Yue He

Yue He is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Iron Whistle", he ranks 77th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 41st among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

For the river known as "Yue He" in Chinese, see Yue River.
Yue He
Water Margin character
First appearanceChapter 49
Nickname"Iron Whistle"
鐵叫子
Rank77th, Music Star (地樂星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends
Infantry scouting leader of Liangshan
OriginJailer
Ancestral home / Place of originMaozhou (present-day Changyi, Shandong)
Names
Simplified Chinese乐和
Traditional Chinese樂和
PinyinYuè Hé
Wade–GilesYüeh He
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Yue.

Background

The novel depicts Yue He, a native of Maozhou (茅州; present-day Changyi, Shandong), as handsome-looking. Talented in music, he could play many kinds of instruments and sing well. Besides being skilled in martial arts, Yue He makes a good spy as he is astute in picking up crucial leads. His sister is married to Sun Li, the commandant of the garrison of Dengzhou (登州; in present-day eastern Shandong).

Becoming an outlaw

As a jailer in Dengzhou, one day Yue He is put in charge of the prisoners Xie Zhen and Xie Bao. The hunter brothers are arrested for smashing up the house of one Squire Mao after failing to find a tiger they shot that had fallen into the old man's garden. In fact the squire and his son had sent the tiger to the prefecture office to claim reward.

Yue He sympathises with the brothers, knowing that the warden, being bribed by the Maos, would murder them . Besides, Yue He is related to the Xies, his brother-in-law Sun Li being the brother-in-law of Gu Dasao, a cousin of the hunters. Gu's husband is Sun Xin, Sun Li's younger brother.

Yue He takes the news about the Xies to Gu Dasao and Sun Xin, who pressure Sun Li to join in their rescue plan. They also involve the bandits Zou Yuan and Zou Run. Yue He admits Gu Dasao, who pretends to be sending food to the Xies, into the jail. He unshackles and frees the brothers while Gu causes havoc in the jail compound. Meanwhile Sun Li attacks it from the outside with the rest. After pulling off the rescue, the group kill the Mao family and flee to join the outlaws of Liangshan Marsh.

Before going up to the stronghold, Sun Li volunteers to infiltrate the Zhu Family Village, which Liangshan has failed to take in two offensives. As Sun Li has received combat training from the same teacher as Luan Tingyu, the martial arts instructor of the village, he easily wins the confidence of the Zhus. Yue He, together with Sun Xin, Gu Dasao, the Xie brothers, Zou Yuan and Zou Run, goes on a rampage inside the village, taking it by surprise, when Sun Li gives the signal. The fall of the Zhu Family Village is an immense contribution by the group before their formal acceptance into Liangshan.

Campaigns

Yue He is appointed as one of Liangshan's scout leaders after the 108 Stars of Destiny came together in what is called the Grand Assembly. When Grand Marshal Gao Qiu attacks Liangshan with a massive army, he suffers an ignominious defeat and is captured himself. But the outlaws free him after he promised to help them secure amnesty from Emperor Huizong. Yue He and Xiao Rang go with Gao Qiu to the capital Dongjing as Liangshan's representatives to meet the emperor. However, Gao detains them in his residence and reneges on his promise. Yan Qing and Dai Zong later break into Gao's house and save the two.

The outlaws eventually receive amnesty thanks to the help of the courtesan Li Shishi as well as other court officials. Emperor Huizong sends them on military campaigns against the Liao invaders and other rebel forces on Song territory to atone for their crimes. Yue He participates in the first three expeditions.

Before the fourth commences, which targets the rebel Fang La, the emperor summons Yue He back to Dongjing. It turns out that a prince consort has heard of Yue He's musical talent and wants him to be his minstrel. Yue spends the rest of his life in the house of the prince.

References
  • Buck, Pearl S. (2006). All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell. ISBN 9781559213035.
  • Miyazaki, Ichisada (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. 155. 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.
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