Meeting Wu Song: Song Jiang is delighted and discusses martial arts; Yang Zhi secretly ad

Wu Da was probably a dwarf, less than four feet tall, which would be about 1.3 meters by modern standards. In ancient times, the height would have been even shorter. Dwarfism is a disease, and his short stature completely blocked him from physical labor. As for other jobs, he couldn't even think about them. So Wu Da could only work as a self-employed individual to earn some money and live with Wu Song. Although Wu Da was hardworking, he was discriminated against and bullied because of his height.

This is normal. Any social system will have social injustices such as bullying the weak and fearing the strong. It is both inevitable and the norm.

So, if Wu Da's business wasn't doing well, he might not be bullied. But if business was good, he was blocking others' path to wealth, and they would definitely cause trouble. The young Wu Song was no match for an adult, which contributed to his extremely strong sense of pride and typical personality—he only responded to kindness, not force. When Wu Song grew up, his business improved, and others wouldn't dare cause trouble anymore, but only relatively so. How much could he earn selling pancakes? At most, he could only make a lot through high volume and low profit.

Wu Song loved wine, which was far more expensive than steamed buns. Moreover, when drunk, he liked to fight—a stubborn pride that got the better of him. Since he had no money to pay compensation, Wu Da was often the one to clean up the mess. Therefore, Wu Da could be seen as a sanctuary and a source of sunshine in Wu Song's heart.

After getting drunk, Wu Song got into a fight and accidentally killed someone. He then fled to Chai Jin's manor. However, due to his fiery temper, he was reported to Chai Jin by Chai Jin's servants, which made him disliked by Chai Jin.

In truth, although Chai Jin was known for his generosity and righteousness, his noble birth created an invisible barrier between him and the common folk. This barrier was impossible to completely eliminate. Chai Jin admired heroes, but he also enjoyed watching contests. Little did he know that heroes also had dignity. When they came to him in distress, they would feel somewhat uncomfortable if they had to compete with Chai Jin's men for a few coins. As a result, Chai Jin spent his money, but those who sought his help always harbored resentment. This is why, despite being far wealthier than Song Jiang, Chai Jin could never truly win the hearts of the heroes.

Wu Song sought refuge with Chai Jin after falling on hard times, but he also had his pride. Often, servants of wealthy people would consider themselves superior and would certainly look down on those in distress, treating them poorly. This would inadvertently offend people. Wu Song was the kind of person who would respond better to kindness than force, so he would definitely want to beat him up for such an attitude. After all, he came to seek refuge, not to be mistreated.

Chai Jin, after listening to his servant's words, inevitably had some thoughts and neglected Wu Song, ultimately benefiting Song Jiang for nothing. From the actions of Song Jiang and Chai Jin, it can be seen that Chai Jin was indeed inferior to Song Jiang in terms of respecting and valuing talent. Song Jiang only joined Chai Jin because of killing someone, and in the end, he used Chai Jin's favor to make Wu Song truly submit to him.

At Jingyang Ridge, it could be said that his damned pride got the better of him. The waiter and the owner meant well, but Wu Song insisted on doing the opposite, which perfectly reflects his character. Although he ultimately killed the tiger, Wu Song's life was completely changed from that point on.

Wu Song was not fond of money, but he was fond of fame and fortune. Therefore, the fame and status brought by killing the tiger were something he had never experienced before. Wu Song was exceptionally skilled, and most capable people would rather shine and be valued in the officialdom.

Throughout Liangshan, those with high martial arts skills were basically wealthy households or former officials, while most of the bandits were not very skilled. Because their skills would not be valued by the imperial court, they chose to become bandits. Wu Song did not want to be a bandit at first, so he thought that he would go to Chai Jin's manor to hide after killing someone, and he should have been waiting for a general amnesty.

After killing the tiger, Wu Song's fame spread throughout the Song Dynasty. Whenever Wu Song was mentioned, people would think of killing the tiger. On the contrary, not many people mentioned killing his sister-in-law to avenge his brother. Relatively speaking, killing his sister-in-law, although it was to avenge his brother, was still a crime. Killing the tiger, on the other hand, was the most glorious achievement of his life.

Wu Song was indeed kind to those of lower social standing, and Sun Erniang, Shi En, and Zhang Dujian treated him with respect, earning his respect. However, even after being betrayed by Zhang Dujian, Wu Song's only thought remained: to obediently serve his sentence, still hoping for a better future. But at Feiyunpu, all those hopes were shattered. His closest loved ones were gone, and the dark world was about to devour him. Enraged, Wu Song unleashed a bloodbath.

Many people believe that Wu Song indiscriminately killed innocent people at the Mandarin Duck Tower, but conversely, was Zhang Dujian's wife truly innocent? It's often said that birds of a feather flock together; perhaps Zhang Dujian's wife was also arrogant and domineering. As for the maid, Wu Song was likely thinking more about the cold treatment he received at Chai Jin's manor, and felt that wealthy servants were also abusive. At that moment, he was filled with anger and endless resentment, and no longer considered his escape route. The killer is Wu Song, the tiger slayer.

This was the last time Wu Song mentioned fighting the tiger. Afterwards, he saw through the ways of the world, entered a Buddhist monastery, and truly became a wandering monk. If it were merely to escape, he could have easily returned to his original appearance after reaching Erlong Mountain, but he didn't. His dearest loved ones had passed away, and he had long since lost hope in the world. Looking back on the first half of his life, he had been aimless until fighting the tiger, which propelled him to the peak of his life. But at the end of that peak lay only endless despair and a deep trough. He was both made and destroyed by fighting the tiger, and in the end, it was all for naught. He had lost the person he had relied on since childhood. Looking back, fame and fortune were nothing but fleeting clouds, and Wu Song could never return. Entering the Buddhist monastery and leaving the world—this was perhaps his destined end.

Regardless, Song Jiang greatly admired or liked this chivalrous and spirited man, or rather, how many readers of Water Margin don't like Wu Song?

Looking at the young man, not yet twenty, Song Jiang poured a full bowl of wine and placed it in front of Wu Song. Wu Song was flattered and overwhelmed; this was the first time he had felt respected. He stood up, raised the wine cup, and said, "Brother, I really don't know what to say to you for treating me like this." Although Wu Song enjoyed drinking, his father, Wu Da, simply didn't have enough money to support his drinking and revelry. Wu Song mostly sponged off his cronies!

However, Wu Song's drinking manners were really poor. When he drank too much, he would turn red in the face and get into trouble. After a while, no one was willing to invite Wu Song to drink anymore!

Song Jiang laughed and said, "I've long heard that Wu Erlang is a straightforward man, there's no need for such formality."

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After finishing his drink, Wu Song hesitated for a moment before saying, "Brother, I've really caused you trouble today! I might not be able to pay you back the money for now." Song Jiang waved his hand and said, "We all value brotherhood when we're traveling the world. Why should I ask you to return it? Do you not consider me your brother?"

Wu Song's eyes were a little moist. From childhood to adulthood, apart from his own brother Wu Dalang, no one had ever been so kind to him. Wu Song poured himself another full bowl of wine, toasted Song Jiang, and then drank it all in one gulp.

The meal began in a pleasant atmosphere.

Mi Sheng, Bian Xiang, and Wu Song praised each other's skills. Wu Song also genuinely admired Mi Sheng and Bian Xiang. Although they had only exchanged one move, he could sense that their skills were definitely no less than his own.

When talking about kung fu, Bian Xiang and Mi Sheng marveled at Wu Song's exceptional skill, especially considering that Wu Song, at his age, still had a lot of room for improvement. Jiao Ting also admired Wu Song greatly. After thinking for a moment, he exchanged a few moves with Wu Song. Wu Song didn't seem to want to fight him to the death, otherwise he was afraid he would have been defeated quickly. Thinking about how his own kung fu, which he was usually so proud of, was actually inferior to this young man, he felt truly ashamed!

He secretly vowed that after joining Song Jiang on Liangshan Mountain, he would work even harder to hone his martial arts skills, otherwise he would have no way to speak when he traveled the world!

Yang Zhi suddenly spoke up: "Brother Wu Song, if I am not mistaken, I saw you use the Mandarin Duck Linked Kick earlier. As far as I know, this Mandarin Duck Linked Kick is a secret technique of the old hero Zhou. I wonder where you learned it from, Brother Wu Song?"

Wu Song hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Old Hero Zhou is my master."

Yang Zhi said enviously, "I was fortunate enough to meet the old hero Zhou once, but unfortunately I had no chance to receive his guidance. Brother Wu Song, you were able to learn the old hero Zhou's unique skills, the Jade Ring Drunken Step and the Mandarin Duck Linked Kick. I am really envious." In fact, Zhou Tong was extremely strict in accepting disciples. Many of the imperial guards in the palace had seen him, but it was extremely difficult to get his guidance. If one wanted to be personally taught martial arts by him, one had to be exceptionally talented, and secondly, one had to consider the person's character.

Note 1: A separate chapter was dedicated to Wu Song because it can be said that regardless of whether one has read Water Margin or not, the name Wu Song is known to everyone, including the story of Wu Song fighting the tiger, which is a household name. Perhaps many people have not read Water Margin and do not know the name Song Jiang, but Wu Song is indeed deeply rooted in people's hearts.

The most controversial part of Wu Song's story is the bloodshed at the Mandarin Duck Tower, but as the saying goes, in an avalanche, no snowflake is innocent. When Zhang, the prefect, framed Wu Song, the entire Zhang household was involved. Maids shouted that there was a thief, and servants participated in the arrest. In fact, without their help, the plot against Wu Song wouldn't have succeeded so quickly. Do you still think they are innocent?

At Feiyunpu, if Zhang Dujian hadn't been so determined to kill Wu Song, Wu Song wouldn't have had the intention to exterminate the entire family. Originally, Wu Song planned to serve his sentence honestly. After all, in his understanding, framing him was only avenging Jiang Menshen, not as serious as wiping out an entire family. But at Feiyunpu, Zhang Dujian and Jiang Menshen were determined to kill them all, which ultimately made Wu Song want revenge. It can only be said that he reaped what he sowed.

Wu Song was actually a reasonable person. After Wu Dalang was poisoned, his first thought was to go to the government to seek justice for Wu Dalang, which shows that he had faith in the government. However, the darkness of society at that time made him disheartened, and in the end, he took matters into his own hands to avenge Wu Dalang.

Wu Song was also a meticulous person. There were two instances in the book where Lu Zhishen suffered a loss. The first time was at Shizipo. Lu Zhishen often traveled the world, but he almost fell into the trap at the Shizipo inn and was turned into a dumpling. However, Wu Song was able to see from the details that it was a trap and almost killed Sun Erniang. If Zhang Qing hadn't returned and immediately flattered him, Sun Erniang would probably have been killed.

The second time was to rescue Shi Jin. Lu Zhishen went alone, but ended up getting himself trapped. Before this, Wu Song had tried to persuade Lu Zhishen, but Lu Zhishen was still stubborn. Finally, Liangshan captured Huazhou and rescued Lu Zhishen and Shi Jin. Wu Song's overall perspective and wisdom were actually quite outstanding.

Throughout the entire Water Margin, when Wu Song is the protagonist, the overall story deviates from the main plot, or rather, he doesn't have much interaction with Liangshan. The only interaction is with Song Jiang, but Song Jiang didn't join Liangshan at that time. In fact, Wu Song mostly travels as a lone hero and rarely travels with a group of people.

This isn't about whitewashing Wu Song, but rather pointing out that many times we're not in that situation, so we can't always see things from a superior perspective, making judgments and evaluations. We should actually have empathy when looking at the people and things around us. This way, we can avoid being biased or prejudiced in our understanding of issues.

Regarding Wu Song's martial arts skills, many people believe that Wu Song is not a top-tier master because he has no record of fighting against top-tier masters. So, is Wu Song a top-tier master?

In my opinion, yes. First of all, Wu Song was not good at horse fighting and suffered from the disadvantage of having a short weapon, so he was definitely not as adept as a horse general on the battlefield!

But can this deny Wu Song's fighting prowess? Let's analyze it from several angles, starting with his battles against Ximen Qing and Jiang Menshen!

In fact, Jiang Menshen's martial arts skills are not bad. He can be compared to Jiao Ting and Qingtianzhu Ren Yuan, who are all big guys with martial arts skills, rather than brute force like Li Kui who is not proficient in moves!

But how did Wu Song defeat Jiang Menshen? Don't be fooled by the exciting fight on TV; it was just a feint followed by a series of quick kicks to finish the battle. The same goes for killing Ximen Qing—it was over in a few moves!

TV shows prioritize visual effects, so they depict intense back-and-forth battles. However, in reality, Wu Song typically focused on quick kills and wouldn't get bogged down in a stalemate.

Similarly, the Flying Centipede King Daoist was also defeated by Wu Song in ten rounds!

If none of these things can demonstrate Wu Song's fighting prowess, then killing the tiger will further prove it!

First of all, Wu Song was fighting a fierce tiger with piercing eyes and a white forehead. This kind of tiger is large and has a strong explosive force. In particular, the tiger's first three attacks—a pounce, a swipe, and a sweep—are almost impossible for a normal person to avoid!

But Wu Song not only perfectly dodged the tiger, he could also hold it down with one hand and then punch it!

A tiger weighs at least three to five hundred pounds. What does it mean to hold it down with one hand? Especially since tigers struggle, and the larger the tiger is, the greater the force of its struggle. But Wu Song was able to hold down the tiger completely. Just that strength alone is enough to make him a legend in the Water Margin. He may not be the strongest, but he is definitely one of the strongest!

Whether Wu Song can be considered a super master, given his great strength and exquisite skills, is a matter of opinion.