Bao Xu
| Bao Xu | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
| Nickname | "God of Death" (喪門神) |
| Rank | 60th, Savage Star (地暴星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends |
| Infantry leader of Liangshan | |
| Origin | Bandit leader |
| Ancestral home / Place of origin | Kouzhou (believed to be present-day Guan County, Liaocheng, Shandong) |
| First appearance | Chapter 67 |
| Weapon | Broad Blade Sword (闊刃劍) |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 鲍旭 |
| Traditional Chinese | 鮑旭 |
| Pinyin | Bào Xù |
| Wade–Giles | Pao Hsü |
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Bao Xu is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 60th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 24th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "God of Death".
Background
The novel describes Bao Xu as an ugly-looking man with a face shaped like the bottom of a wok, fierce bulging eyes and lips like a wolf's. He has a thunderous voice that strikes fear in the hearts of his enemies. Ye excels in martial arts and wields a sword in combat. As his passion in life is to kill and plunder, he earns himself the nickname "God of Death". He leads a group of bandits on Mount Deadwood (枯樹山) in Kouzhou (寇州; believed to be present-day Guan County, Liaocheng, Shandong).
Joining Liangshan
During the battle at Lingzhou (凌州; present-day Ling County, Dezhou, Shandong) between the outlaws from Liangshan Marsh and imperial forces, the outlaws Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen are captured by the imperial generals Shan Tinggui and Wei Dingguo. They are then escorted as prisoners back to the imperial forces' base in Daming Prefecture (大名府; in present-day Handan, Hebei).
In the meantime, Li Kui and Jiao Ting meet Bao Xu on Mount Deadwood and successfully persuade him to join the outlaw band at Liangshan. Around the time, the convoy escorting Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen passes by Mount Deadwood. Li Kui, Jiao Ting and Bao Xu lead the bandits to attack the soldiers and rescue Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen, and then they return to Liangshan together.
Campaigns and death
Bao Xu becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan infantry after the Grand Assembly of the 108 Stars of Destiny. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by Emperor Huizong. During the campaign against the rebel leader Fang La, Bao Xu and Li Kui are assigned to lead the attack on the northern gate of the enemy-controlled city of Hangzhou. Bao Xu slays the enemy general Lian Ming and charges into the city. However, he is ambushed and caught off guard by Fang La's general Shi Bao, who slices him into two.
References
- (Chinese) Li, Mengxia. 108 Heroes from the Water Margin, page 121. EPB Publishers Pte Ltd, 1992. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.
- Buck, Pearl. All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell Ltd, 2006. ISBN 9781559213035.
- Zhang, Lin Ching. Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House, 2009. ISBN 978-7506344784.
- Keffer, David. Outlaws of the Marsh.
- Miyamotois, Yoko. Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits.
- (Japanese) Ichisada, Miyazaki. Suikoden: Kyoko no naka no Shijitsu. Chuo Koronsha, 1993. ISBN 978-4122020559.
- Shibusawa, Kou. Bandit Kings of Ancient China. KOEI, 1989.
