Fa Zheng

Fa Zheng (onyomi: Hō Sei) was a vassal who first worked for Liu Zhang in Yi Province. After Liu Bei invaded the province, he served his new lord as a master strategist. He was greatly favored by Liu Bei and was considered one of his closest advisors. Historically, he is credited for being the main strategist behind the success of the Hanzhong campaign and being the sole reason Shu could establish itself in the first place. Zhuge Liang had even stated that the disaster of the Battle of Yiling would not have occurred if Fa Zheng was still alive. Fa Zheng however, was known for being very amoral/vindicitive and willing to be above the law for his own desires; despite this, many of his colleagues respected his talents regardless.

Before his playable Dynasty Warriors appearance, he was a generic NPC since its third installment. In Famitsu's second most wanted Dynasty Warriors character poll, he placed ninth with 76 fan votes. The latest poll for the eighth installment puts him in thirteenth. The character poll for overseas fans puts him in seventeenth place for the Shu division. He won sixth place in the Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate popularity poll. This counterpart has image song titled DEADLY POISON.

His character's height in Kessen II is 180 cm (5'11").

Role in Games

 * "''Master Liu Bei is a man for whom vision is everything. There is nothing I can say to dissuade from this course of action. But Fa Zheng... You were just the kind of explosive influence who might have been able to do so..."
 * Zhuge Liang: Dynasty Warriors 9

Dynasty Warriors
Fa Zheng mainly appears during the transition stages of power for Shu in the series, such as the Battle of Hanzhong and Battle of Mt. Dingjun. He used to be a subordinate general under Liu Bei, but he leads his own unit in later titles. In Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends, he is among the generals who help Yue Ying test her husband and is presumably one of her possible suitors. The sixth title includes him as one of the Shu defenders of Jing Province. He leads the resistance with Pang Tong and Wei Yan along the east path in Dynasty Warriors 7 when they moved out to secure Luo Castle.

In Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends, Fa Zheng first appears as a supporter of Liu Zhang during the assault on Chengdu only to be impressed by Shu that he quickly turns on his master in favor of Liu Bei. He plays a major role in the battle for Hanzhong, assisting the Shu forces in taking Mount Tiandang from Xiahou Yuan by using Liu Bei as bait to draw out the Wei forces. Before dying, the Wei general uses his remaining strength to fire an arrow towards Liu Bei. Fa Zheng shields his lord from the attack, apologizing before receiving encouragement from him. Fa Zheng is also given another scenario where he is present at the Battle of Yiling, where Fa Zheng correctly anticipates Lu Xun's fire attack. On Fa Zheng's advice the Shu army allows the Wu army to initiate the fire attack, and then goad the enemy into attacking by falsely stating Liu Bei's death. Zhu Ran then moves out to execute the fire, while the Shu forces withdraw and hide in order to ambush the enemy. As planned, Sun Quan moves out as soon as word reaches out of Liu Bei's death, allowing Liu Bei to ambush the Wu forces and securing Liu Bei's vengeance. He later joins Liu Bei and other Shu officers in paying their respects to Zhang Fei and Guan Yu. Fa Zheng also appears in the final battle against Wei in Wuzhang Plains where he will move to stop the enemy's boulder throwers.

In Wei's expanded route, Fa Zheng will still appear at Mt. Dingjun and will drop boulders on the Wei army as they approach Shu's camp. He will also appear at Zitong, another battle during the Hanzhong campaign and he makes another appearance during Wei's hypothetical Xinye where he appears under the command of Guan Yu and commands his allies to assault Cao Ren's position.

Dynasty Warriors: Unleashed reprises Fa Zheng's plot to betray Liu Zhang in favor of Liu Bei at Chengdu. He triggers a mass uprising within the city to help the player breach through its gates.

For his bond story, he is agitated by having to work for an incompetent warlord, making him wonder if the heavens have a grudge against him. While initially uninterested in helping negotiate an alliance with Liu Bei, he becomes enamored of the warlord's vision enough to plan his own defection.

He helps facilitate the invasion of Yi Province by assuring his newfound allies of Liu Zhang's incompetence, knowing he won't have the guts to employ ruthless tactics against them. Once the province is theirs, Fa Zheng uses his newfound influence to take vengeance on those who slandered him in the past.

Dynasty Warriors 9 has him begin after his choice to desert Liu Zhang for Liu Bei, seeing him show more obligation to put the people of Chengdu under a more a more capable ruler. Under his advice, Liu Bei finally makes the decision to attack his relative and seize Yi Province for himself. After Liu Bei consolidates his rule over Yi Province, Zhang Lu surrenders Hanzhong to Cao Cao, giving the warlord a strategic area leading to Bashu.

Unwilling to allow the Wei forces to keep such an important asset, the Shu forces launch a campaign to conquer the area with Fa Zheng acting as one of the chief strategists. Under his command, the Shu forces not only slay the area's defender, Xiahou Yuan, but also drive back Cao Cao's reinforcements. During the campaign, he openly questions their decisions in considering the sentiments of Wu, believing that they are likely to feel antagonized by the cold treatment from their ally, especially after the death of Lu Su.

After conquering Hanzhong, Fa Zheng was subsequently appointed as Master of Writing and General of Defense thanks to Zhuge Liang's recommendation. Visiting his fellow strategist, Fa Zheng jabs at his colleague's use of only pure logic in his decisions and not thinking of placing him under a debt of obligation. Although Zhuge Liang sees Fa Zheng's morally abhorrent beliefs to be against Liu Bei's desires, he cannot deny the great utility Fa Zheng can provide in battle. In response, Fa Zheng offers a small handshake noting that the only thing he truly desires is to help Liu Bei's bleeding heart, and the two soon begin discussing of plans for their next battle.

Shortly after Guan Yu floods Fan Castle, he, Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei all come together to discuss the situation. During the meeting, Fa Zheng politely asks Zhuge Liang to leave as there is a private matter to be discussed. Once alone, Fa Zheng openly states his suspicions towards Wu's movements as well as how easily Cao Cao gave up Hanzhong. When Liu Bei wonders if they should provide additional troops to Guan Yu, Fa Zheng replies that he is too far to be reached in time and that the die had already been cast so the only thing they can do is to watch. Shortly after giving his thoughts on the matter, Fa Zheng dies to illness in front of his lord. Zhuge Liang later laments his death when Liu Bei inevitably snaps at the death of Guan Yu and orders a campaign against Wu.

For his personal DLC scenario, Fa Zheng is ordered by Liu Bei to go to Mt. Emei in order to use the rejuvenating springs found by Zhuge Liang. As it was the strategist who found the spring, Fa Zheng suspects an underlying motive, even though Liu Bei tells him the whole thing is out of worry of  Fa Zheng's health. Even then, his time to himself is cut short when a scout reports a small band of forces nearby from Nanzhong.

Since the party is only a small one, Fa Zheng opts to quietly deal with them himself. The party's leader, Zhurong, reveals that Wu had told them that the Shu forces were planning to invade Nanzhong. After assuring her that Shu means no ill will, Fa Zheng after heading to the springs to heal up, begins making plans against Wu.

Leaving the minimum troops available to guard Hanzhong, Fa Zheng and Zhang Fei land at Fan Castle to assist Guan Yu. Once the Shu forces leave Fan Castle, they are chased to Mai Castle, but reinforcements from Yi Province begin arriving, allowing them to keep themselves on the move. After much struggle, the trio are finally able to return back to Chengdu safely though at the cost of losing Jing to Wu. While Zhuge Liang wishes to repair relations with Wu and continue to oppose Wei, Fa Zheng and Guan Yu see the opposite, and believe Wu should not be allied with again.

Liu Bei follows the latter suggestion and launches a punitive expedition. In order to lure out the Wu forces, Fa Zheng has Liu Bei intentionally get himself defeated and have him bring the Wu forces into an ambush. With Wu pacified, Fa Zheng returns back to Yi Province for a pre-planned defense to deal with the Wei invasion at Hanzhong.

Upon Liu Bei's return, Zhuge Liang once again wishes to renegotiate with the Wu forces. As vengeance for their betrayal was already delivered with not enough resources to consider pushing forth another campaign against them, Fa Zheng agrees with Zhuge Liang's suggestion, as Guan Yu was not killed during the battle at Fan Castle, and the two remind their lord of the land of benevolence he was searching for.

Before dealing with Wei again, Liu Bei and Fa Zheng decide to head south to speak with Nanzhong's king, Meng Huo. The Nanman, however, see the Shu army as invaders and begin attacking them before they can speak. However, after the battle when Liu Bei and Menghuo manage to get along, Zhurong voices her annoying with being deceived by Wu and Fa Zheng subtly explains his forte in with paying back debts and promises the Nanzhong forces a possible chance for it.

While Zhuge Liang is left with negotiations with Wu and to assault Tianshui, Fa Zheng tackles Jieting, an area he is intimately familiar with. As a favor, Fa Zheng agrees to watch over Zhuge Liang's pupil, Ma Su. Before setting off, Fa Zheng is warned by Liu Bei not to give any major task to him.

Like in the original Jieting, Ma Su encamps on the top of the hill and is surrounded by Zhang He's men subsequently. Despite wishing to leave Ma Su to his fate for his arrogance, Fa Zheng still decides on rescuing him and pulls it off well. Surprisingly, Liu Bei also arrives at Jieting to help rescue Ma Su and assist throughout the battle, with Fa Zheng being more annoyed at supposedly more debt piling up on his side.

Meanwhile, Fa Zheng supplies the Nanman forces with weapons when they attack Wu in retaliation for their earlier deception. As Wei would keep its eyes on Jing Province's conflict, the Shu forces make this an opportunity to attack. Making use of the chaos, the Shu forces allow Wei to take the province from Wu before taking it for themselves and not violating their alliance with Wu.

Lu Xun, however, is able to deduce Fa Zheng's hand in spurring the forces of Nanzhong's attack, and opts to return back to Jianye to report this. At this time, Zhuge Liang had been locked in a stalemate with Sima Yi at the Wuzhang Plains and begins suffering from ailing health. Wishing to put the strategist into his debt, Fa Zheng secretly advances to Chang'an with Wei Yan and Ma Dai. After raiding the city, Fa Zheng has Liu Bei rush to the battlefield in order to have Zhuge Liang take the trip to Mt. Emei as well, and command for the battle is delegated to Fa Zheng. Fa Zheng proceeds to complete the Northern campaign and triumphs over Sima Yi.

Though many are celebrating the potential attack on Chang'an, Fa Zheng and Liu Bei slip away to search for Zhuge Liang. While Zhuge seems resigned to his fate and wishes to leave the remaining control of the army to Fa Zheng, he refuses the offer as all his strategies that have morally questionable ramifications would only make Liu Bei's benevolent world a joke without Zhuge Liang. Silently accepting the harsh compliment, Zhuge Liang admits that he can't afford to fall if Fa Zheng is still around and act as his medicine. Happy to see Zhuge Liang's rekindled spirit, Fa Zheng shrewdly comments that the benevolent world could still be a reality.

Warriors Orochi
In Warriors Orochi Fa Zheng is an officer under the Orochi army. In Warriors Orochi 2, Fa Zheng serves as the strategist at Nagashino using arbalests and other tactics to defend against Lu Bu's army so a counterattack can be achieved when the reinforcements led by Lu Xun arrive in the north. He may also serve as Zuo Ci's replacement officer when players assume the latter's role. Musou OROCHI Z has him do the same for Xing Cai in one of the original dream stages.

During the events of Warriors Orochi 3, he is among those present with Shu. At Yangping Gate, he will order his archers to attack Guan Yu's forces before sending out a messenger requesting for reinforcements. After Zhang Fei and Tadakatsu's submission to the Coalition, Fa Zheng will return back to Chengdu to help evacuate civilians. He will set up an ambush against incoming enemy reinforcements if players defeat the first few generals beforehand. He also serves as Pang Tong's replacement officer at Komaki-Nagakute.

For Warriors Orochi 4, Fa Zheng is one of the first heroes to be transported into the new world. Still serving Liu Bei, he acts as the chief strategist for Shu-Uesugi's rebel army against Nobunaga and is met by Naotora and Tadakatsu's party after being introduced by Ma Chao.

Fa Zheng later assaults the Hōjō forces at Wan-Odawara castle by lying about poisoning the enemy's water supply. As Ma Chao is not aware of the ruse, his whole-hearted attempts to warn the enemy of the danger only serves Fa Zheng's plan of killing their morale. When the truth is revealed, Ma Chao apologizes for his reckless behavior, but the strategist thanks him for making the battle a success.

He later appears at Luoyang with Guan Yinping when her Snake Bracelet is stolen by Hisahide Matsunaga, who also ends up dragging the Tachibana forces into the fray. He later intentionally releases Hisahide to have him attacked by Sun Wukong's clones, when the demon army arrive to attack them.

Dynasty Tactics
He appears as an optional general during the Dynasty Tactics series and shares good relations with Pang Tong and Zhang Song. Players can also hire him if they have Huang Zhong or Yan Yan as they generally like his company.

Kessen
In Kessen II, Fa Zheng is described by the developers as an even tempered yet bold strategist. No one knows exactly what his motives are as he quickly formulates plans at an exceptional rate. Although he proudly stands beside his lord, Liu Zhang, he sadly reports his lord's death to Liu Bei after the conclusion at Cheng Du. On the behest of his master, he then joins Liu Bei as a secondary general, political adviser, and war strategist. During battle, he supports Mei Sanniang, Sun Li, or Zhao Yun with his foot troops. For an officer under the intellectual category, he has a stronger defense than other sorcerers as his Rally and Iron Wall skills help protect morale. He has a high Magic stat, but he doesn't have access to higher leveled spells, limiting his use as an offensive spell caster slightly.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms presents Fa Zheng as an outstanding advisor and one of the top strategists of his time. His intelligence is his highest stat with it being in the low 90s, while his leadership and political stats range in the high 70s to low 80s. His war is mediocre sitting in the high 40s whilst his charisma however is only average at best, sitting in the mid 50s and surprisingly low for a strategist of his caliber, possibly a historical reference to his spiteful and cruel personality towards his enemies and his abuse of power by killing those he hated. Found in earlier scenarios as a free officer at Chang'an, Fa Zheng will come to serve Liu Zhang's forces in Yi province sometime prior to Guandu and will later serve Liu Bei loyally roughly during the time of the Yi Province campaign.

Development
In terms of design, Fa Zheng was given a villainous face to match his vengeful personality and casual clothes to help distinguish him from the other Shu strategists.

Personality
Fa Zheng openly refers to himself as a "deviant trickster", using his craftiness and intelligence to devise highly unorthodox strategies for the benefit of Shu. Fa Zheng is a vindicative double-edged sword: he always remembers to repay his debts (whether morally just or unjust) yet never forgets those who have wronged him, making him an outsider with a sinister edge to other Shu characters akin to his historical counterpart. Despite his willingness to place Liu Bei into danger, Fa Zheng is genuinely loyal to his lord, even to the point where he is well-aware that he would need a counterpoint to his own way of doing things that would tarnish Liu Bei's dreams of a world of benevolence.

In his eyes, all people have inherent doses of retribution within themselves, though Fa Zheng admits that his perception is different from most. Shu soldiers at Hanzhong in the eighth installment report that Fa Zheng had left Liu Zhang simply because of being served a cold meal, while the ninth emphasizes his obligation to the people of Yi Province; not Liu Zhang. Furthermore, Fa Zheng also handles attempts at revenge with the same amount of careful planning as with all his other strategies, given he too understands when things get too excessive for all sides of the conflict (be it when payback is already served or when resources and current conditions are taken into question). Thus, Fa Zheng always thinks of the right time to pay people back.

Among Shu's strategists, Fa Zheng shows respect to Zhuge Liang, but at the same time he may also belittle him as well. The ninth title particularly highlights the grievances of Zhuge Liang, who is forced to admit that Fa Zheng's usefulness to their cause cannot be denied. Likewise, Fa Zheng cannot help but work with him due to their mutual desire to help their lord, but he doesn't think too highly of his fellow strategist's choice of thinking with only his brains rather than also considering how factors like rationale and emotions may play. It is also because of this, however, that gives him the audacity to openly question and defy his lord's decisions during emotionally-charged moments, especially when he is self-aware of his own villainous front to even wonder if his own authority should even be elevated.

Fa Zheng has a strong respect for Hisahide's reputation for a villain, and enjoys the company of another seeking to hear the warlord's tales of villainy. Tamamo is intrigued by Fa Zheng's obsession with vengeance, while the strategist enjoys seeing the vindictive nature of the immortal.

Voice Actors

 * Peter Doyle - Warriors Orochi 1~2 (English-uncredited)
 * Sean Schemmel - Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends (English-uncredited)
 * Tomohisa Hashizume - Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends~9, Warriors Orochi 4 (Japanese)
 * Steve Wilson - Dynasty Warriors 9 (English)
 * Zhankun Zhang - Dynasty Warriors 9 (Chinese)
 * Jeong Jaeheon - Romance of the Three Kingdoms: The Legend of Cao Cao (Korean)
 * Tony Oliver - Kessen II (English-uncredited)
 * Ryōtarō Okiayu - Kessen II (Japanese)
 * Naoki Bandō - Youkai Sangokushi (Japanese)
 * Tsuguo Mogami - Sangokushi Hadou (Japanese)
 * Nobuo Tobita - Sangokushi Three Kingdoms TV series

Quotes

 * See also: Fa Zheng/Quotes


 * "My lord, are you alright? You've been shot!"


 * "You are by far one of the best strategists. No one can come close to your abilities in battle. I have great respect for you."
 * "If that's the case, why don't you live your life more like me? Do whatever you want, whenever you want."
 * "To do something without fearing what others may think of my actions...? That is something I cannot do."
 * "I can tell you are a good person. Not to worry, you won't fear what others think of your actions once you lose your inhibition."
 * Xu Shu and Fa Zheng; Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends


 * "You march alongside the one who killed your father, don't you? How do you keep it together?"
 * "I'm not happy about it, of course. But he's my ally now, so what can I do?"
 * "What do you think? Pay back all of your suffering, tenfold! The only natural answer. Let them experience the same suffering, the same loss that you have. I'll even give you a hand, if you like!"
 * "Well, let me think about it. I just can't see an upside to taking revenge, to be quite honest."
 * "Honestly, I can't understand your thinking. Well, let it brew a little longer, then unleash it all at once."
 * Fa Zheng and Li Dian; Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers


 * "I've heard tell of a companion steeped in evil! Is that you, self-proclaimed villain?"
 * "Asks the man proclaiming himself the greatest villain ever! I'd love to hear about your deeds, for my own future reference."
 * "Hehe, wanting to steal my methods? You are black hearted, aren't you!"
 * "I fear that I am. Once angry, I become quite uncontrollable."
 * "You sound quite the handful! Perhaps you would share some of your tales with me, to let me know how you compare?"
 * "Of course, if that's your wish. You may find them a little too stimulating, however. If you can accept that, I'll regale you any time."
 * "Good. I welcome a comrade with a little venom in them."
 * Hisahide and Fa Zheng; Warriors Orochi 4

Gameplay

 * See also: Fa Zheng/Movesets

Weapons

 * See also: Fa Zheng/Weapons

Fa Zheng uses the woven cloth as his default weapon.

Historical Information
Fa Zheng originated from Fufeng Province. His father was Fa Guang and his son was Fa Miao.

Due to a famine that struck his home, he and Meng Da left to serve Liu Zhang in Yizhou. New to the capital and his surroundings, he was not summoned to the court and was appointed to be governor of Xindu. However, since the military lacked mentors, he was quickly demoted as military captain and was sent to advise the junior officers. Although he was talented, Liu Zhang never called upon his services and he felt unappreciated. He and Zhang Song, who he shared good relations with, were dissatisfied with their master's capabilities and judgment.

While Zhang Song was ordered to be messenger for Cao Cao, Fa Zheng was recommended to convince Liu Bei to cooperate with Liu Zhang. Upon meeting Liu Bei, he became impressed with the governor's character and planned to secretly betray his master. He said to Liu Bei, "Your abilities are considered excellent by His Highness's people, yet Liu Zhang is a bright master with no willpower. Rely on Zhang Song for secret connections to others and plunder the plentiful Yizhou for its riches. Follow this plan and it will all be simple." Liu Bei took note of his words and Fa Zheng returned to Liu Zhang. He held secret talks with Zhang Song to discuss their plan.

As Cao Cao invaded to search for Hanzhong, Liu Zhang was frightened until Fa Zheng advised Liu Bei to stop him. He then told Liu Bei to take Hanzhong for himself and went together with him to claim it. From there, Fa Zheng covertly advised the capture of Yizhou. Liu Bei entered Jiameng Pass and was able to gain the upper hand against Liu Zhang's army. After the area was suppressed, Fa Zheng was promoted as the Governor of Shu and army strategist. Fa Zheng became the governor since he favored executing those who participated in rebellious riots –even ones considered trivial by observers– without question, resulting in the deaths of numerous people. Since he was greatly enumerated by Liu Bei for his deeds, not even Zhuge Liang, who controlled internal affairs, could reprimand or stop him. Together with Liu Ba, Yi Ji, and Li Yan, they became the main masterminds under Liu Bei.

In 217, Fa Zheng advised his lord to take Hanzhong and fresh troops were led to conquer the area. He was the army strategist for the campaign. Their invasion apparently went smoothly, as Liu Bei was never forced to retreat from the area or argued with his strategist's plans. When the situation did become disadvantageous to them, both men kept their composure as they ordered a temporary withdraw. In the battle of Mount Dingjun, he advised using deception by building a decoy camp to lead the enemy astray. Xiahou Yuan fell for the trap and Fa Zheng replied to Liu Bei, "Now it is necessary to attack." Taking action, the army commander ordered Huang Zhong to take the field, resulting in a victory for Shu. According to the Huayang Guozhi (華陽國志), Cao Cao apparently said, "I thought I had collected all the deceitful intellectuals in the land, but how could I not have Fa Zheng?"

After Liu Bei declared himself ruler of Hanzhong, he promoted Fa Zheng to be his Chief of Staff and General who Protects the Army. A year after his promotion, however, Fa Zheng died due to illness at age 45. Liu Bei wept endlessly for days after his passing and made him the only person to be given a posthumous rank of marquis by Liu Bei, which was the Marquis of Wing. When Shu suffered their grievous loss at Yiling, Zhuge Liang was said to have wished that Fa Zheng were there, as he would have been able to stop their lord from partaking in the campaign.

Although he was sorely missed by Liu Bei, the historian Chen Shou assessed Fa Zheng only as a man with uncommon talent in strategy and judgment; he found nothing redeeming about his morality or personal character, which naturally earned him the ire of many of his colleagues; recorded evidence of this often stated that upon Liu Bei conquering Yizhou and giving Fa Zheng his position, the latter abused it in order to execute old enemies of his as well as often ignoring the law. Liu Bei however, took no action against Fa Zheng due to him being the sole reason Liu Bei had Yizhou in his hands in the first place.

As such, a common myth out of this was that no one liked Fa Zheng enough to mourn for his passing (something noted in his characterization as mentioned below in Romance of the Three Kingdoms), though Liu Bei in particular was said to have wept at his funeral while the other officials realized that they lost one of their biggest assets.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Fa Zheng first appeared in chapter 60 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and roughly mirrored the activities of his historical counterpart. He colluded with his friends, Zhang Song and Meng Da, to unseat Liu Zhang and conspired with Liu Bei to take Yizhou. The novel emphasized that their respective enmity for Cao Cao and admiration for Liu Bei's benevolent character were the main reasons for their defection.

Liu Bei, who was torn between honoring his familial ties and establishing his independence, refused multiple times to concede to their plot. Believing in the young lord's good character, Fa Zheng persevered in his loyalties to Liu Bei and continued with the historical steps for taking Yizhou without Liu Bei's approval. He was so faithful in the younger lord that he sent Liu Zhang a denouncing letter, half-warning and half-taunting the warlord to consider joining forces with Liu Bei to avoid a grisly demise. Prideful and angered by the letter's audacity, Liu Zhang branded Fa Zheng as a traitor and had him imprisoned. After Ma Chao's defection, however, Liu Zhang's influence was crippled severely and he was forced to surrender control of Yizhou to Liu Bei.

Fa Zheng's activities after Liu Bei entered Shu roughly mimics his historical exploits except the novel had him collaborate with Zhuge Liang and Huang Zhong during the Hanzhong Campaign, having him act as a supportive role under them rather than being the main authoritative figure behind their army strategies. When he died in the novel, no one mourned his passing.

Gallery
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