Wu Yong

Wu Yong is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Knowledgeable Star", he ranks third among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny.

Background

The novel portrays Wu Yong as having a fair and handsome face and a long beard – typical features of learned and sophisticated men in Chinese literature. When Wu Yong is an ordinary teacher in a village school in Yuncheng County, he is already likened by some to Zhuge Liang and Chen Ping, two famous strategists of the Han dynasty, for his astuteness and wit. He is hence nicknamed "Knowledgeable Star".

Robbing the convoy of birthday gifts

Wu Yong first appears in the book when he watches Lei Heng, a chief constable of Yuncheng, fight the vagabond Liu Tang from his village school. Liu has come from afar to ask Chao Gai, the headman of Dongxi Village, to partner him to hijack valuables in transportation to the Grand Tutor Cai Jing in the imperial capital Dongjing. But he was tied up by Lei's patrol group while sleeping drunk in a temple because he looked suspicious. Chao Gai tricked Lei to release Liu when the group came to take a rest at his manor. But Liu is embittered and caught up with Lei to demand the money that Chao has given him as compensation for causing him much trouble. Wu Yong, who is a friend of Chao, steps forth to intervene when he senses Lei is about to lose. Chao comes to the scene and puts an end to the fray.

Taking Wu to his house, Chao Gai discloses Liu's proposal. Wu suggests roping in the three Ruan brothers as the current team is too small. He goes to the fishing village where the fisherman brothers live, pretending that he has come to buy fish from them. Step by step he coaxes them to reveal whether they are unhappy with their poverty and want a change. When he is sure that the brothers are disgruntled and detest oppression by officials, Wu reveals his real purpose in calling. The Ruans welcome the invitation. The team at last comprises seven people, with Gongsun Sheng, a Taoist priest, joining in.

Wu devises the hijack plan, which involves Bai Sheng, a loafer who has once received help from Chao Gai. Bai poses as a wine seller while the seven disguise themselves as date merchants, with Yellow Mud Ridge identified as where they would strike. Bai crosses the ridge carrying two buckets of wine when Chao's group and the gift-escorting party led by Yang Zhi are resting there in the shades of trees away from the blazing sun. Yang forbids his men, who are extremely thirsty, to buy any wine from Bai out of caution. Then Chao's group buy a bucket from him. Liu Tang pretends to want a free scoop from the second bucket. As soon as he has had a sip, Bai snatches the ladle from him and pours the remaining wine, now laced with drug, back into the bucket. As both buckets seem safe, with Liu looking all right, the soldiers badger Yang Zhi to allow them to have the remaining bucket. Yang relents and even he himself takes a sip. Once they become numb in their limbs and fall over, the seven men cart away the valuables.

Becoming an outlaw

Mad over the loss of the valuables, which are his birthday gift to his father-in-law Cai Jing, Grand Secretary Liang Shijie of Song_Jiang