Chinese Name: Guo Sheng

Japanese Name: Saijinki Kakusei 

Rank: 55th of the 108 Stars of Destiny

Nickname: Rival of Rengui 

Guo Sheng had been a trader until a storm upset his boat while traveling on the Yellow River and all his goods were lost. He was very skilled in fighting with the halberd, and since he had no money to return home, he turned to brigandry and assumed command of a small group of bandits. 

He learned of a bandit named Lü Fang (plate 30), unrivaled in battle, who commanded a group of outlaws at Mount Duiying, and Guo Sheng decided to challenge him for control of the territory. Lü Fang offered, instead of a battle, to relinquish one of the two mountains in his territory to him, but Guo Sheng refused and demanded they fight for total supremacy. They battled for ten days without either side gaining the upper hand or acquiescing defeat. 

Song Jiang (plate 107), Hua Rong (plate 28), and the bandits of Mount Qingfeng were traveling to relocate their stronghold and join forces with Chao Gai (see plate 14) and his army of brigands at Liangshan Marsh. As they were passing by Mount Duiying, they came upon two groups, each with one hundred mounted men. One of the groups was led by a warrior dressed all in white, the other by a warrior all in red. As the two leaders charged to meet each other in combat, battle drums sounded like heavy thunder rolling off the mountain.

They had been fighting for thirty bouts, and as they charged out to fight again, the two flags on their halberds became intertwined and they could not break them free. Seeing this, Hua Rong took his bow and shot an arrow which cut through the flags and released the halberds. Both groups of bandits let out a loud cheer at the impressive display of archery skill. Guo Sheng and Lü Fang stopped their fight and rode forward to meet this skilled archer. Hua Rong and Song Jiang introduced themselves and immediately the two combatants dropped their weapons, dismounted, and kowtowed to them in deep respect—their fame as heroes was well known throughout the land. The leader in white introduced himself as Guo Sheng, and the leader in red as Lü Fang. 

Impressed by the skills of both men, Song Jiang suggested they call a truce. The two bandit leaders agreed and a feast was prepared. After two days of eating and drinking, Song Jiang suggested they unite all their forces and journey to Liangshan to join the bandits there under Chao Gai. Guo Sheng and his gang, and Lü Fang and his gladly agreed, so they packed up their camps and departed for Liangshan Marsh. 

Plates 29 and 30 form a diptych depicting the battle between Guo Sheng and Lü Fang.        

Kuniyoshi recreation