Ou Peng is a fictional character in ''

Water Margin ''Water Margin'' (''Shuihu zhuan'') is one of the earliest Chinese novels written in vernacular Mandarin, and is attributed to Shi Nai'an. It is also translated as ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' and ''All Men Are Brothers''. The story, which is s ...

'', one of the

Four Great Classical Novels Classic Chinese Novels () are the best-known novels of pre-modern Chinese literature. These are among the world's longest and oldest novels. They represented a new complexity in structure and sophistication in language that helped to establish t ...

in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Golden Wings Brushing Against the Clouds", he ranks 48th among the

108 Stars of Destiny The 108 Heroes are the main characters of the Ming dynasty classic Chinese novel the ''Water Margin'', which was written in the 14th century and usually attributed to Shi Nai'an. The heroes are divided into the 36 Heavenly Spirits and 72 Earthly F ...

and 12th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.

Background

Tall and muscular, Ou Peng is skilled in martial arts and could walk unusually quickly. His nickname "Golden Wings Brushing Against the Clouds" stems from his ability to catch small flying projectiles with a bare hand. The descendant of a line of military men who had been stationed at garrisons along the

Yangtze The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...

River, Ou Peng, a native of Huangzhou (黃州; in present-day

Huanggang Huanggang is a prefecture-level city in easternmost Hubei Province, China. It is situated to the north of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and is bounded in the north by the Dabie Mountains and is named after Mount Huanggang. It borders ...

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

), himself is also in the service and holds a similar post. However, he abandons the career after falling out with a superior. He decides to lead a bandit gang at Mount Yellow Gate (), with Jiang Jing, Ma Lin and

Tao Zongwang Tao Zongwang is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Nine Tailed Turtle", he ranks 75th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 39th among the 72 Earthly Fiends. Backgrou ...

as his assistants.

Joining Liangshan

When Song Jiang is following the outlaws of

Liangshan Marsh Mount Liang (, often referred to in Chinese as ) is a mountain in Liangshan County, Shandong, China which rises to 197.9 metres above sea level. It is well known as the stronghold of the 108 Heroes in the classic Chinese novel ''Water Margin ...

back to their stronghold after they and a number of heroes of the Jieyang region saved him in Jiangzhou (江州; present-day Jiujiang, Jiangxi), he comes by Mount Yellow Gate with the group. They are blocked by the bandits led by Ou Peng, who demands to know whether Song is among them. When he steps out to show himself, the four come forward to pay him homage. Learning that the group is going to Liangshan, Ou and his band want in and Song gladly agrees. In Liangshan's second offensive against the Zhu Family Manor, Ou Peng has a dazzling fight on horseback with Hu Sanniang. Even though Ou could not get the better of Hu, he impresses Song Jiang with how he uses the spear, a skill passed down in his family.

Campaigns and death

Ou Peng is appointed as one of the leaders of the Liangshan cavalry after the

came together in what is called the Grand Assembly. He participates in the campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces in

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

territory following amnesty from Emperor Huizong for Liangshan. In the battle of Shezhou in the campaign against

Fang La Fang La (; died 1121) was a Chinese rebel leader who led an uprising against the Song dynasty. In the classical novel ''Water Margin'', he is fictionalised as one of the primary antagonists and nemeses of the 108 Stars of Destiny. He is sometime ...

, Ou Peng encounters the enemy general

Pang Wanchun The following is a list of characters in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. 108 Stars of Destiny The 108 Stars of Destiny are at the core of the plot of ''Water Margin''. Based on the Taoist concept ...

. Pang feigns defeat to bait Ou, who is determined to avenge comrades who had died at the hands of the expert archer, to come after him. Pang suddenly turns on horseback to fire an arrow, which Ou has no problem catching with his hand even though he is riding at a gallop. But Pang quickly follows that up with many shots, which Ou finds increasingly hard to dodge. He is eventually shot to death.

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ou, Peng 72 Earthly Fiends Fictional characters from Hubei