Water Margin Podcast: Outlaws of the Marsh: Recent Episodes
John Zhu
A Chinese classic, retold in English: This podcast is an English retelling of the classic Chinese novel Water Margin (水浒传, aka Outlaws of the Marsh). It aims to tell the story in a way that is more accessible to audiences who are not already familiar with the novel or Chinese culture and literature in general.
Hi everyone. I want to let you know that I have posted the first episodes of Investiture of the Gods on the Chinese Lore Podcast. If you are not yet subscribed to that show, go to chineselore.com. You will find links to the show on various podcast platforms and on YouTube, as well as links to find me on social media and to review and support the show. If you like the podcast, a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts would be much appreciated. As always, thanks for listening!
A number of our heroes are suddenly stricken by mysterious bouts of rheumatism, while others face something even worse.
Song Jiang continues his journey back to the capital, but how many of his brothers are coming with him?
I will be part of a panel of Asian podcasters on Podbean’s Storytelling Podcast Week Live show on May 24 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. See outlawsofthemarsh.com for the registration link. See you there!
With the end of the campaign within reach, Song Jiang’s forces converge on the rebels’ palace.
Song Jiang gets a heaven-sent opportunity, while the rebel emperor gets some help of his own.
Hey everyone. We are rapidly approaching the end of the Water Margin Podcast, with just 7 episodes to go. It’s been an incredible journey and I am grateful for all your support along the way. Once we finish the narrative, I plan to do one last episode to wrap up the podcast, talk about future plans, and answer any questions you may have about the Water Margin. So if you have questions, go ahead and start sending them to me at john@chineselore.com. If you want to wait until the narrative is over and you know how it all turns out before sending in questions, that’s ok, too, as I will probably wait 2-3 weeks after the end of the narrative before posting the wrap-up episode. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks as always for all your support.
To occupy his gang's minds with something other than rebellion, Song Jiang volunteers to go put down a rebellion.
Lu Zhishen revisits his old haunts, while Song Jiang waxes poetic about the most Confucian birds.
The Middle Kingdom overfloweth with Sinocentrism as Song Jiang and company bring to heel the barbarians who reside in the desolate desert outpost of [checks notes] Beijing.
An envoy from the Liao tries to convince Song Jiang and his men to join the Great Resignation.
After their untimely run-in with an embezzling government representative, Song Jiang and company are under pressure to deliver some quick results in their opening battle against the Liao.
The imperial court hopes the third time is the charm when it comes to making nice with the bandits.
YOU SUNK MY BATTLESHIP! (And torched my fleet and killed my generals and burned my camp and …)
You just lost 60,000 men on your campaign? What are you going to tell the emperor? Wait ... not telling him is actually an option?
We secretly replaced our heroes’ imperial wine with swamp water. Let’s see if they … oh crap they totally noticed!
After delivering justice on heaven's behalf in his usual manner at the fair, Li Kui dabbles in a more comical delivery of justice at a nearby county.
On his way home after spreading holiday cheers in the capital, Li Kui decides to do some good deeds for civilians.
Song Jiang goes to the capital to partake in the holiday festivities, and a little extracurricular activity.
Our heroes pray to heaven for a sign, and heaven answers in the most literal way possible.
Liangshan sets its sights on another town that was just minding its own business, but a local general gives the bandits a literal bloody nose.
From attacking innocent towns to abducting women whose family you just slaughtered, it’s another honor-filled adventure for the heroes of Liangshan.
Check out my recent conversation with Jeremy Bai, a translator and writer focusing on Chinese fantasy genres.
The imperial court prepares a retaliatory strike against Liangshan, while Li Kui goes rogue.
The bandits try one more time to spring Lu Junyi from jail, aided by some galaxy-brain holiday planning from the authorities.
To have friends come from afar, is it not a joy? If your friend is here to recruit you to Liangshan, then no.
The bandits find themselves in trouble when a descendant of the god of war comes knocking on their door.
Lu Junyi’s jailer discovers that there IS such a thing as having too much money shoved in your face.
Lu Junyi decides to take a road trip, and everyone’s got a bad feeling about it, except him.
No sooner had our heroes put down one group of upstarts did they discover another group that’s just asking for it.
Hey everyone. This is a quick programming note to let you know that I recently participated in a roundtable on the Translated Chinese Fiction Podcast hosted by Angus Stewart. Angus assembled the hosts from several podcasts about Chinese literature and stories. We each shared a short story or book chapter that we like, and then we just had a good time chatting about them. Take a listen, and if you like what I'm doing, you might be interested in those other podcasts as well. So check it out. Take care.
Huyan Zhuo gets another crack at the Liangshan bandits, and a whole gaggle of other outlaws.
Huyan Zhuo's simple quest for revenge turns into three side quests against leveled-up enemies.
The outlaws run up against a formidable foe and decide they need to “recruit” some more help.
As it turns out, iron-pledge guarantees from long-dead emperors do not count for as much as everyone thought.
The outlaws return to their tried-and-true recruitment tactics, and take it maybe just a step too far.
In a shocking twist, the ancient Chinese legal system delivers some semblance of justice and punishes constable violence, and all it took was sleeping with the magistrate.
The Xie brothers' relatives mount their jail break, and then we rejoin the Liangshan outlaws outside the Zhu Family Manor.
Some relatives embarrass you at weddings, some get into political arguments at the holiday dinner table, and some threaten to fight you to the death if you don’t help them break some cousins out of jail.
After getting a bloody nose in their initial attack, the Liangshan forces take another crack at razing the Zhu Family Manor.
Our heroes storm to the gates of the Zhu Family Manor, intent on teaching the people inside a lesson.
An act of petty theft quickly escalates into a grave insult against the Liangshan heroes, somehow.
In between carving up pig carcasses, Shi Xiu sniffs out some shenanigans in his new household.
I recently did two interviews on other podcasts. The first is the Mandarin Slang Guide podcast, where we talked about some common Chinese expressions that had their roots in the characters and stories of the Three Kingdoms era. The second one is Journey to the West: The Podcast, where we had a long chat about classic Chinese novels and their cultural significance, including the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the Water Margin, and of course, Journey to the West. Have a listen, and also check out the other episodes on those podcasts, too. If you like what I'm doing, you might be interested in those shows as well.
Don’t drink on this trip? I’ll drink as much as I please, damn the consequences. Oh, here come those consequences.
Nothing says “honor” quite like killing dozens of people who had nothing to do with your predicament, taking their stuff, and burning their town.
One day you are a respected craftsman making an honest living; the next day, some shady “deacon” shows up at your door with a lucrative gig for you …
In trouble for his drunken poetry, Song Jiang is forced into a crappy scheme to save his life.
While touring historical sites and indulging in fine drink and food, Song Jiang is driven by his misfortunes to write a few words.
Dai Zong introduces Song Jiang to his good friend Li Kui. Well, friend. More of an acquaintance really. I mean, a colleague. Actually, I don't usually hang out with him. Really.
Once again, we see how far money and reputation can carry a man, even when he's on his way to prison.
Song Jiang's Liangshan-bound cohort keeps growing, until he gets an unexpected message.
Meet the heroes of Clear Winds Mountain, who turn unsuspecting passers-by into soup and abduct and defile women on their way to visit their parents' graves.
Wu Song continues acting like the worst pretend monk ever and gets himself first into some cold water, and then into some hot water.
On the run from the law, Wu Song finds religion, and then quickly finds a way to break all of its tenets.
Wu Song’s enemies just couldn’t leave well enough alone, and soon find themselves facing the consequences — pissed-off consequences.
Wu Song finally finds out what Shi En wants his help with, and devises a way to turn a mob war into a drinking game.
Wu Song receives the best treatment the ancient Chinese legal system has to offer, despite his effort to invite the worst.
Wu Song stops in at a tavern and gets all nitpicky about the food, like the teeniest bit of pubic hair in the bun fillings.
Wu Song is determined to get to the bottom of his brother’s death, by any means necessary.
The murderers’ coverup goes off as planned … until a certain someone gets back in town.
If you have questions about the how’s and why’s of this podcast, or my thoughts on podcasting in general, post them at the Ask Me Anything hosted by WhatPods on December 16 at https://whatpods.com/show-development/ama/john-zhu.
While Wu Song is away, someone keeps hovering around his brother's house, hoping to get a bit of something hot and steamy (no, not Wu Dalang's buns).
Wu Song's happy reunion with his brother hits a snag when his brother's wife is a bit too happy to see him.
Despite the best efforts of the Yuncheng County justice system, Song Jiang somehow slips through the hands of the law.
Does a multitude of wrongs make a right? We find out this week as an adulterer stands up to a crooked justice system as the authorities try to cover up for one of their own, who runs afoul of the law after being blackmailed by his cheating mistress.
An evening that starts with Song Jiang being offered a big bag of gold goes horribly awry.
As our bandit friends herald the dawn of a new age of prosperity, we check in with their acquaintance back in Yuncheng County.
The last time Lin Chong vented, he cut off three heads. How many will he chop off this time?
Somebody forgot to explain to our heroes that "Lend me your ears" is only a figure of speech.
Which member of the Yuncheng County legal system is NOT trying to help Chao Gai escape? Raise your hand. Anyone? Anyone?
A tip from his no-good brother puts a down-on-his-luck investigator on the scent of Chao Gai and company.
If you can’t beat them, join them. Yang Zhi embarks on his life outside the law with a little dine-and-dash action.
Yang Zhi's approach to convoy duty: Try to rest before I tell you? That's a whipping. Try to get on the road before I tell you? That's a whipping. Look at me funny? That's a whipping. Complain about the excessive whippings? That's definitely a whipping.
Chao Gai sends a confidant to a fishing village in search of a few good men with no compunctions about theft.
Our story shifts to rural village life, which apparently includes receiving uninvited visitors from near and far, some of whom hit you up for food and wine in the middle of the night while others come bearing presents, of a sort.
It slices. It dices. It probably shouldn't be sold on a busy street in the capital. But wait, there's more!
Meet the new Lin Chong, stabber of hearts, remover of heads, and burner of old men’s beards.
A look at the growth of Buddhism during the Northern Song and the religion's relationship with the imperial government.
Just as Lin Chong starts to settle into his new life at the penal colony, his past pays him a visit.
Lin Chong finds out first-hand that cash really does rule everything around you, especially when you’re caught up in the ancient Chinese legal system.
Shady backroom deals, morally flexible guards, and a stretch of dodgy woods: Things are not looking good for Lin Chong.
We see how the "throw Lu Zhishen into a fecal pond" plan turns out, and then watch as he turns pest removal into a Strongest Man event.
A couple duels, a few corpses, and a big fire. Just another day on Lu Zhishen’s trip to the capital.
Lu Zhishen unexpectedly runs into an old friend. Well, a friend. More of a passing acquaintance, really. What do you call someone you don't mind stealing from?
Lu Zhishen meets an old man in need and offers to use his monk training to help the guy out. Wait, what monk training?
Lu Zhishen's new monastic family comes to the sobering realization that they just accepted a hard-drinking, mean-punching, latrine-spurning public-health menace into their midst.
On the lam after committing murder, Lu Da first runs into an old friend, and then runs into religion.
Shi Jin makes a new friend, and we explore the question on everyone’s mind: Exactly what DO you do with minced pork fat?
Shi Jin and the bandits from the nearby mountains make it a Mid-Autumn Festival to remember.
A quick look at the ancient Chinese game of football that allowed Gao Qiu to break into government service.
Wang Jin turns a one-night farm stay into a nice little gig by knocking his host’s son on his butt.
How do you rise up to be the future ruler's right-hand man? Certainly not through brilliance or hard work.
The capital is facing a crisis, and the only hope is basically the 12th-century Chinese equivalent of Anakin Skywalker from "The Phantom Menace." Ugh.
An overview of the podcast and an introduction to the Water Margin, aka Outlaws of the Marsh, one of China’s great classic literary works.