Chapter 1258: First Volume, Chapter 1258: Standing Equal in Opposition

First Volume, Chapter 1258: Standing Equal in Opposition

Qin Tianhu had been walking beside Li Xiaolan all along, unable to suppress his heartache for this daughter.

This girl had lived in Beixi County since childhood, following the Cheng Clan back there, enduring countless hardships; among the four daughters, Qin Tianhu owed the most to Li Xiaolan.

Now, after finally enduring to the end, she once again risked everything to cover the Qin Family's retreat.

The more sensible this child became, the more it pained Qin Tianhu.

Although both Li Xiaolan and Liu Hongyan always thought of others, they were two entirely different types: Liu Hongyan was meticulous in every detail, always radiating boundless warmth.

In contrast, Li Xiaolan was far colder; though she too thought of others in every action, she only acted without speaking, silently giving.

Even now, as Mingyue Princess, showered with endless favor, she still regarded the Qin Family as her only home, deeply moving Qin Tianhu.

"Xiaolan, you've suffered so much."

Sensing the guilt in Qin Tianhu's gaze, Li Xiaolan smiled gently, composed and dignified.

"Father need not blame himself; after all, I am part of the Qin Family, and naturally must give for it."

"Moreover, Father did not leave me behind in Jingdu out of concern for His Majesty—I am already deeply grateful."

"As long as we survive this crisis, we will reunite as a family; the closer we are to the end, the more we must hold firm."

Qin Tianhu had intended to comfort Li Xiaolan, but she comforted him instead—his heart swelled with pride yet grew heavy.

Under Li Xiaolan's leadership, the column advanced another half a Envoy.

At that moment, a scout ran up: "Old Master, Young Madam, the main pursuit force has arrived—estimated at over three thousand men."

Hearing this, Qin Tianhu and Li Xiaolan exchanged a glance and simultaneously halted.

With the main pursuit force now appearing, continuing forward was meaningless.

Even Li Xiaolan's intervention had only delayed them by less than two Envoy; she gazed deeply northward, wondering how far Qin Feng still was from here.

At the same moment, Qin Feng was galloping wildly on horseback.

Since receiving the news, Qin Feng had not paused once, not even closed his eyes; eating, drinking, and relieving himself were all done on horseback.

Qin Feng wished he could sprout wings and fly straight there, but while the man could endure it, the Warhorse could not—this intensity of marching pushed everyone to their limit.

Zhao Zhenhai rode up beside him and shouted: "Qin Wang, we must rest! If we keep running, the Warhorses will die."

Since Qin Feng had withdrawn from the Front Line, he carried no spare horses; prolonged travel without rest or replenishment meant any Warhorse could collapse at any moment.

Once the Warhorses are lost, reaching his family in time becomes even more impossible.

With no choice, Qin Feng suppressed his burning desire to rush home and ordered a full halt.

Qin Feng took the chance to dismount, ran to the side to urinate, and when he returned, found nearly everyone collapsed on the ground, as if unconscious.

"Looks like the Comrades are utterly exhausted; once we return to the Northern Border, I'll throw a grand feast to properly reward you all."

Hearing Qin Feng's words, Zhao Zhenhai, sitting on the ground and rubbing his thighs, let out a bitter laugh.

"My legs feel like they're broken—bouncing on horseback all this time, I'm ready to collapse the moment I dismount."

"Qin Wang really must reward us well."

"Come to think of it, we haven't returned to Beixi County in nearly half a year; when we get back, I'm going to get utterly, completely drunk—until the world spins."

Qin Feng rubbed his own thighs and grinned broadly: "Just hold on a little longer—once we're back, all your drinking expenses are on me."

"And I'll give you all half a month's leave—go home and spend time with your wives and children."

Hearing this, though utterly exhausted, the soldiers erupted in cheers.

To serve a lord like this—even death would be worth it.

At that moment, Zhao Zhenhai lowered his voice and asked quietly: "Returning to Beixi County now—isn't that essentially standing equal in opposition to the Court…?"

Qin Feng sat beside Zhao Zhenhai, his gaze complex.

"His Majesty is still His Majesty—beneath the Dragon Throne, no one else may sleep soundly."

"No matter how loyal the Qin Family is, if our strength grows too great, His Majesty will lose sleep."

"If we wish to prevent our family from being purged in Jingdu, returning to Beixi County is our only option."

Though Qin Feng gave no direct answer, Zhao Zhenhai understood: once they withdrew, they could never return to Jingdu again.

Even… they would become another Powerful Clan in the Liang Emperor's eyes.

Qin Feng led his army to crush the Nan Jing Powerful Clans, yet ended up becoming one himself—such is the whims of fate.

Zhao Zhenhai took a deep breath, his gaze resolute: "My entire family is already in Beixi County—so what if we stand equal in opposition?"

"My life has long belonged to Qin Wang."

"Born a man of Beixi County, I'll die a ghost of Beixi County."

Qin Feng was deeply moved; though parting ways with Zhao Yuxiong had pained him greatly, beside him stood so many loyal, righteous Comrades—it was enough.

At that moment, the surrounding soldiers burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, who'd have thought that after fighting bloodily for Shedynasty all this time, we'd end up labeled traitors?"

"What damn traitors? If the Liang Emperor is unrighteous, don't blame us for being unloyal."

"If we bow and submit, Beixi County will soon be seized by the Liang Emperor—he'll send legions of Officials to seize power."

"You all know how shameless those corrupt ministers are—if they take control of Beixi County, our good days are over."

"Exactly! If you want to take our homes, step over my corpse first."

Seeing his men vow to follow him to death, Qin Feng was profoundly moved—but he cleared his throat and declared solemnly: "We are not traitors!"

"From start to finish, we have regarded the safety of Shedynasty's people as our duty—we've merely parted ways with His Majesty."

"What is shameful about defending our homeland?"

"Whether Qin Wang or Qin Marquis, it makes no difference to me—after all, the Northern Border has never been Qin Feng's alone; it belongs to all Comrades and the people."

"In the Northern Border, everyone is a master!"

These words stirred the soldiers' blood—life under Qin Feng's command, with its comforts and privileges, could never be matched by the Liang Emperor.

Even the Liang Emperor would dismember the entire Northern Border, stealing all its wealth back to Jingdu.

They would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen; if the day ever came when they met on the battlefield, they would also swear to defend every inch of the Northern Border to the death.

And now, the most important thing was to welcome the Qin Family Members back to the Northern Border.