Shi Naian moved here to live in seclusion to avoid the war and wrote "Water Margin". According to folklore, Zhang Shicheng rebelled against the Yuan Dynasty, proclaimed himself the King of Wu in Pingjiang (Suzhou), and hired Shi Naian as military advisor. Later, Zhang Shicheng demoted the Yuan Dynasty, but Shi Naian repeatedly refused to obey, so he abandoned his official position and went to Zhutang Donglin'an in Jiangyin to sit in the temple. . Zhu Yuanzhang sent troops to besiege Pingjiang, and the war spread to Jiangyin. Shi Naian remembered that his friend Gu Ti, who had served as Tongzhi of Songjiang and Tongzhi of Jiaxing Road, was from Xinghua. The place is remote, surrounded by water, and has inconvenient transportation. It has always been said that "Zhaoyang (also known as Xinghua) has been easy to avoid soldiers since ancient times", so someone specially sent a letter to Gu Ti and attached a poem:
Wandering around the world during the desolate years, I found a good home in Yangshan (referring to Zhaoyang, improvised).
I wish to cultivate grass and cultivate more trees, but do not teach plums to bear fruit like melons. (A folk song at that time: "Li grows cucumbers, and all the people are homeless")
After seeing the letter, Gu Ti immediately wrote back to Shi Naian, welcoming him to Xinghua for refuge. The letter also included a poem in reply:
I came from the south of the Yangtze River to ask about my visit, and I wanted to send a smile to my old colleague.
This is not the land of Taoyuan. Where can I avoid Qin?
After accepting the letter, Shi Naian left his eldest brother Yanming in his hometown in Suzhou, and took his second wife, Shen Shi, with him. The second brother Yancai and his disciple Luo Guanzhong braved the beacon smoke and crossed the river to the north. They first stayed temporarily at Gu Ti's home in Xinghua, and then with Gu Ti's help, they purchased land and real estate in Baijuchang, a sparsely populated seaside area east of Xinghua. Living in seclusion in "Shuiji", he got to know many farmers and salt people. Many stories in their lives became the material for his creation. After re-creation, with amazing artistic talent, he used Song Jiang to portray the heroic heroes of Liangshan 108. It's vividly portrayed. When the book was completed, Shi Naian composed two poems in a letter:
The emperor of Taiping sat in the middle, and the prudent officials were divided into four parts.
But when you see the fat sheep, you are happy with your father, and you don’t hear the neighing of the horse and move the general.
I have inherited rituals and music as my family business, and I want to send a quick message by singing songs.
If you don't learn from the southeast, there is no taboo about the sun, but it is said that "there are floating clouds in the northwest."
Most people are born on the same soil, and they will fall into the same place after a hundred years.
The plow is as stable as the chariot, and the bear is as warm as the fur.
Zi Jian's high talent was called a tiger, but Zhuang Sheng's talent was called an ox.
The night is cold and thin, the drunkenness shakes the gentle man, and the words are not surprising, so he will stop.