Chapter 158: Convergence of the Constellations (Part VII)

Although the status of military officials was somewhat better now than it had been a few decades ago, among most civil officials—especially in such local dynamics between the civil and military branches—the civil officials still held superiority while the military officials were subordinated. This was merely how things stood in official circles, however. To casually humiliate a military officer as they had in the past—particularly one of high martial prowess—was sheer foolishness; did they truly believe such men would hesitate to kill?

Returning to his residence, Dong Ping grew increasingly resentful the more he pondered the matter. Ever since entering official service, not only had he suffered harassment and a lack of proper recognition from that civil official, but he had also been treated with utter disregard, making him feel that his great talents were unrecognized by the world. Today, through some unfathomable twist of fate, he had somehow ended up having to atone for his crimes through meritorious service! Yet, when he considered the current situation, he realized that having captured Shi Jin, it was questionable whether he himself would even survive once Dongping Prefecture was eventually breached!

With these worrisome thoughts in mind, he made his way to the dungeon.

"Shi Jin!" Dong Ping called out as he looked at Shi Jin, who was leaning against the wall.

"So it's you!" Shi Jin's lips curled into a slight smile. "What? Has the Liangshan army arrived? Have you come to release me?" Although he had been somewhat reluctant to admit defeat after being bested by Dong Ping earlier, he nonetheless acknowledged Dongping's formidable martial arts.

"Hmph! The Liangshan forces have not yet arrived, but if all the chieftains of Liangshan are of your caliber, I'm afraid this prison will soon be packed to capacity!" Initially, Dong Ping had intended to probe Shi Jin for information, but for reasons unknown, facing Shi Jin always stirred a sense of irritation within him. Yet afterwards, he would feel somewhat more at ease; had it not been for their opposing identities and allegiances, the two might well have become good friends.

"To say nothing of others, you are no match for Instructor Lin alone. Not to mention the likes of Suochao, Guan Sheng, and the rest—every single one of them is a master of martial arts. Your twin spears won't gain you any advantage against them!" Shi Jin declared as he stretched out directly on the straw mat, his entire body still aching from the beating he had taken earlier.

"Hmph! I, Dong Ping, am absolute inferior to none of them!" In scholarship there is no first place, but in martial arts there is no second. Dong Ping was young, ambitious, and naturally possessed a proud spirit. With those words, he strode out of the dungeon and headed straight to the military camp to drill his troops and prepare for battle. Little did he know that every single word of his conversation with Shi Jin had been faithfully reported to his superiors.

Meanwhile, just as the Liangshan forces arrived and before Dong Ping could even dispatch his troops, he was summoned and rebuked once more by a minor official sent by his superior.

Rushing out of the city with a belly full of rage, he confronted the entire Liangshan host and hurled abuses, challenging them to fight.

Song Jiang was currently discussing with Wu Yong how best to capture Dongping Prefecture. Although he had granted Lu Junyi another opportunity, it was not because he genuinely wished to surrender his position. Rather, he merely wanted to use this occasion to prove to everyone, both through sentiment and capability, that he, Song Jiang, was unquestionably the most suitable candidate for the chieftainship of the stronghold!

"Brother, the imperial general is out there issuing challenges! Shall I go and cut him down to boost our morale?" Li Kui strode in, shouting with his booming voice.

"You reckless oaf! Since the enemy dares to issue a challenge, he must be a person of extraordinary valor and prowess. How can you underestimate him?" Song Jiang rebuked, before turning his gaze to Wu Yong. "We have just pitched our camp, and many of the brothers are still resting. Let us go out and see what the imperial forces of Dongping Prefecture are truly capable of!"

After hurling a few more curses and seeing that the camp gates remained firmly shut, Dong Ping dismissively cursed them as cowards and turned to leave.

Just at that moment, however, a roll of drums sounded. The gates of the Liangshan camp swung open, and Song Jiang, accompanied by several other commanders, led a detachment of troops out to form a battle array.

"Ha! They finally have the courage to come out. I thought not a single hero among the mighty Liangshan could muster the guts!" Combining his previous frustration with his current anger, Dong Ping now desired nothing more than a fierce battle to vent his spleen.

Dong Ping's words thoroughly infuriated the Liangshan commanders. They proudly styled themselves as heroes, and Dong Ping's remark amounted to an indiscriminate insult directed at all of them. Immediately, several generals wished to charge forward and teach him a lesson. Yet because Song Jiang gave no command, they suppressed their anger and refrained from breaking formation.

"General, your martial valor is truly impressive. Our Liangshan army has come here for two reasons only. First, to rescue our brother Shi Jin; second, hearing that Prefect Cheng Wanli of Dongping Prefecture habitually oppresses the common people and belongs to the faction of the treacherous minister Cai Jing, we have come to act on behalf of Heaven and eliminate a pest for the people!" As Song Jiang finished speaking, Dong Ping let out a cold laugh.

"You lot style yourselves heroes, yet what you engage in are the deeds of bandits and plunderers. I know nothing of any treacherous ministers in the imperial court; I only know that capturing the likes of you is what truly eliminates pests for the people! Shi Jin is right here in the dungeon, waiting for you all to be reunited behind bars! I wonder, which of you will come first?"

Song Jiang replied, "In that case, let the General witness the true strength of the Liangshan heroes! Han Tao, go test him!"

Han Tao, nicknamed the General of a Hundred Victories, was formerly an imperial officer who had followed Huyan Zhuo in attacking Liangshan, possessing highly refined martial arts. After awakening his astral destiny, his strength had ascended to an even higher realm, and he currently wielded the power of the middle stage of the Innate Realm.

Wielding his jujube-wood spear, he spurred his horse forward and charged directly at Dong Ping.

Dong Ping raised his twin spears, crossing them left and right. Under his unique spear technique, a flurry of spearheads seemed to surge toward his opponent.

Han Tao swept his jujube-wood spear horizontally, but amid the collision, Dong Ping struck the head of Han Tao's spear several times in rapid succession, nearly knocking him off balance.

Daring not to take him lightly, Han Tao unleashed his moves like a rising tide, advancing wave upon wave with overwhelming momentum.

Seeing this, Dong Ping accelerated his movements, rendering his twin spears even more erratic and elusive. Often, for every single thrust Han Tao executed, Dong Ping could counter with five.

Gradually, Han Tao was forced from the offense into a defensive posture, though barely thirty rounds had passed.

Observing this, Song Jiang raised his hand to signal the subordinates to beat the drum—a cue that it was time to change combatants.

"Brother Xu Ning, go test this Dong Ping!" Song Jiang commanded.

Wu Yong whispered, "Does Elder Brother Gongming perhaps believe this Dong Ping can be persuaded to surrender?"

Song Jiang nodded. "Indeed. This Dong Ping possesses extraordinary martial prowess, and his military formation is quite competent as well, though his temper is somewhat volatile." He naturally would not tell Wu Yong that he perceived Dong Ping to be the reincarnation of a martial star; right now, Liangshan was just a few stellar incarnations short of gathering all one hundred and eight star spirits.

Wu Yong nodded, a gleam of light flashing in his eyes. With Chao Gai gone, he naturally stood firmly by Song Jiang's side. He had positioned himself as a strategist dedicated to devising plans, and at present, in order to secure Song Jiang's rise to supremacy, he was bound to exert himself to the utmost. It appeared that Dong Ping was the foremost military commander of Dongping Prefecture; once he was defeated, the fall of Dongping Prefecture would be just around the corner!

In the blink of an eye, Xu Ning and Dong Ping had exchanged thirty rounds. If the two continued to fight, a definitive victor would likely only emerge after a hundred rounds.

Song Jiang waved his hand. "Sound the gongs and withdraw the troops!"

Xu Ning thrust his spear to feint past Dong Ping, then swiftly pulled back to widen the distance. "Consider yourself lucky today! We shall fight again another day!"

Dong Ping let out a cold snort, initially inclined to give chase, but the sight of the several Liangshan commanders glaring fiercely at him made him think better of it.

Withdrawing his forces back into the city, Dong Ping gradually grew calmer. He could manage against Han Tao, but Xu Ning was already his equal; if those other commanders were to swarm him all at once, achieving an easy victory would be impossible.

Having fought a major battle today, if he were to launch a night raid, might he catch the enemy completely off guard?

Dong Ping pondered this inwardly. Today's battle had dealt him a not-insignificant blow. After all, he was not Xiang Yu reborn; he was not invincible under heaven.

Since individual martial prowess could not decide the outcome, he would simply have to resort to military strategy.

At that moment, a messenger hastily ran in from outside. "General, the Prefect has arrived."

Dong Ping sighed, rose from his seat, and followed the soldier out of the encampment to welcome the Prefect and his entourage.

Gazing at Dong Ping, Cheng Wanli let out a cold sneer. "Didn't you boast of your martial valor? Didn't you claim you would surely capture those Liangshan bandits one by one? What is this? Not a single achievement to show for it?!"

Dong Ping replied, "It was this subordinate's arrogance; I underestimated the heroes of the world. However, I plan to launch a night raid on the bandit camp, which may yet yield results." Although deeply displeased, Dong Ping dared not openly fall out with his superior at this juncture.

"Earlier, you seemed rather sympathetic toward that Shi Jin! Let me warn you not to ruin yourself!" With those words, Cheng Wanli led his men away from the military camp.

Watching Cheng Wanli's retreating figure, Dong Ping clenched his fists tightly until the visitors had departed the camp entirely, whereupon he finally turned and walked back into his tent.

Meanwhile, having returned to the encampment, Wu Yong presented his strategy to Song Jiang.

That very night, Dong Ping led a thousand elite soldiers and crept stealthily toward the Liangshan camp.

As Dong Ping and his troops broke into the Liangshan encampment, Song Jiang and Wu Yong, stationed safely in the rear, broke into knowing smiles.

Three days later, Dong Ping and the Liangshan forces coordinated from within and without, successfully breaching Dongping Prefecture. Just as they were preparing to gather intelligence on Dongchang Prefecture, they suddenly received a message from Lu Junyi.

Song Jiang furrowed his brow. "Who would have thought that with all of Junyi's formidable skills, he still hasn't managed to conquer Dongchang Prefecture! Pass down the order: rally the troops and set out immediately!"