Chapter 513

First Volume_Chapter 513 Fire Burning the Mountain

When Chen Ping was imprisoned, the remaining one thousand Xiongying Brigade cavalry charged straight to the Camp—but unfortunately, the Search and Exterminate Army outnumbered them, and with Chen Ping held captive by Xu Qian, even the Xiongying Brigade cavalry dared not act rashly.

Thus, Xu Qian seized full Frontline Command.

Xu Qian immediately ordered the entire army to prepare, planning to launch a general assault on the Enemy Army in the coming days, and also ordered Fire Burning the Mountain!

It was autumn, the air dry and the land parched; a single spark could ignite an uncontrollable disaster.

As Scouring Soldiers tossed fire torches into Qingyu Mountain from all directions, roaring flames erupted instantly, their towering blaze nearly lighting up the entire night sky.

Qin Feng had anticipated the Enemy Army would burn the mountain; though mentally prepared, standing atop the MountainTop and watching flames ignite from every side, he still felt a pang of emotion.

With this, all soldiers lost the protection of the forest; the coming battle would force them into close combat with the Enemy Army, and casualties were inevitable.

Ning Hu's gaze also carried a hint of gravity: "Looks like this Xu Qian isn't entirely useless—he seized power and immediately burned the mountain."

Qin Feng stood with hands behind his back, speaking solemnly: "Two harmful weights choose the lighter; in a corruption's heart, power struggle always comes first—he only focuses on action once the threats around him are cleared."

"Tell the soldiers: though the Enemy Army's Main General is a corruption, do not underestimate him."

"Once the mountain fire dies out, the Enemy Army will advance step by step toward the MountainWaist; after that, we will face waves of enemies surging upward."

The fire burned for a day and night, only fully extinguishing by the next nightfall.

Taking advantage of the mountain fire, all soldiers slept soundly and now were utterly refreshed; everyone stood at their posts, silently watching the situation below, Qingyu Mountain utterly still.

Night deepened, the Autumn Wind cold and desolate.

Dots of light, like a long dragon, crept upward from the Mountain Foot; each fire dragon represented a Search and Exterminate Army unit—six fire dragons total. As they advanced, the six gradually merged into three, then into two.

The Search and Exterminate Army's Main Force began clearing the MountainWaist and establishing military garrisons.

The Vanguard, meanwhile, held the First Line, ready and alert, guarding against stealth attacks.

As tent after tent went up, it signaled the complete fall of the MountainWaist.

Qin Feng summoned Ning Hu and whispered: "Have the soldiers take turns resting; tonight they won't attack the mountain—earliest at dawn, latest by morning, the Enemy Army will launch their major assault."

Knowing Qin Feng well, Ning Hu understood Qin Feng was under immense pressure—but refused to show it.

Ning Hu lowered his voice, probing: "Brother Qin, the Enemy Army's most troublesome Chen Ping has already been eliminated by Xu Qian, and we all know Xu Qian's worth—he's not worth worrying about."

Qin Feng knew Ning Hu was trying to comfort him, and sighed softly.

"Xu Qian means nothing—but he holds Heaven's timing, Earth's advantage, and human unity; he can continuously draw reinforcements from all regions to wage a prolonged Consumption War. We are the most vulnerable to consumption. And… even if Xu Qian suffers military defeat, the Northern Di will send others to continue the scouring."

Qin Feng did not continue; at this deadline, saying too much would damage morale.

Moreover, what Qin Feng feared most was precisely Xu Qian's defeat.

If Xu Qian lost, the Northern Di would surely send Regular Army to encircle us; at that point, with the few men Qin Feng had, they couldn't even hold one round.

The only hope now is progress in the Liang Kingdom North Border conflict.

If Chen Si's Army retreats—even if only cedes the Beidi Frontier—Beixi can send reinforcements to rescue us.

Otherwise, the only fate awaiting us is death.

That night passed in perfect calm, nothing happened—but Qin Feng knew such peace would never return.

The next morning, as dawn broke, Qin Feng, dozing against a stone wall, was awakened by Ning Hu.

"Brother Qin, the Enemy Army is preparing to attack."

Hearing this, Qin Feng rose instantly to check—indeed, dense ranks of Enemy Army had already assembled on the MountainWaist.

This moment had finally come!

Qin Feng's heart felt calmer than ever; he nodded to Ning Hu, and all soldiers took their positions, ready to fight to the death.

At the same time, Qin Feng tightly gripped the makeshift wooden hammer made of tree branches—should anything go wrong, he could use the oxhide drum in the Watchtower to issue orders.

Half a Envoy later, accompanied by heavy drumbeats, a Vanguard unit of five hundred began advancing slowly toward the MountainTop.

The front-line soldiers held Great Shields; those behind wielded long spears, forming a dense formation, interspersed with experienced Hundred-Battle Veterans who constantly shouted shouts.

"Hold steady, hold steady, don't panic!"

Clearly, Xu Qian had broken up the Xiongying Brigade cavalry and mixed them into the Search and Exterminate Army, allowing these Hundred-Battle Veterans to rally the defenders and boost morale.

Though Xu Qian's combat experience was nearly zero, as a civil official, he had surely studied military strategy; such basic tactics posed no challenge to him.

But as they advanced, the terrain grew steeper, and the viable paths narrowed.

As Qin Feng had anticipated, the Enemy Army's Vanguard had indeed entered the pre-set Battle Platform.

The Battle Platform was small, capable of holding only about two hundred at once; the remaining three hundred had to continue advancing upward, now less than Twenty Steps from First Fortress.

Throughout, the soldiers stationed at First Fortress had not fired a single arrow.

As the first twenty Enemy soldiers reached the front of the fortress, the waiting soldiers, poised and ready, thrust their long spears through the Jianbing loopholes.

The sharp spear tips pierced straight through the Enemy's Light Armor, spurting blood; at the same time, a piercing scream echoed across Qingyu Mountain.

That scream shattered Qingyu Mountain's silence—and sounded the battle's horn.

The Enemy Vanguard's roars and curses erupted instantly.

"Kill!"

"The Enemy is cornered with no retreat—charge forward, slaughter them all, earn glory!"

"Commander Xu has ordered: anyone who beheads a Tianji Camp Guard receives a hundred taels of silver; anyone who kills an officer receives a thousand taels!"

"This is Great Di territory—how dare these rebel Liang scum trample it? For Great Di, for the Sovereign, for the people—slaughter these damned Liang rebels!"

Led by the veterans, the Vanguard surged forward in waves toward the fortress.

The fortress defenders said nothing, only glared fiercely, thrusting their long spears relentlessly, using their length advantage to hold the Enemy at Five Steps away!