Ou Peng

Ou Peng is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Golden Wings Brushing Against the Clouds", he ranks 48th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 12th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

The novel describes Ou Peng as a tall and muscular man who walks at a fast pace. He is highly skilled in martial arts and renowned for his ability to catch projectiles in mid-flight with his bare hands. His unusual talent earns him the nickname "Golden Wings Brushing Against the Clouds".

Ou Peng was born in a family of military officers in Huangzhou (黃州; in present-day Huanggang, Hubei); his forefathers had served among the imperial guards for generations. Although Ou Peng initially follows in his ancestors' footsteps, he abandons his military career after getting into a quarrel with his superior. He decides to become an outlaw and leads a bandit gang based on Mount Yellow Gate (黃門山) along with Jiang Jing, Ma Lin and Tao Zongwang.

Joining Liangshan

After the outlaws from Liangshan Marsh save Song Jiang from execution in Jiangzhou (江州; present-day Jiujiang, Jiangxi), they make their way back to base and pass by Mount Yellow Gate along the way. Ou Peng and his three co-leaders stop the Liangshan outlaws and request to join them. After Song Jiang agrees, the four bandit leaders become part of the Liangshan outlaw band.

During the second battle between Liangshan and the Zhu Family Village, Ou Peng demonstrates his prowess in using the spear when he duels with Hu Sanniang on horseback. Even though Ou Peng does not defeat Hu Sanniang, he still manages to impress Song Jiang with his skill.

Campaigns and death

Ou Peng becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan cavalry after the 108 Stars of Destiny come together in what is called the Grand Assembly. 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 Fang La's rebel forces, Ou Peng is assigned to attack Shezhou, where he encounters the enemy general Pang Wanchun and engages him in battle. Pang Wanchun feigns defeat and lures Ou Peng to chase him. Eager to defeat Pang Wanchun and gain credit, Ou Peng pursues him and even manages to catch an arrow that Pang Wanchun fires at him. Pang Wanchun then fires several arrows at Ou Peng in rapid succession. Ou Peng fails to catch all the arrows and eventually gets killed.

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. 97. 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, p. 98
• Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.