Chapter 262

First Volume, Chapter 262: Border Winds and Clouds

Compared to the Gongfang, the other facilities sparked considerable interest in the Liang Emperor.

As for the camp facilities, in the Liang Emperor's memory, even barracks of the caliber of the Longhu Army were nothing but large communal dormitories.

But the barracks of the Tianji Camp were all single beds, and the rooms were kept exceptionally clean and orderly.

Clearly, the guards' daily treatment was no worse than that of officers at the rank of Colonel.

The Accounting Bureau resembled a miniature Tianlu Pavilion, with ledgers neatly arranged on shelves, each shelf clearly labeled with time markers—shelves could pinpoint the year, individual books the month, and pages the exact day.

The Liang Emperor casually picked up a ledger and flipped through it; the level of detail in its records made even him inwardly gasp.

Not only major or public expenditures, but even the tiniest expenses—down to needles and threads—were recorded with perfect clarity.

A faint smile curled the Liang Emperor's lips as he returned the ledger to the shelf; he had now largely put his trust in Qin Feng and the Tianji Camp.

Having seen the Accounting Bureau, there was no need to inspect the remaining facilities.

The Liang Emperor turned, hands behind his back, and walked toward the Tianji Camp Compound.

…

Bei Di Qian Feng Da Ying

The Vanguard Commander stared at the latest Scouting Report, his eyes growing colder.

Finally, he slipped the Military Dispatch back into its envelope and handed it to his strategist, speaking in a low tone: "Send a messenger to deliver this exactly as-is to the King. How to proceed is for the King to decide."

The strategist did not dare delay; he quickly tucked the Military Dispatch into his robes and left the Ying Zhang.

The Vanguard Commander glanced at the silent Deputy General beside him and asked coldly: "Is Zhong Ling's corpse truly beyond recovery?"

The Deputy General, clutching his Helmet, bowed his head and replied: "On the day Zhong Ling suffered Military Defeat, he was beheaded; his head was sent immediately to LiangCapital. His body was taken to Daliang Biancheng and hung above the City Gate, guarded day and night by the Daliang Frontier Army. This boosts Liang Army morale and shatters ours. Unless we capture the border city, reclaiming Zhong Ling's corpse is impossible."

The Vanguard Commander's face turned icy as frost; after a long silence, he suddenly drew his Sword, slashed down, and split the six-finger-thick table before him in two, his thunderous roar echoing through the camp: "Qin Feng Xiao'er, you killed my fine general Zhong Ling and shattered my army's morale—this feud is unforgivable!"

"You're busy giving a Military Funeral to those three sacrificed guards in LiangCapital? Let's see how many corpses your so-called Tianji Camp can bury!"

"Men! Transmit my War Command: deploy three thousand Raiding Cavalry to scatter across the land—kill without restraint. I want the people within ten Li of the Liang Border to offer a Blood Sacrifice for Zhong Ling!"

Just as the messenger was about to leave the Ying Zhang, the strategist rushed back in and immediately shouted to stop him.

He hurried into the camp, bowed, and cried out: "General, you must not act on impulse!"

"Since this month, the Raid and Harass Strategy has yielded diminishing returns. Villages along the Liang Border are all garrisoned; they can leverage their homes and terrain to turn raids into Siege Warfare—and that is not the forte of light cavalry. If we continue this way, we will be the ones consumed."

At these words, the Vanguard Commander roared: "Then the border city must be weak—strike it in one decisive blow!"

The strategist countered again: "According to the Scouting Report, the troops stationed in villages are not Border Army—they've been drawn from various Zhou Fu. The border city remains as solid as ever. Even if it held only a thousand men, our vanguard could not shake it. To conduct Siege Warfare, we need reinforcements from the rear."

The Vanguard Commander gritted his teeth, his tiger-like eyes filled with frustration: "Are we truly powerless against Liang? We've fought the Liang Northern Border Army for over a decade—they only ever practiced Fortified Defense, and when they did open their gates to fight, how could they suddenly change strategy? Now they've dispersed their Second Line forces to garrison villages and county cities, while concentrating their elite troops to hold the border city. This grand strategy could not have been conceived by Qin Tianhu, that rigid fool!"

The strategist, reluctant to provoke the Vanguard Commander further, now spoke plainly to prevent unnecessary loss: "This strategy was not Qin Tianhu's, but it is nearly identical. Our Secret Agents embedded in Liang have already reported: the architect of this plan is Qin Feng."

Upon hearing the name "Qin Feng," the Vanguard Commander teetered on the edge of rage.

Again, Qin Feng!

Liang was already beset by internal and external crises: floods in the Nan Jing, drought in the western border, harvests plummeting, corpses littering the land. In the north, after years of war and consumption, military morale had crumbled and civilian resentment boiled over.

Left unchecked, Liang would collapse without a single battle—just a few more years of attrition would starve it to death.

And now, at this critical deadline, Qin Feng emerges!

The Vanguard Commander had long heard rumors of Qin Feng's several Wealth-Consolidation Strategies presented to the Liang Emperor.

Now he has altered the grand defense strategy: from Concentrated Elite Defense of key towns, to dispersing Second Line forces village by village, forming an Iron Chain Boat Formation.

Thus, the Beidi Cavalry has lost its advantage in raiding and consuming.

Most infuriating of all is Qin Feng's killing of Zhong Ling—that alone is the root of the front-line's shattered morale.

After a long silence, the Vanguard Commander collapsed heavily onto his stool, his eyes flickering with helplessness: "Is Heaven aiding Liang?!"

At that moment, a messenger rushed into the Ying Zhang, knelt on one knee, and reported: "General, a Liang Military Secret Mission requests an audience!"

The Vanguard Commander's dull eyes suddenly flared with life; he growled: "Bring him in at once!"

Not long after, the messenger returned alone—no Liang envoy in tow—and reported: "The Liang Military Secret Mission has already turned back. He said he could not meet you, but has delivered a Secret Strategy."

The Vanguard Commander seized the Secret Letter, examined it, his eyes blazing with excitement, and roared: "Keep the main force holding the border city in standoff—keep them stretched thin. The rest of our troops will advance in stages against Beixi County! Beixi County is tied to Qin Feng's lifeline—I want to see how the Liang Border Army chooses: defend the key town, or rush to save Qin Feng."

…

In the Tianji Camp, Qin Feng, having settled the funeral arrangements, was preparing to indulge himself on this rare day off—having Xiao Xiangxiang and Shu Feng take turns kneading his waist and pounding his legs.

But no sooner had he sat down than Qin Xiaofu rushed over, slammed the Military Dispatch onto the table, and snapped: "I'm furious! The Ministry of Personnel won't let the Young Master have a single peaceful day!"

Seeing Qin Xiaofu so enraged, Qin Feng found it amusing.

The Emperor isn't worried, but the Eunuch is!

Qin Feng casually picked up the Military Dispatch, opened it, and his face darkened instantly; he gritted his teeth: "Damn it! Come on, let's go to the Ministry of Personnel—I'm going to smash their dog heads!"

Qin Xiaofu had been waiting for this—he grabbed a broom and sprinted ahead to clear the way.

Seeing Qin Feng roll up his sleeves to fight, Xiao Xiangxiang rushed to block him, alarmed: "Young Master, what are you doing? You're now Beixi County Magistrate—you hold official rank, bound by the Ministry of Personnel's authority. You can't act recklessly!"