Liu Tang
Encyclopedia
Liu Tang is a fictional character in the Water Margin
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
of Chinese literature
. He ranks 21st of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Red Haired Devil".
. He wanders around the jianghu
in his early years and does some illegal trading in Shandong
and Hebei
.
. The convoy is being escorted to Dongjing (present-day Kaifeng
) by Yang Zhi and his soldiers in disguise. Liu Tang rushes off to inform his friend Chao Gai
in Eastern Creek Village, but becomes drunk on the way and falls asleep in a rundown temple. He is arrested by the constable Lei Heng
and his patrol, who mistake him for a wanted criminal. Lei Heng and his men stop by Chao Gai's village later for a rest and Chao recognises Liu Tang. Chao Gai lies to Lei Heng that Liu Tang is his nephew and requests that Lei release Liu, and Lei obliges. However, Liu Tang is still angry with Lei Heng for arresting him earlier for no reason. He tries to sneak up on Lei Heng and they engage in a fight. Chao Gai appears on time and defuses the conflict.
Liu Tang, Chao Gai, Wu Yong
, Gongsun Sheng
and the Ruan brothers disguise themselves as date traders and trick Yang Zhi and his soldiers into drinking drugged wine. When Yang Zhi and his men become unconscious, the seven men make off with the birthday gifts worth a large sum of money. Grand Secretary Liang Shijie (the son-in-law of Cai Jing, who prepared the gifts) is furious and he orders the local government to arrest the robbers. Liu Tang and his companions defeat the soldiers led by He Tao near Liangshan Marsh
and flee to Liangshan for refuge after their victory.
into killing Wang Lun and Chao Gai is then nominated to be the new chief. Liu Tang takes the fifth position of leadership in Liangshan. Chao Gai is grateful to Song Jiang
for alerting them of the danger earlier and he sends Liu Tang to pass Song a letter and some gold pieces to express his gratitude. When Song Jiang returns home after spending a short time outside as a fugitive, he is arrested by the authorities for killing Yan Poxi. Liu Tang attempts to rescue Song Jiang but Song strongly refuses to leave with Liu and surrenders himself.
, Liu Tang fights with "Featherless Arrow" Zhang Qing
and is defeated. Zhang Qing stuns Liu Tang with his "flying stones" technique and Liu falls off his horse and is captured. Liu Tang is rescued after the outlaws defeat Zhang Qing and break into Dongchang Prefecture.
Liu Tang becomes one of the infantry leaders of Liangshan after the Grand Assembly. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao
invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. During the Fang La
campaign, Liu Tang is assigned to attack the enemy city of Hangzhou
. He sees that the gates are wide open and charges in, eager to win the top credit for the victory. He is unaware that it is a trap and is crushed to death by a falling beam. He is posthumously granted the title of "Martial Gentleman of Loyalty" (忠武郎) by the emperor in recognition of his contributions.
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 21st of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Red Haired Devil".
Background
Liu Tang is a native of Dongluzhou. The Water Margin describes him as a muscular man with a dark complexion, a wide face, a red birthmark on his face, and crimson hair. He is nicknamed "Red Haired Devil" for his birthmark and unique hair color. Liu Tang is an excellent fighter and specialises in using the PudaoPudao
The Chinese weapon known as the podao was originally an edged infantry weapon which is still used for training in many Chinese martial arts. The blade of a podao is shaped like a Chinese broadsword, but the weapon has a longer handle usually around one and a half to two meters which is circular...
. He wanders around the jianghu
Jianghu
The jianghu is the milieu, environment, or sub-community, often fictional, in which many Chinese wuxia stories are set.In modern Chinese culture, jianghu is commonly accepted as an alternative universe coexisting with the actual historical one in which the context of the wuxia genre was set...
in his early years and does some illegal trading in Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
and Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
.
Robbing the convoy of birthday gifts
Liu Tang is the first person to hear news of the convoy of birthday gifts for the Imperial Tutor, Cai JingCai Jing
Cai Jing , style name Yuanchang , was a government official and calligrapher who lived during the Northern Song Dynasty. Cai Jing is also featured as one of the antagonists and nemesis of the 108 Liangshan heroes in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese...
. The convoy is being escorted to Dongjing (present-day Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
) by Yang Zhi and his soldiers in disguise. Liu Tang rushes off to inform his friend Chao Gai
Chao Gai
Chao Gai is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He is widely considered as the founding father of the Liangshan outlaws' cause to serve the nation and deliver justice on behalf of Heaven...
in Eastern Creek Village, but becomes drunk on the way and falls asleep in a rundown temple. He is arrested by the constable Lei Heng
Lei Heng
Lei Heng is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 25th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Winged Tiger".-Background:...
and his patrol, who mistake him for a wanted criminal. Lei Heng and his men stop by Chao Gai's village later for a rest and Chao recognises Liu Tang. Chao Gai lies to Lei Heng that Liu Tang is his nephew and requests that Lei release Liu, and Lei obliges. However, Liu Tang is still angry with Lei Heng for arresting him earlier for no reason. He tries to sneak up on Lei Heng and they engage in a fight. Chao Gai appears on time and defuses the conflict.
Liu Tang, Chao Gai, Wu Yong
Wu Yong
Wu Yong is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 3rd of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Resourceful Star".-Background:...
, Gongsun Sheng
Gongsun Sheng
Gongsun Sheng is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 4th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Dragon in the Clouds".-Background:...
and the Ruan brothers disguise themselves as date traders and trick Yang Zhi and his soldiers into drinking drugged wine. When Yang Zhi and his men become unconscious, the seven men make off with the birthday gifts worth a large sum of money. Grand Secretary Liang Shijie (the son-in-law of Cai Jing, who prepared the gifts) is furious and he orders the local government to arrest the robbers. Liu Tang and his companions defeat the soldiers led by He Tao near Liangshan Marsh
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...
and flee to Liangshan for refuge after their victory.
Joining Liangshan
On Liangshan, the incompetent and selfish chief Wang Lun refuses to allow the seven men to join his outlaw band. Wu Yong instigates Lin ChongLin Chong
Lin Chong is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 6th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Panther Head"...
into killing Wang Lun and Chao Gai is then nominated to be the new chief. Liu Tang takes the fifth position of leadership in Liangshan. Chao Gai is grateful to Song Jiang
Song 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...
for alerting them of the danger earlier and he sends Liu Tang to pass Song a letter and some gold pieces to express his gratitude. When Song Jiang returns home after spending a short time outside as a fugitive, he is arrested by the authorities for killing Yan Poxi. Liu Tang attempts to rescue Song Jiang but Song strongly refuses to leave with Liu and surrenders himself.
Campaigns and death
In the battle of Dongchang PrefectureDongchangfu District
Dongchangfu is a district of the Chinese province of Shandong. It is administered by Liaocheng. It has an area of 1,254 square kilometres and around 1 million inhabitants .-External links:*...
, Liu Tang fights with "Featherless Arrow" Zhang Qing
Zhang Qing (Featherless Arrow)
Zhang Qing is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 16th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Featherless Arrow".-Background:...
and is defeated. Zhang Qing stuns Liu Tang with his "flying stones" technique and Liu falls off his horse and is captured. Liu Tang is rescued after the outlaws defeat Zhang Qing and break into Dongchang Prefecture.
Liu Tang becomes one of the infantry leaders of Liangshan after the Grand Assembly. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao
Liao 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. During the 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:...
campaign, Liu Tang is assigned to attack the enemy city of Hangzhou
Hangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
. He sees that the gates are wide open and charges in, eager to win the top credit for the victory. He is unaware that it is a trap and is crushed to death by a falling beam. He is posthumously granted the title of "Martial Gentleman of Loyalty" (忠武郎) by the emperor in recognition of his contributions.