Chapter 305

First Volume, Chapter 305: Expanding Armaments

At this moment, Zhao Yuxiong had already entered the tent.

Qin Feng had no time to attend to him; he bent over writing a letter, then called in Zhao Cheng, the Yizhan Chief preparing to depart from Jingdu: "Take this letter to my Third Sister, Li Xiaolan."

Zhao Cheng accepted the Military Dispatch with both hands, but noticed a smaller letter tucked beneath it.

On the front it read: "For Li Xiaolan."

Beneath it: "For Ning Hu."

Ning Hu was already en route to Beixi County escorting the Engineering Team; clearly, this inconspicuous little letter was the true priority.

Zhao Cheng was sharp enough to discreetly tuck the small letter against his body, casually shoving the large one into his satchel, then returned to Beixi County along the Official Road as usual. At the Fuyun County Yizhan, while changing horses, he drank two extra cups of tea, felt a sudden dizziness, and collapsed into unconsciousness. When he awoke, more than an hour had passed.

Zhao Cheng immediately checked the Military Dispatch and found it appeared intact—but a nearly invisible strand of hair at the seal had snapped, clearly indicating it had been opened and read.

Due to the crowded Yizhan, Zhao Cheng pretended nothing was amiss. Only after leaving it far behind and confirming no one was watching did he retrieve the Secret Letter hidden against his body, verify it was untouched, and finally exhale in relief.

Qin Feng was certain the Black Guard Bureau would conduct strict inspections on all personnel entering or exiting the Tianji Camp.

This Secret Letter, passed through two hands and delivered by Ning Hu to Li Xiaolan, was clearly safer.

After all, establishing a Spy Department was fundamentally different from the Tianji Camp Guards, a purely combat-oriented force.

Should the Liang Emperor learn of it, he would surely grow wary of Qin Feng.

Yet Qin Feng's desire to possess his own intelligence department was especially intense.

He could only resort to this desperate measure.

Li Xiaolan had deep ties with Elder Fourth Jin; her abilities rivaled those on the Heavenly Ranking—she was unquestionably the most reliable person to organize the Spy Department.

Only when he heard a light cough from before him did Qin Feng finally shift his attention to Zhao Yuxiong.

No wonder he was the son of the Dragon Tiger Army Grand Commander.

In an era of malnutrition where the average height was under one meter sixty, Zhao Yuxiong stood nearly one meter ninety—an "abnormal" physique.

Even Ning Hu, the Tianji Camp's first brute, looked like a scrawny chick beside Zhao Yuxiong.

And beyond his size, Zhao Yuxiong's looks reached a level that made Qin Feng jealous.

Two sword-like eyebrows, a pair of leopard eyes.

He embodied masculine beauty to perfection.

Since Zhao Yuxiong entered the tent, Qin Feng had not stood once, fearing that standing beside him would make him look pitifully small and trigger self-doubt.

Qin Feng hated handsome men, especially ones as unfairly handsome as Zhao Yuxiong.

Yet strangely, Qin Feng did not reject Zhao Yuxiong—in fact, he felt satisfied.

As the son of the Dragon Tiger Army Grand Commander, how noble his status, yet he showed not a trace of arrogance, standing quietly before the Shushu, waiting without a word until Qin Feng spoke.

Such cultivation was impeccable.

Qin Feng rubbed his chin and chuckled: "Good horses are common, but connoisseurs are rare. Your father truly wastes talent. Forget everything else—just your build alone makes you born to be a general. Why assign you to my tiny Tianji Camp? Isn't that a waste?"

Hearing this, Zhao Yuxiong knew he had no chance of joining the Tianji Camp Guards. He bowed respectfully: "Brother Qin, could you give me a reason?"

Qin Feng shrugged and blurted out: "Didn't I say? You're too big. The Tianji Camp Guards specialize in secret infiltration, assassinations—special operations. Their first task is to conceal their presence. Your towering frame? Everywhere you go, you're like a firefly in the night sky—blazingly obvious, dazzlingly conspicuous."

Qin Feng's veiled insult crushed Zhao Yuxiong's hopes—he would never be fit for reconnaissance.

Zhao Yuxiong's eyes flickered with disappointment, but he didn't rush to leave. Instead, he bowed: "If Brother Qin never intended for me to become a Tianji Camp Guard, why did you agree to Father's request and accept me as a From-Participant?"

Qin Feng didn't rush to explain. When Xiao Xiangxiang entered carrying tea utensils, he slumped back in his chair, crossed his legs atop the Shushu, showing none of a Commander's dignity—more like a decadent wastrel obsessed with pleasure.

Taking the cold tea from Xiao Xiangxiang, Qin Feng sipped it, then pinched her nose playfully: "Your tea-making is flawless—delicious."

Xiao Xiangxiang's cheeks flushed red. She lowered her head and naturally began massaging Qin Feng's legs, whispering: "I have no great skills, so I've made serving Master my primary duty."

The more Qin Feng looked at Xiao Xiangxiang, the more he liked her.

She was like a warm, thoughtful little cotton-padded jacket.

Zhao Yuxiong watched from the side. As a scion of a noble family, he despised such indulgent types in his heart—but having heard of Qin Feng's achievements, he knew Qin Feng was nothing like the wastrels of Jingzhong.

Though he enjoyed pleasure, he held real talent in his hands.

As the saying goes: Those with great talent are never bound by convention.

Seeing Qin Feng entirely absorbed in teasing Xiao Xiangxiang, as if he'd forgotten Zhao Yuxiong entirely, Zhao Yuxiong bowed again to remind him: "Please, Brother Qin, clarify."

Qin Feng hated playing games. He wasn't testing Zhao Yuxiong's patience—he'd simply forgotten him because Xiao Xiangxiang was too "delicious," drawing all his attention.

Hearing Zhao Yuxiong's voice, Qin Feng snapped back to reality, flashing his usual sly grin: "Heh, I need to ask you something first—how many Heavy Cavalry does your father command in the Dragon Tiger Army?"

Zhao Yuxiong frowned slightly. Though he didn't understand why Qin Feng asked, military deployments weren't classified—he answered directly: "Liang lacks horses; quality breeds are rarer than phoenix feathers. Only the Capital Garrison has sizable cavalry units. Heavy Cavalry demand even more from warhorses, so they're even scarcer."

"The Dragon Tiger Army has three thousand Heavy Cavalry."

"One thousand each in the East and West Camps."

"The Garrison Army has no Heavy Cavalry—only two thousand Light Cavalry."

Qin Feng calculated silently: Altogether, the Imperial Capital Garrison had only five thousand Heavy Cavalry—nearly ninety percent of Liang's entire Heavy Cavalry force—proving how precious they were.

Based on all Tianji Camp Guards' combat records to date, the only unit capable of countering them was cavalry.

Light Cavalry could be matched with effort, but offered no advantage.

Against Heavy Cavalry—especially in Open Field Battle—they were slaughtered without mercy.

After all…

In this era, Heavy Cavalry were essentially the Armored Corps—the nation's most vital weapon.

Qin Feng stared at Zhao Yuxiong, eyes narrowing: "Let me be blunt—I brought you into the Tianji Camp for one purpose only: to build a Heavy Cavalry force…"