Yang Zhi (Water Margin)
| Yang Zhi | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
| First appearance | Chapter 12 |
| Nickname | "Blue Faced Beast" 青面獸 |
| Rank | 17th, Dark Star (天暗星) of the 36 Heavenly Spirits |
| Tiger Cub Vanguard General of Liangshan | |
| Origin | Military officer |
| Ancestral home / Place of origin | Xintai, Linzhou (present-day Shenmu County, Yulin, Shaanxi) |
| Weapon | Saber, Spear |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 杨志 |
| Traditional Chinese | 楊志 |
| Pinyin | Yáng Zhì |
| Wade–Giles | Yang Chih |
Yang Zhi is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 17th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Blue Faced Beast".
The novel describes Yang Zhi as about seven chi tall, with red whiskers on the sides of his face, and a blue birthmark on his face, which earns him the nickname "Blue Faced Beast". He is highly skilled in martial arts and uses either a saber or a spear in battle. He is also an excellent archer as well. He is a descendant of Yang Ye, the progenitor of the Generals of the Yang Family. He works as a minor officer in the office of Gao Qiu, a Grand Marshal, in Dongjing (東京; present-day Kaifeng, Henan).
Once, he is tasked with escorting a convoy of rare minerals and plants obtained from the common people, known as a huashigang (花石綱) tribute, for Emperor Huizong, but loses the goods by accident while crossing the Yellow River during a storm. He is afraid of returning to report to his superior after failing his mission. Yang Zhi manages to scrape some money as compensation for the lost goods and travels back to Dongjing, but overhears news that the newly enthroned emperor is granting amnesty to certain people who have violated the law, to celebrate his ascension. On the way back to the capital, Yang Zhi passes by Liangshan Marsh and encounters Lin Chong. Lin Chong wants to kill him and take his head to prove his loyalty to Liangshan's chief, Wang Lun. After several rounds of fighting, neither of them emerges as the victor. Just then, Wang Lun appears and stops the fight. He is impressed by Yang Zhi's skill and wants to recruit Yang to join Liangshan, although he is not sincere about it. Yang Zhi declines and leaves.
Yang Zhi returns to Dongjing to report to Gao Qiu about his failed mission, expecting to be pardoned per the emperor's decision to grant amnesty to offenders. However, Gao Qiu does not forgive Yang Zhi and has Yang stripped off his post. Yang Zhi becomes penniless and wanders around the city aimlessly. In desperation, he decides to sell his family heirloom – a precious saber he values as much as his own life. He is harassed by the hooligan Niu Er in the marketplace and he kills Niu accidentally. Yang Zhi then goes to the county office to surrender himself and is placed on trial for murder. The local residents are grateful to Yang Zhi for killing Niu Er, who has been terrorising them, and they plead with the magistrate for leniency on Yang's behalf. The magistrate sentences Yang Zhi to face tattooing and exile to Daming Prefecture (大名府; in present-day Handan, Hebei).
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