List of Water Margin Minor Characters - Song Jiang's Story

Song Jiang's Story

• Yan Poxi (traditional Chinese: 閻婆惜; simplified Chinese: 阎婆惜; pinyin: Yán Póxī) is Song Jiang's concubine. Her mother persuades an initially reluctant Song to marry the 18-year-old Yan after he covers the costs of the funeral arrangements for Yan's deceased father. Yan gradually comes to detest Song and begins an affair with his assistant Zhang Wenyuan. One night, she discovers Chao Gai's letter to Song and threatens to report Song to the magistrate for being in league with outlaws if Song does not agree to three conditions. First, she wants Song to allow her to marry Zhang Wenyuan. Second, she is to retain all the clothing, ornaments, and furnishings Song has given her. Third, Song must give her the gold bars from Chao Gai. Song agrees, but he does not have with him all the gold promised in the letter; he only took one gold bar and asked Liu Tang to return the rest to Chao Gai. Yan is unwilling to give him time to raise an equivalent amount of money and threatens to accuse him in court. Song then bursts into a rage and stabs her to death. He then burns the letter and flees to evade arrest.

• Zhang Wenyuan (traditional Chinese: 張文遠; simplified Chinese: 张文远; pinyin: Zhāng Wényuǎn) is Song Jiang's assistant at the magistrate's office. He has an affair with Song's concubine Yan Poxi. He also repeatedly urges the magistrate to arrest Song Jiang after the latter flees from Yuncheng County.

• Shi Wenbin (traditional Chinese: 時文彬; simplified Chinese: 时文彬; pinyin: Shí Wénbīn) is the magistrate of Yuncheng County.

• Liu Gao (traditional Chinese: 劉高; simplified Chinese: 刘高; pinyin: Líu Gāo) is the official in charge of Qingfeng Fort. His wife was captured by the outlaws on Mount Qingfeng and was almost raped by Wang Ying. Song Jiang saved her by persuading Wang Ying to give up on her and the outlaws to release her. Later, Liu Gao's wife repays kindness with evil and accuses Song Jiang of being the man who kidnapped her. Liu Gao believes his wife and has Song Jiang arrested and imprisoned. Liu Gao is killed along with his family after the outlaws break into the fort to rescue Song.

• Murong Yanda (traditional Chinese: 慕容彥達; simplified Chinese: 慕容彦达; pinyin: Mùróng Yàndá) is the governor of Qingzhou (covering parts of present-day Shandong). He orders the execution of Qin Ming's family after mistakenly believing that the latter has joined the outlaw band on Mount Qingfeng. Huyan Zhuo comes to Qingzhou to join him after his defeat and helps him in attacking some minor bandit forces in Qingzhou. The Liangshan heroes capture Huyan Zhuo and persuades him to join them. Huyan Zhuo tricks Murong Yanda into opening the city gates and the outlaws break in. Murong Yanda is killed by Qin Ming after his capture.

• Cai Jiu (Chinese: 蔡九; pinyin: Cài Jǐu) is the governor of Jiangzhou (present-day Jiangxi) and a son of Cai Jing. An unintelligent, greedy and corrupt official, he sentences Song Jiang and Dai Zong to death after believing Huang Wenbing's accusations that Song is plotting a rebellion.

• Huang Wenbing (traditional Chinese: 黃文炳; simplified Chinese: 黄文炳; pinyin: Huáng Wénbǐng) is a low-ranking official from Jiangzhou. Huang is scheming by nature and desires to make his name through unscrupulous means. His chance comes when he discovers Song Jiang's poem and reports it to Cai Jiu. He detects that the letter supposedly sent back from Cai Jing was a fraud, because there is an error with the seal stamped on it. The letter was actually written by Xiao Rang as part of a scheme by Wu Yong, who originally intended to order Cai Jiu to send Song Jiang to Dongjing (present-day Kaifeng) and intercept the convoy on the way. Song Jiang and Dai Zong are arrested and sentenced to death but the outlaws storm the execution ground and rescue them. Huang's family is killed by the outlaws later and his house set on fire. Huang is later captured by Zhang Shun and meets his end at the hands of Li Kui.