Chapter 1221: First Volume, Chapter 1221: Fighting While Training

First Volume, Chapter 1221: Fighting While Training

The security of the Materials and Supplies Storage Points is of paramount importance.

The outer storage points are too far away, serving only as contingency measures beyond the mountains; within Qilian Mountain, Wu Heli can utilize only three storage points.

Losing any one of these storage points would be a devastating blow to Wu Heli.

The soldiers going hungry is secondary; the real fear is an outright mutiny.

After a brief consultation, Wu Heli and his two subordinates decided to temporarily form a vanguard and immediately march to the Materials and Supplies Storage Points to intercept Qin Feng's forces and protect the storage points.

The size of this vanguard must not be too large, and its members must be sufficiently loyal to Wu Heli.

Fortunately, Liu Biao offered assistance; he was familiar with the condition of his troops and, from among them, selected twenty soldiers who were relatively dependable.

These twenty soldiers became Wu Heli's key trusted subordinates, and upon learning that the storage points were highly likely to be attacked, they immediately accepted Wu Heli's orders and set out ahead.

After all, the safety of the Materials and Supplies Storage Points directly affected whether they themselves could survive—so for their own sake, they had no choice but to act.

Watching the vanguard's retreating figures, Wu Heli finally felt his anxiety ease slightly.

Although he could not be certain whether any of these twenty soldiers were traitors, as long as he still held the locations of the other two storage points, he would not fear being stripped of authority or eliminated.

Qin Feng, who had been pursuing from the Rear, suddenly ordered his troops to halt.

Zhao Yuxiong frowned in confusion: "Brother Qin, are we stopping again to reconnoiter the terrain?"

Qin Feng shook his head; he had stopped only because a more intriguing idea had come to mind.

"This is a closed environment—no matter what happens here, the outside world remains completely unaware."

"If so, why not temporarily lower our standards?"

Hearing this, Zhao Yuxiong and Zhao Zhenhai exchanged a glance, clearly unsure what Qin Feng meant.

Zhao Yuxiong furrowed his brow: "Brother Qin, just say it outright."

"What do you mean by… lowering the standards?"

"What are you planning?"

Under their puzzled gazes, Qin Feng's lips curled slightly into a sly smile.

"Chasing them all the way is boring!"

"Since this expedition is meant to map Qilian Mountain's terrain, why not use the opportunity for further testing?"

"I want to see how quickly these bandits' morale collapses under desperation."

"From these bandits, we can directly infer the condition of the Er Liu Zhengfu Jun."

Hearing this, Zhao Zhenhai was even more confused: "What does the Qin King intend to do?"

Qin Feng narrowed his eyes and replied with a counter-question: "How much meat do we have on hand?"

Zhao Zhenhai shrugged: "None at all. This is deep wilderness—supplying materials is too troublesome. Even the food our Comrades are eating was seized from Wu Heli's Materials and Supplies Storage Points."

"The first batch of supplies won't arrive until tomorrow evening."

Qin Feng nodded: "Then there's no rush—we'll wait until the Zhongying arrives."

Zhao Yuxiong and Zhao Zhenhai couldn't fathom Qin Feng's intentions, but since they held absolute superiority, even if Qin Feng did something bizarre, it wouldn't matter.

Qin Feng immediately ordered a military garrison on the spot; soon after, Wu Heli received the news.

Learning that Qin Feng had stopped, Wu Heli swiftly ordered his troops to halt their military retreat and rest in place.

Although their grain and materials were scarce, prolonged marching over difficult mountain trails had left his soldiers thoroughly disgruntled.

Seizing this chance to rest was not necessarily a bad thing.

Wu Cheng, however, grew suspicious: "Big Brother, why would Qin Feng suddenly stop?"

"His supplies are clearly more abundant than ours, and his troops have the physical advantage—he should keep pressing the pursuit relentlessly."

"Something strange is afoot—I suspect Qin Feng is plotting another trick."

Wu Heli shared this suspicion.

He ordered rest while simultaneously dispatching reconnaissance teams to observe and determine Qin Feng's intentions as much as possible.

Meanwhile, Qin Feng had already begun leading his troops to set up tents and construct makeshift shelters.

Although spring had arrived, sleeping under the open sky at night was still extremely harsh.

Since they were stopping, they might as well make themselves as comfortable as possible without compromising safety.

After all, Qin Feng was certain Wu Heli would never dare send troops to attack.

The men finally got a good night's sleep, restored their strength, and the next morning, still without any intention to pursue, Qin Feng led them in building cooking stoves.

Seeing the stoves being built, Zhao Zhenhai burst out laughing: "Hahaha, Qin King, no wonder you stopped—you're planning a good meal?"

Qin Feng smiled broadly, casually replying: "Naturally."

"The Comrades have worked hard lately; treating them to a good meal is only right."

"By standard procedure, the supply train's Materials and Supplies must include meat."

"But meat is hard to store, and for marching troops, its cost-to-benefit ratio is low—it's better to consume it immediately and carry only the most essential supplies."

"Comrades, tonight, open wide and eat your fill—finish off every bit of the meat that arrives."

"It reduces waste and lightens the burden on the Zhongying for their return journey."

At these words, the crowd erupted in cheers.

Meanwhile, two hidden reconnaissance scouts nearby couldn't help whispering among themselves.

"What the hell are these guys up to?"

"They suddenly stopped chasing—and now they're cheering?"

"Could Qin Feng have decided to turn back? Are they so happy because they can finally leave Qilian Mountain?"

"Hah, don't be naive—Qin Feng built shelters and stoves—he clearly plans to stay long-term."

"Can't figure it out… but we'll report this to the Commander first."

Two scouts slipped away silently, and that evening, the Supply Train appeared before Qin Feng as promised.

Fifty men, leading fifty donkeys, carried heavy sacks of grain, exhausted beyond measure.

Having finally joined Qin Feng, the soldiers of the Supply Train let out sighs of relief.

"Your Highness, we have fulfilled our mission— all materials have been delivered safely."

"Please count them, Your Highness."

Qin Feng waved his hand, signaling no need for an inventory.

"Keep the meat, fried cakes, and Helmeted Rations, along with the Arrows. Return the rest."

Hearing this, the soldiers of the Supply Train froze in shock.

They had endured countless hardships to bring these materials here— only to unload half and carry the rest back?

Was this a joke?

The lead Colonel frowned tightly: "Your Highness, why return the materials? Isn't this a wasted journey?"