| Pang Wanchun | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
| Nickname | "Little Yang Youji" (小養由基) |
| General of Fang La forces | |
| First appearance | Chapter 98 |
| Weapon | Bow and arrows |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 庞万春 |
| Traditional Chinese | 龐萬春 |
| Pinyin | Páng Wànchūn |
| Wade-Giles | Pang Wan-chun |
Pang Wanchun is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Pang Wanchun is one of the military generals serving under the rebel leader, Fang La, one of the antagonists and enemy of the 108 Liangshan outlaws. Pang Wanchun, nicknamed "Little Yang Youji", is an expert archer and rivals Liangshan's Hua Rong.
Pang Wanchun is nicknamed "Little Yang Youji" after Yang Youji, a famous general and archer of the Chu state during the Spring and Autumn Period. Pang Wanchun's first appearance in the story, at the battle of Yuling Pass, is striking. He kills Liangshan's Shi Jin with a single arrow shot and orders his archers Lei Jiong and Ji Ji to kill another five Liangshan heroes (Shi Xiu, Chen Da, Yang Chun, Li Zhong and Xue Yong), along with more than 2,000 enemy troops. Pang Wanchun also kills Liangshan's Ou Peng, who is famous for catching projectiles in mid flight, with a few successive arrow shots.
Pang Wanchun is lured into an ambush masterminded by Zhu Wu during an attempt to strike Lu Junyi's camp at night, where he is captured by Liangshan forces. On Lu Junyi's order, Pang Wanchun is executed by disembowelment as a sacrifice to the Liangshan heroes he killed and his head is sent to Song Jiang.
In The Water Margin, a 1998 CCTV television series based on the novel, Pang Wanchun makes his first appearance during Yan Qing's leitai match in Tai'anzhou. Pang Wanchun and his younger sister, Pang Qiuju, participate in the match, but are both defeated by the burly Ren Yuan, who cheats during the fight by using a sash with hidden blades. Yan Qing easily defeats Ren Yuan later, but their identities as outlaws are exposed after Li Kui loses his temper and starts shouting and stomping on Ren Yuan's body, and soldiers come after them. The Pang siblings, Yan Qing and Li Kui manage to fight their way out and escape.
In a later episode, Yan Qing and Li Kui are sent as envoys to meet Pang Wanchun as Liangshan forces prepare to attack Fang La's city, which is defended by Pang. In the ensuing battle, Pang Wanchun lures Liangshan troops into a trap, where they suffer heavy casualties. He is wounded by an arrow fired by Hua Rong and the Liangshan forces seize the opportunity to break into the city. Pang Wanchun is later killed in action by the Ruan brothers along with his sister.