Kong Liang
| Kong Liang | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
| Nickname | "Lonely Fiery Star" (獨火星) |
| Rank | 63rd, Crazy Star (地狂星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends |
| Central Camp Defendant General of Liangshan | |
| Origin | Bandit leader from Mount White Tiger |
| Hometown | Qingzhou (in present-day Shandong) |
| First appearance | Chapter 57 |
| Weapon | Spear |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 孔亮 |
| Traditional Chinese | 孔亮 |
| Pinyin | Kǒng Liàng |
| Wade–Giles | K'ung Liang |
Kong Liang is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 63rd of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 27th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Lonely Fiery Star".
Background
Kong Liang is the younger son of Squire Kong from Qingzhou (in present-day Shandong). He is good-looking, standing at seven chi, with a round face, large ears, wide lips and a squarish mouth. He is impatient by nature and loves getting into quarrels. He is nicknamed "Lonely Fiery Star" while his elder brother, Kong Ming, is nicknamed "Hairy Star".
Their father sends them to Chai Jin's residence to fetch Song Jiang to their manor. The Kongs are fond of martial arts and they become Song Jiang's students.
In a later chapter, Wu Song flees to the Kongs' manor after killing Inspector Zhang in Mengzhou. He has a quarrel with Kong Liang and knocks the latter out cold. Wu Song then throws the unconscious Kong Liang into the river. When Kong Liang regains consciousness, he gathers a group of men with his brother to hunt down Wu Song. Wu Song is drunk when the Kongs attack him so he is no match for them. The brothers tie Wu Song to a tree and beat him up for revenge. Song Jiang is with the Kong brothers then and he recognises Wu Song and asks the Kongs to release him.
Becoming an outlaw
The Kong brothers have an argument with a wealthy landlord later and they kill him and his family in anger. They flee from Qingzhou and become outlaws. They set up a stronghold on the nearby Mount White Tiger and rally a group of 700 bandits under their command. Shortly after, the Kong brothers' uncle is imprisoned by Murong Yanda, the governor of Qingzhou. The brothers lead their men to attack Qingzhou and free their uncle.
However, the Kongs encounter Huyan Zhuo and are defeated by him. Kong Ming is captured and Kong Liang travels to Liangshan Marsh to seek help. The outlaws form an army to attack Qingzhou and succeed in rescuing Kong Ming. The Kong brothers then follow the heroes back to Liangshan.
Campaigns and death
Kong Liang becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan infantry and one of the Central Camp Defendant Generals after the Grand Assembly. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. During the Fang La campaign, he follows the Ruan brothers to attack the enemy territory of Kunshan by water. However, he is not a good swimmer and falls into the river during the battle and drowns.
References
- (Chinese) Li, Mengxia. 108 Heroes from the Water Margin, page 127. EPB Publishers Pte Ltd, 1992. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.
- Buck, Pearl. All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell Ltd, 2006. ISBN 9781559213035.
- Zhang, Lin Ching. Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House, 2009. ISBN 978-7506344784.
- Keffer, David. Outlaws of the Marsh.
- Miyamotois, Yoko. Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits.
- (Japanese) Ichisada, Miyazaki. Suikoden: Kyoko no naka no Shijitsu. Chuo Koronsha, 1993. ISBN 978-4122020559.
- Shibusawa, Kou. Bandit Kings of Ancient China. KOEI, 1989.