground to take blood steamed bread to treat his son, and the dark line is the death of revolutionary Yu Xia. This clue has the following characteristics: Yu Xia has never appeared, at least on the surface, there is no conflict with the ignorance represented by Hua Laoshuan; The fearlessness of the revolutionaries and the ignorance of the people shown in the novel are implied in the plot of the novel, not directly expressed. This is a real dark line.

Practice note

Firstly, find out the sentences describing Yang Zhi's words and deeds from the text, and analyze Yang Zhi's personality characteristics accordingly. After class, look at other chapters about Yang Zhi in the Water Margin and further talk about your views on this character.

The purpose of this topic is to let students know the methods of portraying characters in Water Margin, read relevant chapters after class, clarify the development process of Yang Zhi's "frustration-success-disillusionment" and express their own opinions on the characters.

The chapters centered on Yang Zhi in Water Margin are as follows: Chapter 11 "Water Margin, Lin Chong, Becoming an outlaw, Yang Zhi selling knives and Bianjing City", Chapter 12 "Blue-faced beast fighting in Beijing, charging in deep water, and Dongguo striving for success", Chapter 15 "Yang Zhi escorting gold and silver burden, Wu Yongzhi taking birth outline" and Chapter 16 "Flower monk fighting alone.

Yang Zhi's personality characteristics: smart, capable and rude. Relevant statements, such as:

After May 7th, there were fewer people and fewer passengers, and every stop was a mountain road. Yang Zhi wants Pai Cheng to get up, so he has a rest when applying.

Yang Zhi is anxious to urge him to do something. If he stops, he will be scolded, or he will be beaten and forced to do something.

Yang Zhi also said angrily, "You two are so ignorant! This relationship must be mine! You didn't hit this master with a stick, but you were slowly injured in the back. This road is not a place to play! "

Yang Zhi said, "You talk like a fart! The day before yesterday must have been good. Now is the awkward place. Who dares to leave in the middle of the night in a few days? "

Yang Zhi jumped up and shouted, "Go there! And sleep, but pay attention! "

Yang Zhi cursed: "What do you save!" There's a crutch to beat.

……

Second, this passage is written in the vernacular of Yuan and Ming Dynasties, mixed with some dialects, and some words are literally the same as modern Chinese, but their meanings are different. Such as "care". Try to find these words from the text and compare them with modern Chinese.

The purpose of this question is to guide students to understand the difference between ancient and modern meanings and realize that language is developing and changing. Although the vernacular appeared a long time ago, there is still a gap between the vernacular in Ming and Qing Dynasties and what we commonly use now. Therefore, when reading, don't confuse the ancient prose with the present meaning, so as not to cause misunderstanding.

There are many such words, such as:

Yang Zhi and his party want to take June 15 as their birthday. G: hurry up. Today: verb, take, take away.

This guy doesn't deserve to curse. G: This is necessary. Today: It is meaningful to do something.

This is a place where strongmen haunt. Brave men-ancient times: robbers. Today: people who can be independent, persistent and make a difference, such as strong women. Where to?-Ancient: Place. Today: Where to go also means a place.

I saw a figure in the pine forest opposite. The ancients: shelter, hide. Today: shadow, noun.

What do you care! C: Yes, I know. Today: Ignore it.

What does it matter if you go to the village to sell it, usually give it back to you, and then sell some with us? Also-ancient: cross. Today: I borrowed money and returned it to others.

Five links depends on you. Just give us a spoonful of food. C: If you give more, people will take advantage. Today: forgive, forgive.

We bought him this bucket to help himself. C: Simple, simple. Today: any; Casual, casual.

Let's eat too. What did you say? C: Yes. Today: eat.

That controversy was advocated by Wu Yong. Gu: Unique skill. Today: calculation and comparison; Argument; Calculation and planning.

Third, this passage tells the story from the perspective of Yang Zhi and others, but the title of the text is "The Outline of Outwit and Birth". Try to rewrite the story from the perspective of classical people.

The purpose of this question is to let students experience different expressive effects from different narrative angles.

The answer is short.

Teaching suggestion

First, this article is an excerpt, and it is necessary to explain the relevant plots of the novel, which is helpful to understand the development process of Yang Zhi's "frustration-success-disillusionment" personality. Students can be arranged to read relevant chapters after class and repeat relevant contents in class.

Second, pay attention to the analysis of the plot, grasp the character's character through the action and language of the characters and the structural arrangement of the plot, and understand the skills of shaping the characters in Water Margin.

Third, according to what students have learned, we can select people who are more impressed with themselves and compare their differences with Yang Zhi's personality and Liangshan Road.

related data

Comment on Water Margin (Zhang and Luo)

Shi Naian and the Water Margin.

The story of the Water Margin originated from the Sung River Uprising in the late Northern Song Dynasty. Historical materials such as History of Song Dynasty, Biography of Huizong, Biography of Hou Meng, Biography of Zhang Shuye, etc. It can be roughly known that this armed force headed by Song Jiang has 36 leaders, who once "ran rampant in Qi Wei" and "turned to ten counties, and loyalists did not dare to stop it". Later, it was ambushed by Zhang Shuye in Haizhou.

The deeds of Song Jiang and others quickly evolved into folklore. At the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, Gong Kai recorded the names and posthumous title of 36 people in Thirty-six Praises of Sung River, and said in the preface: "The story of Sung River was seen in the street talk, which is not enough." So at that time, a folk rumor about the story of Song Jiang was already very prosperous. Secondly, Gong Kai recorded 36 people, which may not be consistent with some figures in history. According to the Drunken Weng Tan written by people at the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, there are already some talking names, such as Shi Sunli, Green Beast, Flower Monk and Warrior, which are obviously independent stories about the Water Margin. There is also a part of "The Legacy of Xuanhe" that involves the story of the Water Margin. Starting with Yang Zhi's escort of Hua Shigang and Yang Zhi's selling of knives, he told the stories in turn, such as Classical grabbing the birth outline, Song Jiang's private release of Classical, Song Jiang's killing of Yan Poxi, Song Jiang's nine-day visit to the Xuan Nv Temple, the rebellion of 36 generals, Zhang Shuye's surrender, and Song Jiangfang's wax seal. Although it looks like a short outline, it has a systematic plot. There are quite a number of Water Margin plays in Yuan Zaju. There are 33 kinds of plays and 6 kinds of scripts developed from the story of Water Margin, among which Li Kui jy, Song Jiang and Yan Qing are quite vivid. In short, since the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the story of the Water Margin, with speeches and dramas as the main forms, has been more and more loved by the people, which obviously caters to the psychology and hobbies of ordinary people. Although these stories are independent, they are internally related. On this basis, the author of Water Margin created an excellent novel.

However, there are different opinions about why the Water Margin was written by people. This book was written by Gao Ru during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, and it was first recorded. As the saying goes, "Loyalty and righteousness spread in hundreds of volumes, edited by Qiantang Shi Naian." At the same time, Lang Ying's "Seven Manuscripts" said: "The Three Kingdoms and Song Jiang, compiled by Luo Guanzhong from Hangzhou. Give meaning to the old, there must be books, so it is called compilation. " Song Jiang is also the book of Shi Naian in Qiantang. These two statements are actually similar. Later, Tian Rucheng's Notes on Visiting the West Lake and Wang Qi's Historical Records were both recorded as Luo Guanzhong's works. Hu Yinglin, a man in Wanli period of Ming Dynasty, said that the book "Collected Pen in Shaoshi Mountain" was written by Shi Naian, a Wulin (Hangzhou) man. According to these records, it can be roughly judged that this book was first synthesized by Luo Guanzhong with stories about the water margin in words and plays, so it was called "compilation"; Later, Shi Naian developed and improved this kind of book. Roche has more than one original notebook, and Shi Naian's notebook is the best, so it is called "original". As for Hu Yinglin's statement that Luo Guanzhong is a master (see "Shao's Mountain House Pen Collection"), it is because he saw the block print that he guessed that the name of history was listed in the front.

Shi Naian life is unknown, only known as a native in the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasties, once lived in Qiantang (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang). Since the 1920s, some information about Shi's life has been found in Xinghua, Jiangsu Province, and there are some detailed statements about his life, but there are also many suspicious points. The Water Margin and Shi Naian were written about twenty or thirty years later than The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

The version of Water Margin is very complicated. It can be roughly divided into two systems: simplified version and complex version: simplified version has simple words and few description details; Many books are detailed, vivid and literary. Researchers have different views on the sequence of these two systems, but now they think that most of them are complex, and we also hold this opinion. In other words, the so-called "abridged version" is actually an abridged version. Among many versions, the earliest known version is 100 volume (immediately 100 times). The Hundred Books carved by Hou Guoxun in Wuding during Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty was also an earlier version, but it was revised ... After the above-mentioned hundred books were gathered in Liangshan, there was only the story of Fang La in Liao Ping, not the story of tian hu and Wang Qing. There is also a 120-page complex, which was carved by Yuan according to the book provided by Yang, but added the stories of Ping He and Wang Qing. These stories are not in the complex system, but only in the simplified system. So the title of the book is called "The Complete Biography of Loyalty and Righteousness". ..... At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Jin Shengtan cut out the voluminous Water Margin from the later period of Juyi in Liangshan, changed the first time into a wedge, and turned it into seventy times, pretending to be an "ancient edition". Because it retains the most wonderful part of the original and the text has been improved, it has become the most popular version. There are also many kinds of water margin in the simplified system, which are only used as research materials now. At present, the earlier books are Water Margin and Forest Review written by Yu Xiangdou in Wanli period of Ming Dynasty.

2. The ideological tendency of Water Margin

The Water Margin is usually evaluated as a novel that positively reflects and praises the peasant uprising. Of course, some of the basic purposes of Liang Shanbo described in the novel are indeed the same as those put forward by the peasant uprising in history, but on the other hand, it should be noted that the characters and stories in Water Margin are basically artistic fiction. It can be said that apart from the name "Song Jiang" and the framework of anti-government armed activities, it has little to do with the Song Jiang Uprising in history. The basis of this novel is mainly the "talk" of street literature and art. In the process of its popularity, it is first restricted by the interest of the citizens. The authors of the novel, Luo Guanzhong and Shi Naian, also lived in Hangzhou, the most prosperous city in the southeast at the end of Yuan Dynasty, and their treatment did not change the original street nature of the Water Margin story. Therefore, Liangshan heroes are composed of "Di Zi's grandson, rich generals and collectors, unscrupulous people, and even Orion fishermen, butchers and executioners", but there are almost no real farmers; The personality of Liangshan heroes more embodies the citizens' yearning for life. First of all, we should pay attention to these basic characteristics.

From the perspective of feudal rulers, Liangshan heroes can only be regarded as "thieves". If the novel wants to publicly praise such "thieves and robbers" and be accepted or even loved by the society, it must first put forward an explanation for their behavior that conforms to the traditional concept of society at least to some extent (even if this explanation is not complete and sufficient), give these heroes a moral quality that is generally recognized by the society, and describe their resistance struggle under this premise. The slogan written on the apricot yellow flag in Liangshan Park and the principle of "loyalty" advertised on the plaque of Liangshan Council Hall are the moral premise established by the author for Liangshan cause.

Under normal circumstances, the supreme will "heaven" above human power is always interpreted as protecting the court; Tao, as the abstract sum of reasonable political principles and moral principles, is also exclusive to the ruling class. On the other hand, China's cultural tradition has always admitted that when there are serious problems in the political situation of an era, the behavior of the regime itself may also be "contrary to heaven". In this case, another force "acts for heaven", at least in theory. Through the exposure of a large number of political universal dark phenomena at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, Water Margin proves the necessity and rationality of Liangshan hero's "doing justice for heaven".

"Loyalty and righteousness" is the basic moral principle of Liangshan hero's action. As a complete concept, it belongs to the category of traditional morality. In particular, "loyalty" is first manifested as loyalty to the emperor and the court, and even the armed resistance of the Liangshan Rebel Army to attack the city and plunder the land is interpreted as "loyalty"-"All cruel officials and corrupt officials have been killed, and loyalty is returned to the Zhao regime." In fact, there are many people in Liangshan who do not advocate "loyalty". Like Li Kui jy, the black whirlwind, he often shouts "Kill Tokyo and take the bird seat". However, this kind of power has been suppressed by the main "loyal minister" power represented by Song Jiang, which eventually led to the submission of Liangshan army to the imperial court. The moral creed of "loyalty" is not only a boundary that the author can't cross, but also a guarantee for the establishment and spread of this novel in feudal times.

The premise of "doing justice for heaven" and "loyalty" casts a layer of moral justice accepted by society on Water Margin. On this premise, it does contain many things that are consistent with orthodox ideas, including the court's "loyalty" to the emperor, such as demanding political clarity, and the hatred of "adulterers and adulterers." However, the Water Margin has not lost its luster. Its premise is actually quite vague, sometimes true and sometimes false. Under these premises, it also contains many things that are completely inconsistent with orthodoxy. The novel not only profoundly reflects the social reality, but also reflects the people's energetic life ideals, especially in the street society.

This novel, which is based on the society in the late Northern Song Dynasty, reveals the phenomenon of social darkness, which is of universal significance in the feudal autocratic era. The first official figure in the novel is Gao Qiu, a street scoundrel who is deeply loved by the emperor because he is good at playing football. In less than half a year, he rose to the high position of the palace Qiu. From then on, he tried to be brave with his "official's son" and did all kinds of evil. At the beginning of the text of the book, this writing implies "making things from above". Not only that, as a panoramic description of the society, at the top of the political power, there are a number of senior officials such as Gao Qiu, Cai Jing, Tong Guan and Yang Jian who have ruined the country and the people; In the central government, there are a large number of corrupt and tyrannical local officials, such as Cai Jiu, Murong, He Taishou, who are protected by the central government. Under this, there are Zheng Tu, Ximen Qing, Jiang Menshen, squire and other bullies who are bullying and dominating the city. Such extensive exposure of the dark side of society first appeared with the birth of novels.

Under the banner of "doing justice for heaven", the author enthusiastically affirmed and praised the resistance and revenge of the oppressed. Liangshan heroes do not "do justice for heaven" simply for the sake of justice. Most of them are victims of "no way" in society. Song Wu wanted to avenge his brother, but he sued him, so he took revenge. After being framed by Zhang Dujian, his blood spilled on the mandarin duck building. Lin Chong kept forbearing in his predicament and was forced to despair. He finally got revenge in the mountain temple and went to Liangshan on a snowy night. Jie Zhen and Gerber were sent to death row by the bully Mao Taigong in order to get back a tiger they shot, which triggered people in Gu Dasao to escape from Dengzhou. Although Li Kui jy was constantly reprimanded by his "brother" Song Jiang, the author made him repeatedly send out the roar of completely overthrowing the imperial court. It can be said that the people's right of resistance and revenge has never been forcibly extended as in Water Margin.

The full name of Water Margin is Loyalty Water Margin, and the other name is Legend of Heroes (engraved with the Romance of the Three Kingdoms). For ordinary readers, it is the heroic temperament in the novel that attracts them most. After all, everyday life is mediocre. In the face of powerful evil forces, it is the choice of ordinary people to submit to humiliation and avoid the heavy. But people don't want this. Liangshan hero is another kind of figure, an idealized figure in legend. They are brave, resourceful or powerful, open-minded, aboveboard and aggressive, which is their characteristic. Like Lu, "Zen sticks open dangerous roads, and Buddhist monks kill all unjust people"; Song Wu declared: "I've always wanted to fight tough guys who don't understand morality. If I see that the road is rugged, it is really a knife and a gun, not afraid of death! " It was really heroic and exciting. It is a plot that has nothing to do with social contradictions, such as the black whirlwind fighting white stripes in the waves, the flower monk pulling the weeping willow, and the Song Wu Jingyang gang killing the tiger. Similarly, due to the unrestrained personality, strength and emotion of the protagonist, it gives people a feeling of vitality and relaxation. In the filthy real world, these legendary heroes give readers great psychological satisfaction.

While flaunting loyalty, Water Margin affirmed the power of money, praised an ideal of free life based on full material enjoyment, and showed a strong market consciousness. Classical, Song Jiang, Lu Junyi and Chai Jin, such cohesive and appealing figures in novels mainly rely on their wealth and their ability to "help others". In the traditional Confucian creed of "respecting righteousness and benefit", "righteousness" and "benefit" are often regarded as opposites; In Liangshan, "righteousness" is realized through "wealth". Without wealth, the cohesion of Song Jiang and others in the group cannot exist. Behind the "righteousness", the author wrote the power of matter intentionally or unintentionally. The motivation of many heroes to go to Liangshan is also related to material enjoyment. For example, in order to "make everyone happy all their lives", Wu Yong advised the Ruan family to join the rebellion. "Eating meat in a big bowl and drinking in a big bowl, and distributing gold and silver in a big bowl" is almost the mantra of Liangshan heroes. Of course, this can not only be understood as the satisfaction of appetite, but the author undoubtedly realizes that a free and happy life is first directly manifested in the full possession of material.

The description of Liangshan, a fictional small society, in Water Margin also reveals obvious civic consciousness. Liangshan Juyi seating, the author enthusiastically praised:

Eight directions * * * domain, different surnames. Heaven and earth show the essence of evil, and the humanistic environment blends with the beauty of Ling Jie. Meet each other in the morning and evening, and one inch of heart can be the same. Appearance and language, north and south are different; There is no difference between sincerity and loyalty. His people include Di Zi's grandson, rich generals and officials, unscrupulous people, hunters and fishermen, as well as Toure and executioners, all of whom are brothers regardless of rank; And there are brothers and sisters, couples, uncles and uncles, and masters and servants, all of whom have the same feast and joy, regardless of relatives and friends. Or elves, or rough brine, or country parks, or romantic, why not, really understand sexual cohabitation; Or a pen, or a Mercedes-Benz, or an affair, each has his own strengths, and there are really a lot of talents.

This utopian social picture is obviously different from the social ideal of farmers and the political organization of peasant uprising. The composition of people here is complex, and their occupations are varied. Even cheating can be used as a living skill. Society is open and full of vitality. this