Chapter 374

First Volume, Chapter 374: Crazy Retaliation

Under cover of night, Xu Mo personally led two hundred Tianji Camp Guards, using a secret route through Yinggang Mountain to bypass the Bei Di Qian Feng Da Ying and infiltrate Bei Di territory directly.

Inside a dim building, Mo Li, seated in shadow, read the military dispatch, then casually placed it on the candlestand to burn to ash.

She emitted a cold, emotionless voice: "Young Master's order: launch retaliation against Bei Di. How many Jin Yi Wei agents have already infiltrated Bei Di?"

The Jin Yi Wei supervisor, standing likewise in shadow, replied gravely: "Three hundred."

Mo Li nodded: "Cease all intelligence-gathering operations. Focus entirely on assassinations and ambushes—target high-value Bei Di figures."

The Former General, transferred from Di Wang Du to the Front Line, arrived in Qi Ke Xian.

As he walked along the county's Official Road, preparing to leave the city to inspect the accompanying grain convoy, he was ambushed by hidden arrows.

The arrow struck the Former General's shoulder—non-lethal—but the arrowhead was coated in poison, causing the wound to fester and become untreatable. Despite the entire county being placed under martial law, the assassin was swiftly captured; yet before capture, he had ingested poison and died.

Not long after leaving Qi Ke Xian, the Former General's wound worsened, forcing him to retreat back to the capital.

The grain convoy bound for the Front Line was ambushed; the Deputy General escorting the grain and forage was killed by a single arrow.

The Minister in charge of weapons transport was found dead in his sleep, overnight, at the Yi Guan.

The Bei Di royal heir, leading his personal retinue on a hunting expedition, was ambushed while passing through the mountains.

The granary, located just eighty Li from the Front Line, was attacked at night. Eight hundred defenders, facing a sudden assault by two hundred Tianji Camp Guards, collapsed like a mountain falling. The granary was set ablaze; the fire burned all night. A reinforcement force of five hundred light cavalry arrived—only to be ambushed by Tianji Camp Guards, who employed the tactic of encircling the target and striking the relief force, annihilating the entire unit.

The entire Bei Di Front Line descended into chaos, fires erupting everywhere…

In Di Wang Du, the Bei Di King listened to each military intelligence report from his officials, his brow tightening in frustration.

The Supervisor of War knew the Bei Di King was now deeply agitated.

Yet military intelligence outweighed all else—he continued: "Your Majesty, according to Front Line reports, the recent string of incidents are all Qin Feng's retaliation."

"Aside from the Tianji Camp Guards stationed in Beixi County, who have deployed en masse, another covert force is wreaking havoc across our territory."

"Since Qin Feng's retaliation began until now, seven military officers of Fifth Rank or higher have been attacked. Though none have died, the weapons used are insidiously cruel: either coated in poison, or armor-piercing arrowheads severely rusted. Anyone struck suffers worsening wounds, requiring urgent recall to the capital for treatment—or else they will follow Chen Si's fate and develop a fatal illness."

"In addition, losses of grain, forage, and military equipment are severe—totaling… a million taels of silver."

Hearing this, the Bei Di King—over fifty, with a face as broad and fierce as a tiger—roared: "How could scattered soldiers and wanderers cause such massive losses? What are the Front Line officials even doing?"

The Supervisor of War bowed his head: "We've captured many Tianji Camp spies… but not a single one alive."

The Bei Di King grew angrier: "What of the Tianji Camp Guards? Even if all two hundred stationed in Beixi County have been deployed, that's still only two hundred! Our Front Line armies number in the tens of thousands! How can mere two hundred dare act so boldly?!"

The Supervisor of War sighed helplessly: "The Tianji Camp Guards number only two hundred, but they are extraordinarily fierce, strike from both flanks, and move with astonishing speed. They attack a granary, then either retreat immediately or lie in ambush at the site, waiting for reinforcements to arrive before striking them off-guard. To rescue a granary quickly, we must send light cavalry—but light cavalry cannot withstand their ambushes."

"If we send heavy infantry or heavy cavalry, they are too slow—the Tianji Camp Guards have already vanished."

"Too few men can't defeat them; too many… are useless."

The Bei Di King glared and growled: "Enough!"

"I know the Tianji Camp Guards are formidable! But are two hundred truly beyond our control? If the main army cannot be moved, then deploy the Night Owls!"

Upon hearing "Night Owls," the Supervisor of War was even more helpless: "Your Majesty! The Night Owls specialize in assassination and espionage, while the Tianji Camp Guards excel in direct combat. Sending the Night Owls against them is like trying to crush a stone with an egg! Even Liang's Black Guard would never dare face the Tianji Camp Guards head-on. Each has its own expertise…"

"I've heard enough!" the Bei Di King cut him off again.

The Bei Di King's heart was filled with frustration.

Since the war began, Bei Di has always held the upper hand, crushing Shedynasty under pressure. Though that advantage still exists, it has been halted by a mere Beixi County.

The pace of Beixi County's development left even the Bei Di King stunned.

Normally, a city's growth takes decades—or generations. But Beixi County… changes daily. As if Qin Feng issued one order, the entire county would unite and throw all its strength behind it. Take the construction of the city wall!

Expanding Beixi County's Outer City wall is an enormous project—requiring tens of thousands of civilian laborers working for years to complete.

Yet according to scouting reports, one-third of the Outer City wall has already been built.

And the civilian laborers? Only a few thousand—and they work in "three shifts"?

Each laborer works only three hours per day, fed and pampered like a lord—where is the slightest sign of hard labor?

Yet despite this, each laborer works with full force: three hours of labor equals a full day and night of sluggish work.

With this three-shift system, isn't one day equivalent to three?

How can Beixi County have endless silver or inexhaustible grain? Such extravagance—and yet it hasn't collapsed. It's unbelievable.

Now, Beixi County must be attacked—no choice remains.

If we withdraw, with Beixi County's growth rate, it will soon become a critical border fortress. Even if Bei Di captures the Border Army Camp and shatters the entire Shedynasty Front Line, what then?

As long as Beixi County stands there, we can never advance further toward Shedynasty.

The balance of this consumption war has already begun tilting toward Shedynasty.

And now, at this moment, we've provoked Qin Feng—a reckless fool—who launched a furious retaliation over a maid, deploying the Tianji Camp Guards en masse…

Thinking of the million taels lost, the Bei Di King privately cursed: when we planned our retaliation, we should have targeted a Court Heavy Minister of Shedynasty—not this Qin Feng.

If we had to strike, we should have killed Qin Feng outright in one strike—how did we end up in this passive situation?

The Bei Di King still could not believe it. He stared at the Supervisor of War, speaking slowly, word by word: "Qin Feng… this retaliation… really… over a maid?"

At these words, the entire Grand Hall fell silent.

Not just the Bei Di King—even the Civil and Military Officials present found it unbelievable.