Chapter 1186

First Volume, Chapter 1186: Seek Revenge for the People of Jiangnan

Qin Feng took this matter extremely seriously, but after half a day of strict investigation, he found nothing.

Xu Mo rushed back upon hearing the news, his brow tightly furrowed: "Brother Qin, the massacre of civilians was certainly not committed by our troops."

"The Beixi Soldiers have always upheld military discipline!"

"The vanguard infantry are elite troops from the Jingji Garrison—they would never lightly commit such an act."

"The Tuntian Soldiers have all been relocated to Lingzhou."

"Moreover, our logistical supply lines remain ample; in every sense—morally, legally, publicly, privately—our soldiers have no reason to massacre civilians."

The officers present quickly echoed his words.

"Your Royal Highness, please investigate clearly: since His Majesty issued the Front Line Military Code, all under your command have fulfilled their duties faithfully and dare not defy even slightly."

"That's right—right now, the Enemy Army is holed up inside Gusu City, unwilling to fight, while our logistics are not strained at all; our soldiers are content with the current situation and would never invite trouble upon themselves."

"Didn't His Majesty himself say that the people of Jiangnan are of paramount importance, crucial to the future course of this war? Even if you gave our men a hundred times the courage, they would never dare undermine Your Majesty's Great Plan."

Qin Feng remained expressionless, simply lowering his hand to signal silence.

"There's no need to be anxious. With continuous reinforcements, our frontline forces now exceed thirty thousand."

"With so many men, it's impossible to fully control them—self-investigation is essential."

"If this matter has nothing to do with our army, I naturally won't wrong a single soldier. As the saying goes: if your conduct is upright, why fear anything?"

"Conversely, if anyone dares harm local civilians, I will show no mercy—not only will the perpetrator die, but his superiors will also be held accountable and punished together!"

Seeing Qin Feng so deeply concerned for the safety of the local people, the officers present dared not treat this as mere theater.

Remember, when Sun Bo lost two battles in a row, he was merely demoted to Deputy General.

Now, anyone who dares harm local civilians will be executed outright—how severe is this punishment?

Unbeknownst to them, Qin Feng himself did not believe anyone under his command would dare harm civilians.

The reason he launched such a public investigation was to make all officers understand: the safety of Jiangnan's people concerns the reputation of the imperial army and the future direction of the war.

If we don't investigate strictly, someone will always treat Qin Feng's words as wind in the ear, believing his kindness toward civilians is merely acting in concert, a ploy to win public favor.

At that moment, Liu Ming returned.

"Your Royal Highness, after thorough investigation, this matter has nothing to do with our army!"

"Moreover, according to the Brocade Guard's military intelligence report, every village that suffered massacre lost only lives—no grain or wealth was plundered. It resembles… a blood feud."

Upon hearing this, Xu Mo frowned deeply and said sternly: "Could it be bandits?"

Liu Ming immediately rejected it: "No! Every village has survivors, and all survivors insist it was imperial troops who did it."

"The enemy must have disguised themselves as our soldiers, intending to smear our reputation."

"Where would bandits get so many standardized uniforms and equipment?"

Liu Ming had reached his basic conclusion: "Your Royal Highness, I suspect the garrison inside Gusu City is trying to muddy the waters!"

Before Qin Feng could respond, the officers present erupted.

All officers were outraged, clenching fists and cursing.

"Damned southern rebels—how shameless!"

"These Jiangnan civilians are not only subjects of Shedynasty, but also under southern jurisdiction—they kill their own people just to smear us! Utterly disgraceful!"

"Your Royal Highness, this cannot be allowed to pass unavenged."

"When the city falls, I'll kill hundreds of rebels just to vent my rage!"

Qin Feng wanted exactly this effect—only when every soldier treats the survival of Jiangnan's people as their own duty can true protection be achieved, not empty words.

Moreover, anger is the simplest way to boost morale.

Seeing his troops filled with righteous fury, Qin Feng realized the temperament control was right—he raised his arm and shouted loudly: "Seek revenge for the slaughtered civilians!"

Responses rose up in waves.

"Seek revenge!"

"What difference between Jiangnan civilians and Northern Border civilians? All are subjects of Shedynasty—anyone who harms civilians is our mortal enemy!"

"Exactly! Kill the rebels, avenge the blood feud!"

Qin Feng immediately ordered Xu Mo to mobilize troops and form a punitive detachment.

The punitive detachment would consist of one thousand men, divided into ten companies, each one hundred strong, to patrol around Gusu City.

Any soldier encountered, regardless of attire, must be thoroughly inspected.

If confirmed as southern border troops, they are to be killed on sight; simultaneously, dispatch the Brocade Guard to find any secret tunnels beneath Gusu City.

This was not enough—Qin Feng directly ordered Xu Mo.

"Deploy five thousand cavalry to assemble beneath Gusu City—these civilians cannot die in vain."

The next evening, five thousand cavalry stood ready less than a hundred steps from Gusu City.

Qin Feng arrived in person.

On the Gusu City Wall, defenders crowded thickly—Lin Wenwan personally ascended the wall to observe the battlefield.

Seeing Qin Feng had brought only pure cavalry, Lin Wenwan understood his intent.

"Don't worry—Qin Feng won't launch a military siege."

"This troop deployment is merely deliberate provocation, meant to disrupt our morale."

Gusu City was no longer what it once was.

With all remnants of the Jiangnan Governor's rebel faction purged, the officers beside Lin Wenwan were her loyal right-hand men.

Since Lin Wenwan said so, the officers naturally calmed down.

Just as Lin Wenwan was about to leave the wall, a sentry suddenly shouted:

"Danger! The enemy has siege equipment!"

What?!

Lin Wenwan furrowed her brows, spun around instantly, and gazed far into the distance—sure enough, she saw Qin Feng's army pushing row after row of Catapults into view.

Lin Wenwan counted them—there were six altogether!

Could it be… Qin Feng truly intends a Military Siege?

Impossible!

Lin Wenwan immediately dismissed this absurd notion: even if Qin Feng had all his troops assembled, let alone that he only had Cavalry, he could never take Gusu City.

The Catapults' purpose here was more provocation than practicality.

Yet even so, the defenders on the City Wall could not help growing tense—after all, these were Catapults; once struck by Massive Rocks, no armor would save you.

"Damn it, when did Qin Feng finish building these Catapults?"

"Back when Qin Feng was in Di, he used heavy Military Equipment to hold a lone city and repelled the entire Northern Di army's siege."

"Qin Feng's Tianji Camp has countless skilled artisans, and with his wealth, building Catapults would be easy."

"The enemy is all Cavalry—why not launch a sortie and destroy the Catapults outright?"