Liu Tang, nicknamed the Red-Haired Devil, is one of the earliest heroes to join the circle that becomes the Liangshan brotherhood. A strong, quick-tempered fighter recognized by his conspicuous reddish hair, he travels to Dongxi Village after learning that a convoy of birthday gifts will pass through the region. His purpose is to warn Chao Gai and propose that the wealth be seized rather than allowed to enrich corrupt officials.
Before reaching Chao Gai, Liu Tang drinks heavily and falls asleep in a ruined temple. Lei Heng, the chief constable on night patrol, arrests him as a suspicious stranger. Chao Gai claims that Liu is his nephew and pays Lei Heng to release him, but Liu resents the humiliation and doubles back to challenge Lei. Their fierce fight is stopped by Wu Yong, who recognizes that both men are connected to the same larger cause.
Liu Tang then joins Chao Gai, Wu Yong, Gongsun Sheng, and the three Ruan brothers in the Seven Stars alliance. He helps carry out the scheme at Yellow Mud Ridge in which the birthday convoy is drugged through a staged sale of wine. When the plot is exposed, the seven retreat to the waters around Shijie Village, defeat the arresting force, and escape to Liangshan. Liu Tang therefore belongs to the founding generation of the stronghold, not to the many heroes who arrive only after it has already become powerful.
At the great assembly, Liu Tang ranks twenty-first among the 108 Stars as the Heavenly Deviance Star and serves as one of Liangshan’s infantry leaders. He fights through the campaigns after the imperial amnesty, including the wars against Liao and the forces of Tian Hu, Wang Qing, and Fang La. During the assault on Hangzhou, he charges through a city gate before the defenders cut its ropes; the heavy portcullis falls and kills both rider and horse. His career runs from the first conspiracy around the birthday gifts to the final southern campaign, giving him a central place in Liangshan’s full history.
