Bai Sheng
Encyclopedia
Bai Sheng is a fictional character in the Water Margin
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
of Chinese literature
. He ranks 106th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 70th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Daylight Rat" for his scavenging behaviour and lack of a stable job.
, Shandong
. He does not have a decent job and idles and gambles all the time. He is a close friend of Chao Gai
, the headman of Eastern Creek Village, who helped him before.
, Gongsun Sheng
, Liu Tang
and the Ruan brothers) plan to rob the convoy of birthday gifts for the Imperial Tutor, Cai Jing
. They intend to strike at Yellow Soil Ridge near Anle Village. Chao Gai and his companions visit Bai Sheng and stay at his house and enlist his help in the robbery. The seven men (excluding Bai Sheng) disguise themselves as date traders and wait for their targets.
On Bai Sheng's part, he disguises himself as a wine seller and carries two buckets of wine past the ridge. The soldiers escorting the gifts are thirsty and they are strongly attracted to the wine. Yang Zhi, the leader of the escorts, suspects something amiss and he refuses to allow his men to drink the wine. Chao Gai and his friends buy one bucket of wine from Bai Sheng and Bai gives them the one without drugs. The soldiers think that the wine is fine and Yang Zhi reluctantly allows his men to buy the other bucket from Bai Sheng. The other bucket of wine contains drugs that will make the consumer unconscious. Chao Gai and his friends proceed to rob the convoy when Yang Zhi and his men are knocked out. Bai Sheng receives part of the treasure as his reward.
That night, He Tao leads soldiers to surround Bai Sheng's house and barge in. They search Bai Sheng's house for the loot but did not manage to find anything. Just then, He Tao notices that the earth under Bai Sheng's bed has been freshly dug and orders his men to dig. They find the treasure and Bai Sheng is arrested.
Bai Sheng refuses to disclose the names of his accomplices despite being subjected to torture during interrogation. Although he eventually names Chao Gai (the magistrate already knows that Chao is one of the robbers), he keeps denying that he knows the identities of the other robbers. Song Jiang
alerts Chao Gai and his companions and they escape to join the outlaw band at Liangshan Marsh
. Song Jiang also helps to secure Bai Sheng's release from prison. Bai Sheng goes to Liangshan to join his friends after that.
invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. He dies of illness after the battle of Hangzhou
during the Fang La
campaign.
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 106th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 70th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Daylight Rat" for his scavenging behaviour and lack of a stable job.
Background
Bai Sheng is from Anle Village, Yuncheng CountyYuncheng County
Yuncheng County is a county in southwest of Shandong province, China. It borders Liangshan County and Jiaxiang County to the east, Juancheng to the west and Juye and Heze to the south.-Notes and references:...
, 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...
. He does not have a decent job and idles and gambles all the time. He is a close friend of 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...
, the headman of Eastern Creek Village, who helped him before.
Robbing the birthday gifts
Chao Gai and his six friends (Wu YongWu 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:...
, Liu Tang
Liu Tang
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".-Background:...
and the Ruan brothers) plan to rob the convoy of birthday gifts for the Imperial Tutor, Cai Jing
Cai 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...
. They intend to strike at Yellow Soil Ridge near Anle Village. Chao Gai and his companions visit Bai Sheng and stay at his house and enlist his help in the robbery. The seven men (excluding Bai Sheng) disguise themselves as date traders and wait for their targets.
On Bai Sheng's part, he disguises himself as a wine seller and carries two buckets of wine past the ridge. The soldiers escorting the gifts are thirsty and they are strongly attracted to the wine. Yang Zhi, the leader of the escorts, suspects something amiss and he refuses to allow his men to drink the wine. Chao Gai and his friends buy one bucket of wine from Bai Sheng and Bai gives them the one without drugs. The soldiers think that the wine is fine and Yang Zhi reluctantly allows his men to buy the other bucket from Bai Sheng. The other bucket of wine contains drugs that will make the consumer unconscious. Chao Gai and his friends proceed to rob the convoy when Yang Zhi and his men are knocked out. Bai Sheng receives part of the treasure as his reward.
Joining Liangshan
Grand Secretary Liang Shijie is furious when he hears that the birthday gifts have been robbed and he orders the local government to arrest the robbers. The magistrate sends the constable He Tao to investigate the robbery. By coincidence, He Qing (He Tao's brother) knows that Chao Gai and Bai Sheng are involved in the robbery and he reports to his brother.That night, He Tao leads soldiers to surround Bai Sheng's house and barge in. They search Bai Sheng's house for the loot but did not manage to find anything. Just then, He Tao notices that the earth under Bai Sheng's bed has been freshly dug and orders his men to dig. They find the treasure and Bai Sheng is arrested.
Bai Sheng refuses to disclose the names of his accomplices despite being subjected to torture during interrogation. Although he eventually names Chao Gai (the magistrate already knows that Chao is one of the robbers), he keeps denying that he knows the identities of the other robbers. 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...
alerts Chao Gai and his companions and they escape to join the outlaw band at 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...
. Song Jiang also helps to secure Bai Sheng's release from prison. Bai Sheng goes to Liangshan to join his friends after that.
Campaigns and death
Bai Sheng becomes one of the scout leaders of Liangshan after the Grand Assembly. 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 dies of illness after the battle 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...
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.