Li Jun
Encyclopedia
Li Jun is a fictional character in the Water Margin
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
of Chinese literature
. He ranks 26th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "River Dragon".
tall, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, a reddish face, wire-like whiskers and a loud booming voice. He is a native of Luzhou (in present-day Hunan
) and settles in Jieyang
, Guangdong
, together with his younger brother Li Li
. Li Jun is not only versed in martial arts, but is also a powerful swimmer and capable of performing many feats in the water, and is hence nicknamed "River Dragon".
Li Jun works as a ferryman on the Yangtze River
while his brother runs an inn on land. Both of them rob unsuspecting travellers for a living. Li Jun engages in piracy on the river while Li Li uses drugs to knock out unsuspecting travellers and rob them when they are unconscious. They are close friends of the Tong brothers (Tong Wei
and Tong Meng) and run their illegal "business" together in Jieyang.
is exiled to Jiangzhou (present-day Jiangxi
), he passes by Jieyang and takes a rest in Li Li's inn. Li Li uses drugged wine to knock Song Jiang out and wants to rob him when Li Jun appears and stops him. Li Jun recognises Song Jiang as the famous philanthropist and apologises to him. Song Jiang befriends the Li brothers. Later, Song Jiang offends the Mu brothers (Mu Hong
and Mu Chun
) in town for paying Xue Yong
for his performance. The Mu brothers pursue him all the way to the riverbank and Song boards the pirate Zhang Heng
's boat by mistake. Zhang Heng wants to rob and kill Song Jiang when the boat reaches the middle of the river but luckily Li Jun arrives in time and stops Zhang. Li Jun introduces Song Jiang to the Mu brothers and Zhang Heng and they are stunned when they recognise him. They apologise to Song Jiang and become friends with him.
Song Jiang runs into some trouble in Jiangzhou for writing a poem advocating rebellion against the government and is arrested. The governor Cai Jiu sentences Song Jiang to death but the Liangshan
outlaws storm the execution ground and rescue him. Li Jun and his friends fetch the heroes on the riverbank and ferry them all the way back to Liangshan Marsh. Li Jun and his brother then join the Liangshan cause and become outlaws.
invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. He proves himself to be not only an expert in combat and naval warfare, but also a good strategist as well.
During the Tian Hu
campaign, he suggests flooding the enemy city of Taiyuan
to trap Tian Hu's forces and his proposal becomes instrumental in the eventual defeat of Tian. He joins the heroes on their campaign against Fang La
later and makes even greater contributions. He goes behind enemy lines by diving into Lake Tai and infiltrating Fang La's battleships from underwater. He befriends some local heroes (Fei Bao, Ni Yun, Bo Qing and Di Cheng) and becomes sworn brothers with them.
Subsequently, Li Jun infiltrates the enemy city of Suzhou
and acts as a spy for Liangshan, aiding friendly forces in capturing the city by disrupting the enemy's activities. He pretends to defect to Fang La later during the battle of Qingxi County and plays an important role in crippling the enemy, paving the way for the victory over Fang.
into the open ocean. They arrive in Siam (present-day Thailand
), where Li Jun becomes the king while his friends become his advisors and subjects.
Water Margin
Water Margin , also known as Outlaws of the Marsh, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang, is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.Attributed to Shi Nai'an and written in vernacular Chinese, the story, set in the Song Dynasty,...
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
Four Great Classical Novels
The Four Great Classical Novels, or the Four Major Classical Novels of Chinese literature, are the four novels commonly regarded by scholars to be the greatest and most influential of pre-modern Chinese fiction. Dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties, they are well known to most Chinese readers...
of Chinese literature
Chinese literature
Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
. He ranks 26th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "River Dragon".
Background
The Water Margin describes Li Jun as eight chiChi (unit)
The chi is a traditional Chinese unit of length, approximately equal to one foot. Its length is derived from the length of human forearm and has first appeared during the Shang Dynasty approximately 3000 years ago. Since then it has spread to and adopted by other East Asian cultures, such as...
tall, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, a reddish face, wire-like whiskers and a loud booming voice. He is a native of Luzhou (in present-day Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
) and settles in Jieyang
Jieyang
Jieyang is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China. It borders Shantou to the east, Chaozhou to the northeast, Meizhou to the north, Shanwei to the west, and looks out to the South China Sea to the south.-Administration:...
, Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, together with his younger brother Li Li
Li Li (Water Margin)
Li Li is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 96th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 60th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Life Taking Judge".-Background:...
. Li Jun is not only versed in martial arts, but is also a powerful swimmer and capable of performing many feats in the water, and is hence nicknamed "River Dragon".
Li Jun works as a ferryman on the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
while his brother runs an inn on land. Both of them rob unsuspecting travellers for a living. Li Jun engages in piracy on the river while Li Li uses drugs to knock out unsuspecting travellers and rob them when they are unconscious. They are close friends of the Tong brothers (Tong Wei
Tong Wei
Tong Wei is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 68th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 32nd of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Cave Emerging Dragon".-Background:...
and Tong Meng) and run their illegal "business" together in Jieyang.
Becoming an outlaw
When Song JiangSong Jiang
Song Jiang was the leader of a group of outlaws who lived during the Song Dynasty. The outlaws were active in the present-day provinces of Shandong and Henan before their eventual surrender to the government. Song Jiang is also featured as a character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great...
is exiled to Jiangzhou (present-day Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
), he passes by Jieyang and takes a rest in Li Li's inn. Li Li uses drugged wine to knock Song Jiang out and wants to rob him when Li Jun appears and stops him. Li Jun recognises Song Jiang as the famous philanthropist and apologises to him. Song Jiang befriends the Li brothers. Later, Song Jiang offends the Mu brothers (Mu Hong
Mu Hong
Mu Hong is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 24th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Unrestrained".-Background:...
and Mu Chun
Mu Chun
Mu Chun is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 80th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 44th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Little Restrained".-Background:...
) in town for paying Xue Yong
Xue Yong
Xue Yong is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 84th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 48th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Sick Tiger".-Background:...
for his performance. The Mu brothers pursue him all the way to the riverbank and Song boards the pirate Zhang Heng
Zhang Heng (Water Margin)
Zhang Heng is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 28th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Boatman".-Background:...
's boat by mistake. Zhang Heng wants to rob and kill Song Jiang when the boat reaches the middle of the river but luckily Li Jun arrives in time and stops Zhang. Li Jun introduces Song Jiang to the Mu brothers and Zhang Heng and they are stunned when they recognise him. They apologise to Song Jiang and become friends with him.
Song Jiang runs into some trouble in Jiangzhou for writing a poem advocating rebellion against the government and is arrested. The governor Cai Jiu sentences Song Jiang to death but the Liangshan
Mount Liang
Mount Liang is a mountain in Liangshan County, Shandong province, China which rises to 197.9 m above sea level. It is well known as the stronghold of the 108 legendary Song Dynasty heroes of the classic Chinese novel Water Margin...
outlaws storm the execution ground and rescue him. Li Jun and his friends fetch the heroes on the riverbank and ferry them all the way back to Liangshan Marsh. Li Jun and his brother then join the Liangshan cause and become outlaws.
Contributions to Liangshan
Li Jun becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan navy and contributes significantly to Liangshan during their battles with the imperial army and other enemies of Liangshan. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the LiaoLiao Dynasty
The Liao Dynasty , also known as the Khitan Empire was an empire in East Asia that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper between 9071125...
invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. He proves himself to be not only an expert in combat and naval warfare, but also a good strategist as well.
During the Tian Hu
Tian Hu
Tian Hu is one of the antagonists in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Tian Hu is one of the three rebel leaders in China, together with Fang La and Wang Qing, that the Liangshan heroes have to defeat in the final chapters of the novel.-Biography:Tian...
campaign, he suggests flooding the enemy city of Taiyuan
Taiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
to trap Tian Hu's forces and his proposal becomes instrumental in the eventual defeat of Tian. He joins the heroes on their campaign against Fang La
Fang La
Fang La was a rebel leader who lived during the Song Dynasty. He is also featured as one of the antagonists and nemesis of the 108 Liangshan heroes in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.-Biography:...
later and makes even greater contributions. He goes behind enemy lines by diving into Lake Tai and infiltrating Fang La's battleships from underwater. He befriends some local heroes (Fei Bao, Ni Yun, Bo Qing and Di Cheng) and becomes sworn brothers with them.
Subsequently, Li Jun infiltrates the enemy city of Suzhou
Suzhou
Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
and acts as a spy for Liangshan, aiding friendly forces in capturing the city by disrupting the enemy's activities. He pretends to defect to Fang La later during the battle of Qingxi County and plays an important role in crippling the enemy, paving the way for the victory over Fang.
Later life
The surviving heroes make their journey back to the capital city to report their victory over Fang La to the emperor and are individually appointed as officials in recognition of their contributions. Li does not want to serve the corrupt government and feigns illness on the return journey. He stays behind in Suzhou together with the Tong brothers, who said they will take care of him. They are never seen again since then. It is said that Li Jun and his companions later set sail from TaicangTaicang
Taicang is a coastal city in Jiangsu Province of People's Republic of China. It is approximately to the northwest of Shanghai, and to the east of Suzhou. It is a county level city under jurisdiction of Suzhou prefecture level city. In 2008, the registered population was at 466,300, and total GDP...
into the open ocean. They arrive in Siam (present-day Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
), where Li Jun becomes the king while his friends become his advisors and subjects.
See also
- List of Water Margin minor characters#Li Jun's story for a list of supporting minor characters from Li Jun's story.