Chinese Name: Fan Rui

Japanese Name: Konseimaō Hanzui 

Rank: 61st of the 108 Stars of Destiny

Nickname: Demon King of Disorder 

Fan Rui was a Taoist sorcerer who was able to control the winds and the rain. He had two assistants, Li Gun (plate 63) and Xiang Chong (plate 64) and together they controlled a bandit army at Mount Mangdan consisting of 3000 men. 

The Liangshan bandits learned that Fan Rui and his army were planning on attacking their stronghold to gain supremacy of the area. Liangshan went on the offensive and mounted an attack on Mount Mangdan. Gongsun Sheng (plate 15) noted there were blue lanterns upon Mangdan Mountain which indicated Fan Rui was using sorcery. Being a sorcerer himself, it was left to Gongsun Sheng to devise a plan of attack. 

Gongsun Shen had the Liangshan bandits meet the Mount Mangdan bandits in a square formation. Fan Rui used his magic abilities to kick up a dust storm blocking out the sun, then his army charged forward. The Liangshan square formation opened up and surrounded them on three sides. They began firing arrows and nearly all of Mangdan’s bandits turned and fled. Gongsun Sheng implemented his sorcery to creat fierce winds, trapping the remaining bandits, who were captured and taken to Liangshan’s leaders; Fan Rui’s assistants, Li Gun and Xiang Chong, were among the captured men.

Song Jiang (plate 107) went to greet the prisoners. He brought them wine, conveyed his immense esteem for them, and offered them a place among their ranks. Li Gun and Xiang Chong, taken aback by Song Jiang’s generosity and kind nature, swore their allegiance to him at once. They returned to Fan Rui and shared their experience with him, convincing him to join with Liangshan’s forces as well.

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As the novel unfolds, the Liangshan bandits were eventually granted amnesty by the Emperor. In the lengthiest edition of the Water Margin (this scene with Fan Rui is the only illustration in that edition), the bandits were then sent to quell the army of another rebel leader named Tian Hu who also had a sorcerer. Fan Rui met Tian Hu’s sorcerer in battle but was unable to best him until Gongsun Sheng came to his aid. After Tian Hu’s sorcerer was defeated, his army was soon vanquished as well.                          

Fan Rui is shown here bracing himself against a storm and an onslaught of divine soldiers that Tian Hu’s sorcerer conjured with his magic.   

Kuniyoshi recreation