Xiao Rang
Encyclopedia
Xiao Rang is a fictional character in the Water Margin
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
of Chinese literature
. He ranks 46th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 10th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Sacred Handed Scholar".
, Hebei
). He excels in calligraphy and holds a reputation for his ability to imitate the handwriting of the four most famous calligraphers in his time (Su Dongpo
, Huang Tingjian
, Mi Fu
and Cai Jing
). He is nicknamed "Sacred Handed Scholar". Besides achieving success in the field of scholastic and literary arts, Xiao Rang is skilled in martial arts as well. He is a close friend of the Liangshan
outlaws' chief strategist, Wu Yong
.
is arrested and imprisoned in Jiangzhou (present-day Jiangxi
) after writing a poem advocating rebellion against the government when he was drunk. Dai Zong follows Wu Yong's instructions and travels to Jizhou to seek help from Xiao Rang and bring him to Liangshan. Jin Dajian is also invited to join Liangshan as well. Xiao Rang helps the outlaws forge a letter in the handwriting of Cai Jing, while Jin Dajian carves an official seal from Cai Jing to be stamped on the letter. In the letter, Cai Jing asks his son, Cai Jiu (governor of Jiangzhou), to have Song Jiang escorted to the capital city to await further action. The outlaws will then ambush the convoy and rescue Song Jiang along the way.
Initially, everything goes as planned and even Cai Jiu is unable to tell the difference between his father's and Xiao Rang's handwriting. He believes that the letter is genuine until Huang Wenbing spots a mistake with the seal that Jin Dajian had carved and he exposes the fraud. Cai Jiu is furious and he orders Song Jiang and Dai Zong to be executed immediately. Wu Yong had realised the mistake earlier and the outlaws storm the execution ground and rescue Song Jiang and Dai Zong in time.
to lead an army to eradicate the outlaws. The outlaws score a major victory over the imperial forces by destroying Gao Qiu's entire fleet of battleships and capturing him. Gao Qiu promises to help the outlaws convey their desire to be granted amnesty to the emperor and he is released.
Xiao Rang and Yue He
follow Gao Qiu back to the capital as Liangshan's envoys. However, Gao Qiu breaks his promise and has both of them imprisoned in his residence. Dai Zong and Yan Qing
rescue them later. Xiao Rang follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao
invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. During the Wang Qing
campaign, Xiao Rang, Jin Dajian and Pei Xuan
are captured by the enemy general Liang Yong. They are subjected to torture but they refuse to surrender. Liang Yong's subordinate turns on him later and kills him. The three of them are released.
After Wang Qing's defeat, the emperor orders the Liangshan heroes to destroy the rebel forces led by Fang La
in the Jiangnan
region. One day before the start of the campaign, Xiao Rang is summoned back to the capital city and he does not participate. He stays in Cai Jing's residence and becomes Cai's private secretary and scribe.
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 46th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 10th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Sacred Handed Scholar".
Background
Xiao Rang is a scholar from Jizhou (in present-day HengshuiHengshui
Hengshui is a prefecture-level city in Hebei province, China. It has an urban population of 460,240 in the built up area and a population of 4,340,373 at the 2010 census in its administrative area...
, 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...
). He excels in calligraphy and holds a reputation for his ability to imitate the handwriting of the four most famous calligraphers in his time (Su Dongpo
Su Shi
Su Shi , was a writer, poet, artist, calligrapher, pharmacologist, gastronome, and statesman of the Song Dynasty, and one of the major poets of the Song era. His courtesy name was Zizhan and his pseudonym was Dongpo Jushi , and he is often referred to as Su Dongpo...
, Huang Tingjian
Huang Tingjian
Huang Tingjian was a Chinese artist. He is predominantly known as a calligrapher, but was also admired for his painting and poetry. He was one of the Four masters of the Song Dynasty, and was a student of Su Shi at his school of literati painting.Huang is generally regarded as the finest and most...
, Mi Fu
Mi Fu
Mi Fu , also known as Mi Fei , was a Chinese painter, poet, and calligrapher born in Taiyuan, Shanxi during the Song Dynasty. In painting he gained renown for his style of painting misty landscapes. This style would be deemed the "Mi Fu" style and involved the use of large wet dots of ink applied...
and 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...
). He is nicknamed "Sacred Handed Scholar". Besides achieving success in the field of scholastic and literary arts, Xiao Rang is skilled in martial arts as well. He is a close friend of 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' chief strategist, 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:...
.
Becoming an outlaw
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 arrested and imprisoned in 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...
) after writing a poem advocating rebellion against the government when he was drunk. Dai Zong follows Wu Yong's instructions and travels to Jizhou to seek help from Xiao Rang and bring him to Liangshan. Jin Dajian is also invited to join Liangshan as well. Xiao Rang helps the outlaws forge a letter in the handwriting of Cai Jing, while Jin Dajian carves an official seal from Cai Jing to be stamped on the letter. In the letter, Cai Jing asks his son, Cai Jiu (governor of Jiangzhou), to have Song Jiang escorted to the capital city to await further action. The outlaws will then ambush the convoy and rescue Song Jiang along the way.
Initially, everything goes as planned and even Cai Jiu is unable to tell the difference between his father's and Xiao Rang's handwriting. He believes that the letter is genuine until Huang Wenbing spots a mistake with the seal that Jin Dajian had carved and he exposes the fraud. Cai Jiu is furious and he orders Song Jiang and Dai Zong to be executed immediately. Wu Yong had realised the mistake earlier and the outlaws storm the execution ground and rescue Song Jiang and Dai Zong in time.
Campaigns
Xiao Rang becomes the chief secretary of Liangshan after the Grand Assembly. He is tasked with writing the rules and regulations of Liangshan. Sometimes, he is also in charge of overseeing the construction of buildings and defences on Liangshan. The emperor sends Grand Marshal Gao QiuGao Qiu
Gao Qiu was a government official who served Emperor Huizong during the Song Dynasty. He is also featured as one of the main antagonists and nemesis of the 108 Liangshan outlaws in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.-Biography:According to the Chinese...
to lead an army to eradicate the outlaws. The outlaws score a major victory over the imperial forces by destroying Gao Qiu's entire fleet of battleships and capturing him. Gao Qiu promises to help the outlaws convey their desire to be granted amnesty to the emperor and he is released.
Xiao Rang and Yue He
Yue He
Yue He is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 77th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 41st of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Iron Whistle".-Background:...
follow Gao Qiu back to the capital as Liangshan's envoys. However, Gao Qiu breaks his promise and has both of them imprisoned in his residence. Dai Zong and Yan Qing
Yan Qing
Yan Qing is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 36th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Wanderer" or "Prodigal"....
rescue them later. Xiao Rang 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 Wang Qing
Wang Qing
Wang Qing is one of the antagonists in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Wang Qing is one of the three rebel leaders in China, together with Fang La and Tian Hu, that the Liangshan heroes have to defeat in the final chapters of the novel.-Early life:The...
campaign, Xiao Rang, Jin Dajian and Pei Xuan
Pei Xuan
Pei Xuan is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 47th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 11th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Iron Face".-Background:...
are captured by the enemy general Liang Yong. They are subjected to torture but they refuse to surrender. Liang Yong's subordinate turns on him later and kills him. The three of them are released.
After Wang Qing's defeat, the emperor orders the Liangshan heroes to destroy the rebel forces led by 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:...
in the Jiangnan
Jiangnan
Jiangnan or Jiang Nan is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including the southern part of the Yangtze Delta...
region. One day before the start of the campaign, Xiao Rang is summoned back to the capital city and he does not participate. He stays in Cai Jing's residence and becomes Cai's private secretary and scribe.