Introduction to Shi Jin
A Character from "Water Margin" - Tian Wei Star Nine Dragon Tattoos Shi Jin
I have always been puzzled by the fact that among the 108 heroes of Water Margin, why is Nine Dragon Tattoos Shi Jin described as the leading figure? Jin Shengtan once commented: "Named as an introduction, it is because Shi Jin symbolizes 'history moving forward.' However, no matter which point we consider, he is not a dazzling character like Lin Chong or Wu Song. The only reason that might be given: He's a handsome man!"
Excluding the first chapter that promotes feudal superstition, "Taoist Zhang Celestial Master Praying for Pestilence Exorcism, Hong Taishi Accidentally Releasing Demons," the main body of the novel actually begins with the second chapter, "Instructor Wang Privately Escapes to Yan'an Prefecture, Nine Dragon Tattoos Causes a Ruckus in Shi Family Village."
Instructor Wang Jin of Tokyo's 800,000 Imperial Guards has had an unlucky year, possibly due to not wearing a red belt during his birth year. His immediate superior has now become Gao Qiu, a big thug with great football talent. More importantly, this Grand Secretary Gao was once knocked down by a stick wielded by Wang Jin's father, Wang Sheng, and was bedridden for three to four months. Times have changed, and now that Gao Qiu holds great power, how could he not oppress and suppress Wang Jin?
What can Wang Jin do? Well, if he can't deal with it, he'll avoid it! He can only flee far away to Yan'an Prefecture, seeking refuge in border regions with the famous general resisting Western Xia, Zhong E —— referred to in the text as "Old Zhong Strategist."
Thus, they hastily packed their belongings, and Wang Jin set off with his elderly mother through the West Huamen Gate, heading straight for Yan'an.
After fleeing all the way to Huayin County in Shaanxi, Wang Jin and his mother took refuge at Shi Family Manor, where they met Shi Jin, also known as Shi Dalang, thus initiating a grand journey of heroes. The novel describes Shi Jin's first impression as follows:
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"On that day, when I went to the back stable to look at the horses, I saw on the open ground a young man, shirtless, tattooed with a full-body dragon, with a face as round and smooth as a silver plate, about eighteen or nineteen years old, wielding a staff there."
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From here, we can see: One, Shi Jin has good skin, his face as bright as silver, indicating that he is at least no worse than Zhang Shun, who excels in swimming, or Langzi Yan Qing. Two, he is young and energetic, probably less than twenty years old, in the prime of youth. Three, he has beautiful tattoos. Through the mouth of his father, Old Shi Gong, it is described as follows:
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"The elder said: 'Teacher, please allow me to explain. My family has lived in Huayin County for generations. In front is Mount Shao Hua. This village is called Shi Family Village, and out of three or four hundred households, they all share the surname Shi. My son has never been interested in farming since childhood; he only loves practicing martial arts. His mother couldn't persuade him, and she passed away in anger. I had no choice but to indulge his nature, spending an unknown amount of money to find teachers for him. Moreover, I hired skilled craftsmen to give him these elaborate tattoos across his shoulders and chest, totaling nine dragons. People in the entire county call him Nine Dragon Tattoos Shi Jin.'"
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From this, we can imagine that according to the aesthetic standards of the time, Shi Jin was indeed a handsome man. During the Song Dynasty, having tattoos was considered beautiful. For example, Guo Wei, the founder of the Later Zhou Dynasty, had a sparrow tattooed on his neck, so people also called him Guo Que'er (Guo Sparrow). Another example is from Jin Yong's novel "Demigods and Half-Devils," where the leader of the Beggar Sect, Qiao Feng, had a green wolf head tattooed on his chest, and many disciples of the Beggar Sect also had tattoos.
Speaking further, in Chapter Eighty-One, Song Jiang sought indirect salvation, attempting to use Li Shishi, one of the emperor's concubines, as a breakthrough. He sent Yan Qing as a special envoy. Of course, Li Shishi, being a beauty who admires heroes, hinted at her interest in Yan Qing's beautiful tattoos. However, Yan Qing could not commit a principle-breaking error just for such beauty —— not that he didn't want to, but the timing wasn't right.
Upon reflection, among the heroes of Water Margin, there were quite a few with tattoos, including Shi Jin and Yan Qing, as well as others like Lu Zhishen and Jie Bao. There was a reason Song Jiang did not send Lu Zhishen or Jie Bao. Any normal person could imagine: a monk with full-body tattoos going to a brothel would likely not lead to anything good; Jie Bao had two flying night demons tattooed on his legs, and surely he couldn't expose his hairy calves to Li Shishi upon seeing her!
Yan Qing surpassed Shi Jin in his musical talents, which were lacking in Shi Jin. Song Dynasty courtesans were not like those of today; they valued identity and cultivation. Therefore, this honorable mission fell to Yan Qing.
Skipping over the details, since Shi Jin's family not only provided lodging for Wang Jin and his mother but also cured Wang Jin's mother of her heartache, Wang Jin, in gratitude, became Shi Jin's teacher after knocking him down with a single blow —— Shi Jin's previous seven or eight "famous teachers" were merely boastful figures teaching flashy but useless moves. Among them, we must mention Tiger Fighter Li Zhong —— Shi Jin's启蒙 martial arts teacher, a wandering salesman of dogskin plasters, detailed later.
Over the span of half a year, Shi Jin learned all the skills of the eighteen martial arts —— spear, mace, bow, crossbow, musket, whip, sword, chain, axe, halberd, shield, staff, spear, rake... —— becoming proficient in each. Thanks to Wang Jin's dedicated guidance, every technique held its own secrets. Seeing that Shi Jin had already achieved some mastery, Wang Jin proposed continuing his military career. Despite Shi Jin and his father's earnest attempts to retain him, they could not, and they bid farewell to their teacher.
The book writes, "Shi Jin returned to the estate, daily honing his strength. Being young and without a family, he would rise at midnight to practice his martial arts, and by day, he would ride horses and shoot arrows on the estate."
From this, we can see that Shi Jin's characteristic was his disinterest in women, or perhaps his lack of experience at the time.
Another half a year passed, and Old Shi Gong passed away, leaving behind a substantial inheritance, with no one left to restrain Shi Jin. How could this Nine Dragon Tattoos not practice martial arts and play games at home every day?
At this point, three more heroes were introduced: Divine Strategist Zhu Wu, Jumping Ravine Tiger Chen Da, and White Flower Snake Yang Chun.
These three were originally bandits ruling Mount Shao Hua. They belonged to a different camp from Shi Jin —— Shi Jin's late father was not only a large landowner but also the local magistrate, akin to today's village chief and party branch secretary. Shi Jin had once united the entire village against the bandits, taking on the role of captain of the neighborhood defense team.
Conflict was inevitable. Chen Da, disregarding Zhu Wu's and Yang Chun's advice, insisted on clashing with Shi Jin. The current Shi Jin was no longer the inexperienced youth he once was, quickly capturing him alive.
Having lost their right-hand men, Zhu Wu and Yang Chun intended to fight Shi Jin to the death —— but leadership is not achieved by brute force alone. Witness Zhu Wu's performance:
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Zhu Wu said, "It is not feasible either; he has already won, how could you surpass him? I have a desperate plan. If we fail to save him, both of us will die."
Yang Chun asked, "What is the desperate plan?"
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This desperate plan, inspired by the Peach Garden Oath, involved going door-to-door crying: "If you're going to arrest us, then arrest all three of us! We live and die together."
Shi Jin, whose mind had been corrupted by reading too many martial arts novels since childhood, impulsively not only refrained from tying up Zhu and Yang but instead waved his hand and released them all. Furthermore, he befriended them and maintained private contact multiple times.
There are no walls that don't leak. Due to carelessness of subordinates and betrayal by informants, on the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Director of the Huayin County Public Security Bureau led the Chief Inspector and Deputy Chief Inspector of the Criminal Investigation Team, along with a large number of police officers, surrounding Shi Jin's residence. At this moment, Zhu Wu proved worthy of his title as Divine Strategist:
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The story goes that Shi Jin said, "What shall we do?"
The three leaders knelt down and said, "Brother, you are a clean person. Don't let us drag you into trouble. Brother Dalang, take the rope and bind us three to go claim the reward, so as not to embarrass you."
Shi Jin said, "How can I do that! If I lured you here to capture you for a reward, it would invite ridicule from all under heaven. If I must die, I will die with you; if I live, I will live with you. Get up, rest assured, don't make things easy. Let me first inquire about the situation."
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Thus, Shi Jin completely broke ties with the government. The four opened the door, fighting while retreating, returning together to Mount Shao Hua. At this point, Shi Jin found himself in a situation where he could not return home. Yet he resolutely rejected Zhu Wu's invitation to join their gang:
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Zhu Wu said, "Brother, why not stay here and be the chief of the stronghold? Isn't it enjoyable? Only fear the stronghold is too small to accommodate your horse."
Shi Jin said, "I am a pure-hearted hero. How can I defile my parents' legacy? You urge me to join the outlaw life, but never mention it again."
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Thus, Shi Jin bade farewell to the three, traveling to Wei Prefecture, where he met an important character driving the plot forward: Lu Da.
At the same time, the novel's most miserly character, Tiger Fighter Li Zhong, also appeared.
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When the crowd parted, a man stood in the middle, wielding ten or so spears. On the ground were spread dozens of plasters, placed in a dish with paper signs attached, revealing him to be a wandering gunfighter selling medicine.
Shi Jin recognized him immediately. He was the teacher who had initiated Shi Jin in martial arts, known as "Tiger Fighter" Li Zhong.
Shi Jin called out from the crowd, "Teacher, it's been a long time since we've seen each other."
Li Zhong said, "Young brother, how did you end up here?"
Lu Ti-Hsia said, "Since you're Shi Dalang's teacher, come have three cups of wine with us."
Li Zhong said, "Let me sell my plasters, collect my money, and then I'll go with you, Marshal."
Lu Da said, "Who has the patience to wait for you! If you're coming, come now!" Li Zhong said, "This is my livelihood, what can I do? Marshal, go ahead, I'll follow soon —— Young brother, you and the marshal go first."
Lu Da, growing impatient, pushed someone in the crowd to the ground, cursing, "You bastards, scatter! Those who don't leave will get beaten!"
Seeing it was Lu Ti-Hsia, everyone scattered.
Li Zhong, seeing Lu Da's ferocity, dared not speak but could only smile and say, "What an impatient man!"
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I often think about the character Li Zhong. With low skills, despite being Shi Jin's initial teacher, he was no match for Wang Jin's single blow. Yet his title was astonishingly grand: Tiger Fighter. In Water Margin, those who truly killed tigers were only four: Wu Song, Li Kui, and the Jie brothers, none of whom bore this nickname. Moreover, among the 108 heroes, there were nine whose nicknames revolved around tigers. Isn't Li Zhong provoking public anger? Even more interestingly, Li Zhong addressed Shi Jin not as a disciple but as "Young Brother," quite amusing.
Setting aside Lu Da and Li Zhong for now, after Lu Da killed Zhen Guanxi, he unexpectedly encountered Shi Jin, who had become a bandit in Chi Song Forest. The book writes: "Since we parted ways at the tavern that day, the next day I heard that Brother beat to death Zheng Butcher and fled. There were investigations regarding Shi Jin aiding and abetting the singing girl Jin Lao, therefore, I also left Wei Prefecture, searching for Teacher Wang Jin. I reached Yan Prefecture but couldn't find him. I stayed in Beijing for a while, using up all my money, hence I came here to seek some funds. Unexpectedly, I met Brother. Why did you become a monk?"
"I can only return to Mount Shao Hua now and join Zhu Wu and the others, living as outlaws for a while before resolving matters."
This makes one feel deeply moved. Not long ago, Shi Jin looked down on Zhu Wu and others as mere mountain kings, refusing to join their ranks. However, circumstances forced him onto this path. Thus, Shi Jin became the top leader of Mount Shao Hua.
Shi Jin's early story concludes here. It isn't until Chapter Fifty-Eight, "Three Mountains Unite to Attack Qingzhou, Heroes Align Their Hearts to Join Liangshan," that Shi Jin reappears through Zhu Wu's words.
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Zhu Wu said, "The three of us have been in this stronghold. Since Big Official Shi joined the mountain, things have been very prosperous. Recently, Big Official Shi descended the mountain and met a painter, originally from Daming Prefecture in Beijing, surnamed Wang, named Yi. He promised to paint a mural at the Jin Tian Saint Emperor Temple on Mount Hua for worship. He brought along a daughter named Yu Jiao Zhi. However, the governor of our state, originally a disciple of Grand Secretary Cai, was corrupt and harmed the people unreasonably. One day, while visiting the temple, he noticed that Yu Jiao had some charm, and repeatedly sent people to negotiate, wanting to take her as a concubine. Wang Yi refused, and the governor forcibly took his daughter, exiling Wang Yi to a distant penal colony. Passing by here, he happened to meet Big Official Shi, who told him this matter. Big Official Shi saved Wang Yi and brought him to the mountain, killing the two escorts, directly going to the city hall to assassinate Governor He. Unfortunately, he was caught, currently imprisoned. They also gathered troops to sweep and destroy the stronghold. We are here with no plans available!"
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Shi Jin's image grows taller and taller. Though a bandit, he is full of chivalry, helping those in need. Song Jiang uses this opportunity to incorporate the four leaders of Mount Shao Hua into his fold.
After joining Liangshan, Shi Jin accomplished two major tasks: one was to subdue Fan Rui, Xiang Chong, and Li Gun from Mang Dang Mountain, resulting in a near miss with a flying knife; the other was attacking Dongping Prefecture, infiltrating the city as a spy, but was reported by a prostitute and thrown into prison. This cannot help but make one sigh at the unfairness of fate. From this, we can see that Shi Jin's emotional intelligence is indeed lacking.
Once Song Jiang subdued Dong Ping and Zhang Qing, the last two tiger generals, the number of Liangshan heroes reached 107. To align with celestial phenomena, a veterinarian Huangfu Duan was recruited, completing the numbers of the Heavenly Stars and Earthly Fiends.
Hero rankings are intriguing. Shi Jin's position is also interesting: Tian Wei Star Nine Dragon Tattoos Shi Jin, ranked twenty-third, just below Li Kui, and before Lei Heng and the three Ruan brothers.
Actually, whether judged by martial arts or contributions, Shi Jin's position is slightly high. As for the ranking techniques of the Water Margin heroes, they cannot be explained clearly in a few thousand words. The reason Song Jiang became the leader is closely related to the strategies of the strategist Wu Yong.
It can only be said that Shi Jin's ranking, like Guan Sheng's, was aided by reputation. No matter how divided, Guan Sheng could not rank before Lin Chong, but Guan Sheng's lineage is far nobler than Lin Chong's. And Shi Jin, most likely being Wang Jin's disciple, earned his current position. After all, Lin Chong's position was left vacant by Wang Jin.
After accepting amnesty, Shi Jin followed the army southward to attack Fang La, seizing Runzhou City (present-day Zhenjiang, Jiangsu), where he chopped off the head of Shen Gang, the "Heaven-Pillar God," earning great merit. Fighting bravely, they reached Fang La's main base, where Shi Jin died under the arrows of Pang Wan Chun, known as the "Little Yang Youji." The book writes:
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Then, atop the mountain peak, a gong sounded, and arrows were fired simultaneously from the pine forests on both sides. The five generals, unable to protect Shi Jin (already dead), fled for their lives. Turning the corner of the mountain, facing both slopes, one side was Lei Jiong, the other Ji Ji. Arrows rained down like rain, and even with utmost heroism, one could not escape such a barrage. Alas, six brave lieutenants of Water Margin perished like a dream in Nankuo. Shi Jin, Shi Xiu, and five others could not escape, and all were shot dead beneath the pass.
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Every time I read this part, I can't help but feel deep sorrow. Among the five men Shi Jin led, his relationship with Sick Tiger Xue Yong was average; Shi Xiu he hadn't interacted much with; but Chen Da and Yang Chun were close friends willing to die for each other, and Li Zhong was his original martial arts teacher. These three treated their life-and-death brothers in such a manner, which is truly unacceptable!
Among all the stories in Water Margin, there are only two true knights. One is Lu Da, the other is Shi Jin.
This article is sourced from Water Margin Chinese website http://s108.com.cn/, original address: http://s108.com.cn/shuihuchuan108jiangjieshao/3.html