My Father Is Song Jiang: The Legend of His Illegitimate Son

Anyone who has read Water Margin knows that Song Jiang never married and naturally had no children. But few know that he did have an illegitimate son, originally named Song Dahai. Born in the Year of the Dragon, he renamed himself Song Dalong and aspired to become a true dragon.

Song Dalong was born the very moment his mother was killed by Song Jiang, and raised by his maternal grandmother. At eleven, he was reunited with his paternal family. He hated studying, however, and his relationship with his grandfather grew increasingly hostile. At thirteen, he set out to find his father, wandered through Hebei, and became a martial arts apprentice. Wherever he went, he used the claim “My father is Song Jiang” to swindle people. Three years later, Song Jiang sent men to abduct him to Liangshan. Unable to stand the restrictions there, Dalong escaped and roamed the martial world under Song Jiang’s banner, gathering his own band and becoming the chief of Qingya Stronghold. Before long, he had become a notorious bandit who dominated the region. After government troops defeated and captured him, he was sentenced to beheading. Song Jiang sent men to rescue him from the execution ground and bring him back to Liangshan. While there, Dalong resented his father and deliberately worked against him, repeatedly exposing Song Jiang’s schemes and leaving him deeply frustrated and disappointed. After Song Jiang accepted the court’s amnesty and led an army to campaign against Fang La, Dalong distinguished himself in a daring mission. Upon his victorious return, the court appointed him constable of Qinghe County. Dissatisfied with the appointment, he went to Song Jiang to plead his case, only to be harshly rebuked. Dalong finally saw Song Jiang for who he truly was. Once again, he tried to rally a following and make his own way in the world under the slogan “My father is Song Jiang,” but after Song Jiang was poisoned by the court, the name became infamous. No one answered his call, and he met obstacles at every turn. At his wits’ end, he crossed the sea to Siam and sought out Li Jun, one of Song Jiang’s most loyal brothers. But with Song Jiang gone, Li Jun had no regard for him and appointed him only as a customs patrol officer. Bored and consumed with frustration, Dalong could only board a ship to return home. A hurricane struck, the great ship sank, and he perished in the South Seas.