Lu Fang
Encyclopedia
Lü Fang is a fictional character in the Water Margin
, one of the Four Great Classical Novels
of Chinese literature
. He ranks 54th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 18th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Little Marquis of Wen
".
. He dons a suit of fiery red army over a flowery robe, along with a silk belt and a headdress. He rides on a red steed similar to the Red Hare
. He wields a halberd
known as the "Sky Piercer" (方天畫戟). As Lü Fang has been an admirer of Lü Bu
and he resembles the mighty warrior in appearance, he is nicknamed "Little Marquis of Wen" after Lü Bu.
Lü Fang was a medicine trader and he made a loss in Shandong
and had no money to make his journey home. He becomes a bandit leader on Mount Duiying. He makes his name in the region by defeating many powerful warriors. Guo Sheng
hears of Lü Fang's reputation and challenges Lü to a duel. Both of them fight for more than 10 days but neither emerges as the victor.
and Hua Rong
's party are on their way back to Liangshan Marsh
after the battle at Qingfeng Fort. They pass by Mount Duiying along the way and see the two warriors engaging in a fierce battle. Lü Fang and Guo Sheng's weapons are entangled and Hua Rong fires an arrow to separate them, drawing cheers from the crowd. Lü Fang and Guo Sheng stop dueling and greet Song Jiang, who succeeds in persuading them to join Liangshan as well.
Lü Fang follows the heroes on the campaigns against the Liao
invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. During the Fang La
campaign, Lü Fang is assigned to attack the enemy territory of Black Dragon Ridge. He engages the enemy general Bai Qin in a duel and neither of them is able to defeat his opponent. They discard their weapons and start fighting with their bare hands. Both of them exert too much strength and eventually fall off the cliff to their deaths.
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 54th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 18th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Little Marquis of Wen
Lü Bu
Lü Bu was a military general and later a minor warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. According to the Records of Three Kingdoms, Lü Bu was highly-skilled in horse-riding and archery, and was thus nicknamed "Flying General"...
".
Background
Lü Fang is from Tanzhou, HunanHunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
. He dons a suit of fiery red army over a flowery robe, along with a silk belt and a headdress. He rides on a red steed similar to the Red Hare
Red Hare
Red Hare was Lü Bu's horse during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Historical records only mention the horse when Lü Bu temporarily became a subordinate of Yuan Shao, where he charged and defeated the armies of Zhang Yan while riding the Red Hare...
. He wields a halberd
Ji (halberd)
The ji , the Chinese halberd, was used as a military weapon in one form or another from at least as early as the Shang dynasty until the end of the Qing dynasty. They are still used for training purposes by many Chinese martial arts...
known as the "Sky Piercer" (方天畫戟). As Lü Fang has been an admirer of Lü Bu
Lü Bu
Lü Bu was a military general and later a minor warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. According to the Records of Three Kingdoms, Lü Bu was highly-skilled in horse-riding and archery, and was thus nicknamed "Flying General"...
and he resembles the mighty warrior in appearance, he is nicknamed "Little Marquis of Wen" after Lü Bu.
Lü Fang was a medicine trader and he made a loss in Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
and had no money to make his journey home. He becomes a bandit leader on Mount Duiying. He makes his name in the region by defeating many powerful warriors. Guo Sheng
Guo Sheng
Guo Sheng is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 55th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 19th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "Comparable to Rengui".-Background:...
hears of Lü Fang's reputation and challenges Lü to a duel. Both of them fight for more than 10 days but neither emerges as the victor.
Joining Liangshan
Song JiangSong Jiang
Song Jiang was the leader of a group of outlaws who lived during the Song Dynasty. The outlaws were active in the present-day provinces of Shandong and Henan before their eventual surrender to the government. Song Jiang is also featured as a character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great...
and Hua Rong
Hua Rong
Hua Rong is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 9th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Little Li Guang".-Background:...
's party are on their way back to Liangshan Marsh
Mount 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...
after the battle at Qingfeng Fort. They pass by Mount Duiying along the way and see the two warriors engaging in a fierce battle. Lü Fang and Guo Sheng's weapons are entangled and Hua Rong fires an arrow to separate them, drawing cheers from the crowd. Lü Fang and Guo Sheng stop dueling and greet Song Jiang, who succeeds in persuading them to join Liangshan as well.
Campaigns and death
Lü Fang becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan cavalry and one of the Central Camp Defendant Generals. Together with Guo Sheng, he is in charge of the commander-in-chief's safety during battle. They protect Song Jiang from danger several times during the battles with Liangshan's enemies.Lü Fang follows the heroes on the campaigns against the Liao
Liao 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 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, Lü Fang is assigned to attack the enemy territory of Black Dragon Ridge. He engages the enemy general Bai Qin in a duel and neither of them is able to defeat his opponent. They discard their weapons and start fighting with their bare hands. Both of them exert too much strength and eventually fall off the cliff to their deaths.