Ling Zhen
| Ling Zhen | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
| Nickname | "Heaven Shaking Thunder" 轟天雷 |
| Rank | 52nd, Assist Star (地輔星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends |
| Pyrotechnics unit commander of Liangshan | |
| Hometown | Yanling (燕陵) |
| First appearance | Chapter 55 |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 凌振 |
| Traditional Chinese | 凌振 |
| Pinyin | Líng Zhèn |
| Wade–Giles | Ling Chen |
Ling Zhen is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 52nd of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 16th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Heaven Shaking Thunder".
Background
Ling Zhen is a native of Yanling. He is an expert in the use of gunpowder, cannons and pyrotechnics. He excels in martial arts and archery as well. He serves the imperial court as a general.
Becoming an outlaw
The emperor appoints Huyan Zhuo to lead the imperial army, with Han Tao and Peng Qi as his deputies, to eradicate the outlaws at Liangshan Marsh. Huyan Zhuo gains the upper hand in the battle with his superior chain-linked armoured cavalry formation and defeats the outlaws. Peng Qi is captured and defects to Liangshan. Huyan Zhuo seeks permission from the emperor to allow Ling Zhen to assist him in the battle. Ling Zhen leads some reinforcements to join Huyan Zhuo and brings along an arsenal of firearms and cannons. Ling Zhen displays his prowess in the battle by bombarding Liangshan heavily with cannon fire and terrorising the outlaws.
Wu Yong conjures a plan to stop Ling Zhen. He orders the Liangshan navy to sabotage Ling Zhen's cannons and lure him into the river. Ling Zhen's boat is capsized by the navy and he is captured. Song Jiang treats Ling Zhen with respect and succeeds in persuading him to join the Liangshan cause of "delivering justice on Heaven's behalf".
Campaigns
Ling Zhen is placed in charge of the pyrotechnics unit of Liangshan's military 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, Ling Zhen bombards the enemy cities heavily with cannon fire and creates chaos. The Liangshan heroes then take advantage of the situation to attack and occupy the cities.
Ling Zhen is one of the few lucky survivors after the calamitous Fang La campaign. He returns to the capital and the emperor offers him an official post in recognition of his contributions. Ling Zhen accepts and serves the government in the imperial army's pyrotechnics unit.
References
- (Chinese) Li, Mengxia. 108 Heroes from the Water Margin, page 105. 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, page 94. KOEI, 1989.