Li Li (Water Margin)

Li Li is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Life Taking Judge", he ranks 96th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 60th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

The novel describes Li Li as a man with a reddish beard and fiery round eyes like those of a tiger. Although he was born in Luzhou (蘆州; present-day Hefei, Anhui), he has moved to Jieyang Ridge (揭陽嶺; believed to be in present-day Jiujiang, Jiangxi) near the Xunyang River. He is a close friend of his neighbour Li Jun.

Li Li runs an inn on Jieyang Ridge, where he serves his guests food and drinks spiked with drugs that will make them unconscious. When they are out cold, he will rob them, and sometimes butcher them and use their flesh to make fillings for the baozi he serves to other unwary customers.

Joining Liangshan

When Song Jiang is en route to exile in Jiangzhou (江州; present-day Jiujiang, Jiangxi), he and his escorts pass by Jieyang Ridge and take a rest in Li Li's inn. Li Li serves them drugged wine and is about to murder them for their valuables when Li Jun and his friends Tong Wei and Tong Meng show up and stop him. Li Jun checks the official documents carried by the escorts and learns that the prisoner they are escorting is actually Song Jiang, who has a reputation for being a generous and chivalrous hero. Li Jun, who has long heard of Song Jiang's name, had earlier heard that Song Jiang will be passing by Jieyang Ridge and has been waiting to meet the man he admires. He then asks Li Li to revive Song Jiang and his escorts. Li Li, Li Jun and the Tong brothers then introduce themselves to Song Jiang and befriend him before seeing him off on his journey to Jiangzhou.

In Jiangzhou, Song Jiang gets into trouble after writing a seditious poem while he was drunk, and ends up being arrested and sentenced to death. The outlaws from Liangshan Marsh show up in Jiangzhou, storm the execution ground, and rescue him. In the meantime, Li Jun has gathered many of his friends, including Li Li, to help the Liangshan outlaws. They sail to the riverbank, where they meet up with the outlaws who are stranded there after being cornered by government forces, and ferry them safely along the river back to the outlaw stronghold at Liangshan Marsh. Li Li, Li Jun and the others then join the outlaw band there.

Campaigns and death

Li Li becomes one of the scout leaders of Liangshan after the 108 Stars of Destiny come together in what is called the Grand Assembly. He is posted at the tavern north of Liangshan. He is in charge of making preparations to receive and host the envoys from the imperial court when they come to announce Emperor Huizong's amnesty for the outlaws.

Li Li follows the Liangshan heroes on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces on Song territory after they received amnesty from the emperor. During the campaign against Fang La's rebel forces, Li Li gets severely wounded at the battle of Qingxi County (清溪縣; present-day Chun'an County, Zhejiang) and eventually dies of his wounds.

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. 195. 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.