Chapter 164

First Volume_Chapter 164 Unsolvable Question

With Qin Feng's help, Xu Mo had become the undisputed victor at the Military Strategy Pass.

But how could the question the Liang Emperor had prepared in advance be invalidated?

He immediately declared: "Three thousand light infantry, engaged in open field battle—how do you counter five thousand cavalry?"

At these words, the hall fell utterly silent.

All the Candidate Vice-Generals exchanged glances, each inwardly astonished—this question from the Emperor was far too cruel.

Even the military officers present were taken aback by the Emperor's question; the difficulty was simply too high. Not only were these inexperienced newcomers overwhelmed, but even seasoned generals who had fought on the battlefield began to struggle.

A full one cup of tea time passed, yet no one answered.

Seeing this, the Liang Emperor felt a flicker of disappointment and sighed lightly: "This question is difficult, yet it is a common dilemma along the border. My Great Liang's infantry has been valiant, once expanding our territory through such battles—but against the Beidi Cavalry, we are powerless. This is not only Liang's helplessness, but the very reality these young Candidate Vice-Generals will face in the future."

At these words, the hall grew even quieter.

After all, this question was grounded in reality—and could even shape future border warfare. Who dared speak rashly?

Li Xu had intended to use this opportunity to shift the risk onto Qin Feng.

Unfortunately, he had just been rebuked by the Emperor and dared not speak out again.

Just as Li Xu was struggling, he heard the Second Prince's voice—and his eyes lit up.

Though the Second Prince had already set his sights on winning Qin Feng over, he would never let slip an opportunity to eliminate him.

He wanted to grasp both hands—and hold both tightly.

The Second Prince rose, bowed respectfully to the Liang Emperor, and feigned humility: "Your Majesty, this question is exceedingly difficult. Not only are these Candidate Vice-Generals unable to answer it—even veteran generals who fought the Beidi may struggle. Only Qin Feng possesses quick wit. Might we ask him to try?"

This remark was flattery with a hidden dagger.

Qin Feng had already secured first place at the Military Strategy Pass; whether he answered this question or not would not alter the outcome.

But if he answered well, it would earn him extra merit—yet how could anyone answer such a question well?

If he answered poorly, he might ruin himself: not only would his prior achievements be diminished, but he might also incur the Emperor's displeasure for reckless speculation.

The Liang Emperor could only place his hope on Qin Feng: "Qin Feng, do you have a strategy to counter this?"

Qin Feng knew full well the Second Prince's treacherous scheme—the man was incorrigible. Even as he offered a token olive branch, his inner desire to kill Qin Feng remained unextinguished.

Qin Feng had no intention of taking on such a thankless task.

He immediately spread his hands, looking deeply troubled: "Your Majesty, such a difficult question should be answered by the generals. I am but a commoner—how could I presume to speak on matters of military policy?"

Seeing Qin Feng also had no answer, the Liang Emperor was deeply disappointed and was about to wave his hand to end the Military Strategy Pass—when the Chang Princess suddenly spoke.

"Qin Feng, no need for false modesty—answer freely. Even if you are wrong, it does not matter."

Qin Feng sensed the old scheming in the Chang Princess's gaze.

He thought: I believe you? You're a wicked woman.

He was about to devise some excuse to dodge the question.

But the Chang Princess narrowed her eyes and spoke with hidden meaning:

"Your Majesty himself said that when you march to the battlefield, you will inevitably face this dilemma. If you have no strategy, are you going to send your men to die? Then there's no point selecting Candidate Vice-Generals at all—just stay quietly in Jingdu and pray for Great Liang's fortune to endure."

The Second Prince had been fretting over how to force Qin Feng to answer—now that the Chang Princess had solved his problem, he glanced at her gratefully—only to find she wasn't even looking at him.

Fine! As long as Qin Feng was pushed to the center of the storm, everything was settled.

In an instant, every eye in the hall fixed on Qin Feng.

The Liang Emperor found the Chang Princess's words entirely reasonable and said nothing, simply watching Qin Feng.

Qin Feng, with his innocent, harmless expression, was already cursing inside.

What the hell is this woman up with?!

Sometimes she helps me out, sometimes she pushes me to the brink—could it be that losing her husband young has damaged her mind?

This witch is truly impossible to fathom.

The words had been pushed this far—Qin Feng had to answer, or all his prior efforts would be wasted.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd—some hopeful, some gleeful at his misfortune—

Qin Feng put on an extremely "timid" expression and nervously said: "Your Majesty, Your Highness the Chang Princess—I am but a commoner. If I answer wrongly, please don't blame me."

Qin Feng first distanced himself from responsibility, to avoid implicating the Qin Family.

But the Liang Emperor feigned sternness and gave a light huff: "If you answer wrong, thirty strokes of the cane."

Fuck!

Old bastard, don't joke around—don't you know the Emperor's word is sacred?!

Qin Feng sighed helplessly and began his analysis: "Three thousand light infantry facing five thousand cavalry—no matter the type of cavalry—is pure slaughter. If they scatter, they play right into the cavalry's hands, inviting relentless pursuit.

"If they form a line, the cavalry charge will break their formation—the result is the same. Previously, cavalry struggled to deploy due to terrain constraints; this place was too narrow. But in open field battle, at one hundred steps they accelerate, at fifty steps they charge full speed—their momentum is so great that even heavy infantry cannot withstand it, let alone light infantry."

Seeing Qin Feng frowning in thought, Qin Tianhu feared losing favor and quickly reminded him: "Long Halberd Formation!"

Li Xu instinctively whispered a rebuttal: "General Qin, do not give him advice!"

Qin Feng sighed and gave a helpless smile: "Even if you remind me, it's useless—the Long Halberd Formation appears to counter cavalry, but in truth, it's useless.

"Cavalry charges are extremely rare. Most often, cavalry harass from the perimeter, gradually consuming strength, first disrupting military morale, then breaking formation, and finally picking off targets one by one.

"Even a direct charge can succeed—if you blind the front-line warhorses, they will charge fearlessly into the Long Halberd Formation, sacrificing themselves to allow the following cavalry to break through. And this is five thousand cavalry—they have numerical superiority."

The crowd had already deemed the question impossibly difficult; after Qin Feng's explanation, they abandoned all hope.

The Piaoqi Grand General sighed helplessly: "So the only way to fight the Beidi Cavalry is to train our own cavalry?"

The Wei Wu Grand General gave a bitter laugh: "Great Liang is not a horse-producing land; we never had a tradition of raising horses. Even now, though we have horses, we cannot compare to the Beidi.

"Moreover, breeding warhorses and building a cavalry force is no short-term endeavor—minimum two or three years, possibly indefinitely. By the time we field large numbers of cavalry, the war will already be lost."

Hearing the sighs from all sides and seeing Qin Feng's grim expression, the Liang Emperor felt a deep bitterness—was there truly no way for Great Liang to counter the Beidi Cavalry?

Would the Beidi war always require piling up human lives?

Just as the Liang Emperor was utterly disappointed, Qin Feng's jubilant voice suddenly rang out.