Zhu Tong
- This article is about the Water Margin character, Zhu Tong. He is not to be confused with another Water Margin character Zhou Tong or the archer Zhou Tong.
| Zhu Tong | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
 An illustration of Zhu Tong by Chen Hongshou. | |
| First appearance | Chapter 13 |
| Nickname | "Lord of the Beautiful Beard" 美鬚公 |
| Rank | 12th, Fulfillment Star (天滿星) of the 36 Heavenly Spirits |
| Tiger Cub Vanguard General of Liangshan | |
| Origin | Constable |
| Ancestral home / Place of origin | Yuncheng County |
| Weapon | Sabre |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 朱仝 |
| Traditional Chinese | 朱仝 |
| Pinyin | Zhū Tóng |
| Wade–Giles | Chu T'ung |
Zhu Tong is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Lord of the Beautiful Beard", he ranks 12th among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny.
Background
Zhu Tong is a chief constable in Yuncheng County. Standing at eight chi and four or five cun tall, he sports a beard one chi and five cun long. His sparkling eyes and long flowing beard make him resemble Guan Yu in appearance. He is thus nicknamed "Lord with the Beautiful Beard". He spends his free time meeting and befriending jianghu figures, as well as practising martial arts.
Zhu Tong and his fellow chief constable Lei Heng are close friends of Chao Gai, the headman of a village in their jurisdiction. When the authorities identify Chao Gai as one of the robbers who robbed a convoy of birthday gifts for the Imperial Tutor Cai Jing, the local magistrate orders Zhu Tong and Lei Heng to arrest Chao Gai and the other robbers. Zhu Tong and Lei Heng secretly want to help Chao Gai get away but do not reveal their intentions to each other. Zhu Tong convinces the superintendent to assign him to the rear gate of Chao Gai's house, while Lei Heng enters from the front. When Chao Gai and his companions escape from the rear gate, Zhu Tong makes way for them to pass through.
Not long after the incident, Song Jiang (the magistrate's clerk) kills his mistress Yan Poxi after she discovered his connections with the Liangshan outlaws and threatened to report him to the authorities. When the magistrate orders Zhu Tong and Lei Heng to arrest Song Jiang, Zhu Tong asks Lei Heng to watch over Song Jiang's father while he goes to Song Jiang's hiding place in his house and advises him to flee immediately. He then files an official report claiming that Song Jiang had already escaped.
Becoming an outlaw
Lei Heng later gets into trouble with the law after killing the songstress Bai Xiuying, who insulted and slapped his mother. The magistrate sentences him to exile in Jizhou (薊州; present-day Ji County, Tianjin) and orders Zhu Tong to escort him to the prison camp there. Zhu Tong secretly helps Lei Heng escape during the journey, and returns to Yuncheng County to accept punishment for negligence. The magistrate shows leniency and sentences him to exile in Cangzhou.
While he is in Cangzhou, Zhu Tong earns the favour of the local prefect, who assigns him to work in his office. The prefect's four-year-son finds Zhu Tong charming because of his long beard, and often asks Zhu Tong to carry him on his back. The Liangshan outlaws send Lei Heng, Wu Yong and Li Kui to Cangzhou to persuade Zhu Tong. When Zhu Tong is talking to Lei Heng and Wu Yong, Li Kui uses the opportunity to abduct and murder the prefect's son, whom Zhu Tong is looking after. Left with no choice, Zhu Tong grudgingly becomes a member of the outlaw band at Liangshan.
Campaigns and later life
Zhu Tong becomes one of the Eight Tiger Cubs Vanguard Generals of the Liangshan cavalry after the 108 Stars of Destiny come together in what is called the Grand Assembly. He follows the Liangshan heroes on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces on Song territory after they received amnesty from Emperor Huizong. He makes great contributions during the campaigns and is one of the few Liangshan heroes who survives all the campaigns. He accepts an official appointment and dedicates the rest of his life to serving the Song Empire.
References
- Buck, Pearl S. (2006). All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell. ISBN 9781559213035.
- Ichisada, Miyazaki (1993). Suikoden: Kyoko no naka no Shijitsu (in Japanese). Chuo Koronsha. ISBN 978-4122020559.
- Keffer, David. "Outlaws of the Marsh: A Somewhat Less Than Critical Commentary". Poison Pie Publishing House. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- Li, Mengxia (1992). 108 Heroes from the Water Margin (in Chinese). EPB Publishers. p. 25. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.
- Miyamoto, Yoko (2011). "Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits". Demystifying Confucianism. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- Shibusawa, Kou (1989), Bandit Kings of Ancient China, Koei, pp. 57, 92–93, 95
- Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.