Chapter 1009: First Volume, Chapter 1009: Tea in Place of Wine

First Volume, Chapter 1009: Tea in Place of Wine

Qin Feng kicked Ning Hu squarely in the buttocks and snapped, "Stop flattery—once you're on the battlefield, anything can happen; remember, pride invites defeat."

"If things turn bad, bring your comrades back immediately—don't show off."

"Even though Changshui County is now as solid as a fortress, it can't afford heavy losses—if too many comrades die because of this, I won't let you off."

Facing Qin Feng's scolding, Ning Hu grinned, utterly unfazed and even eager.

To be honest…

Qin Feng also wanted to join Ning Hu on the battlefield, to finally release the pressure he'd built up over these days.

But considering Li Xiaolan was pregnant and there were womenfolk in the city needing his care, as Main General he absolutely couldn't act recklessly—so Qin Feng crushed that absurd thought and stayed put in the city.

Nightfall came, in the second half of the night.

Following the prearranged plan, Ning Hu led three hundred vanguard troops down the city wall silently via rope ladders; once all weapons and equipment were lowered and distributed, Ning Hu didn't pause a moment—he led the three hundred comrades straight toward the enemy camp.

Qin Feng wasn't idle either—he set up a small table and three horse stools beside the City Gate Tower.

On the table burned a brazier, keeping a pot of tea hot.

Zhang Zhenhai and Liu Ming sat on either side of Qin Feng, sipping tea together while observing the enemy camp.

Seeing Qin Feng still had the leisure to drink tea, Zhang Zhenhai and Liu Ming understood: Qin Feng had over a seventy percent confidence in tonight's Night Raid, but lacked concrete evidence to determine the enemy's troop strength, hence his insistence that Ning Hu proceed with extreme caution.

Qin Feng personally poured hot tea for Zhang Zhenhai and Liu Ming, his two meritorious subordinates.

Zhang Zhenhai and Liu Ming were naturally stunned and honored.

Liu Ming was fine—he was Mo Li's disciple, of respectable lineage; Zhang Zhenhai, however, was purely a commoner.

Reaching this position felt like a dream to Zhang Zhenhai.

And now, Qin Feng was personally pouring tea for him—Zhang Zhenhai was so moved he couldn't form coherent words.

"Lord Qin… your humble subordinate is terrified…"

Before he finished speaking, Qin Feng shot back: "Your terror is bullshit."

Though publicly scolded by Qin Feng, Zhang Zhenhai felt no shame—instead, he was delighted, for after serving beside Qin Feng so long, he knew Qin Feng's nature: despite his reputation as "Wenchang Star Descended to Earth," a literary master of the age and a battle-hardened victor, truly cultured and martially gifted…

…deep down, Qin Feng still carried the temperament of a Jingdu Wastrel and a social rogue.

When his temper flared, he'd curse without restraint.

But Qin Feng's curses came from deep care, never malice.

Thus, in the army, being scolded directly by Qin Feng was considered an honor.

Just look at Ning Hu—he often got cursed by Qin Feng, sometimes even kicked; "beatings show affection, scolding shows love" fit perfectly.

Perhaps precisely because of this casual, unpretentious demeanor, Qin Feng and Ning Hu had grown as close as brothers.

Beside them, Liu Ming accepted the tea cup Qin Feng offered, nodded slightly, then teased Zhang Zhenhai.

"Zhenhai, you know Lord Qin's character—public is public, private is private."

"If any of us abused power or acted corruptly, Lord Qin would chop our heads off without blinking. But if we've done nothing wrong, even if the sky fell, nothing would happen."

"Lord Qin has always been clear on right and wrong."

"If you're stiff and formal in private now, you'll only annoy him."

Smiling, Zhang Zhenhai nodded: "Understood."

Qin Feng watched Liu Ming with interest: "Looks like you and Ning Hu have been talking behind my back a lot."

If these words had come from any other Main General, Liu Ming would have been certain he was doomed—but from Qin Feng's mouth, it meant something entirely different.

Because Liu Ming knew Qin Feng was no vengeful man, especially toward those close to him—he was generous and forgiving, as long as no one crossed Qin Feng's bottom line.

Liu Ming immediately laughed: "Lord Qin, you know me—I only listen, never speak; it's always Little Marquis who endlessly lists your crimes."

Hearing this, Qin Feng burst into loud laughter: "Hahahaha, Little Marquis is a hypocrite too—acts loyal and devoted to my face, but behind my back, he's just a gossiping old woman."

Zhang Zhenhai and Liu Ming exchanged glances and laughed heartily.

The laughter of the three commander and subordinates echoed along the Changshui County Wall, as if even this bitter winter night had grown less unbearable.

At that moment, Qin Feng shifted tone and asked Liu Ming: "You've always handled the Brocade Uniform Guard's intelligence from the Northern Di—since Changshui was besieged, we haven't seen a single Brocade Uniform Guard. Without their intel, I'm uneasy—what's the real situation in Changshui right now?"

Liu Ming, who had just been laughing, realized they were now discussing official matters—he immediately grew solemn: "Your subordinate dares not speculate."

"Without reliable information, any guess is meaningless."

"But based on prior intelligence, plus the five heavy snowfalls in the past three months, if nothing unexpected happened, the Northern Di's logistics must be completely exhausted."

"Once logistics collapse, the Front Line will collapse too."

"When Qi Ya returned to Wang Du under Jing Ci's name, though she was watched and couldn't obtain reliable intel, she brought back another crucial piece: Wang Du is now in chaos."

"Many prominent nobles have secretly fled Wang Du, and the Northern Di King hasn't held court for a full month."

"All this indicates the war in Ezhou has reached its final stage—and for the Northern Di, it's a dead end."

Hearing Liu Ming's words, Qin Feng nodded: "Matches my own estimation."

"You're right—until we restore our intelligence network, any guess is meaningless. Wait."

"Xu Mo and Li Zhang haven't pushed forward in so long—this means the situation in Ezhou has changed. The truth will likely emerge soon."

At that moment, a sudden flash of fire lit up the distant darkness.

Clearly, Ning Hu had led his three hundred vanguard into the enemy camp.

Without hesitation, Qin Feng immediately ordered the pre-positioned cavalry to sortie and provide support.

No one knew… Qin Feng had already secretly removed the defensive fortifications behind the City Gate!