Deng Fei is a fictional character in ''

Water Margin ''Water Margin'' (''Shuihu zhuan'') is one of the earliest Chinese novels written in vernacular Mandarin, and is attributed to Shi Nai'an. It is also translated as ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' and ''All Men Are Brothers''. The story, which is s ...

'', one of the

Four Great Classical Novels Classic Chinese Novels () are the best-known novels of pre-modern Chinese literature. These are among the world's longest and oldest novels. They represented a new complexity in structure and sophistication in language that helped to establish t ...

of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Fiery Eyed ''Suan-ni''", he ranks 49th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 13th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

Deng Fei, a native of

Xiangyang Xiangyang is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hubei province, China and the second largest city in Hubei by population. It was known as Xiangfan from 1950 to 2010. The Han River runs through Xiangyang's centre and divides the city no ...

, is one of the three bandit chiefs at Yinma River (飲馬川; in present-day

Ji County, Tianjin Jizhou District (), formerly a county known as Ji County, is a district in the far north of the municipality of Tianjin, People's Republic of China, holding cultural and historical significance (''e.g''., the Buddhist Temple of Solitary Joy). O ...

), ranked below Pei Xuan and above

Meng Kang Meng may refer to: * Meng (surname) (孟), a Chinese surname * Master of Engineering (MEng or M.Eng.), an academic or professional master's degree in the field of engineering * , "M with hook", letter used in the International Phonetic Alphabet * ...

. Deng Fei, who is nicknamed "Fiery Eyed ''Suan-ni''" due to his blood-shot eyes, fights with a long iron chain.

Joining Liangshan

Dai Zong Dai Zong is a fictional character in '' Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Magic Traveller", he ranks 20th among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny. Backg ...

has incidentally come to know Yang Lin when he tries to locate

Gongsun Sheng Gongsun Sheng is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Dragon in the Clouds", he ranks fourth among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destin ...

, who has returned to his hometown of Jizhou to visit his mother, to get him back to Liangshan as instructed by

Song Jiang A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition ...

. The two pass by Yinma River (飲馬川; in present-day Ji County,

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

) and are blocked by a bandit group led by Deng Fei and

. It turns out that Yang and Deng are acquaintances. They are introduced to the chief Pei Xuan, who agrees to merge his band into that of Liangshan.

Campaigns and death

Deng Fei is appointed as one of the leaders of the Liangshan cavalry after the 108 Stars of Destiny came together in what is called the Grand Assembly. He participates in their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces in

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

territory following amnesty from Emperor Huizong for Liangshan. Before the attack headed by

Lu Junyi Lu Junyi is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels, four great classical novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Jade Qilin", he ranks second among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 S ...

on Dusong Pass (獨松關; located south of present-day

Anji County () is a county in the prefecture-level city of Huzhou in northwestern Zhejiang province, China. The county spans an area of , with a population of 461,800 as of the end of 2013. Located within the Yangtze River Delta, Anji County is a short dis ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

) in the campaign against

Fang La Fang La (; died 1121) was a Chinese rebel leader who led an uprising against the Song dynasty. In the classical novel ''Water Margin'', he is fictionalised as one of the primary antagonists and nemeses of the 108 Stars of Destiny. He is sometime ...

, a small team is sent to spy on the terrain led by Deng Fei,

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 ...

Li Zhong Li Zhong (李忠) (643 – January 6, 665Volume 201 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'' recorded that Li died on the ''wuzi'' day in the 12th month of the 1st year of the Linde era of Tang Gaozong's reign. This date corresponds to 6 Jan 665 on the Gregorian cal ...

and Zhou Tong. While they are studying the landscape, the gate of the pass suddenly opens, out of which charges a group of attackers on horseback. Zhou Tong, taken by surprise, is killed while Deng Fei and the others barely get away. The Liangshan force later overruns Dusong Pass. Lu Junyi's army later merges with

's for a combined attack on

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...

. Deng Fei, Suo Chao and others are assigned to take the north gate. When Suo Chao is slain by the enemy warrior Shi Bao, Deng is eager to avenge him. But he too is killed, being sliced in two by Shi.

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Deng, Fei 72 Earthly Fiends Fictional characters from Hubei