Bai Sheng is a fictional character in ''
Water Margin
''Water Margin'' (''Shuihu zhuan'') is one of the earliest Chinese novels written in vernacular Mandarin, and is attributed to Shi Nai'an. It is also translated as ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' and ''All Men Are Brothers''.
The story, which is ...
'', one of the
Four Great Classical Novels
Classic Chinese Novels () are the best-known novels of pre-modern Chinese literature. These are among the world's longest and oldest novels. They represented a new complexity in structure and sophistication in language that helped to establish ...
in
Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Daylight Rat", he ranks 106th among the
108 Stars of Destiny and 70th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.
Background
Bai Sheng, who lives with his wife in Anle Village () in
Yuncheng
Yuncheng is the southernmost prefecture-level city in Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. It borders Linfen and Jincheng municipalities to the north and east, and Henan (Luoyang and Jiyuan to the east, Sanmenxia to the south) and Sh ...
prefecture,
Shandong, is nicknamed "Daylight Rat" because he is a do-nothing who spends most of his time on gambling.
Robbing the birthday gifts
Bai Sheng once received help from
Chao Gai, the headman of Dongxi Village in Yuncheng County. When Chao and his six confederates plan to seize valuables in transportation to Grand Tutor
Cai Jing
Cai Jing (1047–1126), courtesy name Yuanchang (), was a Chinese calligrapher and politician who lived during the Northern Song dynasty of China. He is also fictionalised as one of the primary antagonists in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four G ...
in the imperial capital
Dongjing, Chao suggests using Bai's home as their base as it is not far from Yellow Mud Ridge, where they would stage the hijack.
Wu Yong, the strategist of the gang, suggests roping Bai into their plan.
In fact, Bai Sheng assumes a central role as a fake wine seller. The plan is to beguile the escorts of the valuables to drink the drugged wine in one of his two buckets. Bai crosses the ridge carrying the buckets suspended on a pole on the day the soldiers, disguised as merchants, come by its top and take a rest in a grove as the weather is terribly hot. Meanwhile Chao Gai and his gang, posing as
date traders, are already there pretending too to have a respite in their journey. Happy to see a wine seller, the escorts think they could have some refreshment. But their leader
Yang Zhi forbids them stressing caution.
Chao Gai and his gang pretend to approach Bai to buy a bucket of