Guan Sheng is a fictional character in ''

Water Margin ''Water Margin'' (), also called ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' or ''All Men Are Brothers'', is a Chinese novel from the Ming dynasty that is one of the preeminent Classic Chinese Novels. Attributed to Shi Nai'an, ''Water Margin'' was one of the e ...

'', one of the

Four Great Classical Novels Classic Chinese Novels () are the best-known works of literary fiction across pre-modern Chinese literature. The group usually includes the following works: Ming dynasty novels '' Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', '' Water Margin'', ''Journey to t ...

Chinese literature The history of Chinese literature extends thousands of years, and begins with the earliest recorded inscriptions, court archives, building to the major works of philosophy and history written during the Axial Age. The Han dynasty, Han (202 ...

. Nicknamed "Great

Blade A blade is the Sharpness (cutting), sharp, cutting portion of a tool, weapon, or machine, specifically designed to puncture, chop, slice, or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they a ...

", he ranks fifth among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny.

Background

A descendant of

Guan Yu Guan Yu (; ), courtesy name Yunchang, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Along with Zhang Fei, he shared a brotherly relationship with Liu Bei and accompanied him on ...

, Guan Sheng resembles his famous ancestor of the Three Kingdoms era. His height of eight '' chi'' and five/six '' cun,'' his flowing beard, his long eyebrows and his eyes which are like those of a

fenghuang ''Fenghuang'' () are mythological birds featuring in traditions throughout the Sinosphere. ''Fenghuang'' are understood to reign over all other birds: males and females were originally termed ''feng'' and ''huang'' respectively, but a gender ...

are features of Guan Yu. Guan Sheng's weapon is a guandao, just like his ancestor's, which earns him the nickname "Great

". His horse and that of Guan Yu are also similarly named "Red Rabbit". Though a skilled and talented warrior, Guan Sheng serves as a minor military inspector in a town east of Puzhou (蒲州; present-day

Yuncheng Yuncheng () is the southernmost prefecture-level city in Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. It borders Linfen and Jincheng municipalities to the north and east, and Henan (Luoyang and Jiyuan to the east, Sanmenxia to the south) and ...

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

Battle against Liangshan

When the outlaws of

Liangshan Marsh Mount Liang is a mountain in Liangshan County, Shandong, China, which rises to 197.9 metres above sea level. It is well known as the stronghold of the 108 Heroes in the classic Chinese novel '' Water Margin''. The modern Liangshan County i ...

attack Daming (present-day Daming County,

Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...

) to rescue

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

and Shi Xiu, the Grand Tutor

Cai Jing Cai Jing (1047–1126), courtesy name Yuanchang (), was a Chinese calligrapher and politician who lived during the late Northern Song dynasty of China. He is also fictionalised as one of the primary antagonists in '' Water Margin'', one of t ...

in the imperial capital Dongjing holds a meeting to discuss how to break the siege. Xuan Zan, a military officer, recommends Guan Sheng to Cai as the person who could save the prefecture. Cai summons Guan from Puzhou and appoints him to lead the military mission. Xuan Zan and

Hao Siwen Hao Siwen is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Wood Dog of Well", he ranks 41st among the 108 Stars of Destiny and fifth among the 72 Earthly Fiends. Background A ...

, whom Guan brings along to the capital, serve as his lieutenants. Using the strategy of " besieging Wei to rescue Zhao", Guan attacks Liangshan Marsh to force

Song Jiang Song Jiang was a Chinese historical figure who led an armed rebellion against the ruling Song dynasty, Song Dynasty in the early 12th century. His band marauded over a region straddling the present-day Chinese provinces of Shandong and Henan. Th ...

to withdraw from Daming to save his base. Before Song's force is back,

Zhang Heng Zhang Heng (; AD 78–139), formerly romanization of Chinese, romanized Chang Heng, was a Chinese polymathic scientist and statesman who lived during the Han dynasty#Eastern Han (25–220 AD), Eastern Han dynasty. Educated in the capital citi ...

, one of Liangshan's flotilla leaders, stages an unsanctioned raid on Guan's camp with some men in a bid to score merit for himself. He is captured in an ambush set by Guan. Ruan Xiaoqi, the only chieftain who knows of Zhang's derring-do, takes some men to rescue him but is also seized.

Life at Liangshan

Back at Liangshan,

faces Guan Sheng. Impressed with Guan's looks and fighting prowess,

Song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

swears he would win him over. He works out a plan with Huyan Zhuo, a general who has defected after failing in his imperial mission to stamp out Liangshan, to ensnare Guan. Huyan goes to Guan's camp alone claiming that he has reluctantly joined the bandits and now wants to clear his name. Guan believes Huyan's claim, especially after the latter falsely beat a Liangshan chieftain in a fight on horseback. Not smelling a rat, Guan follows Huyan on a night raid on Song Jiang's camp. He is surrounded, unhorsed by hooks and captured. Treated with great respect by Song Jiang, who vows that Liangshan is composed of reluctant rebels, Guan is touched and joins the bandits. Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen, who are also captured, follow suit. Zhang Heng and Ruan Xiaoqi are freed. Told of Guan Sheng's defection, the imperial court orders Shan Tinggui and Wei Dingguo, military inspectors of Lingzhou (凌州; in present-day

Dezhou Dezhou () is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the southeast, Liaocheng to the southwest, Binzhou to the northeast, and the province of Hebei ...

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

), to attack Liangshan. Guan volunteers to head them off by attacking Lingzhou with Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen In the first fight at Lingzhou, Xuan and Hao are captured when lured into the battle ranks of Shan and Wei. Guan Sheng challenges Shan Tinggui to a duel. He feigns defeat and lures Shan to pursue him. Suddenly Guan turns on his horse and whacks the pursuer off with one swing of his big blade. Instead of moving in to kill, Guan gets off his horse and converses with Shan warmly, winning the latter's heart. They return to fight Wei, who scalds Guan's men with incendiary materials. But outlaws led by

Li Kui Li Kui may refer to: *Li Kui (legalist), government minister in the Wei state *Li Kui (chancellor), chancellor of the Tang Dynasty *Li Kui (Water Margin), fictional character in the ''Water Margin'' {{hndis, Li, Kui