Chinese Name: Xiang Chong

Japanese Name: Happinata Kōjū

Rank: 64th of the 108 Stars of Destiny

Nickname: Eight-Armed Nezha

Xiang Chong  and Li Gun (plate 63) were Fan Rui’s (plate 65) assistants. Fan Rui was a Taoist sorcerer and leader of the bandit gang at Mount Mangdan. Xiang Chong and Li Gun were both deadly accurate with throwing knives and they each carried twenty-four knives attached to their shields. Xiang Chong also carried a javelin while Li Gun carried a sword. 

The Liangshan bandits learned of a plot by Fan Rui and his men to attack their stronghold to gain supremacy of the area. Shi Jin (plates 1; 4; 9) from Mount Shaohua had recently joined with Liangshan, and having made no contributions at that point, volunteered himself and his men to ride out and confront the bandits of Mount Mangdan. 

Shi Jin and his bandits rode to the foot of Mount Mangdan ready for battle. Fan Rui, having been alerted by a scout, sent a team led by Xiang Chong and Li Gun to confront them. As they rode down the mountain, they began hurling their throwing knives making it impossible for Shi Jin to engage them. Shi Jin and the other leaders fell back, and the majority of their men scattered. 

Song Jiang (plate 107), Wu Yong (plate 14) and Gongsun Sheng (plate 15) soon arrived with 3000 soldiers from Liangshan to aid Shi Jin and his men. Gongsun Sheng noted there were blue lanterns on Mangdan Mountain which indicated that Fan Rui was using sorcery. Being a sorcerer himself, it was left to Gongsun Sheng to devise a plan of attack. 

The Liangshan bandits met the Mount Mangdan bandits in a square formation. Fan Rui used his magic to kick up a dust storm which blocked out the sun, and thinking this gave them the advantage, his army charged forward. The Liangshan square formation opened up and surrounded Fan Rui’s men on three sides. Liangshan’s men began firing arrows and nearly all of Mangdan’s bandits turned and fled. Gongsun Sheng implemented his sorcery to create fierce winds to trap the remaining Mangdan forces, and Xiang Chong and Li Gun were among them. They were captured and taken to Liangshan’s leaders.

Song Jiang went to greet the prisoners and bring them wine. He conveyed his immense esteem for them and offered them a place among their ranks. Xiang Chong and Li Gun were so taken aback by Song Jiang’s generosity and kind nature, they immediately swore their allegiance to him. They returned to Fan Rui and shared their experience with him, convincing him to join with Liangshan as well.

Xiang Chong is shown here as his horse rears back from the winds that Gongsun Sheng summoned with his sorcery.  

Kuniyoshi recreation