Chapter 246

First Volume, Chapter 246: Siege to Draw Reinforcements

At the end of the Hai hour, Qin Feng finally led his troops to the mountain summit bandit lair.

As expected, this place had also been slaughtered clean.

Seeing Li Xiaolan lying on the ground, unconscious, Qin Feng's heart shot straight to his throat.

He lunged forward in one swift step.

Judging from her breathing and expression, he confirmed she was merely unconscious with no serious injury, and only then did he exhale in relief.

Qin Feng pulled out each blowdart embedded in Li Xiaolan's body and handed them to Ning Hu.

Ning Hu sniffed them close to his nose, then let out a long breath: "Just sedatives. Looks like Third Miss encountered Elder Fourth and got beaten."

Qin Feng gave a bitter laugh: "How could a disciple defeat his master?"

Hearing this, Ning Hu froze: "Brother Qin, are you saying Third Miss and Elder Fourth are master and disciple?"

Although Qin Feng did not wish to admit it, Li Xiaolan's assassination techniques—and even the dark weapons she used—were nearly identical to Elder Fourth's; whether or not she was directly trained by him, the two were certainly from the same school and deeply connected.

According to Qin Feng's knowledge, every Heaven Ranking Assassin was a wanted criminal under Liang's official warrants.

Qin Feng silently marveled: no wonder Old Qin had sent Third Sister to accompany Qin Cheng's clan and live in seclusion here.

Mutual support was one reason.

The second, he suspected, was to conceal their identities.

Though Qin Feng knew little of Li Xiaolan's mysterious origins, this matter concerned the Qin Family's survival—if exposed, not only would imperial court enemies denounce them, but even the Emperor might reassess the Qin Family's loyalty.

Qin Feng immediately turned to Ning Hu, but before he could speak, Ning Hu waved him silent.

"Brother Qin, don't say another word. Even if someone put a knife to my throat, I wouldn't reveal a single syllable about Third Miss's identity."

Qin Feng trusted Ning Hu completely and said no more; he immediately left two guards to care for Li Xiaolan and continued advancing toward Feiying Stockade as planned.

It took two full Envoy to climb up, but only half a Envoy to descend.

The bandits gathered on East Mountain had already been mostly cleared out by Li Xiaolan and Elder Fourth.

Qin Feng no longer feared being attacked from behind and could focus entirely on Feiying Stockade.

The terrain of BackMountain was steeper than East Mountain.

Only a single winding mountain path led up it—perfectly defensible.

After a brief observation of the terrain, Qin Feng did not rush to attack; instead, he scanned left and right, then ordered: "FrontierScouts, obey! Find the warhorse hiding spots!"

At these words, Ning Hu's eyes lit up: "Why didn't I think of that? The terrain here is extremely steep—warhorses can't move up or down easily, and Beidi Mounted Archers rely on speed; they must have hidden their horses at the Mountain Foot for easy access!"

"Those warhorses mean more to Zhong Ling than her life!"

As Qin Feng had predicted.

Within the time of one incense stick, the FrontierScouts discovered Zhong Ling's warhorses in a ravine on the western side of the Mountain Foot.

The Beidi soldiers guarding the horses were silently eliminated by the guards.

A hundred warhorses now fell under Qin Feng's control.

And the ravine had only one entrance.

Qin Feng immediately ordered: "Ning Hu, lead one squad of guards and ambush at the ravine entrance."

At the same time, light a bonfire at the ravine's center.

As the flames flared, the bandits at the MountainWaist of Feiying Stockade immediately noticed.

Stockade Lord Li Qi was currently discussing a stealth attack on BeixiCounty with Zhong Ling.

"Once we storm BeixiCounty and kill some Commoners, Qin Feng will be held accountable by the Ministry of Personnel. According to the Great Liang Code, failure in military defense carries the death penalty! Even if Qin Tianhu intervenes, he'll escape execution but never avoid punishment!"

Seeing Li Qi's eyes gleaming, Zhong Ling frowned slightly and feigned indifference: "Attacking a county isn't just banditry—it's rebellion. Li Stockade Lord, isn't this risk too great just to deal with Qin Feng?"

Li Qi's lips curled into a cold smirk: "I have my own calculations, General Zhong—why ask? As long as we join forces, I refuse to believe Qin Feng's guards can hold the county!"

Hearing the word "guards," Zhong Ling recalled the battle in the mountains that day.

Two hundred Beidi Elite Mounted Archers had been cut clean in half!

And recent intelligence indicated Qin Feng's army had lost only three men!

Such a horrifying casualty ratio—even after years of battlefield experience—Zhong Ling had never witnessed.

Zhong Ling was about to warn Li Qi not to underestimate the enemy when a bandit burst in, panting.

"Lord! Disaster! Fire at the base!"

Li Qi frowned: "Fire? Yinggang Mountain is soaked in dampness—how could fire break out suddenly?"

The bandit glanced nervously at Zhong Ling and whispered: "I don't know the cause, but the fire's at the Horse-Hiding Valley where the warhorses are hidden."

Zhong Ling, who had been calm moments before, jolted upright as if struck by lightning, rushed past the Door, and gazed down—the Horse-Hiding Valley blazed with bright flames.

"No!"

Zhong Ling screamed: "Beidi soldiers, obey! Descend immediately and put out the fire!"

Li Qi grabbed Zhong Ling's arm and warned sternly: "Something strange is afoot—this is clearly Qin Feng Xiao'er's ambush!"

Zhong Ling wrenched free, face flushed with fury: "Do you think I don't know? Even if it's an ambush, we must charge! We have only these warhorses—if we lose them, our Elite Mounted Archers become Infantry! We'll be trapped on Yinggang Mountain, unable to raid Beixi's borders again!"

Hearing this, Li Qi realized the warhorses' critical value and ordered: "Muster all bandits! March with Zhong Ling! Leave two hundred behind to guard the stockade!"

The large force charged toward the ravine entrance.

Almost simultaneously, arrows rained down from above—but only sporadically.

Seeing this, Li Qi shouted triumphantly: "Qin Feng Xiao'er, you're short on men—brought only a few guards! Brothers, charge! Kill Qin Feng and win a thousand White Silver! Capture him alive and win ten thousand!"

With such a reward, brave men surged forward—bandits stormed the ravine like madmen.

When the first dozen bandits breached the ravine, they were immediately met by a dozen guards wielding long spears.

The infantry spears had devastating armor-piercing power and superior reach.

The bandits armed with axes, swords, and bamboo-shields could not withstand them.

In just a single glance, more than twenty bandits were wiped out; the remaining bandits, their courage shattered, began to retreat—only to be ambushed from behind by the soldiers charging down.

Hearing the screams coming from the mountain pass, Li Qi's gaze darkened, and he barked: "Worse! There are ambushers in the pass—send reinforcements immediately!"

Zhong Ling quickly shouted: "This tactic of pouring in reinforcements bit by bit is a grave military blunder—it should…"

Before Zhong Ling could finish, Li Qi cut in angrily: "Qin Feng must die!"