Chapter 297: First Volume, Chapter 297: Beixi County War Intelligence

First Volume, Chapter 297: Beixi County War Intelligence

Xu Mo had heard that Ning Hu led a hundred Tianji Camp Guards, slashed through the Beidi Elite Raiding Cavalry, and skewered the enemy's Legendary Fang General Zhong Ling with a single spear thrust.

He had also witnessed firsthand how Ning Hu was appointed as a Thousand-Household Commander, bringing glory to his family and propelling his martial fortune to unprecedented heights.

Xu Mo had believed he would lead the New Army into the thick of battle, earn glorious military exploits, and honor his ancestors.

He had also believed that the mere Beidi were insignificant—nothing but corpses waiting beneath his blade.

Filled with overwhelming excitement, Xu Mo led the New Army to the battlefield, only to face the cruelest reality: every dream shattered in an instant.

Before reaching the County City, they were ambushed.

Even though they held absolute initiative and caught the enemy cavalry off guard, they still sank into a grueling stalemate, watching Qi Meng surrounded and slain atop the City Wall, and flames devour half the city.

One battalion of the New Army: QianWuBaiRen elite troops.

Their first battle was this brutal: of QianWuBaiRen, only eight hundred remained—losses exceeding half.

What of the city itself?

Qi Meng was dead.

All twenty Tianji Camp Guards were slain.

Of a thousand county soldiers, fewer than two hundred remained.

Civilian laborers and townsfolk? Their casualties were beyond count.

The Beidi War Machine was repelled, the city held—but as the former Prefect had said, what meaning was there in holding this dying city? The Chariot and Cavalry General ignored it; the Piaoqi General watched from afar; the Border Army turned a deaf ear; even the Beixi County War Report sent to Jingdu sank like a stone into the sea, leaving not a ripple, let alone a wave.

Almost everyone had abandoned Beixi County.

Only Qin Feng and the Beidi refused to abandon it—truly ironic.

Whirring…

A heavy Beidi War Horn sounded from the direction of the Beidi Camp; the enemy too mourned their fallen.

At that moment, Xu Mo finally awakened: the enemy were not ink on his merit ledger, nor stepping stones beneath his feet.

They were a formidable, dangerous army capable of toppling Shedynasty!

In the Beidi Camp, Chen Si's left shoulder was wrapped in bandages; the wound from the Tianji Camp Guards' arrows still throbbed faintly.

Aside from mourning their dead, fifty soldiers knelt in unison on the ground, along with two Deputy Generals, one after another having their heads chopped off.

"Massacre the city… have we Beidi become so reckless?"

"Look closely. Remember this well."

"Whoever dares to act on his own and massacre civilians—down to the lowest soldier, up to the Deputy General—shall be beheaded!"

Chen Si's face was grim; had his soldiers not massacred the city and driven the defenders into desperate last stands, Beixi County would have fallen long ago!

But the deed was done; Chen Si refused to dwell on it further.

After all, battlefield conditions changed in an instant; even he could not grasp the full picture—any single twist could lead to utter defeat.

Chen Si turned his head toward the armor and robes hanging behind him.

They had been stripped from a Tianji Camp Guard and propped up on wooden poles.

Chen Si took a deep breath, touched his still-bleeding shoulder, and sighed: "Qin Feng's troops are all like sharp blades. Though this man died unknown, he infiltrated my camp alone, nearly succeeded in assassinating me. What martial skill! What courage! What utter fearlessness!"

"If I had ten thousand Tianji Camp Guards, I could sweep the Front Line! Too bad, too bad, too bad… Even with the fiercest spearhead, it cannot overcome a monarch's suspicion—limited to only three hundred…"

…

At this moment, Qin Feng had already led the Tianji Camp Guards, escorting the Gao Fu's embezzled gold and silver, along with piles of incriminating evidence, on the road back.

Just as Qin Feng reached the Jingdu City Gate, a Messenger arrived outside, galloping down the street toward the Ministry of War.

In this capital, only two kinds of people could ride horses through the streets.

One: the Imperial Family; the other: Messengers.

Qin Feng pulled back the carriage curtain, watching the Messenger's back, his mind uneasy: "That attire—it's a Messenger from Beixi County. But… why isn't he going to Tianji Camp? Why is he heading to the Ministry of War? Could the Border Army be moving?"

"Strange. Beixi's news has been cut off for days. I don't even know what's happening now."

Qin Feng's heart grew restless; his right eyelid twitched uncontrollably.

Passing the Qin Residence gate, Qin Feng told Liu Hongyan and the others to disembark and return home, while he himself escorted the stolen goods to the Dali Temple.

The Dali Temple was not far from the Ministry of War.

As he passed the Ministry's gate, Qin Feng noticed the Messenger he had seen earlier, struggling to drink water at the entrance, and asked casually: "Messenger, are you from Beixi County?"

The Messenger was nearly collapsed from exhaustion, but upon seeing Qin Feng, he forced himself upright, eyes wide with disbelief: "Lord Qin?"

At those words, Qin Feng's premonition of dread intensified.

If this Messenger recognized him at a glance, he must be the Beixi County Yizhan Messenger.

Qin Feng immediately halted the convoy, leapt down from the carriage, and stepped forward: "Why did you ride hard to the Ministry of War? Is the Beidi launching a major offensive?"

The Messenger's gaze was complex; he shook his head: "No movement. I've come only to report Beixi County War Intelligence."

Qin Feng's expression hardened, his tone sharp: "If this is Beixi County War Intelligence, why not go to Tianji Camp? Why come here?"

The Messenger hesitated, then gritted his teeth: "Three Messengers were sent before us—all vanished without a trace! With no reply from Lord Qin, we had no choice but to come to the Ministry of War."

Three Messengers—all vanished?

Something was wrong.

Qin Feng's eyelid throbbed violently; he suppressed his dread and demanded: "I haven't received a single Beixi County report in days—I assumed things were calm, no need to send word. Where did you see three Messengers? Tell me—what is the Beixi County War Intelligence you carry?"

The Messenger, now realizing the gravity, spoke without hesitation: "The Beidi commander Chen Si has deployed eleven thousand troops to besiege Beixi County."

Qin Feng's brow furrowed; he spun around and shouted to the Tianji Camp Guards: "Quick! Send the Beidi War Mobilization! Order the Chariot and Cavalry General to advance and reinforce!"

The Messenger called out to stop him: "Lord Qin! This battle… is already over."

Qin Feng froze: "What? Over?"

The Messenger's eyes darkened further: "The Acting County Magistrate sent word to Lord Qin, ordering the Chariot and Cavalry General to advance thirty Li to support Beixi County's western flank—but there was no reply. The Chariot and Cavalry General moved not a single soldier. Beixi County was surrounded on all sides…"

Speaking of this, the messenger recalled the tragic state of Beixi County City, his eyes reddening uncontrollably, his voice choking up as well.

"If General Xu Mo had not led the Reinforcements to arrive in time, Beixi County would likely have already suffered Beixi County Defense Failure. Though the City was held with great difficulty, the Tianji Camp Guards were entirely annihilated, only two out of ten government soldiers survived, half the city had been burned to ashes, and the New Army that rode to reinforce fought an Open Field Battle with the Northern Di army, suffering nearly seven hundred Military Deaths..."

Speaking of this, the messenger was already weeping uncontrollably: "Lord Qin, Qi Meng... died in battle!"