Wang Ying (Water Margin)

Wang Ying (王英) is a character in the epic Chinese tale, the "Water Margin".

Wang Ying was from the Huai province, and was born with a short stature and sparkling eyes. He was rough and impatient by nature and was particularly lustful. He was also very skilled in martial arts, and could fight a hundred men at the same time. Due to his short stature, he was nicknamed 'Stumpy Tiger' (矮脚虎).

Wang Ying was initially a carriage driver, but one day he met a group of rich men. Overcome by greed, Wang robbed the rich men, but was later arrested and thrown into prison. However, he managed to break out of prison and became an outlaw since then, on Qingfeng Mountain along with Yan Shun and Zheng Tian-shou.

Once, Song Jiang passed by Qingfeng Mountain on his way to Qingfeng Fort and was captured by Wang Ying and his gang. Wang Ying ordered Song Jiang to be killed, and at that critical moment, Song Jiang gave a long sigh and revealed his identity unexpectedly. Yan Shun heard that and immediately ordered Song Jiang to be released, then the bandits apologised to Song Jiang for not recognising his identity. Shortly after that, Wang Ying captured the wife of Governor Liu Gao of Qingfeng Fort. Wang Ying tried to rape her, but Song Jiang stopped Wang and managed to persuade Wang to release her. Later, Liu Gao's wife repaid kindness with evil and had Song Jiang framed and arrested. Song Jiang was escorted as a prisoner to Qingzhou, but on the way the Qingfeng bandits attacked the guards and rescued him. Song Jiang and the Qingfeng bandits managed to subdue Qin Ming and Huang Xin, then conquered Qingfeng Fort. After that, they made their way back to Liangshan.

When the Liangshan heroes attacked the Zhu Family Village, Hu San Niang rode forward to challenge the heroes. Wang Ying, on seeing a female warrior, became overcome by lust and tried to capture Hu in battle, but he was not match for Hu and was captured by her instead. Shortly after that, Hu San Niang was captured by Lin Chong and escorted back to Liangshan. Hu Cheng, San Niang's elder brother, asked for her release but was turned down. After the Liangshan heroes had conquered the Zhu Family Village, Wang Ying was freed and Song Jiang managed to persuade Hu San Niang to join the Liangshan band. In the end, Wang Ying and Hu San Niang were married, with Song Jiang being the matchmaker.

Wang Ying became one of the leaders of the Liangshan cavalry and was one of the 72 Earthly Warriors. After Song Jiang had obtained amnesty from the government, Wang Ying followed the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao Tartars and southern rebels. During the Fang La campaign, Wang Ying was assigned to attack Muzhou. Zheng Mojun used his magic powers to confuse Wang Ying and then he seized the opportunity to spear Wang Ying off his horse, killing Wang.

Films and TV adaptations

In the 1997 TV serial from Mainland China based on the novel, Wang Ying was played by Xu Jingyi. In the serial, he was slain by Fang Mao and not Zheng Mojun when he tried to entrap Fang together with his wife.