Water Margin Heroes - Li Kui

Author: Editorial Committee of "Water Margin Heroes"
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features:
Lives in the eastern foothills of Yi Prefecture,
Murders and burns with impunity.
Unsmudged with ink, his body is black,
Like cinnabar, his eyes are red.
Leisurely hones giant axes by the stream,
Frustrated, chops tall pines by the cliffs.
His strength is fierce as an ox, unyielding as iron,
Shaking the earth, dark.
Li Kui, a dark-skinned, rough man, nicknamed "Iron Ox," is known in the martial world as the "Black Whirlwind." Ranked 22nd among the heroes of Liangshan and the fifth leader of the Liangshan infantry. When Song Jiang was exiled to Jiangzhou, Wu Yong wrote a letter to Dai Zong, the prison warder of the two courts in Jiangzhou, to look after him. At that time, Li Kui was a low-ranking guard under Dai Zong and thus met Song Jiang. When Dai Zong’s forged letter to Liangshan was exposed, both he and Song Jiang were escorted to the execution ground to be beheaded. Li Kui led the charge with his pair of battle axes, slaughtering indiscriminately with unmatched bravery.
After joining Liangshan, his longing for his mother led him back to Yi Prefecture to fetch her. On the way over the Yi Mountains, his mother was eaten by a tiger. Enraged, Li Kui killed four tigers. During the recruitment of peace, Li Kui refused to submit and caused chaos in the capital, tearing up the imperial decree, demanding the execution of the imperial envoy, and cutting down the vermilion banner of Liangshan, vowing to attack the capital to seize the throne for Song Jiang. He was repeatedly restrained by Song Jiang. After being recruited into the imperial service, Li Kui was appointed as the Military Commissioner of Zhenjiang and Runzhou.
When Song Jiang was poisoned by the wine sent by Gao Qiu, he feared that Li Kui would incite rebellion after his death, tarnishing the reputation of Liangshan’s loyalty and righteousness. Thus, he had Li Kui drink the same poisoned wine and die alongside him.