Song Jiang (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles Song Jiang was the leader of a group of bandits who lived during the Song Dynasty in the 12th century. The bandits were active in the present-day provinces of Shandong and Henan before their eventual surrender to the government. Song is also featured as a character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 1st of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Calling to Keep Justice." Song is mentioned in historical texts dating from the time of the end of the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty. His place of birth and base of operations is disputed. One account from Pi Ling Ji notes that Song rallied some fugitives to form a bandit army and they attacked travellers on the roads of Shandong. Another account from an unknown source states that Song and his bandit group originated from the north of the Yellow River and moved south towards the Huai River Valley. They invaded some ten commanderies and were evidently regarded as being more than merely a nuisance by the Song Imperial Court in Kaifeng.