Wei Dingguo

Wei Dingguo is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "General of Holy Fire", he ranks 45th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 9th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

Wei Dingguo dons a red helmet with a red feather at its tip and a suit of red armour when he goes to battle. He rides a red steed and arms himself with a sabre and a bow and arrows. Trained in military strategy, he serves in the imperial army as a drill instructor in his hometown, Lingzhou (凌州; in present-day Dezhou, Shandong), alongside his colleague Shan Tinggui. As he specialises in fire-based attacks, he earns himself the nickname "General of Holy Fire".

Becoming an outlaw

After Guan Sheng defects to the outlaw band at Liangshan Marsh, the Imperial Tutor Cai Jing recommends Shan Tinggui and Wei Dingguo to lead imperial forces to eliminate the outlaws. When the outlaws receive news of an impending imperial attack, Guan Sheng, along with his deputies Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen, volunteer to preempt the two generals in Lingzhou. During the battle, Wei Dingguo and Shan Tinggui lure Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen respectively into their battle formations and capture them.

Guan Sheng later defeats and captures Shan Tinggui in a one-on-one duel outside Lingzhou, and succeeds in convincing him to surrender and join the outlaw band. Furious at Shan Tinggui's defection, Wei Dingguo challenges Guan Sheng to a duel outside Lingzhou and attempts to lure him into a fire trap. However, as Shan Tinggui had warned him about Wei Dingguo's tactics, Guan Sheng manages to avoid heavy casualties by pulling back his troops early.

While Wei Dingguo is busy fighting Guan Sheng, the Liangshan outlaws use the opportunity to attack and occupy Lingzhou. When Wei Dingguo sees that Lingzhou has fallen, he retreats to a county and intends to make a last stand there. Shan Tinggui travels alone to the county to speak to his former colleague and manages to convince him to surrender and join Liangshan as well.

Campaigns and death

Wei Dingguo 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 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, Wei Dingguo and Shan Tinggui serve under Lu Junyi and assist him in conquering the enemy-controlled cities of Xuanzhou (宣州; present-day Xuancheng, Anhui) and Huzhou. They are later assigned to lead the attack on Shezhou, where they see that the city gates are wide open with no enemy forces in sight. Eager to gain the top credit for capturing the city, they lead their troops inside and end up falling into a hidden pit. Enemy soldiers waiting in ambush seize the opportunity to attack and kill them.

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. 91. 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. 97–98
• Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.