Chapter 1210

First Volume, Chapter 1210: Preparing Before the Rain

The Lady of Qiyang Commandery crossed her arms and struck a pose of "I have backup."

"What kind of talk is that? Why can't I come?"

Watching the Lady of Qiyang Commandery's smug expression, Qin Feng sighed inwardly.

Wasn't this girl just the classic "best friend"?

The thought of Xie Yun'er and the Lady of Qiyang Commandery teaming up against him made Qin Feng break into a cold sweat.

Considering that the matter at Maguan Village had just settled, even if Wu Heli were even more arrogant, he couldn't continue terrorizing the people, and furthermore, traveling to En Mountain required meticulous preparation.

So Qin Feng decided not to rush, staying in the camp to keep company with Xie Yun'er and the three women—though this move was also meant to persuade them to let him go to En Mountain for bandit suppression.

How could Liu Hongyan not see through Qin Feng's scheming?

During lunch, Liu Hongyan let out a light huff and said irritably, "Feng'er, I advise you to give up this idea right now."

"You're no longer alone—you carry the weight of the entire Qin Family and even Shedynasty."

"I've already asked Liu Ming—the terrain of En Mountain is complex, and it's part of the Qilian Mountains."

"Once you enter the deep mountains, no matter how many troops you have, they won't be able to reinforce you in time; if anything goes wrong, the consequences are unimaginable."

With Liu Hongyan's intelligence, she naturally understood the hidden dangers of suppressing bandits on En Mountain.

Qin Feng was not a man who sought adventure; he never acted unless he had over ninety percent certainty.

But this time was different—unless Wu Heli was eliminated, he would remain a grave threat, and most crucially, this man had escaped right under Qin Feng's nose; even if it was too late to mend the fold, Qin Feng himself must mend it.

"Second Sister, you traveled thousands of miles to the Front Line—surely you didn't come just to supervise me?"

Seeing Qin Feng's carefree demeanor, Liu Hongyan grew furious.

"Don't change the subject—I forbid you from going to En Mountain, do you hear me?"

Although Xie Yun'er was also "powerful," even in her fiercest anger, she would never grab Qin Feng's ear—but Liu Hongyan didn't just grab ears; when her temper flared, she hit wherever she could reach.

Compared to Shen Qingci, Qin Feng feared this Second Sister more.

Realizing he must clarify the stakes or Liu Hongyan would never let him go to En Mountain, he took a deep breath and explained with sincere expression.

"Second Sister, my going to En Mountain to suppress bandits is not about showing off, nor is it about slacking off and ignoring the bigger picture."

"Since arriving at the Front Line, I've engaged the Nan Jing forces fewer than five times—most of the time has been spent in Standoff."

"Now, the Nan Jing garrison is trapped within their city, and the key to winning this war lies not in troop numbers, but in public sentiment."

"The Powerful Clans of Nan Jing understand this perfectly, which is why they've hired mercenaries like Wu Heli to burn, kill, and plunder around Gusu City."

"And they've dumped all the blame onto me, aiming to make the local people hate me."

"Once we lose public support, the people of Nan Jing will side with the Gusu City Garrison and launch Bandit Collaboration against us—then this war will turn extremely unfavorable for us."

Qin Feng knew clearly that merely eliminating Wu Heli wouldn't prevent such incidents from recurring.

The Powerful Clans of Nan Jing would hire other bandits and Rebel Party members to continue harassing the locals.

But Qin Feng's stance was firm: whether Wu Heli or any other Rebel Party bandits, anyone who dared harm the locals would be killed—no mercy, no exceptions.

Wu Heli's symbolic value outweighed his practical threat; only by eliminating him could the locals see Qin Feng's determination.

Conversely, if we gave up pursuing him simply because he hid in the deep forests,

then in the future, whenever other bandits or Rebel Party members appeared, we'd halt at the first resistance—how could the locals ever develop confidence in Qin Feng?

"Second Sister, crushing Wu Heli—on a small scale, it determines whether the people of Nan Jing can live in peace; on a grand scale, it determines the future of Shedynasty."

Liu Hongyan knew Qin Feng would never do anything meaningless.

But given Qin Feng's current status and position, personally leading troops into the deep wilderness to suppress bandits was simply unreasonable.

Even Xie Yun'er sided with Liu Hongyan.

"Husband, Second Sister doesn't object to suppressing bandits—she wonders why you can't send subordinates instead of going yourself."

Qin Feng sighed and explained patiently.

"There are three reasons."

"First, I must make amends for my past mistake—if I had killed Wu Heli in Ming County, none of this would have happened."

"I let the tiger return to the mountains, causing deaths among the people of Nan Jing."

"Second, the Beixi Soldiers are skilled in Open Field Battle and Siege Warfare, but they lack experience in Mountain Warfare and water combat."

"Gusu City is merely the first DefensiveLine of Nan Jing; even if we capture it, advancing further south will lead us into even more complex terrain."

"With mountains and rivers everywhere, without sufficient combat experience, my Beixi Soldiers will suffer heavy losses."

"Going to En Mountain to suppress bandits is also a form of indirect training—preparing us in advance for Nan Jing's harsh and complex terrain."

At this point, Qin Feng paused, looking at the complex expressions on Xie Yun'er and Liu Hongyan's faces; after much hesitation, he finally voiced his true thoughts.

"The Qilian Mountains are not far from Gusu City, yet to this day, they remain in their most primitive state."

"Few dare to enter because the forests are dense and filled with countless dangers."

"Taking control of the Qilian Mountains benefits both me and the entire Qin Family—no downside at all."

Take control?

Hearing Qin Feng's words, Liu Hongyan and Xie Yun'er both showed expressions of confusion.

Qin Feng's territory was in the Northern Border—ten thousand miles away—why had he suddenly developed such strong interest in the Qilian Mountains?

Seeing the doubt in their eyes, Qin Feng stopped circling the issue.

"More escape routes, more safeguards!"

"The higher my position now, the harder I'll fall in the future."

"His Majesty's favor toward me is entirely based on the threat posed by the Powerful Clans of Nan Jing."

"Now that the Di threat is resolved, and if the Powerful Clans of Nan Jing are also eliminated, once Shedynasty's internal and external dangers vanish, will His Majesty still treat me as he does now?"

"Seizing the Qilian Mountains is Preparing Before the Rain."

Hearing this, Liu Hongyan, taken aback by the shock, instinctively covered her mouth.

Xie Yun Ru and the Princess of Qiyang Commandery exchanged stunned glances; they had never imagined Qin Feng had thought so far ahead.

The Southern Campaign had barely begun, yet he had already considered what would happen after the great battle ended…