Chapter 169

First Volume, Chapter 169: United in National Crisis

The weapons inside ShiZhen were mostly training tools, incapable of real combat.

Moreover, the Rebel Army wore Heavy Armor; ordinary Weapons could not inflict effective damage, so everyone must switch to Blunt Weapons.

While the guards were changing weapons, Qin Feng turned to face the chaotic Candidate Vice-Generals present; his former flippant tone was gone, replaced by grave seriousness as he bellowed: "Shut up, all of you!"

These Candidate Vice-Generals had zero battlefield experience; faced with this sudden crisis, they became ants on a hot pan, frantic and helpless, desperately trying to rush into the Camp for a sliver of hope, completely ignoring Qin Feng.

Qin Feng gave up on words, pointed at a young nobleman at random, and growled: "Ning Hu, hit him—until they all shut their mouths."

Ning Hu said nothing, lunged forward, and smashed a punch into the young man's nose; blood sprayed instantly, and a pig-like scream echoed throughout ShiZhen.

The chaotic scene gradually fell silent.

The crowd looked on with confusion, fear, even anger.

At this moment, the Rebel Army was besieging ShiZhen; the sounds of battle constantly came from outside, and though they held their ground thanks to terrain and the leadership of Qin Tianhu and the generals, everyone knew it was only a matter of time before ShiZhen fell.

At such a time, they should be thinking how to save their lives—yet Qin Feng turned against them; how could they not be furious?

Chen Ge glared at Qin Feng, his eyes blazing with fury: "Qin Feng! You allow Ning Hu to assault noble scions—do you collude with the Rebel Army?!"

Under Chen Ge's lead, the remaining young nobles began shouting accusations.

"Qin! What the hell are you trying to do?!"

Qin Feng glanced at Chen Ge, the leader, his gaze revealing rare seriousness as he said gravely: "The Rebel Army slaughters Jingzhong civilians and besieges ShiZhen, aiming to destroy Shedynasty's cultivation foundation. No matter their motive, they are our mortal enemies. But ShiZhen has too few troops to fight; even if the Longhu Army and the East and West Camps react swiftly, they cannot arrive in time."

"Our only option now is to fight to the death, delay as long as possible, and cling to that sliver of hope."

Saying this, Qin Feng roared: "Do you wish to die like lambs here, or fight with me to the end?!"

Hearing this, the crowd fell silent—even Chen Ge, the loudest accuser, showed a flicker of shame.

To fight might still bring a sliver of hope.

If they surrendered, once ShiZhen fell, all of them would die.

Realizing this, Chen Ge gritted his teeth and growled: "Let's fight!"

Seeing the panicked young nobles finally steady their nerves, Qin Feng wasted no more time—he immediately ordered everyone to count their numbers.

All Regular Army and those with combat experience had already been sent to the Front Line.

The remaining were all new recruits led by each Candidate Vice-General, brought here for the Qingyi Ceremony; counted together, they numbered two thousand.

Though the number was barely sufficient, their lack of combat experience caused morale to plummet.

Not even the three hundred guards Qin Feng had personally "trained" had color in their faces—they clenched their fists tightly, visibly terrified.

Even during the fierce battles at Po Zhen Guan, everyone knew it was just training—they were safe.

But this time, it was real, brutal killing; the psychological test for these new recruits had reached its extreme.

They all knew this force of new recruits could never possess real combat effectiveness.

Once battle began, they would be slaughtered.

Yet for that nearly negligible hope, Qin Feng gritted his teeth and launched a stirring mobilization; his powerful voice echoed throughout ShiZhen.

"You are new recruits, but you came here for the Qingyi Ceremony—either you're elites selected by your departments, or noble scions seeking fame. If ShiZhen falls, the Rebel Army will spare none of us—not a single soul will live."

"Since death is certain either way, why not die like men—with honor, with dignity?"

"If we delay until reinforcements arrive, you will all be heroes of the nation, recorded in History Books! If we die here, do not grieve—we shall be immortal spirits!"

Ning Hu was secretly astonished; had he not seen it with his own eyes, he could never have imagined such words coming from a carefree, once-disdained "scholar."

Ning Hu's admiration for Qin Feng deepened further; his fear vanished entirely, replaced by fierce determination, and he raised his arm and roared: "We are all children of Liang—we stand with Young Master Qin in this National Crisis!"

Though all present were young, they were at the peak of youthful vigor; under Qin Feng and Ning Hu's relentless encouragement, their panicked eyes finally steadied.

Chen Ge, gritting his teeth, roared as well: "He's right—even if we die, we die on the battlefield, not disgracing the name of Liang's sons!"

In an instant, the entire ShiZhen echoed with the new recruits' roars.

"Fight to the death!"

"United in National Crisis!"

Morale finally stabilized; at the crowd's urging, Qin Feng unhesitatingly took command authority, strode up the steps, and looked down upon the noble scions and elite new recruits.

"Most weapons inside ShiZhen are unusable—only two can kill the enemy: Blunt Weapons and Long Halberds!"

"Excluding the three hundred guards led by Xu Mo Ninghu, the remaining seventeen hundred are split into two units: bring out four hundred Warhorses from ShiZhen, form a Long Halberd Cavalry, and the remaining thirteen hundred carry Blunt Weapons. The Cavalry Battalion will be led by Chen Ge; the rest of you each command a hundred infantry."

After swiftly delegating command authority, Qin Feng deployed his troops: "Xu Mo Ninghu, you two lead the guards and hold the Camp at all costs. Chen Ge, lead the Cavalry in two wings, flank the left and right. The rest, gather in the Central Formation, facing the Door."

Under Qin Feng's command, all young nobles led their troops into formation within ShiZhen.

Qin Feng took a Small Golden Mace from Ning Hu and a Shield, stood atop the steps, where he could survey the entire battlefield, and ordered Xu Mo to urgently assign four guards to operate the War Drum.

Ning Hu took a deep breath and said gravely: "Qin Brother, if you used Flag Signals, command would be more direct—why abandon them?"

Qin Feng shook his head, his gaze resolute: "Useless! The arrows in ShiZhen have no heads—I dare stand high to command with flags, but the Rebel Army's bows are strong and their arrows deadly; if I climb higher, I become a target. Besides, only one command is needed—the Drum Beats are enough."

Xu Mo frowned, his eyes filled with doubt: "Only one command? What is it?"

Qin Feng took a deep breath; a touch of sorrow lingered in his heart, but mostly, resolve: "Hold the line—fight to the death, never retreat!"

At these words, Ning Hu and Xu Mo exchanged a glance—they understood.

Qin Feng's Array served only one purpose: to trade lives for time.