108 Stars of Destiny

The 108 Stars of Destiny are at the core of the plot of the classic Shui Hu Zhuan , commonly translated as ''Water Margin'', ''Outlaws of the Marsh'', or ''All Men Are Brothers'', edited by Shi Nai'an and Luo Guanzhong during the 13th century and 14th century. Suikoden is a translation for ''Shui Hu Zhuan'' which has been made into a series of .

Concept of 108 Stars of Destiny

Based on the Daoist concept that each person's destiny is tied to a Star of Destiny , the Stars of Destiny are stars that represent 108 demonic overlords who have been banished by the Daoist sage, Shang Ti. Having repented since their banishment, the stars are released from their place of banishment by accident, and are reborn in the world as 108 heroes who band together for the cause of justice.

The 108 Stars of Destiny are translated into the and the . Other titles for the Stars of Destiny include ''The 108 Stars of Heavenly Earth'' and ''The 108 Stars of Heaven and Earth''.

The 108 heroes in Water Margin

Bao Xu

Bao Xu is a character in the epic Chinese tale, ''Water Margin''.

Bao Xu was originally a bandit king on Kushu Mountain in Kouzhou. He had an ugly appearance, with a face shaped like the bottom of a wok, fierce bulging eyes and lips like a wolf's. He wielded a broad sword and excelled in martial arts. His only passion in life was to kill and plunder, thus earning him the nickname 'God of Death' . He also had a thunderous voice which sent enemies trembling.

When the Liangshan heroes were attacking Lingzhou, Xuan Zan and Hao Si-wen were captured by Shan Ting-gui and Wei Ding-guo. They were escorted as prisoners back to Dongjing. and Jiao Ting passed by Kushu Mountain and managed to persuade Bao Xu to join the Liangshan band. At that point, Hao Si-wen and Xuan Zan were being escorted past by the mountain. Bao Xu, Li Kui and Jiao Ting killed the guards and rescued the two heroes. Then, they went back to Liangshan together after Shan Ting-gui and Wei Ding-guo were subdued.

Bao Xu became one of the leaders of the Liangshan infantry and one of the 72 Earthly Fiends. After Song Jiang had obtained amnesty from the emperor, Bao Xu followed the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao Tartars and southern rebels, making invaluable contributions. During the Fang La campaign, Bao Xu and Li Kui were assigned to attack the northern gate of Hangzhou. Bao Xu killed the enemy leader Lian Ming and charged into the city. Unfortunately, Bao Xu was sliced into two by Shi Bao who had been lying in ambush inside the city.

Bai Sheng

Bai Sheng is a character in the ''Water Margin''.

'Daylight rat ' Bai Sheng was from Anle Village in Yuncheng Prefecture. He was a man without a decent job and was hooked to gambling. Once, he had served under Chao Gai and became good friends with him.

Later, Chao Gai and his six friends planned to rob the convoy of birthday gifts for Cai Jing and planned well to strike at Huangni Ridge. Huangni Ridge was located near Anle Village, so Chao and his friends stayed at Bai Sheng's house and waited. Later, they disguised themselves as travelling traders, while Bai Sheng helped them by pretending to be a wine-seller. Bai Sheng carried two buckets of wine and passed by the guards escorting the birthday gifts, trying to induce the thirsty guards into drinking his drugged wine. Yang Zhi, the leader of the guards suspected something and did not allow his men to drink the wine. Chao Gai and his friends then later bought the wine which was not drugged from Bai Sheng and drank it, showing the guards that the wine was alright. Yang Zhi then allowed his men to buy the wine and drink it, and this time, the wine was drugged. Yang and his men were knocked out and Chao and his friends robbed the birthday gifts easily.

Cai Jing was furious when he heard that his birthday gifts had been robbed and ordered the local government to arrest the robbers. He Qing, the brother of the chief constable He Tao, knew that Chao Gai, Bai Sheng and the others were the robbers and reported it to his brother. He Tao and his soldiers surrounded Bai Sheng's house at night and charged in. They searched everywhere for the loot and eventually found some valuables under Bai Sheng's bed. They brought Bai Sheng to the county office and had him interrogated.

Despite facing severe torture, Bai Sheng refused to disclose the names of the other people who robbed the birthday gifts. In fact, the government had already knew that Chao Gai was involved, so Bai Sheng confessed eventually, naming Chao Gai only, while saying that he did not know the other men who were involved. This had clearly shown Bai Sheng's strong feelings and loyalty towards his friends as he chose only to reveal Chao Gai, whom the government had already knew and not the others.

Chao Gai and his six friends managed to flee to Liangshan for refuge after receiving a warning from Song Jiang. Later, Wu Yong came up with a strategy and rescued Bai Sheng from prison and Bai Sheng joined the Liangshan band. After that, Bai Sheng too joined in the rescue of Song Jiang and Dai Zong from the execution ground in Jiangzhou.

Bai Sheng became one of the leaders of the Liangshan infantry and 72 Earthly Warriors. He followed the heroes on their campaigns after they had obtained amnesty from the emperor, and made great contributions to the imperial court. Bai Sheng died of illness after the battle of Hangzhou during the Fang La campaign.

An Daoquan

An Daoquan is a character in the epic Chinese tale, the ''Water Margin''.

An Daoquan was from Jiankangfu, and inherited medical skills passed down by his ancestors. He became a reowned physician and could treat all kinds of illnesses, thus he was nicknamed 'Holy Physician' .

When Song Jiang led the Liangshan heroes to attack Damingfu, he contracted a growth on his back and was forced to abandon the offensive and retreat back to Liangshan. Zhang Shun's mother had suffered from a similar illness as Song Jiang before, and was treated by An Daoquan. So, Zhang recommended An Daoquan to treat Song Jiang.

Upon reaching Jiankangfu, Zhang Shun immediately went to find An Daoquan. Initially, An agreed to take a trip to Liangshan, but then he was in love with a prostitute named Li Qiaonu. Li refused to let An Daoquan go after hearing about it. Zhang Shun heard all the conversation and he sneaked into Li Qiaonu's home in the night. Zhang killed Li Qiaonu and wrote with blood, 'An Daoquan is the killer', on the wall to frame An. When An Daoquan discovered it, he was shocked and had no choice but to follow Zhang Shun and join the Liangshan band.

In the end, An Daoquan managed to cure Song Jiang's illness within ten days due to his excellent medical skills. Since then, An became the physician of Liangshan, and was in charge of treating the heroes of their illnesses and wounds, thus earning respect from them. After the heroes had obtained amnesty from the emperor, An followed the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao Tartars and southern rebels. However, during the Fang La campaign, An Daoquan was summoned back to the capital city to treat the sovereign emperor of his illness on the eve of the battle of Hangzhou. An Daoquan became an imperial physician after that.

72 Earthly Fiends

The 72 Earthly Fiends or 72 Earthly Warriors refer to the two divisions amongst the 108 Liangshan bandits in the epic tale, the ''Water Margin''; the other division being the 36 Heavenly Spirits or 36 Heavenly Chieftains. This segregation essentially determined where the heroes were seated when they gathered for feasts and meetings in the grand hall of their lair.

The 72 in question were the less senior members, such as Zhu Wu, Bai Sheng and An Dao-quan.

36 Heavenly Spirits

The 36 Heavenly Spirits or 36 Heavenly Chieftains refer to the two divisions amongst the 108 Liangshan bandits in the epic tale, the ''Water Margin''; the other division being the 72 Earthly Fiends or 72 Earthly Warriors. This segregation essentially determined where the heroes were seated when they gathered for feasts and meetings in the grand hall of their lair.

The first 36 were the more senior members, such as the leader Song Jiang, the deputy Lu Junyi and the founding members such as Hua Rong and the Ruan brothers.

Chen Da (Water Margin)

Chen Da is a character in the epic Chinese tale, the ''Water Margin''.

Chen Da was from Yecheng. He was as strong as an ox, had a loud booming voice and was impatient and fiery tempered. He used an iron spear in combat and was nicknamed 'Stream-leaping tiger' .

Chen Da, along with Zhu Wu and Yang Chun became bandit leaders on Shaohua Mountain, and gathered an army under their command. Once, the stronghold lacked provisions and the bandits decided to attack the nearby Huayin Prefecture for provisions. Zhu Wu and Yang Chun advised Chen Da not to pass by the Shi Family Village along the way, but Chen refused to listen. Chen had a fight with Shi Jin, who refused to let him pass and was captured by Shi in the end.

Zhu Wu and Yang Chun came to plead with Shi Jin to free Chen Da and Shi was moved by their strong sense of brotherhood, so he freed Chen and became fast friends with the bandit leaders. Unfortunately, Shi Jin was betrayed by the hunter Li Ji and was forced to abandon his home and become a bandit as well with the three heroes on Shaohua Mountain. Once, Shi tried to assassinate Prefect He but failed and was captured. The Shaohua bandits sought help from Liangshan and eventually rescued Shi Jin. The Shaohua Mountain bandits then agreed to join the Liangshan band and Chen followed them to Liangshan.

Chen Da became one of the leaders of the Liangshan cavalry and 72 Earthly Warriors. After the heroes had obtained amnesty from the emperor, Chen followed them on their campaigns against the Liao Tartars and southern rebels, making great contributions. During the Fang La campaign, Chen Da was assigned to attack Yuling Pass. Chen was shocked to see Shi Jin being shot down by Pang Wanchun and tried to avenge Shi but he died under dozens of enemy arrows in the attempt along with another four heroes.