Chapter 1021: First Volume, Chapter 1021: Liu Ming

First Volume, Chapter 1021: Liu Ming's Thoughts

Qin Feng's status goes without saying, but the military authority in Beixi County is actually held by Xu Mo.

Although Beixi County has Three Generals, Li Zhang and Ning Hu cannot be mentioned in the same breath as Xu Mo; Xu Mo is not only a military talent but also holds direct Command Authority over the Beixi Expeditionary Brigade, and he wields considerable influence over the deployment of Beixi's garrison and the Main Force.

However, mobilizing the Main Force requires the unanimous approval of Xu Mo, Li Zhang, and Ning Hu.

Yet even with just the Beixi Expeditionary Brigade, Xu Mo has firmly secured the position of First General of Beixi County, and no one can displace him.

Xu Mo's excessive military authority is undoubtedly a dangerous signal; even if Xu Mo is utterly loyal to Qin Feng, what of his subordinate officers? What of his loyalists? These are uncertain matters.

Thus, Liu Ming's existence precisely suppresses Xu Mo.

The troops under Xu Mo's command consist only of messengers and scouts; there is no dedicated Intelligence Organization, meaning every prominent, named individual under Xu Mo is under tight surveillance by the Anwu Guard.

Moreover, apart from Qin Feng and Liu Ming, no one knows that a secret Anwu Guard unit remains perpetually at peak readiness, with one core mission: to assassinate and purge military officers when necessary.

Simultaneously, the Anwu Guard's intelligence authority is firmly held in hand, and it will never, under any circumstances, cede power to the military.

Of course, the day the Anwu Guard launches a bloody purge against the military may never come, but Qin Feng always prepares for potential threats in advance—even toward his most trusted friends and kin, he always has a contingency plan.

This reveals that Qin Feng has long placed the overall prosperity or ruin of Beixi County above personal honor or disgrace; no individual's interests can outweigh the lives of Beixi County's countless civilians.

This is precisely why Liu Ming sincerely reveres Qin Feng.

Liu Ming also understands that Ning Hu has long been watching him closely; as Qin Feng's Bodyguard and commander of the personal guard, the Tianji Camp Guards' Combat Effectiveness is unquestionable, and most crucially, the Tianji Camp Guards are a pure instrument of violence—they never play games with any opponent; once given an order, they eliminate all potential enemies with thunderous force.

Should Liu Ming rebel or overstep his authority, Ning Hu will step in.

Of course, Ning Hu is merely a Bodyguard, holding the lowest personal authority, with the least influence in both military and People's Livelihood matters—this is also a safeguard to prevent the Tianji Camp Guards from slipping out of control and growing independently.

Li Zhang, meanwhile, represents Beixi County's Internal Affairs and People's Livelihood, while also possessing limited military influence.

Even Lin Quqi is Li Zhang's right-hand man; together, Li Zhang and Lin Quqi can control the entire internal administration of Beixi County.

Should Li Zhang and Lin Quqi side with any one of the three factions, they would gain overwhelming advantage.

But Li Zhang can only mobilize troops during wartime; otherwise, he is merely an Internal Affairs Official.

Beyond Beixi County's internal structure, Qin Feng has also placed a secondary safeguard outside: the Three Great Generals of the Northern Border.

From the beginning, Qin Feng has never allowed these Three Great Generals to enter Beixi County; their military and financial affairs remain entirely independent, sharing only the Northern Border.

Should internal unrest arise in Beixi County, the Three Great Generals can exert external influence.

The financial resources of these Three Great Generals come directly from Qin Feng himself; whenever Qin Feng approves, they receive stable financial support.

Moreover, Qin Feng holds control over the Tianji Camp, a massive Gongfang.

Liu Ming understands that Qin Feng has delegated all military and internal authority to others to gather wisdom, attract talent, and jointly govern Beixi County—but Qin Feng firmly retains control of the Tianji Camp, and every chief within the Tianji Camp are his Household Retainers, all of whom have zero Cultivation Foundation.

As long as he holds real industry, no one can shake Qin Feng.

Every time Liu Ming reflects on Qin Feng's flawless arrangements and personnel appointments, he feels genuine admiration.

Although because of his "spy" identity, Qin Feng has never been as relaxed with him as with others, as if a taut string always remained between them, constantly wary of him, Liu Ming does not mind.

As long as he wholeheartedly supports Qin Feng and strictly follows Qin Feng's instructions—neither misinterpreting nor overstepping—he can rest easy.

As for the women around Qin Feng, one is the Da Liang Ming Yue Princess, the other is the future ruler of the Di; caught between Da Liang and the Di, Qin Feng is not surrounded by enemies but instead gains protection from two colossal powers.

The Gaoshan Country to the Northwest has long become Qin Feng's Back Courtyard, intertwined with him in a relationship of mutual entanglement.

The Yuezhao Kingdom to the Southeast has had almost no contact with Qin Feng, but during the Winter War, it took advantage of the chaos to stab the Di in the back—clearly an act of loyalty to Da Liang; it is unlikely Yuezhao will become an enemy for the next ten to twenty years.

Qin Feng's current status and prestige have reached their peak.

If Qin Feng wishes to advance further, perhaps the only path left is to destroy a kingdom and declare himself its sovereign.

However, based on Liu Ming's understanding of Qin Feng, he clearly has no such ambition; at least for now, Qin Feng shows no interest in founding a state, perhaps due to his lack of "statecraft experience."

After all, Beixi County, however wealthy, is merely a county.

Even if Qin Feng controls territory encompassing the entire Northern Border and Sangzhou, larger than Gaoshan Country, it remains insignificant compared to empires like Da Liang and the Di.

The experience Qin Feng has accumulated so far cannot be directly applied to state governance; rushing into it would only plunge him deeper into trouble.

At that point, Qin Feng would face not just the few people around him, but tens of thousands of officials at every level; the more people, the more hidden corruption and dark corners emerge—even with divine aid, he would be overwhelmed.

Thus, Qin Feng's current focus solely on the Northern Border and Sangzhou is undoubtedly a wise decision.

He now resembles certain powerful clans who dominate the court, yet differs profoundly from them—he lacks their selfishness and disregard for human life; as to what Qin Feng truly resembles, even Liu Ming cannot say.

While Liu Ming was lost in silent contemplation, he did not notice that Qin Feng had been observing him with the corner of his eye.

Along the way, Qin Feng has mastered the art of concealing his emotions and observing all around him; even Liu Ming, the Spy Chief, cannot penetrate Qin Feng's full intentions.

Liu Ming is a good subordinate, but he is still the Spy Chief; over time, he may suffer the "backlash" of his profession.