Lü Fang

Lü Fang
Water Margin character
Lü Fang
First appearance	Chapter 35
Nickname	"Little Marquis of Wen" 小溫侯
Rank	54th, Aid Star (地佐星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends
Central Camp Defendant General of Liangshan
Origin	Bandit leader
Ancestral home / Place of origin	Tanzhou (around present-day Changsha, Hunan)
Weapon	"Sky Piercer" (方天畫戟)
Names
Simplified Chinese	吕方
Traditional Chinese	呂方
Pinyin	Lǚ Fāng
Wade–Giles	Lü Fang

Lü Fang is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Little Marquis of Wen", he ranks 54th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 18th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

Lü Fang, a native of Tanzhou (around present-day Changsha, Hunan), usually wears a suit of red armour and a silk belt over a flowery robe as well as a knot-like headdress topped with a long feather. He rides a red horse and fights with a ji, resembling Lü Bu of the Three Kingdoms era whose horse is named Red Hare for its colour and whose weapon called "Sky Piercer" (方天畫戟) was a ji. Due to his many similarities with Lü Bu, Lü Fang is nicknamed "Little Marquis of Wen",^[a] the Marquis of Wen being Lü Bu's highest official title.

A trader in medicine, Lü Fang suffers losses while doing business in Shandong and could not afford the journey home. He becomes a bandit chief at one of the two facing hills of Mount Duiying (對影山) or Mount Mirror Image. He becomes famous in the region after defeating many who comes to duel with him. When Guo Sheng, who also fights with a ji, hears of Lü Fang, he comes to Mount Duiying to challenge him to determine who is more worthy of the weapon. As neither could win, the engagement goes on and off for days.

Joining Liangshan

Song Jiang, Hua Rong and the outlaws of Mount Qingfeng pass by Mount Duiying as they head to join Liangshan Marsh after causing mayhem at Qingzhou including routing a government army. They come upon the duel between Guo Sheng and Lü Fang. It happens that 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 and Lü stop their fight and comes to greet Hua and his group. Upon learning that the group is going to Liangshan, both wanted in and are accepted.

Campaigns and death

After the 108 Stars of Destiny came together in what is called the Grand Assembly, Lü Fang, together with Guo Sheng, is appointed as the guardian of the central camp. That means they are personal bodyguards of Song Jiang. Lü Fang participates in the campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces in Song territory following amnesty by Emperor Huizong for Liangshan.

In the battle of Black Dragon Ridge (烏龍嶺; northeast of present-day Meicheng Town, Jiande, Zhejiang) in the campaign against Fang La, Lü Fang encounters an enemy officer Bai Qin. After an inconclusive fight, they discard their weapons and grapple with each other on horseback. Both fall off the cliff to their deaths.

Notes

References

• 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. 109. 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
• Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.