Chapter 607: First Volume_Chapter 607: First Force, Then Courtesy

First Volume_Chapter 607: First Force, Then Courtesy

The Liang Emperor's furious roar echoed out of the Imperial Study, as if reverberating through the entire Imperial Palace.

"What I see is the complete erosion of imperial authority!"

"My Li Imperial Clan's pride—the elite troops of Jingdu—were mercilessly slaughtered by Qin Feng like scattered soldiers and wanderers!"

"Within half a month, this incident will spread across all of Shedynasty!"

"The Northern Border Warlords, the Southern Border Gentry, and the Di will all see me and the entire Jingdu defense as a paper tiger."

"Others will follow suit; every commander holding military power will test the depth of Jingdu's defenses!"

"Today Qin Feng killed his way back and forth; tomorrow someone will want to drag me out and hang me!"

The Liang Emperor, enraged beyond control, swept all the Imperial Memorials off the Shushu onto the floor.

Zhang Xiuye trembled in terror and hurriedly bent down to pick them up.

The Liang Emperor fixed his burning gaze on Li Qian and Lin Taibao.

"Half the Imperial Court bows to the Qin Family; powerful clans and aristocratic clans across Heaven are watching Jingdu."

"If I listen to your slander and kill Qin Feng in prison, all of Heaven will laugh at me as a petty man who only knows low tricks!"

"As ruler of a nation, what does losing authority mean?"

"Then I won't just face Qin Feng—I'll face the Northern Border in chaos and Heaven in turmoil!"

Li Qian fell to his knees with a thud, his face ashen.

How had he ever considered this balance of advantage and harm?

When he learned Qin Feng had slaughtered every last Imperial Guard and Palace Guard, Li Qian had merely marveled at the valor of Qin Feng's troops.

He forgot that the Imperial Guard and Palace Guards represented imperial dignity.

The Xie Bi case was originally a winning hand: as long as Xie Bi remained imprisoned, Qin Feng could be slowly worn down.

Even if action was unavoidable, it must be carried out with overwhelming force, achieving one-strike victory and leaving Qin Feng no chance to resist.

But now, because Li Qian's eyes were fixed solely on the Crown Prince position, he grew too eager and lost his composure.

A winning hand was deliberately ruined.

The Liang Emperor once placed great hope on Li Qian; should Li Qian inherit the Imperial Throne, he could use his tactics to balance the various internal and external forces of the court.

Clearly, Li Qian lacked both the ability and the qualification.

The moment the Liang Emperor granted him even slight authority, Li Qian's ambition surged wildly; in just a few days, he drove the most dangerous aristocratic clan—Qin Feng—to open rebellion.

This Li Qian hasn't even learned the barest hint of the Hedging Art!

The Liang Emperor stared at Li Qian and asked coldly: "I gave you twenty thousand men; you only need to send ten thousand to annihilate the Southern Border Gentry."

"To annihilate the Northern Border Gentry, you must deploy all twenty thousand."

"How do you plan to annihilate both the Southern Border Gentry and the Northern Border Noble Clans with only twenty thousand men?"

Li Qian's eyes darted in panic; his mind raced, but the more he thought, the more confused he became.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and blurted out: "R-Your Majesty, Son-Minister believes… two harmful weights choose the lighter."

"We should concentrate all force to annihilate the Northern Border Noble Clans; once the greatest threat is eliminated, then…"

Before Li Qian could finish, the Liang Emperor cut him off coldly: "Second Brother, my last illusion about you is shattered."

Li Qian's body shook violently; he jerked his head up, staring at the Liang Emperor with defiance.

"Your Majesty, where did Son-Minister go wrong?"

The Liang Emperor's gaze was weary, as if betrayed, his voice hollow as he slumped back onto the Dragon Throne.

"If it were me, I would send ten thousand to the Northern Border and keep ten thousand in reserve."

"Whichever of the Northern Border Noble Clans or Southern Border Gentry disobeys, I send the remaining ten thousand."

"Subjugate the enemy without fighting—that is the supreme strategy. Likewise, forcing the enemy to submit without weakening your own strength is the true path."

Li Qian's eyes glazed over; he stared blankly at the Liang Emperor, and for the first time, he realized how childish he appeared beside him.

The Liang Emperor waved his hand, signaling Li Qian could leave.

Watching Li Qian's retreating back, the Liang Emperor sighed wearily: "As long as Xie Bi is held captive, we can pressure and wear down Qin Feng."

"Turn this dangerous enemy into a blade in our own hand."

"Then, state peace talks and suppression of the Southern Border Gentry will follow naturally."

"Without a single soldier or drop of blood, we could resolve all our pressing threats at once."

"Now, it's the opposite—we've driven Qin Feng to rebellion and shattered imperial authority…"

"Second Brother, I gave you chances. But you're simply not fit to inherit the Imperial Throne."

The Liang Emperor closed his eyes; after a long silence, he drew a deep breath and said wearily: "Issue my order: the Dali Temple shall reopen the Xie Bi case for retrial."

Zhang Xiuye, already terrified beyond words, trembled as he asked: "Your Majesty, please instruct—how should the case be reviewed?"

Hearing this, the Liang Emperor was about to rage—but the anger died on his lips.

He slumped back again, defeated.

His heart was filled with helplessness.

A pack of useless fools—everything must be spelled out for them. Even if I had three heads and six arms, I couldn't be everywhere…

"Since Xie Bi was dismissed and the case was handled as an exceptional matter, the retrial must also be handled as an exceptional matter."

"Qin Feng has once again put me on the spot. I'm tired. I don't want to play games with Qin Feng anymore."

"Withdraw and seek the next best."

Withdraw and seek the next best…

Zhang Xiuye could not fathom the Liang Emperor's words, but dared not ask further; he hurried off toward the Dali Temple.

Watching Zhang Xiuye's silent, trembling back, the Liang Emperor snorted softly: "In this Imperial Palace, only the useless live long."

When Zhang Xiuye relayed the Liang Emperor's exact words to the Dali Temple Minister.

The Dali Temple Minister couldn't help but smile slightly, murmuring in admiration: "Qin Feng, Qin Feng, you really are something."

Zhang Xiuye was utterly baffled: "Minister Cheng, what does the Emperor mean by that?"

Logically, the Liang Emperor should now be scheming to destroy Qin Feng—so why did he suddenly sound the retreat?

No matter how hard Zhang Xiuye racked his brain, he couldn't fathom what the Liang Emperor was thinking.

As the Dali Temple Minister dispatched the Registrar to retrieve the Case Files of Xie Bi and Qin Feng, he explained with solemn gravity.

"Do you think Qin Feng stormed the Execution Ground merely to rescue the Xie Family father and daughter?"

Zhang Xiuye's eyes were clouded with confusion: "Then what else?"

The Dali Temple Minister couldn't help but chuckle: "If his goal were only to rescue the Xie Family father and daughter, he should have prioritized a swift retreat."

"He would need only a small force in Heavy Armor; the rest of the troops should be Lightly Equipped, advance quickly, and withdraw just as fast—only then could they escape Jingdu before the Reinforcements arrived."

"But Qin Feng ordered nearly all his troops to don Heavy Armor and uniformly armed themselves with Breakthrough Weapons."

"He was targeting the Imperial Guard and the Palace Guards all along."

Zhang Xiuye's heart lurched; his face turned pale with shock.

The Imperial Guard and the Palace Guards held unquestionable status in Jingdu—so Qin Feng had intended from the start to slaughter them all?

Wasn't this tantamount to forging an unbreakable blood feud with the Liang Emperor?

Seeing Zhang Xiuye still half-understanding, the Dali Temple Minister sighed.

"Let me spell it out plainly: Qin Feng is targeting the Emperor himself. Today's situation is a game between Qin Feng and the Emperor—killing the Imperial Guard and the Palace Guards is meant to strip the Emperor of all face."