In the Water Margin
Song Jiang is the first of the 108 heroes, under the star Tiankui (天魁星), the Chief Star of Heaven. He starts out as a clerk in the Yuncheng County office, short, dark and unremarkable to look at, yet famous across the land for his generosity. Anyone in trouble who came to him left with money and help, which earned him a second name, Timely Rain. His formal nickname, Defender of Justice, reflects how loyal men saw him.
He does not seek the outlaw life. He risks his post to warn his friend Chao Gai of a coming arrest, and that act of loyalty sets off a chain of events that costs him his home, sends him into exile and finally brings him to Liangshan Marsh. When Chao Gai is killed by an arrow at Zengtou Market, Song Jiang takes charge and renames the meeting hall the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness. He steers the band toward amnesty and service to the throne, a choice that defines and finally destroys it.
Key episodes
- Killing Yan Poxi. His mistress Yan Poxi finds Chao Gai's letter to him and uses it to blackmail him. In a rage he kills her and must flee, eventually sheltering at Chai Jin's manor, where he first meets Wu Song.
- Qingfeng Fort. Visiting his friend Hua Rong, Song Jiang is recognized at a lantern fair and falsely denounced as a bandit chief. Hua Rong breaks with his fellow officer to save him, and the two become inseparable.
- The poem at Xunyang Tower. Exiled to Jiangzhou, he drinks alone in a riverside tower and writes a defiant poem on the wall. It is reported as treason, and only a raid by Liangshan saves him from execution. In Jiangzhou he also wins the lifelong devotion of Li Kui.
- Amnesty and its price. The band accepts the emperor's pardon and fights the Liao and the rebel Fang La, losing most of its heroes. At the end, corrupt ministers send Song Jiang poisoned imperial wine.
