No matter how great the achievements are, can they surpass those of Di Qing?

This time, the Qingzhou army had a clear objective. Without even entering Yishui County, they marched straight to the vicinity of Yushan Mountain and set up camp at the foot of the mountain.

Looking from afar, banners fluttered in the wind, and figures bustled within the camp, presenting a stern and formidable atmosphere. This was by no means comparable to the likes of Liang Wanshen.

Mo Hong’s army had been somewhat similar to this, but they were ambushed by the men of Yushan Mountain while still on the march, failing to unleash even a tenth of their overall combat effectiveness.

However, warfare is a game of comprehensive strength. Winning one or two isolated skirmishes through ambushes holds little utility when faced with an absolute military gap.

The commander leading the forces this time was the "霹雳火" (Thunderbolt) Qin Ming, who ranked seventh even among the heroes of Liangshan, and third among the Five Tiger Generals of the Cavalry, being the Fierce Hero Star among the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits.

Although the Liangshan rankings were not determined purely by martial arts, Qin Ming could easily rank in the top ten based on martial prowess alone.

If one were to factor in his military leadership abilities, his position would only rise higher.

Although the Great Song Dynasty heavily favored civil officials and suppressed military generals, martial commanders were actually subjected to fierce internal competition; without genuine skill and capability, one could never attain the rank of a military commander.

Even a well-connected aristocrat like Gao Lian possessed the ability to conjure supernatural winds.

Qin Ming was also quite renowned in Qingzhou. Even Huang Xin, the Military Inspector of Qingzhou, was his disciple. Moreover, he enjoyed the deep trust and heavy reliance of Murong Yanda, the Prefect of Qingzhou, often depending on him for military affairs.

Therefore, although Qin Ming's official rank was merely that of a Commander—lower than Huang Xin's official position—in terms of capability and prestige, Qin Ming was clearly the superior one.

Yet his weakness was equally glaring: his temper was far too fiery. During the expedition against Qingfeng Mountain, it was precisely this weakness that Hua Rong exploited to capture him with a tripping rope.

Despite having such a violent temper and lacking aptitude for officialdom, Qin Ming had still managed to reach the rank of Commander, naturally thanks to numerous meritorious military achievements.

This expedition across prefectures to suppress bandits would undoubtedly yield substantial merits if successful. Therefore, the moment he arrived at the foot of Yushan Mountain, Qin Ming ordered his deputy to pitch camp, while he impatiently led a troop out of the camp to scout the mountain's terrain.

Qin Ming possessed rich combat experience; after merely taking a casual circle around the area, he already had a clear estimation in his mind.

Yushan Mountain was neither a famous mountain with majestic rivers nor protected by natural hazards; it only needed to be tightly surrounded, and the bandits inside could simply be starved and trapped to death.

Yet he knew that the imperial court lacked the patience to let him slowly wear them down; in the end, they would still require the lives of his brave soldiers to pile up a victory.

He wheeled his horse around, preparing to return to camp, when he suddenly heard the sound of drums rolling thunderously from the mountain. A troop of soldiers charged down, led by a burly man riding a yellow-dappled horse, wielding a fine steel giant axe that gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

Qin Ming was overjoyed; he hurriedly raised his wolf-fang club and spurred his horse to meet him.

The two horses charged toward each other. One brandished a club like a divine dragon entering the sea, while the other swung an axe like a fierce tiger descending the mountain. With a flurry of clanging strikes, they engaged in fierce combat.

Ever since his physique had been enhanced by fortune, Li Gui had only ever fought nameless rabble. Never before had anyone been able to withstand his immense strength; usually, battles ended within two or three moves, leaving him thoroughly unsatisfied.

He could clearly feel that there was still lingering fortune within his body waiting to be fully digested, yet daily physical training with bluestone yielded negligible effects and painfully slow progress.

Encountering Qin Ming this time, he was finally engaging in a genuine, direct duel with a top-tier martial general of this world, allowing him to accurately gauge the true extent of his own strength.

The two horses wheeled around as the two generals fought like a spinning lantern. Each unleashed one deadly move after another, wielding their weapons like windmills as they relentlessly rained blows upon each other.

The soldiers on both sides watched with dazzled eyes as the two men traded blows back and forth. For a time, it was difficult to tell who had the upper hand.

Following a rapid series of fierce battles, both men and horses were shrouded in rising mists of sweat, making them look like immortals descending from the heavens.

Qin Ming considered himself a hero, unmatched and rampantly powerful throughout Qingzhou, yet he had never witnessed such a formidable bandit. A sudden surge of reluctance to kill a talented individual arose within him. Feinting a blow, he wheeled his horse back, pulled away, and shouted:

"Hark, you bandit! With such extraordinary martial prowess, why demean yourself by turning to banditry?"

"Why not surrender early and accept employment before my banner!"

"Presently, the Liao and Xia forces are formidable and the nation faces a crisis. The military is never short of paths to perform meritorious service and redeem oneself. In days to come, you too can secure titles for your wife and shade for your descendants, sparing you from shame before your ancestors!"

After such an intense and fierce battle, Li Gui felt the digestion of fortune within his body accelerate. His blood surged, and his entire face flushed red. How could he possibly want to stop? With a flushed face, he roared:

"What nonsense about titles for wives and shade for descendants?"

"It's nothing more than acting as a dog for the scholarly literati!"

"Even Di Qing died of worry and fear; when has this Great Song Dynasty ever provided a sanctuary for true heroes?"

"With the nation in crisis, let those scholarly literati use their own skulls to fend it off!"

"Whoever loves to save the country can go do it, but Grandpa won't!"

"Grandpa only loves to live like a man, and resolutely refuses to be a dog. Even if my ancestors saw this from beneath the earth, they would still praise me as a true descendant of the Li family!"

Li Gui's words struck straight at the hearts and souls of all martial generals. Aside from the founding era which produced numerous famous generals, over the past few decades in the Great Song Dynasty, Di Qing stood out as the most exceptional—an idol revered by all military commanders.

Starting from the humble ranks of an ordinary soldier, Di Qing had achieved successive military merits, eventually rising to the position of Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs, a post traditionally monopolized by civil officials.

Precisely because of this, Di Qing became the collective target of vicious slanders by the civil official faction.

A censor once claimed that a dog at Di Qing's residence had grown horns on its head and frequently emitted light, insinuating that Di Qing harbored rebellious intentions.

Although the emperor actually knew of Di Qing's loyalty and personally defended him, declaring him a loyal subject, Wen Yanbo retorted, "Was not the founding emperor himself a loyal subject back then?"

In the end, Di Qing died of illness not yet fifty years of age. The historical records put it simply as "died of worry and fear."

As a military commander, Qin Ming was well-read in military books and certainly not illiterate; how could he possibly be ignorant of this chapter of history?

Yet under the general environment of the Great Song Dynasty, who would dare to openly mention such a matter?

Now that the hidden anxiety in his heart had been ruthlessly pierced by Li Gui's words, a sense of desolation washed over him. The martial glory and imperial rewards he had so eagerly desired a moment ago now tasted utterly insipid.

No matter how great one's merits, could they surpass those of Di Qing?

If even Di Qing met such an end, what fate awaited a man like Qin Ming?

Even if you remained cautious and prudent your entire life, it was hard to shield yourself from sudden misfortune sent from the heavens.

Did Jiao Yong truly commit an unforgivable, heinous crime back then?

Han Qi merely wanted to humiliate Di Qing, so he used a pretext to execute Jiao Yong right in front of Di Qing.

As for whether Jiao Yong deserved to die... when civil officials executed a military general, did they ever need to abide by the law?

It was merely the death of a fighting soldier; not a single government office would even bother to ask a single question.

Qin Ming was naturally a straightforward man with a fiery disposition, which was why he had earned the nickname "Thunderbolt."

One could easily imagine how much he must have suffered in official circles with such a personality.

Even his disciple Huang Xin, whose martial arts and military strategy were far inferior to his own, had climbed above him and become his direct superior.

Although Huang Xin still held immense respect for his master and obeyed his every word, it was impossible for Qin Ming to harbor no resentment whatsoever in his heart.

Thanks to good luck, he had not yet encountered any sudden disasters sent from the heavens and had even won the trust of Prefect Murong.

Yet deep down, he knew very well that those civil officials had never truly trusted him; at any given moment, he might well be exterminated along with his entire clan over some trivial excuse.

When Li Gui charged forward on horseback once again, Qin Ming's enthusiasm for battle was no longer as intense.

With one side waning while the other waxed, Li Gui grew ever bolder with every clash, and Qin Ming gradually found himself unable to hold his ground.

After dozens more bouts, the weapons of the two men collided with a ferocious crash. With a sharp crack, the warhorse beneath Li Gui let out a miserable whimper and collapsed heavily to the ground.

As it turned out, Li Gui's steed could finally no longer withstand the immense force of their weapon impacts, and its leg bones were shattered by the shockwaves.

Both generals possessed the strength of a thousand men, and swinging their weapons felt like clashing thunderbolts. Though Qin Ming rode a fine, high-bred steed, the mount Li Gui rode was merely an ordinary captured warhorse. How could it compare? Naturally, it was the first to give out.