Fan Rui

Fan Rui is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Demon King of Chaos", he ranks 61st among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 25th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

Fan Rui is from Puzhou (濮州; around present-day Juancheng County, Shandong). Described in the novel as a fearsome-looking man with untidy black hair, he dons a silk robe overlaid by a suit of armour when he goes to battle. His weapons of choice are a sword called "Netherworld Demon King Sword" (冥界魔王劍) and a "Dark Chain Spiked Mace" (暗黑流星錘). Apart from being a highly skilled warrior, he is also well-versed in Taoist sorcery, which allows him to control the weather and supernatural beings. His prowess in combat and mastery of Taoist sorcery earn him the nickname "Demon King of Chaos".

Along with his close friends Xiang Chong and Li Gun, Fan Rui leads a 3,000 strong outlaw band on Mount Mangdang (芒碭山; north of present-day Yongcheng, Henan).

Joining Liangshan

On one occasion, the Mount Mangdang outlaws get into conflict with another outlaw band at Liangshan Marsh after the former provoked the latter by declaring their desire to conquer Liangshan one day. When Shi Jin leads the Liangshan vanguard force to attack Mount Mangdang, Fan Rui defeats and nearly captures him before Liangshan reinforcements show up and save him.

The following day, when both sides face off on the battlefield, Gongsun Sheng deploys the Liangshan forces in the Eight Trigrams Formation. Fan Rui first uses his magic to darken the sky and conjure a sandstorm to throw the Liangshan forces into confusion, and then orders Xiang Chong and Li Gun to each lead 500 men to charge and break the Eight Trigrams Formation. In the meantime, Gongsun Sheng engages Fan Rui in a contest of magic powers and ultimately emerges victorious. Xiang Chong and Li Gun fail to break the formation and end up being captured, while Fan Rui narrowly escapes and returns to his stronghold.

Song Jiang, Liangshan's leader, treats the captured Xiang Chong and Li Gun respectfully and manages to convince them to surrender and join the Liangshan outlaw band. Touched by Song Jiang's sincerity, Xiang Chong and Li Gun agree and return to Mount Mangdang, where they successfully persuade Fan Rui to surrender and join Liangshan as well. Fan Rui also becomes Gongsun Sheng's apprentice and learns Taoist magical arts from him.

Campaigns

Fan Rui becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan infantry after the Grand Assembly of the 108 Stars of Destiny. He follows the Liangshan heroes on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces on Song territory after they received amnesty from Emperor Huizong.

During the campaign against Tian Hu's rebel forces, Fan Rui engages the enemy sorcerer Qiao Daoqing in battle but loses to his opponent. Gongsun Sheng comes to Fan Rui's aid and eventually defeats Qiao Daoqing, thus paving the way for the Liangshan heroes to achieve victory over Tian Hu.

Fan Rui is one of the few Liangshan heroes who survive the final campaign against Fang La's rebel forces; the campaign took the lives of about two-thirds of the 108 Stars of Destiny. To honour Fan Rui for his service to the Song Empire during the campaigns, Emperor Huizong awards him an official appointment. However, Fan Rui declines the appointment and chooses to accompany Gongsun Sheng and Zhu Wu to practise Taoism for the rest of their lives.

References

• Buck, Pearl S. (2006). All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell. ISBN 9781559213035.
• Ichisada, Miyazaki (1993). Suikoden: Kyoko no naka no Shijitsu (in Japanese). Chuo Koronsha. ISBN 978-4122020559.
• Keffer, David. "Outlaws of the Marsh: A Somewhat Less Than Critical Commentary". Poison Pie Publishing House. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
• Li, Mengxia (1992). 108 Heroes from the Water Margin (in Chinese). EPB Publishers. p. 123. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.
• Miyamoto, Yoko (2011). "Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits". Demystifying Confucianism. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
• Shibusawa, Kou (1989), Bandit Kings of Ancient China, Koei, pp. 89–90, 98–99
• Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.