Qin Ming
| Qin Ming | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
 An illustration of Qin Ming by Chen Hongshou | |
| First appearance | Chapter 34 |
| Nickname | "Fiery Thunderbolt" 霹靂火 |
| Rank | 7th, Fierce Star (天猛星) of 36 Heavenly Spirits |
| Vanguard General of the Five Tiger Generals of Liangshan | |
| Origin | Imperial general |
| Ancestral home / Place of origin | Kaizhou (present-day Fengcheng, Liaoning) |
| Weapon | Wolf-toothed mace |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 秦明 |
| Traditional Chinese | 秦明 |
| Pinyin | Qín Míng |
| Wade–Giles | Ch'in Ming |
Qin Ming is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the four great classical novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Fiery Thunderbolt", he ranks 7th among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny.
Background
Qin Ming is a high-ranking military commander serving in Qingzhou (青州; in present-day Shandong). His ancestral home is in Kaizhou (開州; present-day Fengcheng, Liaoning). He is nicknamed "Fiery Thunderbolt" because of his thunderous voice and fiery temper, which makes his fearsome yet vulnerable. A formidable warrior on the battlefield, his weapon of choice is a spiked club commonly known as a "wolf's teeth mace" (狼牙棒).
Conflict with the bandits of Mount Qingfeng
When Murong Yanda, the governor of Qingzhou, learns that Hua Rong, a military officer from Qingfeng Fort (清風寨; in present-day Qingzhou, Shandong), has rebelled and joined the outlaws on the nearby Mount Qingfeng (清風山), he orders Qin Ming to lead troops to assist government forces in Qingfeng Fort in eliminating the outlaws.
Qin Ming engages Hua Rong in a one-on-one duel on horseback but neither can overcome his opponent. Hua Rong then feigns defeat and exploits Qin Ming's weakness by taunting him and luring him further into a trap. Qin Ming falls into a hidden pit and ends up being captured by the outlaws. Song Jiang treats Qin Ming respectfully, frees him from his bonds, and tries to persuade him to surrender and join them. Although Qin Ming flatly refuses to join them, he still accepts their hospitality and stay overnight in the outlaw stronghold at Mount Qingfeng.
Becoming an outlaw
The following day, when Qin Ming makes his way back to Qingzhou, he comes across a village on the outskirts and sees houses on fire and dead bodies everywhere. When he reaches Qingzhou's gates, Murong Yanda denounces him as a traitor and accuses him of defecting to the outlaws' side and leading them to attack the city last night. As a result, Murong Yanda has ordered the execution of Qin Ming's entire family. When Qin Ming tries to force his way into Qingzhou, Murong Yanda orders archers to rain arrows on him; Qin Ming dodges the arrows and retreats.
Seething with anger, Qin Ming wanders around aimlessly and encounters Song Jiang and the other outlaws, who explain that they had disguised themselves as him and his soldiers and attacked Qingzhou the previous night while he was asleep. Although Qin Ming initially feels outraged that he has been forced to become an outlaw, he ultimately grudgingly accepts his fate. He feels appeased after Song Jiang arranges for Hua Rong's younger sister to marry him as a form of "compensation" for the loss of his family.
Qin Ming then rides to Qingfeng Fort and successfully convinces Huang Xin, his martial arts apprentice, to surrender and join the outlaw band as well. Huang Xin opens the fort's gates and lets in the outlaws, who kill the corrupt official Liu Gao and his family. Through Song Jiang's recommendation, all the outlaws decide to move to Liangshan Marsh and join the outlaw band there.
Life at Liangshan
During the battle of Qingzhou between government forces and the Liangshan outlaws, Huyan Zhuo defects to the outlaws' side after Song Jiang convinces him to do so. He then tricks Murong Yanda into opening Qingzhou's gates and allowing the outlaws to enter and capture the city. Qin Ming seizes the opportunity to hunt down Murong Yanda and kill him to avenge his family.
After the Grand Assembly of the 108 Stars of Destiny, Qin Ming becomes one of the Five Tiger Generals of the Liangshan cavalry. He participates in most, if not all, the battles between the Liangshan outlaws and their enemies such as government forces and hostile private militias. Although he makes many contributions in battle with his outstanding combat skills, he also nearly loses his life on a number of occasions due to his fiery temper.
Death
After the Liangshan outlaws received amnesty from Emperor Huizong, Qin Ming follows them on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces within the Song Empire. During the final campaign against Fang La's rebel forces, Qin Ming is assigned to lead the attack on Qingxi County (清溪縣; present-day Chun'an County, Zhejiang). He encounters Fang La's nephew Fang Jie and engages him in a one-on-one duel on horseback. Fang Jie's deputy, Du Wei, throws his flying daggers at Qin Ming to distract him. Qin Ming manages to dodge the daggers but Fang Jie catches him off guard and seizes the opportunity to spear him to death.
References
- Buck, Pearl S. (2006). All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell. ISBN 9781559213035.
- Miyazaki, Ichisada (1993). Suikoden: Kyoko no naka no Shijitsu (in Japanese). Chuo Koronsha. ISBN 978-4122020559.
- Keffer, David. "Outlaws of the Marsh: A Somewhat Less Than Critical Commentary". Poison Pie Publishing House. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- Li, Mengxia (1992). 108 Heroes from the Water Margin (in Chinese). EPB Publishers. p. 15. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.
- Miyamoto, Yoko (2011). "Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits". Demystifying Confucianism. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- Shibusawa, Kou (1989), Bandit Kings of Ancient China, Koei, pp. 64, 91
- Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.