Gold is Easy to Obtain, Generals are Hard to Find, Heroes Gather, There is No Victory or

Chapter 156 Gold is easy to find, but a general is hard to come by; a gathering of heroes knows no victory or defeat.

Lunch includes chicken, duck, fish, pork, and lamb, as well as rice, steamed buns, and noodles. There's also alcohol!

In short, everyone was well-fed so they would have the energy to continue watching the competition!

When it comes to food, Song Jiang is never stingy, especially as the New Year approaches, when he eats his fill of fish and meat every day!

After having a meal and resting for a while, Xu Ning and Mi Sheng, Li Kui and Feng Tai took their seats. The highly anticipated third match was about to begin!

Shan Shiqi and Ma Jin rode their horses to the training ground, ready to begin their competition!

Shan Shiqi held a mixed iron rod, and Ma Jin held a large knife, waiting for the gong to sound!

With a crisp "clang," the duel began!

The two warhorses collided, and Shan Shiqi swung his iron rod, which clashed with Ma Jin's broadsword!

With a loud "boom," all the soldiers present could clearly hear it!

After exchanging a single blow with Ma Jin, Shan Shiqi knew that the burly man before him was no ordinary person!

So Shan Shiqi mustered all his energy and focused intently on beckoning Ma Jin over!

When Ma Jin saw that Shan Shiqi had exchanged blows with him, he secretly nodded in approval, knowing that Shan Shiqi's reputation was well-deserved.

The two stopped testing each other and started sparring!

Shan Shiqi came from a wealthy family. As the saying goes, the poor are good at literature, and the rich are good at martial arts. Before he got into legal trouble, Shan Shiqi spent a lot of money to hire famous teachers to teach him martial arts!

He was strong and hardworking, which is why he developed such amazing skills!

Of course, Shan Shiqi's martial arts skills have always been controversial, which is also a strange phenomenon in Water Margin. He could fight Lin Chong to a draw in fifty rounds, which made Lin Chong cheer, and he could also kill Wei He in thirty rounds, but he was defeated by Feng Tai in ten rounds and lost his life!

Feng Tai was stabbed off his horse by Bian Xiang with a single spear thrust, which only highlighted Lin Chong's incompetence!

Of course, there is a natural order to martial arts skills, and one thing can always overcome another. Perhaps Feng Tai's double maces were the perfect counter to Shan Shiqi's mixed iron rod, which is why he was able to defeat Shan Shiqi so quickly!

In any case, Shan Shiqi's martial arts skills are definitely not low. Even if he doesn't have the skills of the Five Tigers, he should be among the top eight without much trouble!

As for Ma Jin, he came from the Green Forest, and his broadsword was also a Green Forest technique. Although it was not as exquisite as that of the government troops, it was still quite methodical!

Seeing that Shan Shiqi had blocked his first strike, Ma Jin was invigorated and immediately launched one strike after another, relentlessly attacking without any defense, just like his personality: bold, direct, loyal, and unguarded. His swordsmanship was not flashy, but simple and unadorned, yet his momentum was overwhelming. Shan Shiqi was not to be outdone; his iron staff seemed to have eyes, perfectly blocking every single strike!

Shan Shiqi swung his staff at Ma Jin, but Ma Jin blocked the attack with his broadsword, then thrust his blade straight at Shan Shiqi.

Shiqi.

Seeing this, Shan Shiqi leaned on the iron rod, hiding his body behind the head of the rod, so that Ma Jin's broadsword could strike the iron rod of Shan Shiqi!

With a powerful push, Shan Shiqi lifted the exhausted broadsword from its previous strike, then swept it horizontally with both hands. Ma Jin, realizing he would be swept off his horse if he didn't defend, had no choice but to parry with his own sword. After being blocked, Shan Shiqi swung his sword down at Ma Jin like a Vajra subduing a demon. Not to be outdone, Ma Jin swung his sword diagonally upwards with both hands, then chopped at Shan Shiqi's head.

Another loud bang, and the two fine horses clashed face to face!

Shan Shiqi secretly praised Ma Jin, who was indeed an extraordinary opponent. Ma Jin also thought to himself that Shan Shiqi's martial arts were superior to his own, and if he could not win quickly, he would surely be defeated!

Thinking this, the two pulled on the reins and clashed again. They exchanged blows with knives and sticks for thirty rounds, and the horses were starting to tire.

Shan Shiqi's staff skills were exquisite, and his strength was considerable. If this continued, Shan Shiqi would eventually be outmatched in strength. Shan Shiqi could also see that Ma Jin was getting tired, but he dared not relax in the slightest. Song Jiang had warned them that once they were on the battlefield, they must go all out and never underestimate their opponents or show any mercy, or they would suffer the consequences themselves!

Shan Shiqi swept his iron rod with all his might again, and Ma Jin swung his broadsword at the iron rod with both hands.

"when."

As the weapons clashed, Shan Shiqi's horse took a small step back, and his hands holding the iron rod trembled slightly!

Ma Jin's fine horse retreated three steps, while Ma Jin's broadsword pointed downwards, and the webs between his hands were a little sore!

Just as Shan Shiqi was about to continue his attack, Ma Jin gave a bitter smile, dropped his broadsword, and said, "I have lost!"

Shan Shiqi quickly stopped the iron rod to avoid injuring the horse with too much force!

Ma Jin's strength was already low, and if he continued to fight, he would lose sooner or later. It would be better to admit defeat decisively to avoid injuring himself and Shan Shiqi if they continued to fight!

Shan Shiqi and Ma Jin dismounted and walked to the center of the training ground. Wu Yong stepped forward and said, "The victor is Shan Shiqi!"

Shan Shiqi and Ma Jin had never met before, but their encounter today showed mutual respect. After exchanging a smile, Shan Shiqi went to sit in the third seat on the left, while Ma Jin went to sit in the seat on the right.

Although the third match ended with Ma Jin admitting defeat, the exciting duel between the two made the soldiers' blood boil with excitement!

After the venue is cleaned up, the fourth match is about to begin!

Wang Yin and Zhu Jing rode their horses to the training ground!

Without much embellishment, the duel began with a clang!

Zhu Jing spurred his horse, and it charged forward. Using the momentum, Zhu Jing swung his sword at Wang.

Yin.

Seeing Zhu Jing attack, Wang Yin was not afraid. He wielded a long spear with unpredictable movements, striking five or six times in succession, which Zhu Jing kept parrying with his broadsword.

Having finally seized an opportunity, Zhu Jing slashed down with his sword, but Wang Yin blocked the sword with his spear, pressed it to the side, and then pulled it back in a strange arc before the spear tip pointed at Zhu Jing's throat.

Zhu Jing slashed at the air with his sword, then quickly swung it back to block the spear tip with the flat of the blade!

With a soft "clang," Zhu Jing blocked Wang Yin's spear, but felt that Wang Yin's strength was much greater than his original strength. He felt strange and wondered if Wang Yin was testing him. He thought that Wang Yin was from a military background and should be quite strong, but Wang Yin was dressed as a scholar. It was really puzzling.

However, one cannot afford to be distracted during a duel, so Zhu Jing had no choice but to temporarily suppress his doubts and concentrate on fighting Wang Yin.

At the beginning, Zhu Jing was caught off guard by Wang Yin's strange spear technique and was suppressed for a time. However, after regaining his senses, Zhu Jing's knife also showed its power. The two fought back and forth with spear and knife, and soon they had fought for thirty rounds, but neither of them had a clear winner.

After another twenty rounds, Zhu Jing still couldn't break Wang Yin's spear technique. Wang Yin's spear was unpredictable in terms of strength and speed, which made him very frustrated!

While Zhu Jing was troubled, Wang Yin was equally surprised!

When he was working as a stonemason in the mountains, he met a strange man. The strange man was highly skilled in martial arts and took him as his apprentice, teaching him martial arts for three years. His elusive spear technique was taught by that strange man!

Since he mastered his skills, he has rarely encountered any rivals in the area. Wang Yin has gradually become quite famous, and many people have come to him to spar, but none of them are his match!

Some wealthy landlords had heard of his martial arts skills and asked him to be their bodyguard instructor, but Wang Yin was proud and arrogant. How could ordinary rich people catch his eye? He preferred to work as a stonemason in the mountains rather than associate with them!

The opponent Wang Yin was facing was one he had never encountered before. Zhu Jing's swordsmanship was powerful and heavy, with both offense and defense. Although Wang Yin's spear skills were strong, they relied more on surprise attacks and catching opponents off guard. In terms of pure martial arts advantage, Wang Yin knew he had not gained much of an advantage!

The two fought for another ten rounds. Zhu Jing also figured out some tricks. Wang Yin's spear technique was strange, but it was a counterattack, using defense as offense, combining hardness and softness, and feints and realism!

Thinking about how much Song Jiang valued him since he joined Liangshan, and considering how rare it was to find an opponent like Wang Yin, a sense of pride arose within him!

Zhu Jing held the knife in both hands and slashed at Wang Yin with great force. This slash was not like the usual move before. Both the force and speed were several times faster than the previous moves!

Seeing Zhu Jing's sudden outburst, Wang Yin became wary. In an instant, his right arm, holding the gun, thrust out three spears. The three spear shadows pierced towards Zhu Jing's broadsword with lightning speed, displaying an aura of "I am the only one who can do it!"

All that could be heard was the crisp sound of steel clashing together!

Wang Yin's spear struck Zhu Jing's blade repeatedly, producing a crisp clash.

Although Zhu Jing's sword kept clashing with Wang Yin's spear, it did not change the direction of the sword and continued to slash at Wang Yin!

However, Wang Yin was no ordinary person. He trembled his spear and thrust out several more times, each thrust faster than the last. With a series of clangs, Zhu Jing's broadsword finally lost its momentum, while Wang Yin's spear continued its unabated thrust, piercing straight at Zhu Jing!

Zhu Jing's expression was serious. He quickly retracted his broadsword, which flashed like a meteor, and used the flat of the blade to block the shot that was destined to defeat!

This fight was more exciting than the previous fight between Shan Shiqi and Ma Jin, mainly because Wang Yin and Zhu Jing used their skills to the extreme, unlike Shan Shiqi who relied more on brute force!

The crowd was stunned, not daring to breathe loudly for fear of disturbing the two fighters on the field. They didn't even want to blink, afraid of missing a single round of the battle!

Sure enough, Zhu Jing swung his broadsword and slashed down with force, like a crescent moon, directly attacking Wang Yin!

Faced with this swift strike, Wang Yin showed no panic, nor did he attempt to defend himself!

Instead, they charged straight at us, their attacks becoming increasingly fierce!

The swords and spears clashed together once again, producing a series of clanging sounds, much like a percussion band reaching its climax!

At first, the two were evenly matched, neither willing to give way, but soon Wang Yin's exquisite spear skills gave him the upper hand.

Having lost the initiative, Zhu Jing gradually found himself at a disadvantage and began to look somewhat disheveled!

In his final move, a fight to the death, Zhu Jing unleashed a powerful and all-out slash. Seeing this, Wang Yin calmly countered, changing his spear from a thrust to a sweep. With a deafening boom, Zhu Jing was finally defeated!

The two dismounted and bowed. Zhu Jing was completely convinced of Wang Yin's abilities, especially since this expert would be his colleague in the future, and they could spar with each other anytime, anywhere. He couldn't help but feel excited!

Wang Yin's arrogance gradually subsided, and he thought to himself, "There are so many heroes in the world. With Song Jiang by my side, I will surely witness an era where heroes gather. Although I am not bad, I am not the most dazzling one. But how can I be buried like this? I must forge my own path!"

Thinking of this, Wang Yin smiled and said, "Brother Zhu Jing, I was lucky to defeat you today, but I am truly impressed by your martial arts skills!" Wang Yin's words were sincere. He had been too arrogant before and had underestimated Zhu Jing. But after watching the fight, he found that Mi Sheng, Xu Ning, and even Shan Shiqi were all very skilled. Even the losers Feng Tai and Ma Jin were not ordinary people. Perhaps only Li Kui was slightly inferior, but his fighting style was definitely a nightmare on the battlefield!

The two chatted and laughed as they walked to the center of the training ground. Wu Yong stepped forward and announced, "The victor is Wang Yin!"

Zhu Jing smiled and walked to the fourth seat on the right. Although he had lost today, he was still honorable. Wang Yin also walked happily to the fourth seat on the left. His opponent in the next round was Shan Shiqi. Thinking that he had never encountered an opponent before, it was a happy thing that there were so many experts in the small Liangshan!

There was still time, so after cleaning up the training ground, Bian Xiang and Yuan Lang rode their horses onto the training ground!

As the former top fighter of Liangshan, the chief instructor of the Liangshan soldiers, and the Qilin General of the Liangshan cavalry, many soldiers were unaware of Bian's abilities.

No matter how skilled Bian Xiang was, Yuan Lang was clearly also a master. A fierce battle was about to begin, and the soldiers cheered loudly, thinking that they would see Bian Xiang go all out!

Note: Regarding Wang Yin's martial arts skills, as the Minister of War under Fang La, Wang Yin was also capable of overpowering Sun Li, Huang Xin, and four other generals, making him a man of both literary and martial talents.

However, whether Wang Yin's skill level can reach that of the Five Tigers has always been a controversial topic!

First of all, Sun Li's martial arts skills should not be overstated or understated; he certainly did not possess the strength of the Five Tigers.

(This can be discussed in detail later, focusing on the skill level of the Liangshan generals.)

But Sun Li definitely has the strength of the Eight Tiger Generals. Sun Li should be the dividing line between Hua Rong, Xu Ning, Yang Zhi, Suo Chao and Shi Jin, Zhang Qing, Zhu Tong and Mu Hong!

Sun Li, along with Huang Xin and Zou Yuan, was able to fight Wang Yin to a draw, which shows that Sun Li's martial arts skills were inferior to Wang Yin's. Wang Yin was at least of the top level among the Eight Tiger Generals!

However, with the addition of Lin Chong, Wang Yin was immediately defeated and killed instantly. Compared to Guan Sheng's performance against Lin Chong and Qin Ming, he was clearly inferior. Although Guan Sheng could not defeat Lin Chong and Qin Ming together, he lasted much longer!

After all, it's hard to say whether Zou Run, Zou Yuan, Huang Xin, and Sun Li are strong enough to be one of the Five Tigers. Even the two Zou brothers plus Huang Xin might not be able to beat Sun Li in a one-on-one fight, since the two Zou brothers' martial arts skills are indeed not very good!

However, considering that Hua Rong fought Qin Ming to a draw, Lin Chong fought Yang Zhi to a draw, Yang Zhi fought Hu Yanzhuo to a draw, and Xu Ning fought Dong Ping to a draw, it shows that the strength of the Five Tigers and the top three of the Eight Tigers is not too different, or at least the difference is slight. Of course, Guan Sheng and Lin Chong are indeed among the best of the Five Tigers, after all, Guan Sheng defeated Suo Chao, but Yang Zhi only drew. Therefore, Wang Yin's strength should be comparable to that of the Five Tigers.

They would only be below average, and might not be able to defeat Guan Sheng and Lin Chong.

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