Chapter 739: First Volume, Chapter 739: The Rebel Army Surrenders

First Volume, Chapter 739: The Rebel Army Surrenders

In the blink of an eye, two thousand surrendering cavalry were surrounded by bow infantry; for safety's sake, Qin Feng urgently summoned another thousand cavalry from the Second Battalion to assist in defense.

After all, these were two thousand enemy troops—if they feigned surrender, such close proximity, combined with total darkness, would inevitably inflict unimaginable damage upon the Camp.

Only after confirming the enemy had no means of resistance did Qin Feng finally exhale in relief and send men forward to make contact.

Meanwhile, Lü Ci, staring at the well-equipped, fearsome Beixi Soldiers surrounding him, was nervously swallowing saliva repeatedly.

If they changed their minds, trapped under heavy encirclement and having already discarded their weapons for the sake of "surrender," Lü Ci's two thousand men would have no chance to resist—they would be slaughtered to the last man in an instant.

The Gate General beside him was also drenched in sweat: "General, we… we came out too hastily, we didn't warn Qin Feng's men ahead of time."

"If Qin Feng reneges, we won't even have a place to plead our case—just to save money on the Pacification Edict, Qin Feng might very well order a massacre!"

Lü Ci also feared this, but since they had already come, he could only grit his teeth and hold on.

"There's no other choice—Ma Tingyun rarely falls into a deep sleep; if he notices troop movements, escaping the City would be utterly impossible."

"All we can do now is pray that Qin Feng keeps his word."

Just as everyone's hearts were filled with unease, a junior officer in Beixi Army uniform stepped forward and demanded coldly: "Who are you?"

Lü Ci dared not hesitate a moment and answered quickly: "I am Lü Ci, Guerrilla General under the Right Vanguard of the Third Corps of Great Di, Southern Battlefront Lines!"

The Beixi junior officer knew the Right Vanguard had been an emergency reinforcement deployed to the Front Line during the National War.

After the war ended, the Main Force returned for reorganization, leaving behind the Right Vanguard, which had joined later, to garrison the area.

The junior officer said nothing and turned away; only after verifying Lü Ci's identity—confirming the Right Vanguard indeed had a Guerrilla General named Lü Ci—did he return.

"How many garrison troops remain in the City?"

Now that they had surrendered, such military secrets were answered fully and without reservation by Lü Ci.

"Total of six thousand eight hundred men; I brought out two thousand cavalry, leaving four thousand eight hundred behind in the City."

The junior officer recorded each detail, then asked: "How long can the City's materials and supplies last?"

Lü Ci replied without thinking: "After the Fire Attack, losses were severe—grain can still last two years, water for two months."

"One Jun Xie Ku was burned down; damaged equipment is mostly armor."

"Arrows, rolling logs, and stones in the City are all sufficient."

"Garrison morale is low, but under the supervision of Garrison Commander Ma Tingyun, it's barely maintained."

The junior officer nodded and ran off again, delivering all information to Qin Feng.

Qin Feng and Ning Hu studied the details for a long time, eventually concluding the information was likely accurate—the rebel commander Lü Ci was not feigning surrender.

Qin Feng's heart leapt with joy: "Quick! Bring General Lü inside at once!"

The junior officer obeyed and rushed back to Lü Ci, his attitude having undergone a complete 180-degree shift, smiling warmly.

"General Lü, please don't take offense—my Young Master Qin is always cautious; he dared not meet you until your identity was confirmed."

"General Lü, dismount at once—Bi Zhi will lead you to my Young Master."

Upon hearing this, all the surrendering soldiers let out a collective sigh of relief.

Lü Ci wiped the cold sweat from his forehead; his tension finally vanished.

On the battlefield, conditions change in an instant; feigned surrender is common—Qin Feng's caution was entirely justified. Had Qin Feng welcomed him without hesitation, Lü Ci would have suspected a Hongmen Banquet.

Lü Ci immediately dismounted and followed the junior officer to the Vanguard Camp.

He saw two men standing there: one tall and muscular, eyes sharp as swords; the other slender, with a smiling gaze, every gesture radiating scholarly grace.

Lü Ci already guessed—the burly one was Qin Feng, the other the Military Advisor.

Without hesitation, Lü Ci clasped his fists, knelt on one knee, and shouted to Ning Hu: "I, Lü Ci, Guerrilla General of the Right Vanguard, lead my two thousand men in Qi An, coming to join Young Master Qin!"

Looking at Lü Ci kneeling before him, Ning Hu was baffled: "If you're here to join Young Master Qin, why are you kneeling to me?"

Lü Ci froze, confused: "You're not Young Master Qin? Then who is?"

Ning Hu chuckled: "I am Ning Hu, Marquis of a Battalion Commander of Shedynasty, one of the Beixi Main Generals."

He pointed to Qin Feng beside him: "This man is Young Master Qin."

At these words, Lü Ci froze again.

He studied Qin Feng from head to toe—he looked nothing like a battle-hardened general; he seemed more like a frail scholar…

"I… never imagined the legendary Young Master Qin would be so… refined."

Lü Ci couldn't think of any better words and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

Qin Feng paid no mind; he stepped forward and personally helped Lü Ci to his feet: "General Lü's decision to abandon darkness and embrace light is swift and decisive—I deeply admire it."

"How many officers do you command?"

Lü Ci answered without thinking: "From Deputy General down to Colonel, thirty-seven officers in total."

Thirty-seven officers…

Beside him, Ning Hu winced inwardly—according to Qin Feng's price list, each officer was worth Ten Thousand Li Silver; with Lü Ci included, the total reward alone would reach Fifty Thousand Li Silver!

Such a sum—even if Tianji Camp had a flock of golden-egg-laying hens—could never be raised.

As Ning Hu fretted, he noticed Qin Feng smiling calmly, seemingly utterly unconcerned about the money.

Qin Feng patted Lü Ci's muscular arm and remarked: "No wonder you're a Guerrilla General of Great Di—you're truly formidable."

Formidable?

Lü Ci's face flushed red—he remembered how, when seizing corpses, he led a thousand cavalry and was crushed by Qin Feng's thousand bow infantry.

Even with his thick skin, he dared not accept the title "formidable" from Qin Feng.

"Young Master, you humiliate your humble servant."

"I've only heard tales of Young Master Qin's divine tactics, but never understood how divine they truly were—now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I understand."

"To be honest, before Young Master Qin arrived, the garrison had prepared for a prolonged siege, even eager to face your full-scale assault."

"Yet… we never even saw Young Master Qin's face, and already lost over a thousand men."

"This general has spent half his life on horseback, seen countless brutal battlefields, but never once seen a man fight like Young Master Qin."