Guan Sheng is a character in the novel Water Margin. Wikidata names him Guan Sheng. The same materials also give the nickname Great Sword and the star name Tianyongxing. Neither replaces the title. The article calls him a direct descendant of Guan Yu. This entry records him as an official, and the story is set in the Great Song.[1][2]
Joining Liangshan
The article describes him as eight feet five or six in height, with a three-strand beard, brows entering the hair, phoenix eyes, and a face like dark dates. His weapon is the Green Dragon crescent blade and his horse is Red Hare, so he is called Guan Sheng of the Great Sword. He had been inspector of Pudong. When Daming in the northern capital was besieged, Grand Preceptor Cai Jing sent him to the rescue. He used the plan of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao, and with Hao Siwen, Xuan Zan, and others led picked troops, which the article numbers as ten thousand and a thousand, against Liangshan. Song Jiang withdrew to save the mountain. Guan Sheng won the first engagements and captured several men of Liangshan. Against Song Jiang he did not win, and Song Jiang still recalled the army. Song Jiang had sent Huyan Zhuo to pretend to surrender to the court and lure Guan Sheng into an attack. Guan Sheng fell into the ambush and was captured. Song Jiang untied him in person, and Guan Sheng decided to join. He became the fifth chief of Liangshan.[2]
After he joined
Cai Jing then recommended the paired generals of water and fire, Shan Tinggui and Wei Dingguo. Guan Sheng volunteered and went out with Hao Siwen and Xuan Zan. Those two were captured when they charged, and Guan Sheng retreated. He fought Shan Tinggui again, drew him into a pursuit, struck him from the horse, and Shan Tinggui surrendered. Wei Dingguo was then brought over as well. When the hundred and eight gathered, Guan Sheng was made the first of the five tigers of the cavalry. He followed Song Jiang against Liao, Tian Hu, Wang Qing, and Fang La. He cut down the Liao general Wuyan Guang and Qian Pengju on Fang La's side, and he brought over the Hebei general Tang Bin. Against Fang La he fought Shi Bao, one of the four marshals of Jiangnan, to a draw more than once. He thought Shi Bao's blade was not beneath his own, and he saw through Shi Bao's hidden meteor hammer. After the pacification he returned to court, was appointed a regular general, and became commander of the horse at Daming. Later he drank too much, fell from his horse, and died of the injury. The article also lists screen performers. Those names are not copied out here.[2]