Chapter 727

First Volume, Chapter 727: Take It in One Month!

The accompanying soldiers beside them, watching Qin Feng and the others tussling in a heap, shook their heads in sigh.

"Qin Young Master is the top of the hundred marquises, the Tianlu Marquis; Ning Hu is a thousand-house marquis; Xu Mo is the County Commander of Beixi; and then there's the Crown Prince."

"Any one of these four, if they stomped their foot, the entire Shedynasty would tremble three times."

"If not for seeing it with our own eyes, who could believe these four were laughing, cursing, and rolling on the ground?"

The surrounding soldiers also burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, Lord Qin has always been unconventional—no point trying to guess his actions by ordinary logic."

"As the saying goes, near vermilion you turn red, near ink you turn black; stay too long by Lord Qin's side, and you'll inevitably pick up bad habits."

At that moment, Li Zhang did a carp leap, shoved Xu Mo off him, and scrambled away far, pointing at Qin Feng and shouting curses.

"You little Qin family thief, how dare you treat this Crown Prince so disrespectfully? I'll repay this humiliation a hundredfold!"

Still dare to shout?

Qin Feng rolled up his sleeves, jumped up, and yelled: "If I don't strip your pants off today, I'll take your surname! Ning Hu, Xu Mo, what are you standing there for? Chase him!"

Li Zhang was startled—he knew full well Qin Feng would actually do it.

Without a moment's hesitation, he turned and ran.

The four brothers kept bickering all the way, and only after a long while did they finally quiet down.

Li Zhang, face dark, punched Xu Mo on the shoulder, grumbling: "You ungrateful bastard, you're siding with outsiders! You've got your elbow turned outward."

Hearing this, Xu Mo grinned and laughed: "Crown Prince, how can you say that? Since Brother Qin left the Northern Border, you've been ordering me around nonstop."

"Now that Brother Qin's back, it's only fair I settle some private scores."

Qin Feng, holding the reins, wore a smile, silently thinking: in this life, to have these few comrades—well, he'd lived no wasted life.

"Crown Prince, how's it going at Xiongying Ridge?"

Li Zhang had already anticipated Qin Feng would ask—he knew Xiongying Ridge was the most critical strategic position right now.

"As one of Bei Di's most vital frontline strongholds, if we don't seize it by surprise and strike in one blow, trying to take Xiongying Ridge later is pure fantasy."

"We've already missed the best opportunity to attack; now Xiongying Ridge is dug in. We tried a probing assault once—it cost us nearly five hundred men in less than one Envoy."

"After discussing with Xu Mo, we've unanimously decided to abandon the offensive."

"Now Xiongying Ridge is completely surrounded. According to prior intelligence, the grain inside can last about two years."

"But because of its location, the terrain is mostly stone—getting water is a major problem."

"So Xiongying Ridge can only hold out three months. Once water runs out, they'll have to come out and fight for their lives."

Upon hearing Xiongying Ridge's offensive had failed, Qin Feng blamed no one, only sighed lightly.

He was in Jingdu—even if a fast courier galloped nonstop, delivering military commands to Jingdu took two days and two nights—still too slow.

On the battlefield, rapid changes occur in an instant; two days are enough to alter everything.

Moreover, Xiongying Ridge is one of the few heavy fortresses on the Bei Di front line—solid as a rock.

Even Qin Feng's own troops, skilled in siege warfare, would pay a heavy price to crack this hard nut.

Li Zhang's decision to abandon direct assault and adopt siege tactics was already the best choice.

Qin Feng sat on his horse, thoughtful: "Three months? Too long."

"We must take Xiongying Ridge before I enter the Di Royal Capital—otherwise, we can't break the will of the Hawkish Faction in Bei Di."

"My Pacification Mission is called a 'gift' to Bei Di, but in truth, it's a visit to beat them into submission."

Beside him, Xu Mo frowned: "Brother Qin, three months is still too long? Back when we held Biancheng on the Northern Border, the longest siege by Bei Di lasted six years."

"In the end, it was Bei Di who cracked first—they retreated, dusty and humiliated."

"After three months, when Xiongying Ridge runs out of water, we can take this heavy fortress with minimal losses."

"If we rush in recklessly, we'll lose more than we gain."

Seeing Xu Mo opposed to a direct assault, Qin Feng said nothing, only smiled, then turned to Ning Hu.

"Ning Hu, what do you think?"

Ning Hu shook his head like a rattle drum: "If even Xu Mo says it can't be taken, I certainly can't."

"Xu Mo's troops are Beixi County's Regular Army—they're suited for direct confrontation with Bei Di."

"My Tianji Camp Guards are fierce, but using them for siege warfare would be a waste."

"Since ancient times, the hardest part of siege warfare is that every soldier and general gets dragged down to the same level."

"Siege warfare? You just throw lives at it."

If only Xu Mo and Li Zhang opposed the assault, that might be understandable—but even Ning Hu believed the chance of success was vanishingly slim.

In tactical terms, then, it was absolutely not a worthwhile gamble.

Yet capturing Xiongying Ridge held immense political value.

First, it would shake the tiger and warn the hawks—make Bei Di's hardline Hawkish Faction understand Qin Feng's strength, and force them to accept all of Shedynasty's terms as defeated foes.

Second, it would display Shedynasty's overwhelming national strength to surrounding states, compelling their homage.

Third, it would send a clear message to domestic factions lying low: Shedynasty's external threats are resolved; if they wish to stir trouble again, they must first weigh the cost.

Qin Feng took a deep breath, voice firm: "Take Xiongying Ridge within one month!"

At these words, Xu Mo and the other two stared in disbelief, thinking they'd misheard.

Li Zhang immediately protested: "What? One month?"

"Brother Qin, you haven't personally seen Xiongying Ridge—you can't grasp its scale, and I understand that."

"I've been to the front line myself—Xiongying Ridge's City Wall, due to terrain, is built extremely high—five zhang tall."

"Our Biancheng, called the frontline's first fortress, is only four zhang. Most cities are two or three zhang at most."

"Add to that Xiongying Ridge's elevated terrain—our battering rams can't even function."

"The Cloud Ladders still don't reach, and if they're made too long, they lack strength—too many soldiers climbing will snap them outright, but too few soldiers just turns it into a tactic of pouring in troops, one after another, to be slaughtered."

"Even the grappling hooks don't work well!"

"Bear in mind, all the veteran soldiers of the North Di across this hundred-li stretch have retreated into Xiongying Ridge—not only are they numerous, but their battle experience is extremely rich."

"Facing these hundred-battle veterans who defend the City with their lives, the more fiercely we launch a direct assault, the heavier our casualties will be."

If we firmly refuse high-intensity assaults, as the attacking side, even the elite Beixi Soldiers, facing the North Di veterans entrenched in the City, are merely doomed to be slaughtered one-sidedly.

To achieve political goals by disregarding the lives of the Beixi Soldiers is absolutely not the foundation upon which Beixi stands.