Zhou Tong | |
---|---|
Water Margin character | |
First appearance | Chapter 5 |
Nickname | "Little Conqueror" 小覇王 |
Rank | 87th, Empty Star (地空星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends |
Tiger Cub Scouting General of Liangshan | |
Origin | Bandit chief |
Ancestral home / Place of origin | Qingzhou (in present-day Shandong) |
Weapon | Spear (走水綠沉槍) |
Names | |
Simplified Chinese | 周通 |
Traditional Chinese | 周通 |
Pinyin | Zhōu Tōng |
Wade–Giles | Chou T'ung |
Zhou Tong is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. He ranks 87th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 51st among the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Little Conqueror". He is often confused with the similarly named Zhou Tong, the purported archery teacher of Yue Fei.[1] Yue (1103 AD - 1142 AD) was the most famous of Song generals who fought the Jurchens after they overran northern China.
Background
The novel describes Zhou Tong as a robust and strong man with a broad face and a loud booming voice. He is a powerful fighter and uses a long spear in battle. He resembles Xiang Yu in some aspects and is thus nicknamed "Little Conqueror". Xiang Yu (232 BC - 202 BC) contended for the throne after the demise of the Qin dynasty. He is popularly known as the Conqueror from Western Chu (in present-day Hubei province). Zhou Tong is from Qingzhou (in present-day Shandong) and leads a group of bandits on Mount Peach Blossom (桃花山).
Zhou Tong attempts to rob Li Zhong when the latter passes by the mountain after parting ways with Shi Jin and Lu Zhishen. He is defeated by Li Zhong. Impressed with Li's skill, Zhou Tong invites him to join his bandit gang and offers him the chief position. Li Zhong accepts and becomes the new chief with Zhou Tong as his second-in-command.
Encounter with Lu Zhishen
Zhou Tong once chanced upon the daughter of Squire Liu, a wealthy squire who lives in a manor near Mount Peach Blossom, and forces her to marry him. By coincidence, on the wedding day, Lu Zhishen passes by the manor and requests accommodation there for the night. He learns about the forced marriage from Squire Liu when he inquires why the family is crying, and promises to help Liu stop the marriage from taking place. He claims that he could talk Zhou Tong into changing his mind with his Buddhist training. He then lies in wait on bed in the bridal room for the bridegroom. But when Zhou Tong, dressed in finery, clambers onto the bed after groping in the dark, Lu gives him a good beating.
Zhou Tong manages to escape back to his stronghold and tells Li Zhong about the humiliation. Li Zhong and Zhou Tong then lead their bandit followers to the manor to confront Lu Zhishen, who is waiting for them. Li Zhong is surprised when he recognises Lu Zhishen. The conflict between Lu Zhishen and Zhou Tong is resolved when Zhou agrees to give up on marrying Squire Liu's daughter. Lu Zhishen stays at their stronghold for a few days and then steals away after realizing Li Zhong is a miserly fellow.
Joining Liangshan
The imperial general Huyan Zhuo is defeated by the outlaws of Liangshan Marsh and he flees to Qingzhou, where he hopes to redeem himself. But when he is eating in an inn, his magnificent steed kept in the inn's stable, which is a gift from the emperor, is stolen by Zhou Tong's men. Huyan Zhuo is furious and he leads the Qingzhou army to attack the bandit stronghold. Li Zhong and Zhou Tong, who are no match for Huyan, seek help from the outlaws of the nearby Mount Twin Dragons. Bur Lu Zhishen, Wu Song and Yang Zhi could only hold their ground against Huyan. Eventually, the Liangshan outlaws arrive and they capture Huyan by tricking him to ride into a pit. Huyan Zhuo is captured and he joins Liangshan following persuasion by Song Jiang. Zhou Tong follows the heroes back to Liangshan.
Campaigns and death
Zhou Tong becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan cavalry after the 108 Stars of Destiny came together in what is called the Grand Assembly. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces on Song territory after received amnesty by Emperor Huizong.
+ Zhou Tong becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan cavalry after the Grand Assembly of the 108 Stars of Destiny. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by Emperor Huizong.
− During the campaign against the rebel leader Fang La, Zhou Tong follows Lu Junyi to attack the enemy at Dusong Pass (獨松關; located south of present-day Anji County, Huzhou, Zhejiang) and is ordered to recce the place. While he is surveying the terrain outside the pass, the pass gates suddenly open and the enemy general Li Tianrun charges out, catches him off guard, and kills him swiftly. Zhou Tong is posthumously awarded the title "Righteous Gentleman of Integrity" (義節郎) by the emperor in recognition of his contributions.
Notes
- ^ Template:Pt icon SHAOLIN À BRASILEIRA Archived 2007-09-26 at the Wayback Machine - See #6 on pg. 4. The author incorrectly represents Yue Fei's teacher and this character as the very same person.
References
- Buck, Pearl S. (2006). All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell. ISBN 9781559213035.
- Ichisada, Miyazaki (1993). Suikoden: Kyoko no naka no Shijitsu (in Japanese). Chuo Koronsha. ISBN 978-4122020559.
- Keffer, David. "Outlaws of the Marsh: A Somewhat Less Than Critical Commentary". Poison Pie Publishing House. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- Li, Mengxia (1992). 108 Heroes from the Water Margin (in Chinese). EPB Publishers. p. 177. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.
- Miyamoto, Yoko (2011). "Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits". Demystifying Confucianism. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- Shibusawa, Kou (1989), Bandit Kings of Ancient China, Koei
- Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.