马贼 in Chinese historical fiction usually refers to the
东北马贼 — the mounted bandit gangs that roamed northeastern China ("Manchuria") in the late Qing and Republican eras. Some, like the legendary
张作霖 (Zhang Zuolin), began as
马贼 chiefs before rising to warlord status. The figure recurs in films and
武侠 fiction; compare
强盗 (qiángdào, generic bandit) and
山贼 (shānzéi, mountain bandit).
