Chapter 1204: First Volume, Chapter 1204: The Wolf of the North

First Volume, Chapter 1204: The Wolf of the North

Of Chen Yanzong's hundred cavalry, those stationed at the village entrance to guard the horses fled immediately upon sensing danger; all the bandits who dismounted and entered Maguan Village were slaughtered to the last man.

The fleeing bandits were also pursued by the Beixi Light Cavalry.

As Qin Feng had anticipated, the bandits headed straight for Duhekou—exactly as expected, they were ambushed by the Beixi Light Cavalry already waiting there.

After being caught in a pincer attack, the last ten bandits lost six on the spot; the remaining four were captured alive.

From the moment Qin Feng arrived at Maguan Village until the battle ended, less than two hours had passed.

After the battle, a count revealed twenty-seven male villagers dead, mostly strong, able-bodied men.

Thinking of families that had lost their pillars, Qin Feng felt deep sorrow—he longed to make amends to the people of Maguan Village, but the dead could not be brought back, and what he could do was extremely limited.

Qin Feng immediately ordered his troops to help the villagers handle the funerals.

On the open ground before the Ancestral Hall, Qin Feng sat on a stone roller, watching the four bandits brought before him, and waved his hand casually.

"You don't need so many—keep one, kill the rest outright."

The four bandits instantly screamed in terror, but their cries only deepened Qin Feng's revulsion, winning not a shred of pity.

Three bandits were dragged away; the remaining one trembled violently, his face ashen.

As a soldier of Nan Jing, he had heard of Qin Feng's name; now seeing the man himself, it felt like a nightmare.

"Qin… Qin Wang, whatever you wish to ask, I will answer fully, without hiding a single thing."

What nonsense! This prince before him was a man who killed without blinking.

Even if he had a hundred times his courage, he would never dare to deceive Qin Feng.

Qin Feng did not waste words: "Is Wu Heli your leader?"

The bandit nodded frantically: "Yes, Your Highness—Wu Heli is our commander. He took money from the powerful clans of Nan Jing and serves them."

"The Powerful Clans of Nan Jing promised him one thousand taels of silver for every village they slaughtered."

Hearing this, Qin Feng's gaze turned sharp.

A single village, with dozens or even two or three hundred lives, was worth only one thousand taels of silver?

To smear Qin Feng, the Powerful Clans of Nan Jing had spared no cruelty—this act truly made them worse than beasts.

Originally, Qin Feng had considered that if he conquered Nan Jing, he should proceed with extreme caution against these deeply rooted Powerful Clans.

Now, he had completely abandoned any thought of mercy—every Powerful Clan of Nan Jing would be eliminated, without a single wrongful case.

Sensing the raging killing intent radiating from Qin Feng, the bandit broke into a cold sweat.

"Your Highness, the massacres of Datian Village and others were all carried out by Wu Heli alone."

"Please, Your Highness, I have never taken part in any massacre—this is my first time out, I've always stayed outside guarding the horses, never entered any village."

"I beg Your Highness to spare this dog's life."

Qin Feng ignored the bandit's pleas and continued, expressionless: "Is Wu Heli's hiding place Xiaoshangang?"

The bandit shook his head violently: "No! It's En Mountain, southwest of Xiaoshangang."

En Mountain?

Qin Feng knew the place—it was one of the mountains in the Jiangnan Qilian Mountains, not large in area but with extremely complex terrain.

Wu Heli choosing it as his hideout made sense.

Moreover, Qin Feng suspected Wu Heli had already transported substantial materials and supplies into En Mountain; should he be surrounded, he would flee into the mountains immediately—and once inside the Qilian Mountains, capturing him would be like searching for a needle in a sea.

To capture Wu Heli, every detail must be clarified.

Though Qin Feng longed to kill the beast before him, for the sake of the greater plan, he held back.

"Tell me everything you know about Wu Heli."

"Whether you live tonight depends on how valuable your information is."

Realizing he still had a chance to live, the bandit burst into ecstatic joy—he knelt before Qin Feng, banged his head several times on the ground, then began speaking nonstop.

"Your Highness, Wu Heli has over six hundred men with him, and more than ten thousand taels of silver."

"Also, he has transported five thousand taels worth of materials and supplies into En Mountain and the Qilian Mountains—on the advice of Military Advisor Wu Cheng."

"According to Wu Cheng, slaughtering civilians is not righteous and will inevitably invite encirclement."

"Even if Nan Jing succeeds in driving back Your Highness, the Powerful Clans of Nan Jing will never truly rely on Wu Heli—someone must bear the blame for slaughtering civilians."

"So Wu Heli pretends to cooperate with the Powerful Clans of Nan Jing, but in truth, he plans to break away and establish his own power."

"I… I overheard Wu Cheng and Wu Heli talking only while on guard duty."

Qin Feng raised his hand, cutting him off, frowning: "Wu Heli has a Military Advisor? How much do you know about this Wu Cheng?"

The bandit thought for a moment: "I only remember that the Military Advisor was once a scholar who fled his hometown after getting into trouble, then met Wu Heli and became sworn brothers with him."

"Wu Cheng is Wu Heli's scheming advisor."

Based on the bandit's information, Qin Feng had formed a basic judgment.

Since Wu Heli has been transporting materials into the Qilian Mountains, he never intended to join the Powerful Clans of Nan Jing—he plans to become a mountain king.

Once he establishes a solid foundation in the Qilian Mountains and builds a large bandit stronghold, he won't need to beg for favor from the Powerful Clans of Nan Jing—eventually, for the sake of regional peace, other powers will come to negotiate with him.

Becoming a bandit is, for Wu Heli, returning to his old trade—he is naturally skilled at it.

But then again, if Wu Heli never intended to become a Nan Jing commander, why send Chen Yanzong on such a risky mission for the massacres?

He could have simply sent a few men to raid villages at random.

Yet he went out of his way, deliberately targeting Maguan Village—a large, hard-to-crack village.

There must be hidden motives here.

Could Chen Yanzong, his sworn brother, have been betrayed by Wu Heli?

Qin Feng immediately asked: "What is the relationship between Chen Yanzong and Wu Heli?"

The bandit didn't hesitate: "They are sworn brothers, very close—but recently, they seem to have had some conflict."

Wu Heli and Wu Cheng both strongly opposed wiping out the village; killing only the men would suffice.

But Chen Yanzong cared nothing for such considerations—he spared not a single old person, child, or woman.