Tong Meng is a fictional character in the Water Margin

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 69th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 33rd of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "River Churning Clam

Shen (clam-monster)

In Chinese mythology, the shen or chen is a shapeshifting dragon or sea monster believed to create mirages.-Meanings:Chinese classic texts use the word shen to mean "a large shellfish" that was associated with funerals and "an aquatic monster" that could change its shape, which was later...

".

Background

Tong Meng and his older brother, 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:...

, live on the bank of the Xunyang River. They are excellent swimmers and boatmen. The brothers trade salt for a living. They are close friends of Li Jun and live with him.

Joining Liangshan

When 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...

 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

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:...

 along the way and rests in 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:...

's inn. Li Li knocks Song Jiang out by serving him drugged wine. When Song Jiang is unconscious, Li Li wants to rob and kill him. Just then, Li Jun and the Tong brothers return and they stop Li Li. Li Jun introduces Song Jiang to Li Li and Li Li apologises for his earlier act and they become friends.

Li Jun and the Tong brothers save Song Jiang again from 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:...

) and 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:...

 when Song Jiang is almost killed by them in a misunderstanding. Li Jun introduces Song Jiang to the Mu brothers and Zhang Heng and they apologise to him and become friends as well.

The outlaws from 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...

 storm the execution ground in Jiangzhou to rescue Song Jiang after he is framed and sentenced to death. The outlaws fight their way out of Jiangzhou and retreat to White Dragon Temple on the riverbank, where they are besieged by pursuing soldiers. At that critical moment, Li Jun and his friends arrive on boats and ferry the outlaws safely back to Liangshan. The Tong brothers follow the party back to Liangshan.

Campaigns

Tong Meng becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan navy 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, he sneaks into 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...

 with Li Jun and his brother and they successfully carry out an espionage mission and aid the Liangshan forces in capturing the city.

The Tongs are among the few survivors of Liangshan after the campaigns and will be rewarded with appointments in the government service by the emperor in recognition of their contributions. However, Li Jun and the Tongs see corruption in the government and are unwilling to be involved in politics. Li Jun feigns illness on the return journey and the Tong brothers stay behind to take care of him until he recovers. Li Jun and his companions eventually leave China and set sail from Taicang

Taicang

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 sea. 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...

) and Li Jun becomes the king of Siam while the Tongs become his subjects.