Chapter 335: Fragile Alliance

Qin Feng's single remark left Chen Wuji and Xu Zengyi lost for words.

How could one not know what to ask about something so obvious?

Just as Chen Wuji was about to remind him, Qin Feng suddenly seemed to react, shouting loudly, "All right, I understand, I'll interrogate them."

Chen Wuji murmured, "I feel like he's somewhat unreliable."

"Same."

"I think we should still remind them," Chen Wuji muttered, shaking his head, and shouted toward the city wall, "Deputy Commander Qin, remember to ask who they are, what orders they received, and everything else they know."

"Got it!" Qin Feng shouted without turning back.

Xu Zengyi suddenly said, "His swordplay and lightness skills are formidable; in today's world he'd count as a master, but..."

"He's just unreliable, right?" Chen Wuji laughed.

"Hmm."

Chen Wuji chuckled lightly, "Actually I kind of envy someone like him, living so carefree."

"Maybe it's just appearance; this person's thoughts probably aren't simple." Xu Zengyi shook his head.

"Anyone who understands military affairs is never a simple opponent; war is strategy, it's deep, it's painstaking calculation."

Chen Wuji gazed at the base of the wall, "But at least his outward demeanor can be carefree."

"Such a person is even more frightening, revealing nothing outwardly, not just ordinary depth, making it hard to find their weakness."

Chen Wuji: ……

He no longer wanted to envy.

If he kept going on like that, he'd end up good for nothing.

After Qin Feng asked the soldier a few simple questions, he sent him to the west with a single sword.

"I can't go up!" he shouted, standing at the foot of the wall, head tilted back.

"Someone, lower the basket!" Chen Wuji ordered.

A basket was lowered by several provincial troops working together, pulling Qin Feng up.

"Deputy Commander Qin floated down so gracefully, yet now he has no way up?" Chen Wuji joked with a smile.

Qin Feng pursed his lips, "Brother Chen Wuji, if you're not afraid of falling, you could actually come down quite elegantly. Just a little leverage on the way down would suffice, but this wall is so high that even with superb lightness skills I have nowhere to push off—how could I climb up?"

"What did you find out?" Chen Wuji asked.

"You might not believe this, but the Cao family has been wiped out." Qin Feng, a little headache, shook his head, picked up the wine jar on the wall, and began pouring again.

Chen Wuji and Xu Zengyi were waiting for his explanation; seeing him pause mid-sentence to pour more wine, they both looked speechless, curses forming on their tongues.

"What happened with the Cao family?" Chen Wuji asked helplessly.

Qin Feng impatiently took a bowl for himself, then passed the wine bowls to Chen Wuji and Xu Zengyi, saying, "I'm thirsty, let me take a sip first; the night is long, we'll talk slowly."

Chen Wuji, Xu Zengyi: ……

How could there be such a person begging for a beating?

"Those people just now were from the Gu family; the Gu family allied with the Li family and the Kai Shan Escort Bureau, deciding to kill the Cao family." Qin Feng poured wine as he spoke, "Probably the Gu family thought it shameful to have the Cao family's lot above them, so behind the scenes they promised the Li family and the escort bureau some benefits and stabbed the Cao family in the back."

"They agreed to act while Deputy Commander Chen had just quelled the provincial troops' internal strife, when the defenses were lax—that is, tonight. First they'd wipe out the Cao family manor outside the city, then send a small elite force to storm the Cao family manor inside, with the escort bureau providing reinforcements within the city."

Hearing this, Chen Wuji turned to Chen Li and said, "Eleventh Uncle, take some people to check the surroundings."

"Yes."

"If nothing unexpected happens, the escort bureau people will likely abandon this operation." Chen Wuji said solemnly, "Unless the Gu family is willing to send a large force to storm the gate, they might then seize the chance to cooperate inside and out; otherwise, there's no need to wait."

"We've deployed so many troops to guard the gate; the escort bureau people must have seen it long ago."

Xu Zengyi nodded thoughtfully, "They've actually done us a big favor."

"A fragile alliance, and yet… they still don't take us seriously. Are these people really that arrogant? We have over a thousand troops, and we just defeated six thousand Qiang soldiers with fewer numbers; how dare they not take us seriously?" Chen Wuji wondered.

One person being arrogant is fine, but every single one of them is this arrogant, completely ignoring him, making Chen Wuji seriously doubt whether his battle at Shenxian Ling was just a dream.

Their reaction is completely the opposite, truly making it hard for him to understand.

If a hunter in the mountains slays a ferocious beast, he will surely be the finest hunter in the region, destined to be respected and feared by all.

Six thousand Qiang people—that counts as a truly strong ferocious beast.

Yet he was instead looked down upon.

"Perhaps they think the deputy commander's vitality is already severely depleted, not worth worrying about." Xu Zengyi said.

"They should have sent someone to scout our forces; they'd know our army lost over half its strength, and many of our current troops are reinforcements brought by Third Uncle Chen after the battle. Our army's vitality is greatly wounded, while they are strong in troops and horses, with reinforcements outside, so they can actually afford to be a little proud."

"Perhaps after dealing with the Cao family, they still want to use troops against us. Before reinforcements arrive, they'll try to knock us out first, to give Lu Ping'an a good impression."

"The Gu family probably doesn't have designs on seizing Yunan; they'll likely continue to show loyalty to Lu Ping'an."

Qin Feng snorted, "But they're still a bunch of idiots."

"At last I no longer need to worry about Brother Chen Wuji; with Assistant Xu and such foolish opponents, the danger to Yunan is resolved."

"Deputy Commander Qin is probably being overly presumptuous; before everything settles, despising the enemy is a major military taboo." Xu Zengyi said, "Deputy Commander Qin, are you really practically my disciple?"

Qin Feng instantly felt embarrassed, gave a dry laugh, then bowed slightly, saying, "Master's reprimand is that the disciple was a bit presumptuous and should be cautious."

His talent for taking an inch and demanding a mile opened Chen Wuji's eyes wide.

That's a handy skill.

Xu Zengyi's expression stiffened, "I never said I'd take you as my disciple."

"Didn't the master just say half a disciple? A half-disciple is still not a disciple, but the master remains the master—I must call him master and pay my respects!" Qin Feng said solemnly.

"Fallacious reasoning." Xu Zengyi said.

"The master's reprimand is that—"

Xu Zengyi took a deep breath, then turned to Chen Wuji and said, "The Gu family ought to have someone who understands military affairs; though they're arrogant, they're not reckless, and actually employ troops with extreme caution."

Chen Wuji nodded seriously, "Just look at their attire and you'll know."

Chen Wuji couldn't be sure whether the Gu family had anyone versed in military matters, but there was definitely an old silver coin.