Hey Fastspawn,
Well, the Analects and the other classics are certainly much more influential. But fictions such as Shui Hu Chuan were milestones, for one thing, in the development of Chinese literature. Shui Hu Chuan is one of those "first novel" that influenced later novels. Socioeconomically, it reflects certain trends in society. One cannot say that it has no practically influence either: Nurhaci, while a servant of a Han household, learned to read San Guo and Shui Hu. Mao carried around a basket, and in it are these two books. It might or might not be true that rebels used them as military guide books, but at least on some emotional level, they seemed to have motivated people that brought about changes (whether good or bad.)
Peace,
Michael
9-30-2004