| Yu Baosi | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
| Nickname | "God of the Dangerous Road" (險道神) |
| Rank | 105th, Healthy Star (地健星) of the 72 Earthly Fiends |
| Chief flag bearer of Liangshan | |
| Origin | Bandit from Qingzhou (in present-day Shandong) |
| First appearance | Chapter 68 |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 郁保四 |
| Traditional Chinese | 郁保四 |
| Pinyin | Yù Bǎosì |
| Wade-Giles | Yü Pao-szu |
Yu Baosi is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 105th of the 108 Liangshan heroes and 69th of the 72 Earthly Fiends. He is nicknamed "God of the Dangerous Road".
Contents |
Yu Baosi has a big and tall stature. He is nicknamed "God of the Dangerous Road" for his gigantic build. He rallies a group of about 200 bandits and they rob for a living in Qingzhou in (present-day Shandong).
Duan Jingzhu brings 200 fine horses from the north and the famous "Jade Lion" steed, intending to present it to Chao Gai, chief of the outlaw band at Liangshan Marsh. Yu Baosi and his men rob the horses and present them to the Zeng Family Fortress. The Zengs hurl abusive remarks at Liangshan and anger Chao Gai, who personally leads the outlaws to attack the fortress. He is killed in the battle by a poisoned arrow from Shi Wengong.
Song Jiang succeeds Chao Gai as chief of Liangshan and he leads the outlaws to attack the fortress again. The Zengs lose a few battles and two of the five Zeng brothers are killed in action. The Zeng patriarch, Zeng Nong, decides to come a truce with Liangshan and Song Jiang names his conditions; hand over Shi Wengong and Yu Baosi and the horses. Zeng Nong returns all the horses except the "Jade Lion" and he refuses to hand over Shi Wengong to the outlaws. The outlaws receive news of imperial forces approaching from Qingzhou and Lingzhou and decide to halt their attack on the fortress temporarily.
Song Jiang succeeds in persuading Yu Baosi to join Liangshan and he implants Yu as a spy in the fortress. Yu Baosi helps the outlaws capture the fortress and Shi Wengong. When the outlaws attack Dongping Prefecture, they send Yu Baosi and Wang Dingliu as envoys to announce the attack to the prefect. Dong Ping suggests to the prefect to kill the envoys, but the prefect ignores him. Wang Dingliu and Yu Baosi are beaten and driven out of the city. The outlaws succeed in capturing the city eventually.
Yu Baosi becomes the chief flag bearer of Liangshan for his big stature after the Grand Assembly. He follows the heroes on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces after they have been granted amnesty by the emperor. At the battle of Qingxi County during the Fang La campaign, Yu Baosi is slain by the enemy general Du Wei, who hurled his flying daggers at him.
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