Preface

Preface

Preface to *The Complete Loyal and Righteous Water Margin*

Sima Qian said: "The *Shuo Nan* and *Gu Fen* were works born of sages' indignation." From this we may observe that the sages of antiquity would not write unless they were moved by indignation. To write without indignation is like shivering without cold or groaning without illness—what could be more shameful? Even if one writes, of what value is it?

*Water Margin* is a work born of indignation. Ever since the Song dynasty declined, the proper order of things was inverted: great worthies were placed below, and the unworthy were placed above, until eventually the barbarians were placed above and the Central Plains below. For a time, rulers and ministers alike were like sparrows nesting in the hall, offering tribute, styling themselves as subjects, and willingly kneeling before dogs and sheep! Masters Shi [Nai'an] and Luo [Guanzhong] lived under the Yuan but their hearts remained with the Song. Though born in the Yuan era, they were indignant over Song affairs. Thus, indignant over the Northern Captivity of the two emperors, they wrote of the great defeat of the Liao to vent their indignation; indignant over the complacent peace of the Southern Crossing, they wrote of the suppression of the three rebels to vent their indignation. Who, then, is it that vents this indignation? It is the mighty men who once gathered in arms at Water Margin. One cannot deny that they are loyal and righteous. This is why Masters Shi and Luo transmitted the story of *Water Margin* and further styled their work "Loyal and Righteous." Why should loyalty and righteousness be attributed to Water Margin? The reason may be understood. Why is every one of the Water Margin band loyal and righteous? The cause that brought this about may be understood.

Now, for lesser virtue to serve greater virtue, and for lesser worthiness to serve greater worthiness—this is principle. But if the lesser worthy is served by others while the greater worthy is made to serve others, would he willingly serve without feeling shame? This is like binding others with little strength while being bound by those of great strength—would one willingly bind one's own hands and offer no protest? The inevitable result is that all the greatly strong and greatly worthy in the world would be driven to find refuge at Water Margin. Thus it may be said that the band at Water Margin are all greatly strong and greatly worthy men, men of loyalty and righteousness. Yet there was none so loyal and righteous as Song Jiang. Now, the hundred and eight men shared the same merits, the same faults, the same death, the same life; their hearts of loyalty and righteousness were the same as Song Jiang's. Song Jiang alone, though his body dwelt at Water Margin, his heart remained with the court above. With single-minded devotion he sought amnesty, dedicating himself to serving the state. In the end he braved great peril, achieved great merit, took poison, and died without flinching. Such is the fiery intensity of loyalty and righteousness! Truly it was enough to win the hearts of the hundred and eight men, and thus he was able to forge the brotherhood of Liang Mountain and become the lord of the hundred and eight. In the final campaign against Fang La, more than half of the hundred and eight had already fallen in battle. Then too, Zhishen attained parinirvana at Liuhe; Yan Qing wept and took leave of his master; the two youths devised their plan on the turbid river. Song Jiang was not unaware of these things; yet he regarded the prudence of recognizing the moment and preserving oneself as nothing more than the small man's scheme for self-preservation, utterly unworthy of one loyal to his lord and righteous to his friends. Such was Song Jiang. This is why it is called "Loyal and Righteous."

Can such a work be transmitted without being written? Can such a work be written without being read? Therefore, those who hold a state must not fail to read it. Let them read this work for a single day, and "loyalty and righteousness" will no longer reside at Water Margin but will be found entirely at the ruler's side. Worthy chief ministers must not fail to read it. Let them read this work for a single day, and "loyalty and righteousness" will no longer reside at Water Margin but will be found entirely at the court. The Ministry of War holds the pivot of military and state affairs, and the Regional Commander bears responsibility beyond the borders—they too must not fail to read it. If but for a single day they read this work, then loyalty and righteousness will no longer reside at Water Margin but will be found entirely among the chosen defenders and trusted ministers of the state. If not at the court, not at the ruler's side, not among the defenders and trusted ministers—where then would they be? At Water Margin. This is why the work was born of indignation. As for those who delight in it as material for conversation, or those who draw on it for military strategy—these merely take from it what each finds useful. What do they know of what is meant by loyalty and righteousness!

Written by Li Zhi of Zhuoling, styled Zhuowu.

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**Short Introduction**

In my service to Master Zhuowu, both in outward bearing and in the submission of my heart, there was nothing that was not Master Zhuowu. I spoke only the Master's words; I read only what the Master read. Some called me mad; some called me obsessed. I forgot myself; I knew only Master Zhuowu. Since the Master's passing, his name has grown ever more honored, his Way ever more widely embraced, his books ever more broadly circulated. Even a single note or stray phrase of his that survives in the world is treasured as sacred grass, and all wish to bow before it. How magnificent! His immortality may be foretold. Yet those who marvel at his writings are seven in ten, while those who marvel at the man himself are three in ten. Search within their breasts, and none of them truly possess Master Zhuowu.

Since my travels to Wu, when I visited Vice-Prefect Chen Wuyi, I came to know Yuan Wuya. Before our greetings were complete, he asked first of the Master, and the sincerity of his private devotion shone from his brow. It seemed his breast must harbor one like Zhuowu. From then on, in our several meetings and conversations, talk always turned to Old Zhuo. He sought the Master's remaining words with great urgency, and sought the books the Master had annotated with even greater urgency. Was Wuya mad? Was I obsessed? I searched my traveling case and found the two books that Master Zhuowu had annotated and finalized—*Loyal and Righteous Water Margin* and *The Collected Works of Yang Sheng'an*—and I brought them out and entrusted them to him. Wuya was delighted as though he had obtained a treasure and wished to share them with the world. I asked, "Which of the two shall come first?" Wuya said: "*Water Margin* is loyalty and righteousness; loyalty and righteousness is *Water Margin*. Whether they approve or condemn me, the Master's Spring and Autumn Annals is near to this. Let *Water Margin* come first! Let *Water Margin* come first!" I smiled and said: "Just so, just so! Had it not been for the Master, the spirit of *Water Margin* could not have been brought forth; had it not been for Wuya, the spirit of the Master could not have been brought forth. I served Master Zhuowu the longest, yet Wuya has grasped Master Zhuowu most deeply—I am ashamed before Wuya. But had it not been for me, who else could have brought forth Wuya's spirit? I have not failed Master Zhuowu, and Wuya has not failed me on this journey." At this we looked at each other and smiled, brewed tea and drank it together, and read aloud in unison the essay in which Master Zhuowu prefaced *Loyal and Righteous Water Margin*. The raging waves of the Xu River seemed to answer in response. I forgot Wuya; Wuya forgot me; we knew only Master Zhuowu.

Written by Yang Dingjian of Fengli, Chu, aboard a boat on the Xu River.

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**General Principles of the *Loyal and Righteous Water Margin Fully Transmitted, with Illustrations and Critical Notes***

I. Biographies began with Master Zuo, yet critics still charge his work with fabrication—how much more so, then, with unofficial histories! But where the intent is to exhort and admonish, fabrication incurs no blame. In our age, novelists proliferate, many of them straying from the classics and defying the Way, offering no model for instruction. Occasionally there are those who borrow a theme to convey a lesson, using tales of killing, theft, lust, and falsehood to awaken the reader; yet these are either patchworks rather than complete works, or fabrications rather than things commonly seen. Though they may catch the eye of those who delight in novelty, they truly harm the loss of refined literary tradition. How can they compare to this book, which is orthodox? Former sages ranked it alongside Ban [Gu] and Sima [Qian]; I say it even surpasses Qiu [Ming, i.e., Zuo Qiuming], for it possesses, I believe, the subtle intent of the *Spring and Autumn Annals*. Thus it is fitting that it be called a "biography" [傳].

II. Liangshan Marsh belonged to Yanzhou Prefecture in Shandong. The *Gazetteer* writes it as "Luo" and calls it eight hundred *li*—an exaggeration. Yet in former times, those who wished to level this marsh found it difficult to store the water, so it was not small either. The biography does not speak of "Liangshan" or of "Song Jiang," for it is neither a bandit's territory nor a bandit's man; therefore it is simply named "Water Margin." *Xu* means the water's edge—a hollow phrase. It makes clear that all within the realm are the king's subjects, and Song Jiang dared not claim possession of this marsh. Does it harbor the thought of one dwelling by the sea? Luo's naming of it was subtle indeed!

III. Loyalty and righteousness are the finest qualities in serving one's lord and treating one's friends. Without loyalty and righteousness, a man, though alive, is already dead, and his words, however beautiful, will not be transmitted. These one hundred and eight men are loyalty and righteousness gathered in the mountain forests; these one hundred and twenty chapters are loyalty and righteousness manifested in ink and brush. Lost in the official histories, they are sought in unofficial records; lost among the gentry, they are sought among the common folk. The aim is to move the hearts of gentlemen, while ensuring that petty men too cannot use them to serve their private ends. Thus Master Li added the two characters "Loyalty and Righteousness"—and with good reason!

IV. Books benefit from critical commentary, for it can convey the author's intent and open the reader's mind. When done well, it is like painting in the eyes of a dragon—all its spirit is revealed. When done poorly, it is like slathering paint on a face, defiling what was originally there; it cannot be done carelessly. Now, for the purpose of the entire work, the striking points of each chapter, and the spirit of every sentence and every character, nothing is left unexposed, so that the reader may know that this unofficial history's brush has relevance to the world and benefit to literature, utterly different from the commercial editions of the past. It is like following a musical score and hitting the beat, or needling a bronze acupuncture figure and striking the point—the brush has a tongue and eyes, making things visible and audible. This is what is most prized in critical commentary.

V. This book already depicts every emotion and scene with the vividness of a life portrait—would adding illustrations not be superfluous? And yet, who can perceive literary refinement from a listening to a lute, or see the sage-king Yao from gazing at a wall? Thus the portraits of the Cloud Terrace and the Lingyan Gallery, the illustrations of the "Airs of Bin" and the "Wandering Commoners," can stir viewers to rouse themselves and grieve, their spirits as if face to face with the subjects—so images truly cannot be dispensed with. Now I have devised a new approach, not following old conventions: some are placed outside the chapter headings, some interspersed within the chapters, selecting only the finest and not prizing quantity.

VI. The old edition contained Luo's "preamble," in which were transmitted matters such as the "Granny Lantern Flowers," now no longer to be seen. Later, some reduced the text on account of the "Four Great Bandits" [being censored], and others pared down the one hundred and twenty chapters out of dislike for their length—all losses. The Guo Wuding edition, which is the old edition, moved the matter of Old Woman Yan, which was an improvement. But its removal of Wang [Qing] and Tian [Hu] from among the bandits and addition of the Liao Kingdom was merely the method of a minor craftsman attending to plot symmetry. One who wields a great brush does not act thus—as in the text, Wang Jin opens the book but is never brought to a conclusion. This is what distinguishes it from other novels and makes it, perhaps, the sage of novels!

VII. The old edition removed the tedium of poetry and verse, partly to prevent the narrative thread from breaking, partly to prevent the reader's eye from losing its way—it was quite direct and clear. Yet there are places where such verse serves to depict human demeanor or to give rhythm to the prose, and these cannot be entirely eliminated. I have now made further revisions: in some cases I have altered the original to add what was lacking, in others I have gone against the old version's intent to supplement what was absent. The sole purpose is exhortation and admonition, combined with skillful humor, so that the reader's heart is moved and his lips unsealed, lacking not the effect of deep and lingering reflection.

VIII. The collation of text and annotation of characters in the old edition also showed considerable effort, yet there remained many confused, erroneous, and contradictory places. For example, the very first quoted lyric contains four errors. By comparing this edition with the old, the rest can be understood. Cases such as writing "nai" for "nai" [耐 for 奈] or "zao" for "zao" [躁 for 燥] can still be called mere copyist's errors. But confusing "dai" with "dai" [戴 with 帶], "sha" with "sha" [煞 with 殺], "shuan" with "shuan" [閂 with 拴]; failing to distinguish "chong" from "chong" [冲 from 衝], or "jing" from "jing" [逕 from 竟]—these constitute divergence in meaning. Such cases are too numerous to list; I have now corrected them all. Though placing the pronunciation beneath each character makes for convenient reading, scholars dislike interruptions large and small, so I have gathered them at the end of each chapter for ease of reference. For chapters that are long, the reader may consult by example; where pronunciations differ, they are listed separately. Where half a character can be read or a vulgar meaning can be understood, I have sometimes omitted the note.

IX. One who establishes a text must have a basis. This book creates events from human feeling and originally need not seek corroboration from other works. Moreover, the *Song Jian* and the *Xuanhe Yishi* contain verifiable names and numbers of people, and the *Qilei Leigao* also records the names, stating that Guanzhong [Shi Nai'an] wrote of thirty-six Heavenly Chiefs and seventy-two Earthly Demons. I now place these two texts at the preface, together with the native origins and backgrounds of the one hundred and eight men, both for ease of reference and to aid conversation.

X. One who records events extracts the essentials; one who compiles words probes the profound. Within the biography, Li Kui has already been extracted into the "Shouzhang Biography." Men like Lu Da, Lin Chong, Wu Song, Shi Xiu, Zhang Shun, Li Jun, and Yan Qing could each have a separate biography written to show their full stories. As for the elegant beauty of the phrasing, even the dialect and insults are enough to move the heart. I now specially bring them forth, showing that the gold dust in this book can never be gathered completely. Master Su [Shi] said, "The method of reading is to seek one meaning at a time." If even a novel can possess such beauty, how much more so the official histories!