Chapter 1222: First Volume, Chapter 1222: The Power of Meat

First Volume, Chapter 1222: The Power of Meat

"If the Prince of Qin feels these materials are too much, leave them here and send someone to retrieve them when needed—consider them reserve supplies."

Qin Feng waved his hand, signaling the Zhongying commander to say no more.

"I'm having you take them back precisely to train your ability to transport materials through mountainous terrain."

"Not only must you carry them back, but you must also summarize your experience—transporting materials in mountains differs drastically from plains."

"If one day we must move large quantities of supplies deep into the mountains, this will serve as our basis of experience."

"Once we return to the Front Line, beidi War Command: all Zhongying units stationed at the Front Line shall mobilize and enter the mountains to rendezvous with me."

"Remember: do not come empty-handed. Besides carrying essential supplies, bring as much heavy cargo as possible, to accumulate precious experience in extreme-condition mountain logistics."

So that's the plan—the Zhongying commander suddenly understood, and immediately had not a single doubt left.

Following Qin Feng's orders, they unloaded only the necessary materials; all other supplies remained untouched.

The Zhongying turned back, while Qin Feng stared at the two hundred pounds of cured meat piled before him and grew excited.

"Comrades, what are you waiting for? Light the fires and cook!"

"Tonight, we eat only meat—not a single grain of millet!"

The troops, long impatient, immediately lit pots, chopped the cured meat, and either stewed it in cauldrons or roasted it directly over flames.

Soon, the rich aroma of meat spread through the forest.

The Wu Heli faction, resting on the opposite Shan Po, smelled the meat and erupted in chaos.

The bandit soldiers scrambled up, staring toward Qin Feng's direction—some wailed, others stamped and cursed.

"What's going on? Is Qin Feng that bastard roasting meat?"

"The scent traveled this far—there must be a lot of meat roasting."

"They've gone this deep into the Qilian Mountains—and still have meat to eat!"

"Comparing ourselves to them makes us want to die—look at their rations, look at ours."

Since entering the mountains with Wu Heli, the bandit soldiers had tasted not a single scrap of meat, for all supplies had been pre-stocked by Wu Heli.

Meat could not be stored—so the soldiers ate only millet and dry flour cakes, with fermented soybeans as their only flavor.

Had they not smelled the meat, they might have endured it.

But now, with the scent of meat in the air, their mouths flooded with saliva—they were starving for it.

Wu Heli, watching his soldiers brimming with resentment, finally understood Qin Feng's intent.

This man clearly sensed the shift in morale and deliberately roasted meat to undermine the morale of Wu Heli's troops.

Wu Heli immediately ordered: depart at once, press forward toward the Wu Zi Chu Bei Dian, and leave this "trouble zone" as fast as possible.

Unfortunately, at this moment, Wu Heli's command held little authority.

The resentful bandit soldiers had endured enough suffering under Wu Heli—they shouted loudly.

"We're all soldiers—how can the difference be this extreme?"

"Isn't that true? Since entering the mountains, we've only run and hid from battle—it's suffocating."

"Rather than keep fleeing, let's fight Qin Feng to the death—even if we die, we'll die with dignity."

"Climbing mountains day after day—it's worse than death."

"Qin Feng went deep into the Qilian Mountains too, yet he still eats meat—while we eat bran and vegetables—why?"

"Commander, you pre-stocked supplies in the mountains—why didn't you store more meat?"

Wu Heli's face darkened—meat spoils easily, doesn't last more than a few days, not even cured meat.

The Qilian Mountains are still cold now, but when the weather warms, humidity rises—and even cured meat will rot quickly.

Wu Heli never imagined his hard-won military morale would be shaken by a single piece of meat.

"Qin Feng—is this your tactic?!"

"Truly, impossible to guard against."

Wu Cheng, seeing this, shouted sharply: "As soldiers, you rebel because you can't eat meat—what kind of soldiers are you?"

"Don't forget—the mountain supplies are in my and the Commander's hands. If you dare rebel, you won't get meat—you won't even get grain."

The bandit soldiers all knew their lives were tied to Wu Heli and Wu Cheng.

They were far from the mountains' edge—without sufficient supplies, escape was impossible.

Moreover…

Though they were soldiers from Nan Jing, they knew nothing of the Qilian Mountains' terrain—without Wu Heli and Wu Cheng to guide them, they'd be lost in moments.

In short, without Wu Heli, they were dead.

As for defecting to Qin Feng—it was unthinkable…

Everyone knew Qin Feng despised evil, tolerated no corruption—they had slaughtered countless civilians; Qin Feng would never forgive them.

And to extract valuable intelligence, they'd inevitably endure torture worse than death.

The bandit soldiers looked at Wu Heli and Wu Cheng with hatred—but they bowed their heads anyway.

Feeling their stares, Wu Heli sighed inwardly.

A single piece of meat had made his own soldiers hate him with every fiber of their being.

Qin Feng truly was impossible to guard against…

Wu Heli could only endure the pressure and forcibly lead his men onward.

Soon, the Anwu Guard delivered the news to Qin Feng—Wu Heli had departed. Qin Feng smiled.

"Running off so fast—clearly, the killing power of meat's aroma in these deep mountains is immense."

Zhao Zhenhai, chewing roasted meat, laughed heartily: "Your Highness, this trick of yours is brilliant."

"Perfect timing—the wind shifted, carrying the scent far—Wu Heli and his bandits must be drooling by now."

Even the usually meticulous Zhao Yuxiong found Qin Feng's move masterful.

Yet he did not believe in coincidence; it was not that Qin Feng had good luck and encountered a shift in mountain winds, but that Qin Feng had sensed the wind's change and seized the opportunity to devise a corresponding plan.

In Zhao Yuxiong's lifetime, he admired only one person: Qin Feng.

Merely this ability to adapt to circumstances and respond flexibly was enough for Zhao Yuxiong to spend his entire life learning.

Although Qin Feng had achieved his goal, he did not rush to advance; he let the squad settle down, eat and drink their fill, rest on the spot, and wait until tomorrow to pursue — there was no hurry.

Qin Feng had inventoried Wu Heli's stored Materials and Supplies, so he knew the Wu Heli tribe's rations were poor.

Once they smelled meat, Wu Heli's bandit troops would surely feel exhausted and their horses worn out, drastically reducing their marching speed.

One declines as the other rises!

Whether destroying the Materials and Supplies Storage Point or pursuing methodically, they would eventually catch up to Wu Heli.

Qin Feng was in no hurry at all!