In the Water Margin
Dong Ping is the fifteenth hero of Liangshan, born under the star Tianli (天立星). He is the military commander of Dongping prefecture, a man from Shangdang who fights with a spear in each hand, which earns him the nickname Twin Spears (双枪将). He is also a man of the town: he can play, sing and trade witty verses, and the people of Shandong and Hebei call him the dashing twin-spear general.
He wants to marry the daughter of Cheng Wanli, the civil prefect he serves, but Cheng keeps putting him off. Then Liangshan arrives. After Chao Gai's death, Song Jiang and Lu Junyi draw lots to see who will attack Dongping and who Dongchang, the first to take his city to sit in the chief's chair. Dong Ping wins the first battles, is captured, and goes over to Song Jiang almost at once. What he does next is the coldest act of any Liangshan hero: he tricks the gates open by night, kills Prefect Cheng and his household, and takes the daughter for himself. He is one of the Five Tiger Generals, and he falls beside Zhang Qing at Dusong Pass in the war against Fang La.
Key episodes
Shi Jin in the brothel. Before the attack, Shi Jin offers to slip into Dongping and wait inside, lodging with Li Ruilan, a courtesan he once knew. Her family hands him over to the authorities, and Shi Jin sits in the death cell until the city falls.
Captured on the open road. Dong Ping chases Song Jiang's retreating troops along a country lane until tripping ropes rise across the road and bring his horse down. Hidden fighters swarm him before he can stand. Song Jiang unties him himself and offers him a seat of honour.
The night at the gate. Dong Ping calls up to the gate guards in his own voice, and they let him in. Liangshan's men pour in behind him. He goes straight to the prefect's residence, kills Cheng Wanli and his family, and carries off the daughter he had been refused.
