Guo Sheng

A native of Jialing (嘉陵; present-day Jialing District, Nanchong, Sichuan), Guo Sheng often wears a suit of silvery white armour over a white robe girded by a silver belt. He rides a white horse and fights with a ji similar to the "Sky Piercer" (方天畫戟) used by Lü Bu of the Three Kingdoms era. He has learnt his martial arts from a military officer in his hometown. He is nicknamed "Comparable to Rengui", as Xue Rengui, a famous Tang dynasty general, is also an expert user of ji.

Initially a trader, Guo Sheng becomes a bandit leader after he lost his goods in a river during storm and did not have enough money to make his way home.

Guo Sheng hears of Lü Fang's reputation as an expert user of ji and wants to find out who is more worthy of the weapon. He travels to Mount Duiying (對影山) or Mount Mirror Image, which comprises two facing hills, one of which is occupied by Lü Fang and his bandit gang. Guo settles on the other hill with his men and duels one-on-one on horseback every day with Lü Fang, determined to find out who is the better one. But neither could win after days of jousting.

Song Jiang, Hua Rong and other outlaws of Mount Qingfeng pass by Mount Duiying as they travel to join Liangshan Marsh after rows at Qingzhou including battling with and beating a government army. They come upon the duel between Guo Sheng and Lü Fang. By and by, the tassels of the two ji get tangled together. The two fighters struggle but could not free their weapons. Seeing that, Hua Rong fires an arrow that hits the tangled point and separates the weapons. Everyone present cheers. Guo Sheng and Lü Fang stop their fight and come to greet Hua and his group. Upon learning that the group is going to Liangshan, both ask to join in and are accepted.

After the 108 Stars of Destiny came together in what is called the Grand Assembly, Guo Sheng, together with Lü Fang, is appointed as the guardian of Liangshan's central camp, which in effect means he is a bodyguard of Song Jiang. Guo Sheng participates in the campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces in Song territory following amnesty by Emperor Huizong for Liangshan.

In the battle at Black Dragon Ridge (烏龍嶺; northeast of present-day Meicheng Town, Jiande, Zhejiang) in the campaign against Fang La, Guo Sheng is crushed to death by boulders rolled down by enemy soldiers as he charges up the high ground.

In Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes, Guo Sheng is the ancestor of the protagonist Guo Jing.[1]

• Buck, Pearl S. (2006). All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell. ISBN 9781559213035.
• Miyazaki, Ichisada (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. 111. 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. 91
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