Xuan Zan

Xuan Zan is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Ugly Prince Consort", he ranks 40th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 4th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

The novel describes Xuan Zan as an ugly-looking man eight chi in height. He has a face like the bottom of a wok, an upward pointing nose, messy hair, and a red beard. Although he has hideous looks, he excels in martial arts and uses a long sabre in combat.

A prince recognises Xuan Zan's talent after he beats foreign warriors in an archery contest, and decides to let Xuan Zan marry his daughter. Xuan Zan is thus nicknamed "Ugly Prince Consort". However, the princess feels disgusted by Xuan Zan's looks and dies in anguish not long after their marriage. As a result, Xuan Zan falls out of the prince's favour. He becomes a low-ranking military officer in the imperial capital's garrison unit, where he remains an unnoticed talent.

Becoming an outlaw

When the outlaws from Liangshan Marsh besiege Daming Prefecture to rescue Lu Junyi, Grand Secretary Liang Shijie, who governs Daming Prefecture, seeks reinforcements from his father-in-law, the Imperial Tutor Cai Jing. During this time, Xuan Zan recommends the general Guan Sheng to deal with the outlaws. The imperial court then appoints Guan Sheng as the commander of the government forces sent to save Daming Prefecture; Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen serve as Guan Sheng's deputies.

Guan Sheng leads his troops to attack the outlaws' base at Liangshan Marsh to force them to turn back and hence lift the siege on Daming Prefecture. As he expected, the outlaws turn back to save their base and attack the government forces. Although Guan Sheng is a formidable fighter, he finds it very challenging when he engages in one-on-one duels against Liangshan's top warriors. Liangshan's Huyan Zhuo later lure Guan Sheng into a trap, where the outlaws capture the general. Liangshan's Qin Ming and Hu Sanniang also defeat and capture Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen respectively. Liangshan's chief, Song Jiang, treats the three captives with respect and succeeds in persuading them to join the outlaw band.

After learning of Guan Sheng's defection, Cai Jing orders Shan Tinggui and Wei Dingguo, two generals based in Lingzhou (凌州; in present-day Dezhou, Shandong), to eliminate the Liangshan outlaws. Guan Sheng, along with Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen, volunteer to lead Liangshan forces to attack Lingzhou and stop the two generals. During the battle, Shan Tinggui and Wei Dingguo lure Hao Siwen and Xuan Zan respectively into their battle formations and captures them. While Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen are being escorted as prisoners back to the imperial capital Dongjing, the bandits from Mount Deadwood ambush the convoy and rescue them.

Campaigns and death

Xuan Zan becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan cavalry after the 108 stars 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, he is assigned to attack the enemy-controlled city of Suzhou. During the battle, he encounters the enemy officer Guo Shiguang, duels with him under Yinma Bridge, and perishes together with his opponent after a fierce fight.

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. 81. 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. 90, 97
• Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.