Water Margin is just a fictional romance novel, in which the characters and stories are true and false.

The so-called "romance novels" refer to some characters and stories in novels, which do exist in history, but quite a few or even most of them are fabricated. In other words, The Water Margin is just a collection of historical figures and events.

It's just written so well that future generations think that this is history, but the real history has retired.

Expand the social impact of information:

The description of wooing An in Water Margin once had a negative influence on some rebel leaders. For example, Zhang was caressed in Gucheng, which means "dedicating himself to the royal family and benefiting the Song River Water Margin" (Chronicle). But comparatively speaking, the positive influence of Water Margin on peasant uprising is still the main one.

Literary influence:

The Water Margin is the first vernacular novel in the history of China. As a new style, it has since established its due position in the field of literature, and began to gradually change the face of the literary world with poetry as its authenticity.

"Water Margin" was included in the "Four Wonders" in the Ming Dynasty. Since modern times, it has become one of the "four classical novels" of classical novels.

References:

Baidu Encyclopedia-Water Margin