Xiang Chong (Water Margin)

Xiang Chong is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Eight-armed Nezha", he ranks 64th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 28th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

A highly skilled warrior and dagger thrower, Xiang Chong wields an iron spear and 24 flying daggers in battle. He also dons a steel helmet and carries a shield with a bear's head engraved on it. He is nicknamed "Eight-armed Nezha" after the Chinese deity Nezha, who is sometimes depicted having three heads and six arms. Along with his close friends Fan Rui and Li Gun, he 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.

Campaigns and death

Xiang Chong 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 Fang La's rebel forces, Xiang Chong and Li Gun are assigned to attack Muzhou (睦州; in present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang), where they face the enemy general Zheng Biao on the battlefield. During a one-on-one duel against Zheng Biao, the former uses his lasso to trip Xiang Chong and then kills him after he is down.

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. 129. 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. 99
• Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.