Chapter 212: First Volume, Chapter 212: Smelting Glassy Jade

First Volume, Chapter 212: Smelting Glassy Jade

Since Qin Feng was still busy training the New Army and had no time to spare, he simply replied with a single character: "Urgent."

Lu Ming didn't waste words; he took the design blueprint and returned to the Gongfang.

Almost as soon as Qin Feng had arranged all the details for smelting glassy jade, Ning Hu and the others returned.

As Qin Feng had predicted, it was about one Envoy.

Ning Hu and the others came running back, stripped of their helmets and armor, each one drooping like eggplants struck by frost, sprawled out on the ground, their hard-won morale shattered.

Xu Mo slumped to the ground, his face covered in bruises, looking at Qin Feng with a pitiful expression: "Brother Qin! This mission is impossible! Ning Hu and I led three hundred guards—we hadn't even approached the Dragon-Tiger Army when their scouts spotted us; the instant we entered the camp, we were surrounded. Our weapons were useless against their heavy armor and shields… we had no chance to resist…"

Even Xu Mo and Ning Hu had been beaten black and blue by the Dragon-Tiger Army; the three hundred guards fared even worse, despite having undergone rigorous training under Jing Qianying and Shu Feng.

Unfortunately… the enemy refused to engage in close combat entirely; the front ranks raised their shields, while the rear ranks swung clubs and pounded relentlessly, reducing Qin Feng's elite New Army—built at great expense—to dazed, broken wrecks.

The guards groaned in agony.

"The Dragon-Tiger Army has fifty thousand elite troops—we're only three hundred! Even their scouts outnumber us! How are we supposed to fight?"

"Exactly! Young Master Qin, this mission's difficulty is no less than ordering us to storm the enemy's capital and assassinate the Beidi Emperor!"

"If we hadn't run fast enough, we'd be dead meat by now."

Watching the men slump in despair, looking pitiful and defeated, Qin Feng burst into loud laughter.

Qin Feng's unrestrained laughter echoed throughout the Tianji Camp.

The guards' faces flushed red and white in embarrassment.

Ning Hu's broad face turned crimson; he snapped: "Brother Qin, you're going too far! You knew we were walking into certain death, yet you still shoved us into the pit!"

Qin Feng wiped his sly grin away, adopting a shamelessly indifferent expression: "If you could have just stormed in and seized the supplies by force, then tomorrow, blood would have stained the entire Jingdu. Anyone who dares challenge the Dragon-Tiger Army will be executed! After all, the Jingdu's Royal Army being defeated by three hundred men would be a disgrace even to the Emperor."

"So I told you to steal the supplies—not to charge head-on. If you got beaten black and blue, what's that got to do with me?"

Hearing this, the guards turned even redder with shame.

Seeing them slumped and defeated, Qin Feng casually added: "Who can tell me—what was your tactic?"

Qin Feng's gaze swept across them; every guard lowered their head, avoiding his eyes.

Only Xu Mo took a deep breath and ventured: "Special Operations?"

Qin Feng nodded, then asked: "What's the essence of Special Operations?"

Xu Mo, head bowed in thought, replied softly after a moment: "Achieve military gains several times greater than your own force size."

Qin Feng leaned back in the Tengyi Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair, legs crossed, waving his hand: "Stop with the fancy words—we're all Martial men. Speak plainly! Special Operations? Plainly put, it's stealing and sneaking. Remember this: you're not some noble elite force bearing supreme honor. You're all 'dishonorable scoundrels.'"

"Any tactic—no matter how dishonorable, filthy, or bottomless—is a good tactic if it achieves the strategic goal!"

"The supplies are inside the Dragon-Tiger Army Camp. If you can't steal them, poison them. If poisoning fails, take hostages to trade for them. One way or another, you'll find a path."

Hearing Qin Feng's "dishonorable doctrine," the men suddenly understood.

In the end, the New Army's core principle was the word "unconventional."

Ning Hu immediately jumped up, raising his arm: "Follow me! We'll launch a Returning Lance Strike against the Dragon-Tiger Army! They'll never expect us to come back after such a crushing defeat!"

Under Ning Hu's lead, the guards once again stormed toward the Dragon-Tiger Army Camp.

Qin Feng, meanwhile, lounged comfortably in his Tengyi Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair Chair, snacking on fruit and waiting to watch the show.

At the same moment, in the Harem Hall of the Imperial Palace.

The White-Clothed Guest bowed deeply, reporting the Tianji Camp's progress: "Your Highness, Qin Feng's three hundred guards have launched consecutive night raids on the Dragon-Tiger Army Camp—five times so far. Each attempt failed, yet each time they penetrated deeper toward the enemy's Shuaizhang."

The Second Prince stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the full moon like a silver plate in the sky, his eyes holding a deep glint: "Qin Feng's troop-training methods are indeed unexpected. But with so few men, how can he turn the border situation? Never mind—let him fiddle as he pleases… What's the situation on the border?"

The White-Clothed Guest's expression grew grave; he replied solemnly: "As planned, the two Grand Generals have already deployed their armies toward the border. The Beidi have clearly learned of this and intensified their ambushes. With their cavalry burning, killing, and looting—leaving nothing alive in their path—the border civilians have suffered terribly, and resentment has boiled across a thousand li."

"Also, word from court indicates that due to rising unrest among the border populace, many of the war preparations will be accelerated. After today's early court, messengers have galloped to the Front Line, ordering the Cheji General's forces to disperse into units of five and occupy every village and county to resist Beidi Raiding Cavalry incursions."

"The Ministry of Revenue is urgently transporting grain and forage to the Front Line."

The Second Prince nodded, sighing softly: "It seems the war between Shedynasty and Beidi will erupt soon. Inform Qin Feng of the gravity of this situation—no more reckless actions from now on. I want the Emperor to know that when the fate of the nation is at stake, I am willing to abandon the Crown Prince struggle and devote myself entirely to the state!"

The White-Clothed Guest bowed and departed immediately.

The moment the White-Clothed Guest left the Palace Gate, Xiao Zhuozi, who had been hiding in the shadows, emerged and ran back to the Seventh Prince's bedchamber.

The night was deep.

Yet the Bedchamber glowed brightly with lantern light.

The Seventh Prince sat cross-legged on his bed, holding the Gold-Collector's Edition of the Mingyue Zhuan in both hands, reading it with great delight—sometimes sighing in admiration, sometimes sinking into sorrow, utterly captivated by its plot.

"This kind of extraordinary book is truly endlessly re-readable! The novels circulating on the market pale beside it—tasteless as chewing wax."

"This book was written by our capital's First Young Master, Qin Feng, edited by the renowned Jiangnan scholar Lin Quqi, and bound with uniquely crafted pages—hmm, truly worthy of precious preservation."

"Too bad… the Emperor has banned this book from appearing in the palace…"

The Seventh Prince sighed, reluctantly tossing the Mingyue Zhuan into the fire brazier.

Seeing the regret etched on the Seventh Prince's brow, Xiao Zhuozi hesitated, then whispered: "Your Highness, the Second Prince has stirred—something related to the Beidi war."