Chapter 1220: First Volume, Chapter 1220: Mountain Encounter Battle

First Volume, Chapter 1220: Mountain Encounter Battle

Nearly thirty bandit soldiers scattered in panic.

Since the bandits were to the south and Qin Feng to the north, their backs were exposed as they fled.

Qin Feng naturally had no further hesitation; he rose swiftly, raised his bow and arrow, and shot another man dead.

The Tianji Camp Guards also rose one by one from their hiding spots and unleashed a barrage of ranged attacks on the fleeing bandits.

Unfortunately, even the Tianji Camp Guards' pinpoint archery could not be fully effective in the forested terrain.

After several rounds of shooting, only five bandits were killed; the rest vanished into the hills within moments.

"Qin Brother, should we pursue?" Zhao Yuxiong, participating in mountain warfare for the first time, felt both nervous and excited.

Qin Feng waved his hand, decisively saying: "Don't pursue."

"The mountains are treacherous; the enemy only needs to climb one ridge to disappear from sight and could strike us back at any moment."

"Rash pursuit would invite counterattack and inevitably cause casualties."

Zhao Yuxiong nodded, no longer lingering thoughts on the fleeing bandits.

He knew that since joining Qin Feng, this was the first time he had felt such tension—even when facing the Northern Di army, Zhao Yuxiong had charged fearlessly into battle.

But here in the mountains, he felt that any single bandit could easily kill him; his once fearless mindset had completely vanished.

At that moment, Zhao Zhenhai arrived with the main force.

Seeing the corpses on the ground, Zhao Zhenhai realized Qin Feng had just encountered enemies, and grew tense.

"Prince Qin, are you alright?"

Qin Feng lowered his bow, took several deep breaths, calmed his tense and serious mood, and returned to his usual carefree demeanor.

"We encountered a group of deserters—no real danger."

Zhao Yuxiong frowned slightly: "Qin Brother, how do you know these men are deserters?"

Qin Feng replied bluntly: "Look—the bodies all carry grain sacks."

"Wu Heli, to consolidate his authority, must have enforced centralized control of materials and supplies."

"These men likely grew tired of fleeing with Wu Heli, stole the grain, and broke away from him, planning to leave Qilian Mountain."

"Precisely because they deserted the main force, they evaded the Anwu Guard's reconnaissance."

Saying this, Qin Feng smiled lightly: "It's not so much that they succeeded in bandit defection as it is that Wu Heli deliberately let them go."

"He intends to use them to consume our forces."

Hearing this, Zhao Yuxiong's tone grew somber, his eyes filled with concern.

"If this continues, won't it grow increasingly unfavorable for us?"

"The cannon fodder and disloyal men are gradually being consumed, and the deeper they go, the more they'll rely on Wu Heli—only growing more loyal."

"Wu Heli and Wu Cheng are no pushovers; when they gain a larger force of loyal soldiers and numerical superiority, the threat is undeniable."

Zhao Yuxiong's analysis was largely correct, but he overlooked the most critical point.

Qin Feng remained calm and unperturbed, giving not a single thought to the opposing bandits.

"Brother Yuxiong, tell me—what matters most in the deep mountains?"

Zhao Yuxiong thought for a moment, then replied softly: "Materials and supplies?"

Qin Feng immediately affirmed: "Correct—it's materials and supplies."

"Hundreds of bandits on the move, without beasts of burden, carrying military supplies—they can't carry much grain."

"As the saying goes: 'Seeing a mountain doesn't mean you can reach it—it may take one or two days, or even three or four, to cross.'"

"Wu Heli must reach the next supply depot before his current materials are consumed."

"That's why Wu Heli dares not detour."

Saying this, Qin Feng called Zhao Zhenhai over, took out the map of Qilian Mountain he had drawn these past days, and pointed directly to Zhao Yuxiong.

"From En Mountain to the Xia Gu Wu Zi Chu Bei Dian, Wu Heli's route has been bold and direct."

"But after leaving the valley, Wu Heli has marched almost entirely in straight lines—confirming my theory: he fears running out of supplies and must reach the next depot as quickly as possible."

"I've already sent the Anwu Guard ahead, following this straight path to scout for the next supply depot."

"Once we destroy it, Wu Heli's materials will be exhausted—then, without grain, his forces will collapse on their own."

Zhao Yuxiong suddenly understood—no wonder Qin Feng had remained so composed; he never intended to crush Wu Heli head-on, but to starve him to death.

Zhao Yuxiong's expression instantly lightened.

"So that's it…"

"Though Wu Heli has the support of the Powerful Clans of Nan Jing, this is Qilian Mountain—their hands cannot reach here."

"In other words, Wu Heli is utterly isolated; his only reliance is the pre-stored materials in the mountains."

"Meanwhile, though our army has advanced deep, we still have the Front Line behind us—we can replenish from Wu Heli's strongholds, and the Zhongying soldiers can continuously deliver materials and supplies."

"We only need to mark our route."

Qin Feng's lips curled slightly: "Correct. Mountain Warfare and Siege Warfare differ vastly in tactics, but their strategic principles are the same."

"Direct confrontation will inevitably cost heavy casualties; victory doesn't require fighting at all."

"Starving the enemy into surrender without bloodshed is the true path."

"Rather than fixating on Wu Heli, we should guard more carefully against Scattered Soldiers and Wanderers and Cold Arrows—after all, in the deep mountains, cold arrows are impossible to fully prevent."

Zhao Yuxiong now had not a single doubt left; he even felt Wu Heli's defeat was certain—only a matter of time.

Qin Feng, bow on his back, led the troops in steady pursuit of Wu Heli.

From the moment Wu Heli entered Qilian Mountain, his destruction was sealed—he had trapped himself in a dead end.

On the other side, Wu Heli's mood grew heavier by the hour.

He felt a persistent unease, as if something terrible was about to happen.

Long after, Wu Heli suddenly stopped walking, his brow furrowed: "I've clearly overlooked something extremely important!"

Wu Cheng and Liu Biao exchanged a glance and asked in unison: "What is it?"

Wu Heli slowly turned around, gazing toward the Rear, his gaze heavy: "We've been so focused on marching that our Path Lines are far too obvious."

"Given Qin Feng's strategy, he would surely anticipate our moves and strike first."

"He's almost certainly sent out a vanguard to race ahead of us and destroy the Materials and Supplies Storage Points."

At these words, Wu Cheng's heart lurched.

"Big Brother, we must send troops immediately to guard the Storage Points!"

Wu Heli naturally understood this logic, but he could not do so—the locations of the Materials and Supplies Storage Points were known only to him and Wu Cheng, and could not be revealed to a third person.