Water Margin: Marrying Hu Sanniang from the Start

Regarding Deng Fei, although the original text states that he "ate human flesh many times and his eyes were red," in my humble opinion, this doesn't necessarily mean he actually ate people. Several factors are considered: First, Deng Fei was originally a boatman transporting tribute stones, a member of the lowest rungs of society.

Without Jinlian, Water Margin would lose some of its color and charm.

Chapter Five, Wu Dalang becomes a county magistrate—author, you're really writing nonsense! Let's not even talk about his literary talent. In ancient times, even poor calligraphy was disqualifying you from the imperial examinations. Wu Dalang's mere three inches tall wasn't enough; how could he possibly pass? He even calls himself a "little sage"—the greater his fame, the faster he'll die. He's practically asking for death; his entire clan should be exterminated.

After reading two chapters, given Zhang Zhenniang's situation in your book, not accepting it would directly deter many readers. Lin Chong was easy to recruit, but unfortunately, the worst method was used. Simply rescuing Zhang Zhenniang and returning her to Lin Chong wouldn't have been a problem; the unnecessary detail of writing about it is quite pointless.

It's unreasonable for an emperor not to have a harem (I personally don't care about whether there's a harem or not, but this is a historical novel).

Among the four great military strategists of the late Song Dynasty, Yue Fei was undoubtedly the best. (Bai Juyi, Han Fei, Li Zicheng, and Yue Fei are also mentioned.)

Wu Zhi is still spreading old historical rumors here.

I'm speechless just looking at the name. Hu Sanniang's entire family was wiped out by Liangshan, yet she still married her enemy to survive. I don't know where this inhumane mentality comes from. Hu Sanniang isn't even as good as Lin Chong's wife, let alone her.

Shi Nai'an died in the third year of the Hongwu reign (1380), while Wu Zhi became a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) during the Yongle reign (1401), a difference of about thirty years. However, Shi Nai'an wrote *Water Margin* even earlier; Wu Zhi was most likely not even born when he wrote it.

Hopefully, this isn't a haphazard approach; please respect history. *Water Margin* is a novel; if you're writing within a novel, you should express your own ideas and not rely excessively on its plot. 🙏