Chapter 537: First Volume_Chapter 537 Heroes' Welcome

First Volume_Chapter 537 Heroes' Welcome

"Yuxiong speaks rightly. The Commandant's merits tower over a thousand autumns, and this is only proper. Moreover, the citizens of the city have already poured into the streets, all to behold the Commandant's heroic bearing. If the Commandant dismounts and walks, the people behind won't be able to see him, and will naturally push forward, and at that point, I'm afraid the order will collapse into chaos."

Since the matter had been put that way, Qin Feng no longer insisted. He simply sat atop his horse and cupped his fist toward Zhao Yuxiong and Xu Mo.

"Generals, you have endured much."

Facing Qin Feng's commendation, Zhao Yuxiong and Xu Mo were overwhelmed with gratitude. In their view, their own meager contributions amounted to nothing at all.

After all, from the start of the great battle, Zhao Yuxiong and Xu Mo had been fighting on a single front, each leading his own troops to meet the Enemy Army head-on.

Unlike Qin Feng, who had to look after the People's Livelihood within the city, while also contending openly and covertly with Chen Si, formulating strategic plans, and even personally rescuing Comrades trapped behind enemy lines…

Throughout all of BeixiCounty, and indeed throughout the entire Beijing Army, no one's achievements could be mentioned in the same breath as Qin Feng's.

When Zhao Yuxiong and Xu Mo looked up at Ning Hu.

They discovered the fellow grinning broadly, his face wreathed in smiles: "Yuxiong, Xu Mo, we Comrades meet again!"

Xu Mo returned the smile: "I thought you'd die inside North Di territory."

Facing Xu Mo's teasing, Ning Hu could not help but throw his head back and roar with laughter: "Just because of North Di Barbarians, they think they can kill me? In their dreams! Besides, with the Commandant coming to the rescue, what Xiongying Brigade or Snow Wolf Brigade—they all have to step aside!"

Seeing Ning Hu as brazen as ever, Zhao Yuxiong and Xu Mo exchanged a knowing smile.

Because Ning Hu and the Tianji Camp Guards had stayed by Qin Feng's side through countless bloody battles, they too received the same privilege as Qin Feng and entered the city mounted.

Zhao Yuxiong and Xu Mo parted to the left and right, personally escorting the group as they headed into the city.

When Qin Feng passed through the Wengcheng and emerged from the Outer City Door, the previously silent City was instantly drowned in cheers.

"Commandant Qin!"

"It's really the Commandant, the Commandant has returned."

"Look, the Commandant seems a little different."

"What do you mean a little? He's practically become a different person. When he left the County City, he still looked like a scholar, but now returning to the city, he's already become a general!"

"There are plenty of generals under heaven, but one who personally leads troops, fights on the First Line, and still achieves such remarkable feats like our Commandant—that's rarer than phoenix feathers and unicorn horns."

"What rarer than phoenix feathers and unicorn horns? It's clearly never happened at all! Don't believe me, think it over yourself—since our Shedynasty was founded, has anyone ever gone into North Di territory and fought their way out?"

"That's true…"

The citizens gathered throughout the entire Outer City were in an absolute frenzy, constantly pushing forward in hopes of getting a closer Observation of Qin Feng.

The Beijing Garrison Infantry tried their utmost to hold them back, but in the end simply could not hold any longer. They went to notify Lin Quqi, who dispatched the Zao Zhuang San Ban Yaya to join forces, and only then barely managed to restrain the boiling crowd.

Qin Feng rode his Warhorse, escorted by a host of fierce generals, and proceeded along the corridor of men formed by the Beijing Garrison Infantry toward the Inner City.

Along the way, exclamations and even shrieks rose one after another.

"Commandant, did you really slay several thousand of the Enemy Army at Qingyu Mountain?"

Hearing the shouts coming from the crowd.

Qin Feng replied with a smile: "I didn't count exactly. I merely led the guards to hold Tianqian Pass—however many charged up, that's however many we slew."

Hearing these words, the scene erupted into another frenzy.

Seeing that Qin Feng, faced with the citizens' 'rudeness,' was not only unangered but responded with a smiling face, the gathered citizens grew bolder.

All manner of questions came in an endless stream.

"You only had four hundred and fifty men by your side—how could you repel a siege of over Ten Thousand Heavy Cavalry? It's simply inconceivable!" a young fellow, flushed with excitement, shouted at the top of his raspy voice.

Perhaps because he had finally come home, Qin Feng's mood was unusually good, and he was far more patient than usual.

"Before we made our last stand at Qingyu Mountain, we were ambushed by the North Di Night Owls and the Xiongying Brigade. We suffered heavy losses, with more than half our manpower wiped out."

At these words, the young fellow was not in the least deflated, but grew even more excited: "What?! That means you only had about Two Hundred men by your side? Heavens, how on earth did you fight that Battle?"

Just then, a boy of eight or nine suddenly slipped under the arm of a Beijing Garrison Infantry, darted in front of the Warhorse, and shouted, fists clenched: "Sir, I want to join Tianji Camp, to serve Beixi—please take me in! My mother says I'm still young, but I'm not—I'll be ten after New Year!"

The boy's mother turned pale with fright.

One had to know that to recklessly block a military Horse was a Death Penalty, especially when the Horse being blocked was Qin Feng's own mount.

In an instant, the eyes of everyone present converged on that boy.

The boy's mother covered her mouth, wanting to rush up and drag her son back, but the Beijing Garrison Infantry blocked her path, leaving her to stand in place fretting helplessly.

Just as everyone's hearts had risen to their throats, Qin Feng pulled on the Reins.

The Warhorse slowly came to a halt.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Qin Feng swung himself down from the Saddle, took a Shield from the Saddle, walked up to the boy, pressed the Shield into his hands, and patted the little rascal on the head.

"Want to join Tianji Camp? Sure!"

"Back at Bian Jun Zhong Zhen, I used this very Shield to smash Seven or Eight of the Enemy Army to death—it's covered in the enemy's blood and savagery. This Shield is yours now. When you can hold the Shield aloft with one hand and charge through a sapling as thick as a 'yina' and snap it at the waist, come report to Tianji Camp."

As he spoke, Qin Feng turned to look at Ning Hu: "Remember this kid."

Ning Hu, seated on his Horse, grinned broadly—seeming quite taken with the little rascal who had blocked the military Horse: "Kid, what's your name?"

The little rascal was already flushed red with excitement, clutching the Shield as if it were a treasure. The Shield was simply too heavy—'clutching' was a stretch; he was really just propping it on the ground and gripping it with all his might: "I… I'm called Zhang Da Niu."

Ning Hu gave a heavy nod: "Good, Zhang Da Niu, I've remembered you. Hurry back to your mother."

The boy named Zhang Da Niu summoned all his strength, dragged the heavy iron-bound Shield back to his mother's side.

The youths nearby looked on with envy in their eyes.

"Wow, that's the Shield the Commandant used to slay the enemy on the battlefield—your luck is just too good."

"Let me see—is there really North Di Barbarian blood on it? Whoa, there really is!"

"Zhang… Zhang Da Niu, give me that Shield. I'll trade you a Sugar figurine for it."

Zhang Da Niu hugged the Shield tightly, chin raised, his face full of pride: "No way. This was a gift from the Commandant. In the future I'm going to rely on this Shield to join Tianji Camp."

The young lads on the scene could not help but wail.

The Zhang Family woman, seeing that her little rascal of a son had not only escaped punishment but had actually picked up a great bargain, first exhaled a long sigh of relief, then cast an incomparably fervent gaze toward Qin Feng.