#Guan Yu ~ Fierce Fighting Version

[sneaselsawashiro-blog]

Dumb idea for playable Li Tong:

Dream-voiced by: Shinobu Sato'ichi (Japanese), Mike West (English)

If Lu Xun in Japanese (Kenji Nojima) is the nerfed and 4 version of Fox McCloud since Assault, then Li Tong in both JP and ENG is his sweaty 64 and Melee version (Cao Ren = Falco cuz Hisao Egawa lol)

His weapon based on his ROTK 12 portrait would be a "double-arrow spear", being a weapon REALLY goes ham on stabby-stabby and somewhat akin to both Cheng Pu's double pike and Jiang Wei's double trident.

Basically he'd be akin to Xu Sheng in a way, caring about his beloved Ru'nan as Xu Sheng does with Xu Province.

But the biggest thing about Li Tong's personality is that he sees service to Cao Cao as a means to an end and is shaped by the chaotic times like Cao Ren is, and thus relates to a TON of fellow officers under Cao Cao's service while also being a bit annoyed at blind loyalty (he personally doesn't vibe with Yu Jin's tendency to be more rigid). He especially vibes with Cao Ren, Pang De, Zhang Liao and Cao Xiu.

Essentially while being a brave nut he is, he is one of the other few anti-villain Wei characters much like how Cao Ren used to be, and by that proxy crossover relationships expand to Xu Sheng (pities him and doesn't really wanna fight him), He Qi and Zang Ba (can sense their bravery and justice for populaces and common folk).

For Ma Chao and Guan Yu especially, he wouldn't see them as major enemies like Xu Chu and Xiahou Dun do. Yet during the times he's dueled with them fiercely, another form of kinship happens.

Via the retreat from Jiangling, his duel vs. Guan Yu would be an intensely drawn-out stalemate that results in the same historical result: Guan Yu is forced to retreat not before injuring Li Tong, but the tenacious bastard still fights on when Guan Yu ends up with major surprise, fatigued as all hell and forced to let the Wei forces withdraw.

And from there Li Tong would die his natural death, pretty much sad yet understanding that there was only so much he could do and looks forward to meeting the people that moved him in heaven.

So yeah, another anti-villain from Wei which really flashed in my head just now as I was typing this.

Zhao Yan would also be another playable guy to basically be his calm-minded lancer to curb some of Li Tong's hot-blooded side (which Li Tong would often have to apologize for). That, and he basically can relate to Xu Sheng on a lot of other things (being emotional over deeds, and being judged for liking sweets).

That, and basically Li Tong despite being a fierce general out of many, is one to never actively make enemies of people. A hot-blooded guy who prefers to fight for the sake of it almost like Xu Huang, but has more heart and soul towards others like Dian Wei does (but isn't as bodyguard happy as he is nor as Xu Chu).

I think that's all I got for my own Musou version of Li Wenda.

So since you mentioned it: tell us about Li Tong, if you'd be so inclined.

Just try and stop me.

Keep reading

[fuyonggu]

SGZ 18: Pang De

Why not.

龐德字令明，南安狟道人也。少為郡吏州從事。初平中，從馬騰擊反羌叛氐。數有功，稍遷至校尉。建安中，太祖討袁譚、尚於黎陽，譚遣郭援、高幹等略取河東，太祖使鍾繇率關中諸將討之。德隨騰子超拒援、幹於平陽，德為軍鋒，進攻援、幹，大破之，親斬援首。〈《魏略》曰：德手斬一級，不知是援。戰罷之後，眾人皆言援死而不得其首。援，鍾繇之甥。德晚後於鞬中出一頭，繇見之而哭。德謝繇，繇曰：「援雖我甥，乃國賊也。卿何謝之？」〉拜中郎將，封都亭侯。後張白騎叛於弘農，德復隨騰徵之，破白騎於兩殽間。每戰，常陷陳卻敵，勇冠騰軍。後騰徵為衛尉，德留屬超。太祖破超於渭南，德隨超亡入漢陽，保冀城。後復隨超奔漢中，從張魯。太祖定漢中，德隨眾降。太祖素聞其驍勇，拜立義將軍，封關門亭侯，邑三百戶。

Pang De, styled Lingming, was a native of Huandao county (listed as 獂道 Yuandao county in the Geographical Records of the Book of Jin) in Nan'an commandary (in Qinzhou/Yongzhou). As a youth, he was employed as a minor official in Nan'an commandary and then as an Attendant Officer in the province.

At the beginning of the Chuping era (~190), Pang De accompanied Ma Teng during his campaign against rebelling Qiang and Di peoples. He performed many deeds, and was eventually promoted to be a Colonel.

During the Jian'an era, when Cao Cao was campaigning against Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang at Liyang (202), Yuan Tan sent Guo Yuan, Gao Gan, and others to raid through Hedong commandary. Cao Cao had Zhong Yao lead the armies stationed in Guanzhong to campaign against this thrust. Pang De accompanied Ma Teng's son Ma Chao on this campaign; they opposed Guo Yuan and Gao Gan at Pingyang, where Pang De served in the vanguard. They advanced and attacked Guo Yuan and Gao Gan, greatly routing them, and Pang De personally took Guo Yuan's head. Pang De was appointed as General of the Household Gentlemen and Marquis of a capital district.

(The Weilue states, "Pang De personally took the head of an officer, but he did not know that it was Guo Yuan. After the battle was over, the soldiers of Zhong Yao's army reported that Guo Yuan was dead, but his head was missing. Guo Yuan happened to be Zhong Yao's nephew. Pang De later returned, and pulled out from his quiver the head he had taken. When Zhong Yao recognized it as Guo Yuan, he burst into tears. Pang De apologized to him, but Zhong Yao replied, 'Guo Yuan may have been my nephew, but he was an enemy of the state. Sir, what do you have to apologize about?'")

Later, when White Rider Zhang (Zhang Cheng) rebelled at Hongnong, Pang De once again accompanied Ma Teng on campaign against him. They routed White Rider Zhang at Liangxiao Canyon. In every battle, Pang De was always breaking through the enemy's formation and pushing back the enemy, and his courage surpassed anyone else in Ma Teng's army.

Later, when Ma Teng was summoned to the capital to serve as Commandant of the Guards, Pang De was left behind under Ma Chao's command. When Cao Cao routed Ma Chao south of the Wei River (in 211), Pang De followed Ma Chao to flee into Hanyang and hold out at Jicheng. Later, he further accompanied Ma Chao to flee to Hanzhong, where they took service under Zhang Lu. When Cao Cao conquered Hanzhong (in 215), Pang De surrendered to him along with the rest of Zhang Lu's forces. Cao Cao had heard many stories about Pang De's ferocity and boldness, so he appointed him as his General Who Founds Righteousness and as Marquis of Guanmen Village, with a fief of three hundred households.

戰罷，衆人皆言援死而不得其首。援，繇之甥也。晚後，馬超校尉南安龐德，於鞬中出一頭，繇見之而哭。德謝繇，繇曰：「援雖我甥，乃國賊也，卿何謝之有！」

When the fighting was over the men of the army all said Guo Yuan was dead, but they could not find his head. Guo Yuan was a nephew of Zhong Yao. After dark, Pang De of Nan'an, a Colonel under Ma Chao, brought out a head from his quiver. Zhong Yao saw it and wept. Pang De apologised to Zhong Yao, but Zhong Yao replied "Guo Yuan was my nephew, but he was also an enemy of the state. Why apologise?" [ZZTJ 202.G in de Crespigny’s To Establish Peace]

程銀、侯選、龐惪皆隨魯降。魏公操復銀、選官爵，拜惪立義將軍。〈程銀、侯選，關中部帥也；龐惪，馬超將也：渭南、冀城之敗，皆奔張魯。惪，古德字。〉

Cheng Yin, Hou Xuan and Pang De all came with Zhang Lu to surrender. Duke Cao of WEI restored Cheng Yin and Hou Xuan to official rank, and appointed Pang De as General Who Supports Righteousness.

(Cheng Yin and Hou Xuan were leaders of local forces in Guanzhong. Pang De had been a general under Ma Chao. After the defeats south of the Wei River and at Jicheng, all of these people had fled to Zhang Lu. Pang De's given name is written in this passage as 惪, which is an old version of 德 De.) [ZZTJ 215.Q in de Crespigny's To Establish Peace]

侯音、衛開等以宛叛，德將所領與曹仁共攻拔宛，斬音、開，遂南屯樊，討關羽。樊下諸將以德兄在漢中，頗疑之。〈《魏略》曰：德從兄名柔，時在蜀。〉德常曰：「我受國恩，義在效死。我欲身自擊羽。今年我不殺羽，羽當殺我。」後親與羽交戰，射羽中額。時德常乘白馬，羽軍謂之白馬將軍，皆憚之。仁使德屯樊北十里，會天霖雨十餘日，漢水暴溢，樊下平地五六丈，德與諸將避水上堤。羽乘船攻之，以大船四面射堤上。德被甲持弓，箭不虛發。將軍董衡、部曲將董超等欲降，德皆收斬之。自平旦力戰至日過中，羽攻益急，矢盡，短兵接戰。德謂督將成何曰：「吾聞良將不怯死以苟免，烈士不毀節以求生，今日，我死日也。」戰益怒，氣愈壯，而水浸盛，吏士皆降。德與麾下將一人，五伯二人，彎弓傅矢，乘小船欲還仁營。水盛船覆，失弓矢，獨抱船覆水中，為羽所得，立而不跪。羽謂曰：「卿兄在漢中，我欲以卿為將，不早降何為？」德罵羽曰：「竪子，何謂降也！魏王帶甲百萬，威振天下。汝劉備庸才耳���豈能敵邪！我寧為國家鬼，不為賊將也。」遂為羽所殺。太祖聞而悲之，為之流涕，封其二子為列侯。

When Hou Yin, Wei Kai, and others rebelled at Wan (218-219), Pang De led his forces to join with Cao Ren; they attacked Wan together and retook it, taking the heads of Hou Yin and Wei Kai.

Pang De then marched south to camp at Fan, where he campaigned against Guan Yu. The other generals at Fan were inclined to be suspicious of Pang De, since his elder brother was at Hanzhong (in service to Liu Bei). But Pang De often said, "I have received the grace of the state, and it would be fighting for me to redeem myself through death. I wish to personally lead the attack against Guan Yu. This very year, either I will slay Guan Yu or he will slay me."

(The Weilue states, "Pang De's cousin, named Pang Rou, was then serving in Shu.")

Later, Pang De personally fought Guan Yu in the heat of battle and struck him in the forehead with an arrow. At the time, Pang De often road a white horse, so the soldiers of Guan Yu's army called him the White Horse General, and they all dreaded him.

Cao Ren had Pang De camp ten li north of Fan. But around that time, a terrible storm broke out, lasting for more than ten days; the Han River suddenly flooded, and the water at Fan rose five or six zhang above the ground. Pang De and the other generals went up on a dyke to get away from the water. But Guan Yu took advantage of the flooding by leading boats to attack them, and he led large ships to surround the dyke and shoot arrows at them from all sides. Pang De put on his armor and grasped his bow to shoot back at them, and every arrow he loosed at the enemy struck true. When the general Dong Heng, the subordinate commander Dong Chao, and others wanted to surrender, Pang De arrested and beheaded them. Pang De kept up the fight from the break of dawn to past noon, fighting hard all the while. But Guan Yu's troops greatly pressed their attack, and when they ran out of arrows, their drew their short blades and closed in for close combat. Pang De said to his subordinate general Cheng He, "I have always heard that a superior general will stand tall in the face of death rather than try to escape, and a martyr will uphold his duty to the bitter end rather than try to save his life. This day will be the day of my death." So his rage kept him going in battle, and his zeal made him stronger. But the floodwaters only became worse, and most of Pang De's officers and soldiers surrendered to the enemy. Pang De led one of his subordinate generals and two of his 五伯s to take bows and arrows with them and get into a small boat, planning to return to Cao Ren's camp. But the floodwaters were so turbulent that the boat capsized; they lost the bows and arrows, and they could only cling to the overturned boat in the midst of the waters. They were captured by Guan Yu.

Pang De stood before Guan Yu and refused to kneel to him. Guan Yu said to him, "Your elder brother is at Hanzhong, and I would like to have you as my own general. Why didn't you surrender earlier?"

But Pang De only denounced Guan Yu, telling him, "You whelp, how can you propose I surrender? The Prince of Wei (Cao Cao) commands an army of a million armored soldiers, and his might stretches across the realm. Your Liu Bei is just some mediocrity; how could he be a match for the Prince? I'd rather be a ghost of my state than serve as a bandit general."

So Guan Yu killed him. When Cao Cao heard that Pang De was dead, he mourned and wept for him, and he appointed two of Pang De's sons as minor Marquises.

仁使左將軍于禁、立義將軍龐德等屯樊北。八月，大霖雨，漢水溢，平地數丈，于禁等七軍皆沒。禁與諸將登高避水，羽乘大船就攻之，禁等窮迫，遂降。龐德在隄上，被甲持弓，箭不虛發，自平旦力戰，至日過中，羽攻益急；矢盡，短兵接，德戰益怒，氣愈壯，而水浸盛，吏士盡降。德乘小船欲還仁營，水盛船覆，失弓矢，獨抱船覆水中，爲羽所得，立而不跪。羽謂曰：「卿兄在漢中，我欲以卿爲將，不早降何爲！」德罵羽曰：「豎子，何謂降也！魏王帶甲百萬，威振天下；汝劉備庸才耳，豈能敵邪！我寧爲國家鬼，不爲賊將也！」羽殺之。魏王操聞之曰：「吾知于禁三十年，何意臨危處難，反不及龐德邪！」封德二子爲列侯。

Cao Ren stationed the General of the Left Yu Jin with the General Who Supports Righteousness Pang De and others in camps north of Fan.

In the eighth month there were great rains, the Han River broke its banks and the whole plain was covered by water scores of feet deep. Seven armies under Yu Jin and his colleagues were flooded out. Yu Jin and his men climbed high ground to avoid the water, and Guan Yu's soldiers sailed in great ships to attack them. Utterly exhausted, Yu Jin and his followers surrendered.

Pang De was on an embankment. He wore armour and held a bow, and he hit his mark with every shot, maintaining resistance from morning past midday. Guan Yu attacked more and more fiercely, and Pang De's arrows were exhausted, but he continued the struggle hand to hand. Even as the flood continued to rise, Pang De fought on unafraid, but all his men surrendered. Then Pang De took a small boat to go back to Cao Ren's camp, but the water rose still further, and his boat overturned. Having lost his weapons, he held on to the upturned boat alone amongst the waves, and he was captured by Guan Yu.

Pang De carried himself straight and would not bow. Guan Yu said to him, "You have a cousin in Hanzhong, and I should be pleased to have you as one of my officers. Why did you not surrender sooner?"

"Slave," snarled Pang De, "what is this talk of surrender? The King of WEI commands a million men in arms, and his authority shakes the empire. Your Liu Bei is nothing special; how can he match my master? I would rather be a martyr for my state than a leader of rebels." Guan Yu killed him.

When King Cao of WEI heard of this, he said, "I knew Yu Jin for thirty years, and I never believed that when danger came he would show himself inferior to Pang De." He enfeoffed Pang De's two sons as marquises. [ZZTJ 219.O in de Crespigny's To Establish Peace]

文帝即王位，乃遣使就德墓賜謚，策曰：「昔先軫喪元，王蠋絕脰，隕身徇節，前代美之。惟侯式昭果毅，蹈難成名，聲溢當時，義高在昔，寡人愍焉，謚曰壯侯。」又賜子會等四人爵關內侯，邑各百戶。會勇烈有父風，官至中尉將軍，封列侯。〈王隱《蜀記》曰：鍾會平蜀，前後鼓吹，迎德屍喪還葬鄴，冢中身首如生。臣松之案德死於樊城，文帝即位，又遣使至德墓所，則其屍喪不應在蜀。此王隱之虛說也。〉

After Cao Pi succeeded Cao Cao as Prince of Wei, he sent envoys to visit Pang De's tomb to award him with a posthumous name. The edict stated, "In ancient times, Xian Zhen of Jin died at the head of his army and Wang Zhu of Qi hanged himself rather than serve another master; they gave up their lives in order to uphold their duty, and past ages praised them for it. The late Marquis was useful and bright, stalwart and resolute, and he gained his reputation through facing difficulty head-on. All the world knows of his name, and his sense of righteousness surpasses even the ancients. How greatly do I mourn his loss! He is hereby granted the posthumous name Marquis Zhuang ('the Strong')." 

He also appointed Pang De's four sons, including Pang Hui, as Marquises Within The Passes, each with a fief of a hundred households. This Pang Hui was bold and fierce, possessing the same spirit as his father, and he rose in office as high as General of the Household Guards and a minor Marquis.

(Wang Yin's Records of Shu states, "When Zhong Hui was conquering the Shu region, his armies all beat the drums in procession as they escorted Pang De's body back to Ye. And when they opened his tomb, Pang De's body and head both looked as lively as though he had not died."

But I (Pei Songzhi) note that Fan was the place where Pang De died, and when Cao Pi rose to the throne, he was even able to send envoys to visit Pang De's grave. So his burial place could not have been within Shu. This is just one of Wang Yin's empty tales.)

龐德授命叱敵，有周苛之節。

Chen Shou's Comment: Pang De carried out his mission to the end and rebuked his enemy to his face. When it came to keeping faith, he was the equal of Zhou Ke (one of Liu Bang's generals who died rather than surrender to Xiang Yu).