Song Jiang is arrested and sentenced to death for composing a seditious poem, which he wrote on the wall of a restaurant after getting drunk. The outlaws from Liangshan Marsh hurry to Jiangzhou, storm the execution ground and rescue him and Dai Zong, who is implicated following his attempt to rescue Song. After fleeing Jiangzhou, the group is stranded at a riverbank. Luckily, Zhang Shun, Zhang Heng and other friends of Song Jiang from the Jieyang region arrive in boats on their way to rescue him. Determined to get back at Huang Wenbing, the minor official who reported the seditious poem to the authorities, Song plans an attack on the Wuwei Garrison where Huang lives. Huang is not at home but he runs into Zhang Shun while crossing a river as he hurries back upon seeing his town is on fire. Zhang overturns the boat and captures him in water. Song Jiang kills Huang and joins Liangshan, taking with him the Zhang brothers and others.