Chapter 1219

First Volume, Chapter 1219: This Miss Is Also Going to Be Capricious

The Vice Commander wanted to die—Liu Hongyan had made a decision with a single tap on her forehead, and the repercussions were deep and severe.

One tiny mistake, and not only the Front Line, but the entire Shedynasty might plunge into chaos.

Who doesn't know how much Liu Hongyan means to Qin Feng?

But the Second Miss had already decided; the Vice Commander could not defy her, and even if he wanted to notify Qin Feng, it was too late—Qin Feng was currently in Qilian Mountain conducting Bandit Suppression.

Finally, with no other choice, the Vice Commander begged desperately and managed to stall Liu Hongyan for two more days.

Taking advantage of this time, he immediately returned to the Front Line camp and reported the matter to Xu Mo.

Upon learning that Liu Hongyan intended to go to Beixi County, Xu Mo flew into a rage: "What are you all good for? Why didn't you stop the Second Miss?"

"If anything goes wrong on this journey, can you bear the responsibility?!"

Facing Xu Mo's scolding, the Vice Commander looked wounded: "General, how could I not have pleaded? My lips are nearly worn out—but when the Second Miss makes a decision, what can I do?"

"I nearly knelt down before her, and only then did she reluctantly agree to stay in Lingzhou for two more days."

"That's why I came back at once to report this to you, General."

Though Xu Mo was furious, he knew this wasn't anyone else's fault.

After confirming again and again that he could not dissuade Liu Hongyan, Xu Mo had no choice but to personally journey to Lingzhou.

Upon meeting Liu Hongyan, Xu Mo's demeanor was no different from the Vice Commander's—he appealed to her emotions and reason, even nearly kneeling.

"Second Miss, you don't need to rush to Beixi County right now."

"Wait until Prince Qin returns to take charge—I'll personally escort you both to Beixi County."

"At this critical deadline, Prince Qin is absent, and I must remain to control the battlefield. Sending anyone else to escort you and the Imperial Consort to Beixi County is simply too risky."

Liu Hongyan knew Xu Mo's relationship with Qin Feng, and knew he was one of the Three Main Generals of Beixi County, holding high rank and power.

Thus, she treated Xu Mo with courtesy—but her resolve did not waver an inch.

"Xu Mo, don't bother trying to dissuade me any further—the Empress and I have already made up our minds."

"If we don't go now, when we try again to reach Beixi County, it might be years from now."

"If Qin Feng blames me later, just shift all responsibility onto me—he's just a brat, can he really eat me?"

Since things had come to this, Xu Mo could only yield.

To ensure absolute safety, Xu Mo immediately assembled an escort force.

Fifty black cavalry, fifty Tianji Camp Guards, twenty Brocade Guard, twenty Anwu Guard, two hundred Beixi Light Cavalry, plus servants and attendants—altogether nearly four hundred men.

With this escort size, unless attacked by a thousand-strong Enemy Army, it was nearly impossible for anything to go wrong.

Two days later, Liu Hongyan and Xie Yun'er, along with two other women, departed for Beixi County under heavy guard, a grand procession.

Meanwhile, the battle within Qilian Mountain erupted once more.

Qin Feng, accompanied by Zhao Yuxiong and twenty Tianji Camp Guards, had already engaged Wu Heli.

The mountain forest battle was long, oppressive, intense, and nerve-wracking.

After all, none of them wore proper Armor—cold arrows were hard to defend against; whoever could hide in the shadows held the advantage.

Thus, Mountain Warfare tactics differed drastically from those on open plains.

Qin Feng crouched on the ground, using surrounding Tree Branches to conceal his body, gripping a Bow and Arrow in hand, a short blade stuck at his waist, his eyes scanning the front like a hawk's.

Within a hundred steps, silence reigned—save for the occasional birdcall, no other sound could be heard.

Nearly one Incense Stick Time passed before Qin Feng finally locked onto his target.

It was a bandit soldier lying motionless among dead leaves.

Had the birds not persistently pecked at the ground yet refused to approach that patch, drawing Qin Feng's attention, he never would have spotted the man.

Qin Feng held his Bow and Arrow, silently watching the enemy. Time passed, another Incense Stick Time went by, until the bandit soldier, racked with body aches, finally shifted his position.

Qin Feng finally raised his Bow and Arrow, aiming at the bandit.

The bandit shifted twice more, then froze again—Qin Feng lowered his bow.

Though his archery was no worse than a Tianji Camp Guard's, the target was small, lying flat, and the forest was thick with branches—hitting a target fifty steps away was still extremely difficult.

Good food waits; Qin Feng patiently waited out the bandit.

Zhao Yuxiong and the other Tianji Camp Guards were in the same situation—all dared not show themselves, hiding completely, lying in ambush.

This ambush had caught everyone off guard.

Even the Anwu Guard had failed to detect this bandit squad.

Qin Feng, leading the Tianji Camp Guards, had been surveying the terrain when they unexpectedly encountered the squad; after a brief, fierce battle, three bandits were killed, and one of Qin Feng's men was wounded.

After the brief clash, both sides hid—unless reinforcements arrived, they could only continue this stalemate.

More than an hour had passed since the initial clash, yet no further casualties occurred—both sides showed extraordinary patience, for this was a matter of life and death; who dared be careless?

Even the usually fearless Tianji Camp Guards had to "play it safe"—without full Armor, even the elite warriors were no different from ordinary Bow Infantry—each could be killed by a single arrow.

Zhao Yuxiong, only ten steps away from Qin Feng, had tried several times to approach and discuss a strategy—but each time, he held back.

Anyone who moved recklessly was asking to die.

At dusk, footsteps approached; judging by the direction, nine out of ten were Qin Feng's men.

The bandits lying in wait grew anxious—the arrival of Qin Feng's Reinforcements meant numerical superiority; the bandits now had only two choices: retreat immediately or be annihilated.

The bandits began crawling backward; as their bodies moved, their targets grew larger.

Qin Feng raised his bow again, nocked an arrow, held his breath, aimed at the retreating bandit, and when he was ninety percent certain, he snapped the Bow String.

The arrow flew true, striking the bandit squarely in the waist.

"Ah!"

The bandit cried out, rolled over, shifting from prone to side-on—his target now much larger—instantly, three arrows flew from different directions, pinning him to the ground dead.

The remaining bandits froze, no longer daring to retreat.

Surrounded by wolves in front and tigers behind, they grew extremely tense and agitated; the footsteps drew closer, so they decided to risk everything and rose to their feet, running toward the South.