Water Margin  Water Margin (), also translated as Outlaws of the Marsh, Tale of the Marshes or All Men Are Brothers, is a 14th-century Chinese novel attributed to Shi Nai'an. Considered one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, the novel is written in vernacular Chinese rather than Classical Chinese. The story, set in the Song dynasty, tells of how a group of 108 outlaws gather at Mount Liang (or Liangshan Marsh) to form a sizable army before they are eventually granted amnesty by the government and sent on campaigns to resist foreign invaders and suppress rebel forces. It has introduced to readers many of the best-known characters in Chinese literature, such as Wu Song, Lin Chong and Lu Zhishen. "Water Margin" was based on the exploits of the outlaw Song Jiang and his 108 companions (The 36 "Heavenly Spirits" and the 72 "Earthly Demons"). The group was active in the Huainan region and surrendered to the Song government in 1121. They were recorded in the historical text "History of Song". The name of "Song Jiang" also appeared in the biography of Emperor Huizong of Song, which stated:  Zhang Shuye's biography further described Song Jiang and the outlaws' activities and how they were eventually defeated by Zhang. Folk stories of Song Jiang circulated during the Southern Song. The first source to name Song Jiang's 36 companions was "Miscellaneous observations from the year of Guixin" (癸辛雜識) by Zhou Mi, written in the 13th century. Among the 36 were Lu Junyi, Guan Sheng, Ruan Xiao'er, Ruan Xiaowu, Ruan Xiaoqi, Liu Tang, Hua Rong and Wu Yong. Some of the characters who later became associated with Song Jiang also appeared around this time. They include Sun Li, Yang Zhi, Lin Chong, Lu Zhishen and Wu Song. A palace memorial by Hou Meng is included in the historical record History of Song, which states: "Song Jiang and 36 others cross Qi and Wei (the central belt of the North China Plain) at will. Government troops number tens of thousands but no one dare oppose him. His abilities must be extraordinary. Since we also face plunders by Fang La and his outlaws from Qingxi, why not grant Song Jiang and his men amnesty and allow them to lead a campaign against Fang La to redeem themselves?" A direct precursor of "Water Margin" was the "Old incidents in the Xuanhe period of the great Song dynasty" (大宋宣和遺事), which appeared around the mid 13th century.