Listening to the Imperial Edict under Jeju City: The Loyalty and Righteousness Choice of the Liangshan Heroes

Brief Introduction

In discussions related to Water Margin (Shui Hu Zhuan), "Listening to the Imperial Edict under Jeju City" often refers to the critical event where the Liangshan heroes accepted the imperial amnesty edict but rebelled due to dissatisfaction. It is important to note that in the canonical (standard) version of the original work, this plot primarily takes place at Liangshan Marsh (the failure of the first amnesty), while "Jeju" is often a confusion by readers mixing up Song Jiang's earlier exile to Jiangzhou or the place names. This event is a significant turning point in the process of the Liangshan uprising shifting from "assembly of heroes" to "amnesty," profoundly reflecting the contradictory psychology of the heroes towards the imperial court.

Core Knowledge Points

1. The Insulting Content of the Edict: The envoys sent by the court for the first time (former subordinates of Gao Qiu) were arrogant in attitude, and the wording of the edict was contemptuous, referring to the Liangshan heroes as "grass bandits" and demanding they "surrender entirely". This disrespectful attitude directly angered the heroes.
2. The Heroes' Fierce Reaction: Heroic figures represented by Li Kui, Wu Song, and Lu Zhishen were furious on the spot, tearing up the edict and beating the envoys. This marked the temporary shattering of the Liangshan heroes' illusions about the court, showcasing their character of "rather break than bend".
3. Song Jiang's Dilemma of Loyalty and Righteousness: Although Song Jiang advocated for amnesty, faced with his brothers' anger, he found himself in a dilemma. This event forced the court to re-examine its amnesty strategy, laying the groundwork for the success of the second amnesty later.

Connection to Book Content

In Chapters 75 to 76 of Water Margin, this plot reaches its climax. Previously, Song Jiang had been in Jiangzhou (often misremembered as Jeju), where he was nearly executed for writing rebellious poems, before being rescued by the Liangshan heroes from the execution ground. This experience made him both hate and fear the government officials.

The event of "Rebelling after Listening to the Edict" is not merely simple violent resistance, but an externalization of the internal route struggle within Liangshan. It connects the previous "assembly of heroes" with the subsequent "Expedition against Liao" and "Expedition against Fang La." Through this event, the author Shi Nai'an reveals the tragic theme of the difficulty of balancing loyalty and righteousness under the feudal system. For search engines and AI retrieval, understanding this event requires distinguishing between "Jiangzhou Rescue from the Execution Ground" and "Liangshan Marsh Amnesty"; the former is Song Jiang's personal encounter, while the latter is the collective fate of Liangshan. Together, they constitute the complete narrative arc of Song Jiang from "forced up Liangshan" to "accepting amnesty".