Chapter 1: The Grand Marshal’s Atrocity, A Young Man’s Fury Against Gao Qiu

The Song Dynasty.

The third year of Xuanhe.

November 1121 AD.

Gao Qiu, having been defeated and captured by Liangshan, was about to be executed by Lin Chong to avenge the people. However, Song Jiang, in order to facilitate the imperial pardon, escorted Gao Qiu away from Liangshan.

Upon returning to his camp, Gao Qiu, to conceal his capture by Liangshan, ordered his troops to massacre the villages. In an instant, the villages at the foot of Liangshan were plunged into terror.

“The soldiers are killing people!”

“Run!”

The village was filled with the cries of the villagers. The soldiers, like a flood of beasts, swept through the village, leaving behind a trail of corpses.

At that moment.

A soldier noticed a beautiful woman and, putting away his weapon, excitedly chased after her, his face full of lust.

The woman, seeing the soldier chasing after her, was terrified and trembled. Her feet slipped, and she fell to the ground.

The soldier, with a lewd smile on his face, pounced on her and tore at her clothes. The woman struggled desperately, but to no avail.

“Rip.” The woman’s outer garment was torn to shreds.

Her fair skin was exposed, and the soldier’s saliva dripped down his chin. He reached out to tear off her undergarment.

“Whoosh!” A short spear flew through the air, piercing the soldier’s chest. The soldier fell to the ground, his eyes filled with fear and resentment.

The woman slowly opened her eyes and, seeing the soldier dead in front of her, shrank back into the corner. She slowly raised her head and looked into the distance.

There, a young man, riding a powerful warhorse, clad in black iron armor, with a black cloak flapping in the cold wind, holding a carved long spear, and with dozens of strange-looking short spears hanging from his horse’s back.

“Let that woman go!” The young man roared, charging towards the soldiers, instantly killing several of them.

The soldiers, seeing this, were terrified and fled in all directions.

The young man brandished his long spear, thrusting left and right. A cold gleam chased after the soldiers’ heads, and a shower of blood splattered as dozens of soldiers who had been slaughtering the villagers were killed.

“The gods have come, the gods have come to save us.” The surviving villagers saw hope and wept with joy. They were saved.

“As a soldier, why are you slaughtering the people?” The young man in black armor grabbed a soldier commander and asked fiercely.

“It’s… it’s… it’s the Grand Marshal Gao!” The commander stammered.

The young man’s face changed, and he grabbed the commander, staring at him fiercely.

“Gao Qiu, it was Gao Qiu who ordered the massacre!” The commander cried.

“Where is Gao Qiu?” The young man suppressed his anger and asked in a deep voice.

“He… he’s in the camp at the foot of Liangshan.” The commander trembled, not daring to hide anything.

The young man, knowing where Gao Qiu was, decisively stabbed the commander with his spear and turned his horse to continue chasing after the soldiers who were harming the people.

His figure moved freely among the soldiers. Only the sound of the long spear piercing flesh could be heard. Each sound took the life of a soldier.

Seeing the young man like a god of death descending to earth, the remaining soldiers were completely terrified and fled for their lives.

“Retreat, retreat.” Another commander shouted repeatedly.

The soldiers fled, shouting:

“Run! Run!”

The young man chased after the soldiers, heading straight for the Song army camp. Along the way, he saw the corpses and heads of the villagers who had been slaughtered by the soldiers!

Looking at the heartbreaking scene before him, the young man clenched his fists tightly, his veins bulging with exertion.

His eyes flashed with a fierce killing intent, and he vowed to himself that he would kill Gao Qiu today.

…

“Report! Urgent report to the Grand Marshal!” The commander who had fled back to the camp first fell off his horse.

“Commander Yang…” The soldier on guard quickly ran over to help him up.

“Urgent report! Urgent report to the Grand Marshal, the enemy is attacking, retreat quickly!” The commander had just finished speaking when another strange-looking short spear flew in and ended his life.

The soldier on guard did not hesitate for a moment. He pushed aside Commander Yang’s body and ran quickly to the central tent.

“Urgent report to the Grand Marshal, the rebels are attacking, retreat quickly!”

Crack!

A flash of cold light, the long spear pierced through the central tent, nailing the soldier to the wall.

“Gao Qiu, prepare to die!”

The black-armored young man’s horse’s hooves trampled through the tent.

Suddenly, a bright light pierced through the darkness of the tent. The black-armored young man stood on his horse, pulled out the long spear from the wall, and stabbed straight at Gao Qiu’s face.

Gao Qiu pulled a soldier beside him, the long spear pierced through the soldier’s body, Gao Qiu dodged the attack, and under the protection of his deputy, he fled the tent in a panic.

“The Grand Marshal has ordered, assemble, assemble, we must stop him!” The deputy, Zhang Zhengde, said, supporting Gao Qiu, and fled from the northwest corner of the camp.

“Yes.” The elite soldiers on guard replied in a firm voice.

Swish! Swish! Swish! A sound of armor clashing came.

The elite soldiers did not hesitate for a moment. They drew their long swords in unison, forming a human wall.

They waited quietly for the young man to arrive.

The young man was not afraid at all. He leaped from his horse, holding his long spear, and with both hands, he took out five short spears from under his saddle.

He gathered his strength, swung his arms, and ten short spears flew out.

The short spears arrived first, breaking swords, piercing armor, and piercing chests. The soldiers’ defense line collapsed in an instant.

The young man then arrived, as fast as lightning. A blur of movement, and the ten short spears miraculously returned to the young man’s horse’s back.

“Gao Qiu, don’t run.”

The young man, alone on his horse, chased after Gao Qiu with all his might.

At this moment, the elite soldiers who had been ordered to guard the gate were lying in pools of blood, their bodies twisted.

The few remaining soldiers were terrified and fled for their lives.

The black-armored young man rode his horse in hot pursuit, and in an instant, he reached Gao Qiu.

The young man did not say a word, and with two cool spears, he stabbed the two deputies to death.

“Gao Qiu, do you know your crimes?” The young man was filled with righteous indignation.

“You used your power for personal gain, forcing Wang Jin to leave, causing our Song Dynasty to lose a great general!”

“You allowed your son to commit crimes, you ran rampant in the capital, you persecuted Lin Niangzi, you were cruel and heartless!”

“You colluded with villains, you framed loyal officials at the White Tiger Hall, you angered both heaven and earth!”

“You misled the emperor, you were obsessed with cuju, you neglected the affairs of state, and the people were suffering!”

…

Gao Qiu saw that the young man was not in a hurry to kill him. After stabbing the deputies to death with his spear, he instead listed his crimes. He quickly knelt down and begged for mercy.

“Hero, spare my life! As long as you let me go today, I will surely mend my ways…”

Gao Qiu kowtowed like a pestle, but the young man remained unmoved. Gao Qiu continued,

“I will surely recommend you for a high position, I am willing to give you all my property…”

“I will surely advise the emperor to put the people first…”

A flash of cold light, the bright spearhead pierced through Gao Qiu’s mouth, piercing through the back of his head.

The young man twisted his wrist, the long spear shaft vibrated, and the spearhead pierced through the air like lightning. Gao Qiu’s head exploded like a watermelon, his skull shattered, and his brains splattered.

Everything happened so fast that Gao Qiu’s headless body, instinctively stood up, like a headless fly, spinning around, trying to escape.

“How can someone like you change? Tell me! Ah? Only death!”

The young man was heartbroken, and he kicked the headless Gao Qiu into the stinking ditch.