Chapter 1010

First Volume, Chapter 1010: Unworthy of a Single Blow

Defending a city means securing a result, not preserving a process.

From the very beginning, Qin Feng had to establish a clear goal: was he waiting to die in Changshui County, or was he seeking military victory in this war?

If it was the former, then all he needed to do was reinforce the city as much as possible, delay the enemy's breach, and postpone his own death.

But if it was the latter, then sheer defense was clearly insufficient.

For in truth, the defending side holds only early advantages; as the war drags on, those advantages gradually turn into disadvantages, for even the most heavily provisioned isolated city will one day exhaust its supplies, while the attacking side can continuously replenish materials and manpower.

Only by combining defense with offense can one seize the initiative on the battlefield.

This is why, as the enemy's fierce assault gradually faded, Qin Feng immediately and silently removed the defensive fortifications behind the City Gate.

These fortifications hindered enemy advances but also obstructed the defenders' movements—they were a double-edged sword.

Yet Qin Feng was cleverer: he did not remove all the fortifications entirely, but piled them beside the gate archway, so if the enemy launched another large-scale assault, he could instantly block the City Gate again.

With the City Gate wide open, the prepped light cavalry streamed out, racing toward the Enemy Camp.

The three men who had been chatting casually grew solemn and tense as the battle began.

Qin Feng watched the Enemy Camp and placed an incense stick upright on the table.

A round trip from the City Gate to the Enemy Camp took only half an incense stick's burn time—meaning, before the incense burned halfway, Qin Feng would see Ning Hu and his men appear in his line of sight.

As time slowly passed, the incense soon burned past the halfway mark.

The entire City Wall was utterly silent; no one dared make a sound to disturb Qin Feng.

Yet despite this silence, Qin Feng heard not a single hoofbeat—this meant the light cavalry sent out for support had not returned.

Qin Feng's heart lurched—had the enemy anticipated his surprise attack and prepared thoroughly?

Impossible!

Qin Feng immediately dismissed this absurd thought; Changshui County was now impregnable, and the only person who could have leaked the information was Qi Ya.

But the problem was, Qi Ya was inside the County Yamen, and Qin Feng had not told her his surprise attack plan—even if he had, she had no chance to leave the city and deliver the message.

This meant Ning Hu had not been ambushed—he had encountered unforeseen complications during the surprise assault.

What had happened? Qin Feng glanced at the incense, now burned two-thirds of the way, and decided to stop staring.

Just as Qin Feng was about to order the deployment of follow-up troops to scout the Enemy Camp, he heard a crisp clatter of hooves.

Turning toward the sound, he saw a lone rider galloping swiftly toward Changshui, shouting from afar: "Is the Marquis here?"

Qin Feng immediately stood and shouted back: "Qin Feng is here! What's happened up front? Why does this deviate from the original plan?"

In response, the cavalryman dismounted, knelt on one knee, and bowed: "Your Excellency, Commander Ning has sent me back to report: as Your Excellency predicted, the Enemy Camp has secretly reduced its garrison, and its defenses are lax. Commander Ning led his three hundred vanguard straight into the camp—the enemy is in panic and cannot form any effective resistance."

"Commander Ning seized the moment and launched a fierce assault; the two hundred cavalry sent to support him are waiting on standby for orders."

Hearing this, Qin Feng's eyes lit up.

Although Ning Hu's actions carried the suspicion of acting without orders, battlefield conditions change rapidly; a commander must have the courage to make decisions—and in this, Ning Hu deeply pleased Qin Feng.

Having discovered the enemy's weakness, turning the probing raid into a full-scale assault was entirely reasonable.

Without hesitation, Qin Feng ordered: "The two hundred cavalry sent to support him—move swiftly to reinforce Commander Ning! All combat maneuvers are under Commander Ning's command!"

"And tell Ning Hu that reinforcements are on their way."

The cavalryman departed, and Qin Feng could barely contain his excitement—opportunities belong to those prepared; if the enemy was this unworthy of a single blow, how could Qin Feng let such an opportunity slip away?

"Zhang Zhenhai!"

At Qin Feng's low command, Zhang Zhenhai, who had just been sipping tea, sprang to his feet.

"Your Excellency, your subordinate is here!"

Qin Feng exclaimed: "Take five hundred more soldiers and rush to reinforce Ning Hu! The Enemy Camp is already in chaos—strike while it's disordered and wipe them out!"

Zhang Zhenhai nodded firmly: "Your subordinate obeys."

Zhang Zhenhai sprinted down the City Wall, snatching armor from his subordinates as he ran, donning it while ordering troop assembly, opening the City Gate, and marching toward the Enemy Camp.

Since Changshui County now had only QianWuBaiRen troops left, and Ning Hu took five hundred, the remaining one thousand had to be strengthened for defense, lest the enemy cut off their supply lines.

Thus, most troops were "on squad duty"; as soon as Zhang Zhenhai gave the order, five hundred soldiers quickly assembled outside the City Gate.

Considering Changshui County was still some distance from the Enemy Camp, and the city had few Warhorses, if they marched on foot, the five hundred would arrive exhausted, with no strength left to fight.

Moreover, too many cavalrymen entering the Enemy Camp would hinder maneuverability.

So Zhang Zhenhai adopted a phased advance: he first led one hundred cavalrymen straight toward the Enemy Camp at maximum speed to reinforce Ning Hu.

The remaining four hundred soldiers were split into two squads of two hundred each.

The first squad of two hundred marched swiftly toward the Enemy Camp; when they reached the halfway point, they halted to rest, waiting for the second squad to catch up, then charged forward; once the first squad engaged, the second squad would have rested and could then charge in—thus preserving most of their strength.

When Zhang Zhenhai arrived at the Enemy Camp with his hundred cavalrymen, he was stunned by the sight.

The entire Camp Gate was littered with corpses; roaring fires lit the encampment as bright as daylight.

Had he not known the facts, Zhang Zhenhai would have believed the camp had been attacked by over a thousand men—not merely Ning Hu's three hundred.

Meanwhile, the two hundred cavalrymen patrolling the camp's perimeter to block enemy escape had joined Zhang Zhenhai.

Now Zhang Zhenhai commanded three hundred cavalrymen; he immediately ordered them split into two columns, left and right, sweeping along the camp's outer edge, killing every enemy soldier they encountered, leaving not a single fugitive alive.