Zhou Tong (Water Margin)
| Zhou Tong | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
| First appearance | Chapter 5 |
| Nickname | "Little Conqueror" 小覇王 |
| Rank | 87th, Empty Star (地空星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends |
| Tiger Cub Scouting General of Liangshan | |
| Origin | Bandit chief |
| Ancestral home / Place of origin | Qingzhou (in present-day Shandong) |
| Weapon | Spear (走水綠沉槍) |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 周通 |
| Traditional Chinese | 周通 |
| Pinyin | Zhōu Tōng |
| Wade–Giles | Chou T'ung |
Zhou Tong is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 87th of the 108 Stars of Destiny and 51st of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Little Conqueror". He is often confused with the similarly named Zhou Tong, the archery teacher of Yue Fei.
The novel describes Zhou Tong as a robust and strong man with a broad face and a loud booming voice. He is a powerful fighter and wields a long spear in battle. He resembles Xiang Yu and is thus nicknamed "Little Conqueror". He is from Qingzhou (in present-day Shandong) and leads a group of bandits on Mount Peach Blossom (桃花山).
Zhou Tong attempts to rob Li Zhong when the latter passes by the mountain after parting ways with Shi Jin and Lu Zhishen. He is defeated by Li Zhong in a fight and is so impressed with Li's skill that he invites Li to join his bandit gang and offers his position as chief to Li. Li Zhong accepts and becomes the new chief of the gang with Zhou Tong as his second-in-command.
Zhou Tong once chanced upon the daughter of Squire Liu, a wealthy squire who lives in a manor near Mount Peach Blossom, and forces her to marry him. By coincidence, on the wedding night, Lu Zhishen passes by the manor and takes shelter there for the night. He hears about Zhou Tong from Squire Liu and promises to help Liu stop the marriage from taking place. He hides inside the bride's room, ambushes Zhou Tong in the dark when he shows up, and gives him a good beating.
Zhou Tong manages to escape back to his stronghold and tell Li Zhong about it. Li Zhong and Zhou Tong then lead their bandit followers to the manor to confront Lu Zhishen, who is waiting for them. Li Zhong is surprised when he recognises Lu Zhishen. The conflict between Lu Zhishen and Zhou Tong is resolved when Li Zhong succeeds in convincing Zhou to give up on marrying Squire Liu's daughter. Lu Zhishen stays with Li Zhong and Zhou Tong at their stronghold for a few days before leaving.
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Wikipedia