Chapter 1279

First Volume, Chapter 1279: Swarm of Ants Devour the Elephant

Initially, the Military Captain harbored doubts, for Shen Qingci was by no means indecisive or foolish, and under such circumstances, she could never repeatedly make wrong decisions.

Now the Military Captain finally understood: from the very beginning, Shen Qingci had intended to sweep clean all bandits in this vicinity.

And the reason Shen Qingci had such confidence was naturally because Qin Feng would surely come here to rescue her.

The Military Captain slowly stood up, his aged face flushing red: "So the young mistress cared for the safety of the Northern Border's people, which is why she refused to leave—I failed to guess her intentions, how shameful."

Having understood Shen Qingci's intent, the Military Captain no longer wasted words; he turned directly to the Tianji Camp Guards present and said sternly: "Did you all hear that?"

"The young mistress intends to cleanse these bandits and rebel scum."

"Our job is to protect the young mistress's safety until the King of Qin arrives, and to stall the mountain bandits as much as possible."

The Tianji Camp Guards' eyes showed no fear, for this was also their home.

Immediately, thunderous shouts echoed across Yunlan Mountain.

"Protect the young mistress! Cleanse the bandits!"

Due to the change in plan, the Tianji Camp Guards no longer descended to launch a stealth attack; instead, they began constructing simple fortifications and traps on the mountain, ready to use these defenses to stall the enemy if the bandits and rebel scum forced an assault.

Coincidentally, the Tianji Camp Guards were divided into veterans and new recruits; every Hundred-Battle Veteran was an elite warrior to the extreme.

And the thirty Tianji Camp Guards assigned to protect Shen Qingci had all fought alongside Qin Feng in the Daqingshan campaign.

They were extremely familiar with Mountain Warfare, so despite facing enemies ten times their number—and with enemy numbers still increasing—they remained utterly calm.

On the other side, Qin Feng's reinforcements were now less than fifty Li from Yunlan Mountain.

The advance contingent of the Brocade Uniform Guards had already reported the situation on Yunlan Mountain truthfully to Qin Feng.

Learning the bandits still surrounded the mountain, he knew the Tianji Camp Guards had not lost—and thus Shen Qingci was undoubtedly safe.

With Shen Qingci confirmed unharmed, Qin Feng's anxieties settled; he immediately ordered all troops to rest in place, waiting until they had fully regained their strength before advancing further toward Yunlan Mountain.

Through Qin Feng's continuous reassignments along the way, the Tianji Camp Guards had grown to three hundred, and in addition, armies from along the route, upon hearing the news, rushed to reinforce.

Although Qin Feng repeatedly ordered that the enemy was merely a band of mountain bandits, no need for such a massive mobilization, local commanders still felt uneasy and continued sending troops regardless.

Even the Chariot and Cavalry General received word and dispatched a five-hundred-man light cavalry unit to lend Qin Feng a hand.

Thus, besides the Tianji Camp Guards Qin Feng brought from Beixi County, he now had a full three-thousand-man Combined Force at his side.

Although the large army moved slowly, since Yunlan Mountain was now close, Qin Feng decided to bring the entire force along, and once they left Yunlan Mountain, he would order them back to their respective ZhuZhen for easier management.

At first, Ning Hu felt guilty: Xu Mo was wounded, Zhao Yulong was in Nan Jing, and Li Zhang was in Northern Di.

Beixi County had only him, the Main General, in command, yet during this time, bandits kept converging, severely impacting the Northern Border's Local Governance.

Ning Hu was naturally to blame.

But seeing Qin Feng's calm demeanor, Ning Hu's heavy heart gradually eased.

While resting, Ning Hu quickly asked: "Brother Qin, don't you blame me?"

Hearing this, Qin Feng couldn't help but laugh: "Blame you? Bandits and rebel scum are uncontrollable—they roam freely, impossible to guard against."

"No matter how good the Local Governance or how well-fortified the defenses, such things cannot be entirely prevented."

"So when the mountain bandits on the Northern Border grow large-scale, we launch a major Bandit Elimination; if they're only scattered soldiers and wanderers, we simply strengthen defense and Military Patrol in each County City."

"As for Shen Qingci being trapped on Yunlan Mountain, that's my fault—I was the one who sent her ahead."

Seeing Qin Feng so reasonable, Ning Hu felt even more ashamed; even the smallest mistake he made, he considered a betrayal of Qin Feng.

He silently resolved: once they reached Yunlan Mountain, he would kill every single bandit and rebel scum to make up for his error.

After three hours of rest, under Qin Feng's leadership, the army advanced again toward Yunlan Mountain.

The bandits gathered below the mountain now exceeded five hundred.

Besides bandits and rebel scum, many deserters from the imperial army were also mixed among them.

Tie Huizi's strength had greatly increased, making him even more arrogant than before; he surveyed Yunlan Mountain and sneered: "Let's see if the armored warriors on the mountain really have three heads and six arms."

"With so few of them, no matter how elite, they can never defeat our numbers!"

"Comrades! Whoever cuts down an armored warrior gets a set of Armor."

Hearing this, the bandits erupted into wild, howling cheers; for them, acquiring Armor meant transforming directly from rabble into "Armored Warriors."

In the future, they would surely become Tie Huizi's Confidants, and their lives would only get better.

Standing beside him, Chen Bolin, leader of a rebel gang, sneered sarcastically:

"To eliminate a mere few dozen armored warriors, you need so many men? Hahaha—no wonder they're the imperial elite."

"But even if we win, we won't take credit; after victory, Brother Tie just keeps all the glory for himself—I won't compete for it."

Chen Bolin's words weren't humility—he feared retaliation.

After all, such elite troops must have powerful connections; if the imperial court took notice and issued a manhunt, he'd never be able to operate again.

Tie Huizi knew Chen Bolin's thoughts perfectly.

Had he not been short on manpower, he wouldn't deign to associate with such cowards.

"Hmph, Master Chen is indeed practical. Then let it be as you say!"

"But your share will be reduced by one-tenth."

"For our line of work, the greater the fame, the greater the risk—I bear all the risk for you; you owe me something, don't you?"

Chen Bolin cursed silently under his breath, but his face beamed with a smile.

"Master Tie speaks wisely—just one-tenth? Done!"

The other rebel gangs acted the same: no fame, only profit; all glory and risk fell entirely on Tie Huizi.

As if for everyone, victory was already certain, and now they only needed to divide the spoils.

Just then, an Imperial Spy came crawling over, rolling and scrambling.

"Boss! Bad news! A large force has appeared in Shan Bei—it looks like the Northern Border Army!"

What?

The crowd, who had been in high spirits just moments ago, instantly fell silent.