Cai Fu
Cai Fu | |
---|---|
Water Margin character | |
First appearance | Chapter 62 |
Nickname | "Iron Arm" |
Rank | 94th, Level Star ( |
Chief executioner of Liangshan | |
Origin | Prison warden and executioner |
Ancestral home / Place of origin | Daming Prefecture (present-day Daming County, Hebei) |
Names | |
Simplified Chinese | 蔡福 |
Traditional Chinese | 蔡福 |
Pinyin | Cài Fú |
Wade–Giles | Ts'ai Fu |
Cai Fu is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Iron Arm", he ranks 94th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 58th among the 72 Earthly Fiends.
Background
[edit]Living in Daming Prefecture (
Joining Liangshan
[edit]Lu Junyi, a squire of Daming, is arrested and jailed after his housekeeper Li Gu, who is having an affair with Lu's wife, reports him to the authorities that he has ties with the bandits of Liangshan. Lu has earlier been lured to Liangshan, which failed to persuade him to join them.
Li Gu bribes Cai Fu, the warden in charge of Lu Junyi in prison, to murder the squire. However, Liangshan's Chai Jin also visits Cai Fu and offers him an even larger sum of money to ensure Lu is safe. Not wanting to antagonise either, Cao Fu is in a bind. Cai Qing advises him to bribe officials to exile Lu to a faraway place, thereby washing his hands of the case.
However, Li Gu bribes the guards escorting Lu Junyi to Shamen Island (
Liangshan could not break into Daming despite winning a few military battles. After a respite that caused Daming to become less vigilant, Wu Yong, Liangshan's chief strategist, sends a number of chieftains to infiltrate Daming on the night of the Lantern Festival. When they unleash havoc in the city cued by a fire set by Shi Qian, Chai Jin visits the prison to coerce the Cai brothers to free Lu Junyi and Shi Xiu. Knowing they have no choice, the Cais release the two prisoners and follow the outlaws back to Liangshan.
Campaigns and death
[edit]Cai Fu is appointed Lianghsan's chief executioner after the 108 Stars of Destiny came together in what is called the Grand Assembly. He participates in the campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces in Song territory following amnesty from Emperor Huizong for Liangshan.
In the battle of Qingxi County (
References
[edit]- Buck, Pearl S. (2006). All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell. ISBN 9781559213035.
- Ichisada, Miyazaki (1993). Suikoden: Kyoko no naka no Shijitsu (in Japanese). Chuo Koronsha. ISBN 978-4122020559.
- Keffer, David. "Outlaws of the Marsh: A Somewhat Less Than Critical Commentary". Poison Pie Publishing House. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- Li, Mengxia (1992). 108 Heroes from the Water Margin (in Chinese). EPB Publishers. p. 191. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.
- Miyamoto, Yoko (2011). "Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits". Demystifying Confucianism. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- Shibusawa, Kou (1989), Bandit Kings of Ancient China, Koei
- Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.