Bai Sheng

Bai Sheng is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Daylight Rat", he ranks 106th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 70th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

Bai Sheng is from Anle Village (安樂村) in Yuncheng County, Shandong. He is nicknamed "Daylight Rat" because he does not have a decent job and spends his time idling and gambling.

Robbing the birthday gifts

Bai Sheng owes Chao Gai, the headman of Dongxi Village in Yuncheng County, a favour. When Chao Gai and six others are planning to rob a convoy of birthday gifts for Imperial Tutor Cai Jing, they enlist Bai Sheng's help and decide to strike at Yellow Soil Ridge (黃泥崗) near Anle Village. Chao Gai and his friends disguise themselves as date traders and wait for the convoy to show up.

In the meantime, Bai Sheng pretends to be a wine seller carrying two buckets of wine. One bucket of wine has been spiked with drugs that will make anyone who drinks it become unconscious. The soldiers escorting the gifts see the wine and want to buy it to quench their thirst. However, Yang Zhi, who is leading the soldiers, senses something suspicious and refuses to allow his men to drink the wine.

Chao Gai and his friends then pretend to approach Bai Sheng and ask to purchase one bucket of wine. Bai Sheng plays along by pretending to reluctantly sell them the bucket that does not contain drugs. Upon seeing that the date traders are fine after drinking the wine, Yang Zhi grudgingly gives his men permission to buy the other bucket. Bai Sheng then leaves with the empty buckets when they are done drinking.

A short while later, Yang Zhi and his men feel dizzy and become unconscious. While they are out cold, Chao Gai and his friends seize the opportunity to steal the gifts and escape. Bai Sheng later receives a share of the loot for his role in the robbery.

Joining Liangshan

Grand Secretary Liang Shijie, the official who prepared the birthday gifts for his father-in-law Cai Jing, turns furious when he learns of the robbery. He orders the magistrate of Yuncheng County to quickly track down and arrest the robbers. The magistrate, in turn, assigns the constable He Tao to investigate the case.

He Qing, He Tao's brother, points out that he saw Bai Sheng hanging out with seven strangers near Yellow Soil Ridge on the day before the robbery. He also recognises one of the seven men as Chao Gai, the headman of Dongxi Village. Upon receiving this crucial piece of information, He Tao immediately leads his men to Bai Sheng's house to seek answers. While searching the house, He Tao notices that the earth under Bai Sheng's bed looks freshly dug so he orders his men to dig, and they discover Bai Sheng's share of the loot. Bai Sheng is then arrested, taken back to the county office, and subjected to torture to force him to identify the seven robbers. Bai Sheng initially denies knowledge of the robbery but ultimately identifies Chao Gai, whom the authorities already know is involved in the robbery.

Song Jiang, the magistrate's clerk, rushes off to Dongxi Village to alert Chao Gai and his friends that the authorities have sent soldiers to arrest them. Chao Gai and his friends manage to defeat the soldiers and retreat to Liangshan Marsh, where they join the outlaw band then. After Chao Gai becomes the leader of the outlaw band, he sends his followers to bribe the prison guards watching over Bai Sheng and provide him an opportunity to escape. After fleeing the prison, Bai Sheng brings along his family and heads to Liangshan Marsh to join Chao Gai and the outlaw band.

Campaigns and death

Bai Sheng becomes one of the scout leaders of Liangshan 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 dies of illness after the battle of Hangzhou during the campaign against Fang La's rebel forces.

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. 215. 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
• Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.