In the Water Margin
Lin Chong is the sixth hero of Liangshan, born under the star Tianxiong (天雄星). Before he became an outlaw he was a respected spear and staff instructor to the imperial guards in the capital, Kaifeng: a man with a steady career, a devoted wife and every reason to keep his head down. His nickname, Panther Head, comes from his fierce face, with its round head and wide, staring eyes.
His fall begins when Gao Yanei, the adopted son of the powerful Marshal Gao Qiu, sets his sights on Lin Chong's wife. Lin Chong swallows insult after insult, but Gao Qiu wants him gone. He is lured into the White Tiger Hall, a restricted military chamber, while carrying a sword, charged with plotting an assassination, tattooed on the face and exiled to Cangzhou. Each time he tries to accept his fate, his enemies push further, until there is no road left but the one to Liangshan Marsh. "Driven to Liangshan" became a Chinese idiom largely because of him.
Key episodes
- Wild Boar Forest. The guards escorting Lin Chong are bribed to kill him in a lonely forest. Lu Zhishen, his sworn brother, has been trailing them and bursts out with his iron staff just in time.
- The Mountain Spirit Temple. Sent to guard a fodder depot, Lin Chong takes shelter from a snowstorm in a ruined temple. Through the door he hears Gao Qiu's men boasting that they have set the depot alight to finish him. His patience finally breaks; he kills them on the spot and flees into the snow.
- Turning on Wang Lun. A letter from Chai Jin gets him into Liangshan, but its jealous chief Wang Lun treats him coldly. When Chao Gai's band arrives and Wang Lun tries to send them away, Lin Chong kills him and hands the stronghold to better leaders.
- Capturing Hu Sanniang. During the campaign against the Zhu Family Village, Lin Chong meets the formidable woman warrior Hu Sanniang in battle and takes her prisoner.
