Jiang Jing

Jiang Jing is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 53rd of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 17th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Divine Mathematician".

Background

Jiang Jing is from Tanzhou, Hunan. He took the imperial examination in his early days but was not a successful candidate. He shifted his focus from academics and literature to military studies instead. He achieves great success after years of efforts and becomes an expert in martial arts, mathematics and military strategy. He earns himself the nickname "Divine Mathematician". Subsequently, he joins the bandits on Mount Yellow Gate and becomes one of their leaders together with Ou Peng, Tao Zongwang and Ma Lin.

Joining Liangshan

After the outlaws from Liangshan Marsh storm the execution ground in Jiangzhou (present-day Jiangxi) and rescue Song Jiang and Dai Zong, they pass by Mount Yellow Gate on the return journey. The four bandit leaders stop Song Jiang's party and request to join Liangshan and Song agrees.

Jiang Jing becomes an accountant in Liangshan after the Grand Assembly. He is in charge of keeping record of exports and imports of provisions. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. He is one of the few lucky survivors after the campaigns and returns to the capital. He accepts an official post from the emperor in recognition of his contributions. However, after holding office for some time, he feels homesick later and resigns. He returns to Tanzhou and leads a peaceful life as a commoner for the rest of his days.

References

• (Chinese) Li, Mengxia. 108 Heroes from the Water Margin, page 107. EPB Publishers Pte Ltd, 1992. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.