Pan Rui
Encyclopedia
Fan Rui is a fictional character in the Water Margin
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
of Chinese literature
. He ranks 61st of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 25th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Demon King of Chaos".
). He has untidy black hair and dons a suit of armour over his silk robe. Fan Rui excels in martial arts and wields a chain spiked mace in combat, presenting a fearsome image to his enemies. Besides being a powerful warrior, Fan Rui is also a master of Taoist
sorcery. He can control elements of the weather and subdue various demons. He is thus nicknamed "Demon King of Chaos".
Fan Rui becomes the leader of a group of bandits on Mount Mangdang (near present-day Pei County
, Xuzhou
). He is flanked by his deputies, Xiang Chong and Li Gun
, and they have an army of 3,000 bandits under their command. They rob the rich to help the poor, attack corrupt government officials and uphold justice.
one day, provoking the outlaws from Liangshan to attack them. Shi Jin
of Liangshan leads the vanguard army to attack Mount Mangdang, but loses the first battle against Fan Rui's forces, and manages to escape only when reinforcements arrive.
The next day, Gongsun Sheng
deploys the Liangshan troops in the Eight Trigrams Formation to counter Fan Rui. Fan Rui uses magic to darken the sky and conjure a sandstorm to throw the enemy into confusion. He orders Xiang Chong and Li Gun to lead 500 men to break the formation. Gongsun Sheng engages Fan Rui in a battle of magic powers and defeats him. Both Xiang Chong and Li Gun are captured in the formation and Fan Rui escapes in a frenzy.
Song Jiang treats Xiang Chong and Li Gun with respect and succeeds in persuading them to join the Liangshan cause of "delivering justice on Heaven's behalf". Xiang Chong and Li Gun are touched and they return to Mount Mangdang and persuade Fan Rui to join Liangshan as well. Fan Rui becomes Gongsun Sheng's apprentice and learns Taoist magic from him.
invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. During the Tian Hu
campaign, Fan Rui challenges Tian's magician, Qiao Daoqing, to a battle but he is no match for Qiao and faces defeat. Qiao Daoqing is overcome by Gongsun Sheng later.
Fan Rui is one of the few lucky survivors of Liangshan after the Fang La
campaign. He is unwilling to take up any official post offered to him by the emperor in recognition of his contributions. Instead, he follows Gongsun Sheng and Zhu Wu
to study Taoism for the rest of his days.
Water Margin
Water Margin , also known as Outlaws of the Marsh, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang, is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.Attributed to Shi Nai'an and written in vernacular Chinese, the story, set in the Song Dynasty,...
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
Four Great Classical Novels
The Four Great Classical Novels, or the Four Major Classical Novels of Chinese literature, are the four novels commonly regarded by scholars to be the greatest and most influential of pre-modern Chinese fiction. Dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties, they are well known to most Chinese readers...
of Chinese literature
Chinese literature
Chinese literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded dynastic court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Ming Dynasty to entertain the masses of literate Chinese...
. He ranks 61st of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 25th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Demon King of Chaos".
Background
Fan Rui is a native of Puzhou (in present-day ChongqingChongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
). He has untidy black hair and dons a suit of armour over his silk robe. Fan Rui excels in martial arts and wields a chain spiked mace in combat, presenting a fearsome image to his enemies. Besides being a powerful warrior, Fan Rui is also a master of Taoist
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
sorcery. He can control elements of the weather and subdue various demons. He is thus nicknamed "Demon King of Chaos".
Fan Rui becomes the leader of a group of bandits on Mount Mangdang (near present-day Pei County
Pei County
Pei County is a county of Jiangsu, China. It is under the administration of Xuzhou city. It has an area of 1,576 square kilometers and a population of 1,217,400.-External links:**...
, Xuzhou
Xuzhou
Xuzhou , otherwise known as Pengcheng in ancient times, is a major city in and the fourth largest prefecture-level city of Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China...
). He is flanked by his deputies, Xiang Chong and Li Gun
Li Gun
Li Gun is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 65th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 29th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Sky Soaring Great Sage".-Background:...
, and they have an army of 3,000 bandits under their command. They rob the rich to help the poor, attack corrupt government officials and uphold justice.
Joining Liangshan
The three bandit leaders claim that they will conquer Liangshan MarshMount Liang
Mount Liang is a mountain in Liangshan County, Shandong province, China which rises to 197.9 m above sea level. It is well known as the stronghold of the 108 legendary Song Dynasty heroes of the classic Chinese novel Water Margin...
one day, provoking the outlaws from Liangshan to attack them. Shi Jin
Shi Jin
Shi Jin is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 23rd of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Nine Tattooed Dragons".-Background:...
of Liangshan leads the vanguard army to attack Mount Mangdang, but loses the first battle against Fan Rui's forces, and manages to escape only when reinforcements arrive.
The next day, Gongsun Sheng
Gongsun Sheng
Gongsun Sheng is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 4th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Dragon in the Clouds".-Background:...
deploys the Liangshan troops in the Eight Trigrams Formation to counter Fan Rui. Fan Rui uses magic to darken the sky and conjure a sandstorm to throw the enemy into confusion. He orders Xiang Chong and Li Gun to lead 500 men to break the formation. Gongsun Sheng engages Fan Rui in a battle of magic powers and defeats him. Both Xiang Chong and Li Gun are captured in the formation and Fan Rui escapes in a frenzy.
Song Jiang treats Xiang Chong and Li Gun with respect and succeeds in persuading them to join the Liangshan cause of "delivering justice on Heaven's behalf". Xiang Chong and Li Gun are touched and they return to Mount Mangdang and persuade Fan Rui to join Liangshan as well. Fan Rui becomes Gongsun Sheng's apprentice and learns Taoist magic from him.
Campaigns
Fan Rui becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan infantry after the Grand Assembly. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the LiaoLiao Dynasty
The Liao Dynasty , also known as the Khitan Empire was an empire in East Asia that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper between 9071125...
invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. During the Tian Hu
Tian Hu
Tian Hu is one of the antagonists in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Tian Hu is one of the three rebel leaders in China, together with Fang La and Wang Qing, that the Liangshan heroes have to defeat in the final chapters of the novel.-Biography:Tian...
campaign, Fan Rui challenges Tian's magician, Qiao Daoqing, to a battle but he is no match for Qiao and faces defeat. Qiao Daoqing is overcome by Gongsun Sheng later.
Fan Rui is one of the few lucky survivors of Liangshan after the Fang La
Fang La
Fang La was a rebel leader who lived during the Song Dynasty. He is also featured as one of the antagonists and nemesis of the 108 Liangshan heroes in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.-Biography:...
campaign. He is unwilling to take up any official post offered to him by the emperor in recognition of his contributions. Instead, he follows Gongsun Sheng and Zhu Wu
Zhu Wu
Zhu Wu is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 37th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 1st of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Resourceful Strategist".-Background:...
to study Taoism for the rest of his days.