Li Gun
| Li Gun | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
| First appearance | Chapter 59 |
| Nickname | "Sky Soaring Great Sage" 飛天大聖 |
| Rank | 65th, Walking Star (地走星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends |
| Infantry leader of Liangshan | |
| Origin | Bandit leader |
| Ancestral home / Place of origin | Pei County, Jiangsu |
| Weapon | Sword, javelins, shield |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 李衮 |
| Traditional Chinese | 李袞 |
| Pinyin | Lǐ Gǔn |
| Wade–Giles | Li Kun |
Li Gun is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Sky Soaring Great Sage", he ranks 65th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 29th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.
Background
Li Gun fights with a sword and a shield engraved with the head of a beast. He also carries 24 short javelins which he could throw with sharp accuracy. Because he is a versatile warrior, Li Gun is nicknamed "Sky Soaring Great Sage" after the omnipotent Monkey King in Chinese folk lore. He and Xiang Chong are sidekicks of Fan Rui, who leads a 3,000-strong outlaw band at Mount Mangdang (芒碭山; north of present-day Yongcheng, Henan).
Joining Liangshan
The three chiefs of Mount Mangdang have been boasting about wiping out the Liangshan stronghold. Their brag eventually irritates Liangshan, which sends Shi Jin to punish them with a force. But Shi could not hold up against the assault of Xiang Chong and Li Gun, who bear down on his men with speed and ferocity, causing heavy casualties. Song Jiang, then second-in-command of Liangshan, arrives with reinforcement.
The following day, when both sides face off again, Gongsun Sheng arrays the Liangshan troops in the pattern of the Eight Trigrams Formation. Fan Rui assists Xiang Chong and Li Gun in their attack with his magic by blasting the opposing side with strong winds and flying pebbles. But this time Gongsun engulfs Xiang and Li in darkness, trapping them in the formation and driving them into a pit. Meanwhile, Song Jiang's force swarms forward, beating Fan back to his base.
Song Jiang treats the two captives with respect and convinces them to surrender. The two return to Mount Mangdang and successfully persuade Fan Rui to follow suit.
Campaigns and death
Li Gun is appointed as one of the leaders of the Liangshan infantry after the 108 Stars of Destiny came together in what is called the Grand Assembly. He participates in the campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces in Song territory following amnesty from Emperor Huizong for Liangshan.
In the attack on Muzhou (睦州; in present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang) in the campaign against Fang La, Xiang Chong and Li Gun encounter the enemy general Zheng Biao. After Zheng slayed Xiang, Li Gun pursues him, determined to avenge his long-time comrade. However, he accidentally falls into a stream and is fatally shot by Zheng's archers.
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. 131. 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. 98
- Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.