Chapter 227: First Volume, Chapter 227: Ambush Encounter

First Volume, Chapter 227: Ambush Encounter

The three-platoon guards pushed stones from the side and piled them along the edge of the pit; together, the pit and the stone pile were just enough to shelter the guards.

Almost as soon as the makeshift fortification was completed, the enemy had already reached the mountain foot.

Qin Feng hid behind the pile of stones, peering out, and upon seeing the enemy's cavalry bows, his heart tightened; he quickly turned and shouted to Li Xiaolan: "Third Sister, I entrust Mother's safety to you."

At first, Li Xiaolan had felt somewhat disheartened.

After all, the enemy numbered two hundred! And all were seasoned veterans with combat experience; facing a siege, merely fifty men stood almost no chance of escape.

But now, watching Qin Feng issue orders calmly and seeing the guards swiftly draw strange shovels from their belts and construct simple yet effective cover in a short time, Li Xiaolan's worries vanished, replaced entirely by relief.

The Qin family's sons have grown into capable men!

Li Xiaolan helped Qin Cheng Clan sit behind the stone pile and said softly: "Feng'er, do what you must. I am here with Mother—no need to worry."

With those words, Qin Feng gained confidence and focused all his attention on the enemy.

At this moment, one hundred enemies had begun ascending the mountain.

Meanwhile, the enemy commander on the opposite peak had increased from one to two.

The vice commander striking the drum frowned deeply and said gravely: "General, the Liang Army on the opposite peak is suspicious! They've constructed cover in such a short time—these must be Liang elite troops."

Standing beside him, the thirty-something staff officer stood with arms crossed, a flicker of admiration in his eyes: "We've clashed with Liang elite troops before, but those so-called elites were nothing special. These Liang troops before us are surely the new army mentioned in the intelligence reports."

Hearing this, the vice commander kept striking the drum but his expression turned startled: "Our spies infiltrated in LiangCapital reported only that Liang intended to train a new army. Unfortunately, the capital's defenses are like an iron barrel—especially the Black Guards around the Liang Emperor, who are everywhere. We lost many spies and still could not uncover the new army's details."

"The Former General once ordered us to spare no cost in gathering intelligence on the new army—all efforts ended in failure. Yet today, we've unexpectedly encountered them. If we capture Qin Tianhu's wife and children, it will be a monumental achievement!"

The staff officer waved his hand, signaling the vice commander not to celebrate too soon: "The Liang Emperor is a man of great talent and vision, and rumors about Qin Feng Xiao'er have already reached the ears of our Beidi Khan. The new army trained personally by Qin Feng is likely formidable—this ability to construct cover so quickly speaks volumes. Do not underestimate them."

Saying this, the staff officer's eyes sharpened with caution and he barked: "Our troops have reached the mountain waist—entering bow range! Order an immediate halt!"

The moment he spoke, the drumbeats sounded.

The Beidi troops on the mountain waist halted abruptly, diving for cover behind trees or massive rocks.

Seeing this, Qin Feng cursed under his breath: "Are these guys too rational? Fuck, get me a headcount right now!"

The enemy entering range but not attacking must have a trick.

After all, this is Liang territory—the enemy should strike fast and decisive, never resort to siege tactics.

Soon, the second-platoon leader reported grimly: "Young Master, the enemy numbers roughly seventy."

Seventy?

Qin Feng's brow furrowed instantly; he barked: "Third platoon, fall back to the rear!"

The third-platoon leader led ten guards to turn around and head to Qin Feng's rear—sure enough, they discovered thirty Beidi cavalry who had crossed the mountain waist and now stood less than two hundred steps from the summit.

The moment the third-platoon leader spotted the enemy, the enemy spotted the guards.

In an instant, both sides erupted into fierce mutual firing.

Ten guards faced thirty Beidi cavalry archers—the outcome was predictable: they were immediately pinned down, two guards hit by arrows; fortunately, their upgraded armor held—the arrows pierced deep but did not penetrate.

Learning the rear was now engaged, Qin Feng's heart rose to his throat.

The enemy commander was a veteran—he'd split his forces before entering the mountains, sending troops to sneak in from the flanks, forming a flanking attack with the seventy bow infantry ahead.

Fortunately, the cover concealed the fact that Qin Feng had diverted men to guard the rear; the distance prevented communication, so the rear was already fighting while the front remained unaware.

The Beidi staff officer sensed something: "By timing, Qin Feng's rear should already be under surprise attack—but the front line shows no chaos. Has Qin Feng anticipated the ambush? Hmph—no wonder he's called the Liang Young Master; truly hard to crack!"

"No more waiting—front line, advance!"

As urgent drumbeats rang out, the seventy cavalry archers advanced steadily while firing arrows toward the summit.

With the third platoon now guarding the rear, Qin Feng had only twenty guards left.

And precisely at this deadline, the enemy launched their assault—they clearly sensed Qin Feng's weakness.

Qin Feng sighed deeply: "No wonder these are elite raiding cavalry who've invaded Liang territory—this commander is truly experienced."

At that moment, the captured vice commander sneered from beside him: "Young Master, the man you face was fifteen when he first went to war, slaughtered countless Liang soldiers, and is known as the Beidi Wolf—Zhong Ling! He commands this invasion of Liang territory!"

Beidi Wolf?!

I'm the Liang Shepherd Dog, then!

In a narrow path, the brave prevail—who's afraid of whom? Let's fight!

The first-platoon leader swung his fist and smashed it into the captured vice commander's mouth, growling: "Open your mouth again and I'll cut your tongue out! Shut up—we'll deal with you after we finish these bastards!"

The vice commander spat blood but laughed wildly: "Hahahaha, big talk!"

At that moment, the drumming rain of arrows began to slacken.

Qin Feng immediately barked: "Counterattack!"

The guards, who had been crouching behind cover, instantly began firing at the enemy now less than a hundred steps away.

Since the guards used short bows and were highly trained in archery, their rate of fire and accuracy far surpassed the Beidi cavalry archers.

In the blink of an eye, twenty guards unleashed over one hundred arrows—in other words, each fired five arrows!

This concentrated barrage caught the Beidi cavalry archers completely off guard—five were hit in the first volley!

The cavalry archers scrambled for cover and returned sporadic fire.

Seeing the enemy halt their advance, Qin Feng immediately ordered his men to take cover again.

Seeing Qin Feng's side take cover, the enemy stopped firing and resumed advancing—Qin Feng seized the chance and counterattacked again.

The two sides traded blows back and forth, repeating the pattern.

Thanks to their cover, elevated position, and superior archery speed and accuracy, Qin Feng's side held every advantage.