Chapter 281: First Volume, Chapter 281: Storms Are Coming

First Volume, Chapter 281: Storms Are Coming

Under Qin Feng's startled, then sullen gaze, Li Lang—the little mad dog—suddenly burst out of the grass, wearing a simple blue linen shirt, a satchel on his back, and sprinted up to the carriage in three strides.

Shu Feng was startled by Li Lang's sudden appearance and quickly stepped sideways to block Qin Feng.

Li Lang's face flushed, and he quickly averted his eyes from Shu Feng, nervously saying: "N…no need to panic."

Qin Feng frowned and glared at Li Zhang: "Prince, what is the meaning of this?"

Li Zhang's lips curled into a sly smile: "Rest assured, Brother Qin. Though Li Lang inherited his father's violent temper, he is genuine. You two have already fought and come to know each other. The grudge between you and my father? You settle it yourselves. My brother and I won't interfere."

Li Lang already knew that, back in Jingdu, he had been indebted to Qin Feng.

But this was the first time in his life he'd been beaten so badly, and he couldn't help but sulk, his face twisted: "Take us two brothers to Pingyao County for a tour, and we'll call the past even."

Qin Feng nearly laughed in anger: "Call it even? Easy to say! If the Emperor finds out, our entire Qin Family will suffer."

Li Lang snorted dismissively: "Coward!"

Hey!

This brat definitely needs a beating!

Qin Feng gritted his teeth, glaring fiercely at Li Lang: "Don't get too cocky—if I could beat you, I'd have punched you already."

Li Lang sneered, refusing to look Qin Feng in the eye: "A man who hides behind women dares to shout at me? I bet your annihilation of Zhong Ling was all talk. Someone like you wouldn't survive one incense stick time on the battlefield."

Hearing this, Qin Feng chuckled: "At least I've been on the battlefield. What about you? You may have big dreams, but you'll never set foot on one—you'll just stay in Fuyun County as a rogue!"

Li Lang's temper flared instantly; he rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight: "What did you say? Say it again!"

Qin Feng slowly raised his right hand, and under the confused stares of Li Zhang and Li Lang, extended his middle finger.

Though Li Zhang didn't understand what Qin Feng's gesture meant, he still squeezed between them, playing peacemaker: "Enough, enough. You two stop arguing. On this journey, let's brothers get along."

At once, Qin Feng and Li Lang shouted in unison: "Brothers? Pfft!"

Qin Feng wanted to kick these two out of the carriage right away.

But Li Zhang stubbornly refused to leave, and Qin Feng had no good way to force him out.

Qin Feng and Li Lang were clearly born to clash; they couldn't even speak three words without cursing each other, so they simply ignored each other.

The convoy, thick with tension, slowly rolled through the Door of Pingyao County City…

At that moment, a messenger from Beixi County galloped toward Beijing at full speed.

Less than two hundred Li from Beijing, the messenger had to stop at the Yizhan to rest and change horses.

The messenger had just swallowed two mouthfuls of water when a middle-aged man in official robes stepped out of the adjacent room.

The man got straight to the point: "Are you the messenger from Beixi County?"

The messenger, quick-witted, set down the teapot and replied sharply: "Military secrets—cannot be disclosed."

The man raised an eyebrow, his tone hostile: "Military secrets? Are you delivering this to the Ministry of War?"

The messenger shook his head: "Tianji Camp."

The man immediately sneered, slapped the messenger across the face, and roared: "Tianji Camp? The Six Ministries of Beijing have never heard of Tianji Camp! Since it's not for the Ministry of War, this military intelligence isn't urgent! Grand Commandant Gao sent me here to receive the Beixi County War Report. You, a lowly messenger, dare to defy orders?"

The messenger clutched his stinging cheek, eyes blazing with fury, remembering how Qin Feng had treated him well, governed diligently, and brought blessings to the people of Beixi County.

This dispatch must reach Tianji Camp.

The messenger refused to comply: "I dare not defy you, sir! If you were a Ministry of War Official, I'd obey without question. But anyone outside the Ministry of War or Tianji Camp—I beg you…"

Before he could finish, a servant wiping the table suddenly pulled a long saber from beneath it and slashed the messenger's shoulder.

The messenger collapsed into a pool of blood with a thud.

The servant picked up the bloodstained military dispatch and handed it to the middle-aged man with both hands: "Sir, please see."

The man sneered, tore the dispatch to shreds, and tossed the pieces on the ground coldly: "If it's not meant for the Ministry of War, it doesn't need to reach Beijing."

…

In Beixi County, Lin Quqi paced back and forth in the Beixi County Courthouse, restless and more solemn than ever.

At that moment, Qin Cheng Clan arrived, accompanied by Li Xiaolan, pulling aside the curtain.

Lin Quqi seized her like a lifeline and hurried forward: "My lady."

"I've sent a messenger to Beijing in urgent haste to prepare for the coming battle. But by the time Brother Qin receives the letter and sends reinforcements to Beixi County, it will take at least ten days. I beg you, my lady, to advise me."

Qin Cheng Clan, no longer her usual calm self, showed rare gravity: "How many troops does the Beidi have?"

Lin Quqi frowned deeply and replied solemnly: "Besides the remaining six thousand cavalry, the five thousand siege troops who crossed the border have already reached the city walls. Excluding craftsmen, laborers, and civilian workers, their pure combat strength already totals eleven thousand. And… scouting report says the enemy commander is a general named Chen Si."

At first Qin Cheng Clan remained composed, but upon hearing the name "Chen Si," her eyes darkened instantly.

Seeing this, Lin Quqi knew Chen Si was no ordinary man.

Beside them, Li Xiaolan sighed: "When it rains, it pours. Earlier, the Beidi siege was merely a consumption war—limited strikes, just enough to test us. That alone shows the enemy commander is experienced. Now that it's Chen Si, it makes sense… Among the Beidi Frontline Army's three famed generals, Zhong Ling is dead, the Frontline Commander is gone—this leaves only Chen Si."

"And Chen Si is a scion of a noble house. He's been campaigning since childhood. Though under forty, he has over twenty years of battlefield experience—his expertise is immense."

"The fact that the Beidi sent Chen Si to lay siege means… they're serious. They're determined to take Beixi County and eliminate Qin Feng."

Lin Quqi, whose brow had been tightly furrowed, suddenly looked terrified: "Third Miss, what did you just say? The Beidi siege is aimed at Brother Qin?"

Li Xiaolan nodded firmly: "Yes… Aside from avenging Zhong Ling and restoring military morale, it's because Qin Feng's military strategy has severely disrupted the entire war situation."