Chapter 762

First Volume, Chapter 762: Bloodstained Steppe

"Whoever kills Qin Feng shall be rewarded with ten thousand liang of White Silver; I shall personally petition His Majesty to enfeoff the slayer as a thousand-household lord!"

The Snow Wolf Cavalry, already bloodied and enraged, intensified their relentless pursuit of Qin Feng's forces under the lure of the heavy reward.

This pursuit lasted for one incense stick time; though they could not shake off the Snow Wolf Brigade, the enemy's arrows were exhausted, yet their warhorses still held a stamina advantage—Qin Feng's capture was merely a matter of time.

At this critical moment, a volley of arrows shot from the south toward the Snow Wolf Cavalry—only one hundred and eighty in number, yet with uncanny precision, instantly bringing down ten plus pursuers.

Led by Liu Ming, captain of the Crimson Robe Anwu Guard, a small unit of twenty Anwu Guards and eighty Tianji Camp Guards had already set up an ambush here.

"Help the Marquis escape!"

Liu Ming gave a low command, and the Anwu Guards and Tianji Camp Guards immediately launched rapid ranged attacks on the enemy army—this action instantly provoked retaliation from the Snow Wolf Cavalry.

Chen Li didn't even deign to regard the Anwu Guards and Tianji Camp Guards, this "infantry peak," as a threat; even at their peak, they were still infantry—he detached only fifty cavalry to charge toward Liu Ming's position, while the main force continued to cling tightly to Qin Feng's rear.

Facing the fifty charging Snow Wolf Cavalry, Liu Ming did not hesitate a moment—he immediately ordered his guards to raise great shields and chang mao, forming a defense.

These fifty cavalry had exhausted their arrows; faced with the guards' Wang Ba Formation, they could do nothing but circle around it, forcing the guards into pure defense and preventing any ambush. Any lapse in discipline would mean instant trampling death—even for Tianji Camp Guards.

This minor interruption did not disrupt Chen Li's vengeance; as he was about to catch up to Qin Feng, his subordinate arrived.

"General, we must not pursue further!"

"The Tianji Camp Guards have appeared—other enemy forces must be very near. Qin Feng is luring us deeper!"

Hearing this, Chen Li glared furiously: "Nonsense! That dog Qin Feng killed my brother Chen Mou—this feud cannot be reconciled; it must be avenged!"

"Even if there is an ambush, any force arriving this fast must be light cavalry—no great tactical advantage. I have two thousand brothers of the Snow Wolf Brigade—what do I fear? Let them come in any number—we'll kill them all, and make these so-called Beixi County elites pay for my brother Chen Mou's life!"

Under Chen Li's orders, the Snow Wolf Brigade, emboldened, continued chasing Qin Feng.

Unbeknownst to him, Qin Feng had already spotted a distant flicker of light—though solitary, in the Sai Bei Huangyuan, it could not be a peasant traveling at night. That light must be a cavalry night guide.

Since it came from the east, it was undoubtedly reinforcements.

Qin Feng led his remaining four hundred comrades straight toward the light; as they drew nearer, a large force of troops emerged darkly on the horizon.

When Qin Feng spotted them, they spotted him too—a familiar voice called out: "Who goes there?"

Qin Feng did not hesitate: "Qin Feng of Beixi!"

Hearing Qin Feng's reply, Ning Hu, who had been anxious, burst into joy—he immediately rode out of the formation to meet Qin Feng.

"Brother Qin, you're safe—that's wonderful! When I heard you were fighting the Snow Wolf Cavalry, I feared…"

"Pah! Bad luck!"

"Brother Qin, come over quickly!"

Ning Hu spun his horse around and led Qin Feng into the main column.

Qin Feng, who had been on edge for so long, finally exhaled in relief—just as he was about to rejoice in his narrow escape, a hard punch landed squarely on his back.

He turned to see Jing Qianying, her face icy, eyes piercingly glaring at him.

Before Qin Feng could speak, Jing Qianying cut him off with a sharp cry: "Say nothing. We'll settle this when we return."

Qin Feng could only rub his nose and stayed silent.

At that moment, Qin Feng suddenly heard loud wailing behind him—he turned to see a rough-looking man sobbing uncontrollably, tumbling off his horse and pounding his chest and thighs.

"Marquis, you shouldn't have come back to save us! For these dozen of us, you lost hundreds of comrades—we are eternal sinners!"

Wang Sihai, heartbroken, pounded the ground with his fists—when Qin Feng had led the counterattack, they had been a thousand strong; now, all together, only four hundred remained. For eighty comrades, six hundred had died—Wang Sihai felt he deserved a thousand deaths.

Qin Feng, seated atop his horse, looked down at Wang Sihai, tears streaming down his face, and said gravely: "If I recall correctly, you are Wang Sihai, the Beixi County Raiding Captain, correct?"

Wang Sihai wiped his tears haphazardly and looked up at Qin Feng: "Among so many officers in Beixi County, I never thought the Marquis would remember this lowly subordinate."

Qin Feng replied calmly: "Raiding Captain is no minor rank—I wouldn't forget."

"As for your claim that trading six hundred comrades for eighty is a bad bargain—I see it differently. When you held back the Snow Wolf Rangers to cover the main force's retreat, you did so with full knowledge of death. If you could sacrifice yourselves for your comrades, how could I abandon you to die alone?"

"Six hundred brothers are brothers; eighty brothers are brothers too—there is no difference!"

"Moreover, beyond rescuing you, the main reason was that our horses were exhausted—we could not outrun the Snow Wolf Cavalry. A direct clash, ironically, gave us the chance to escape."

"On the battlefield, casualties are inevitable—no need to weep like a woman. A true man does not act like a girl!"

Facing Qin Feng's rebuke, Wang Sihai wiped his tears, knelt on one knee, clasped his fists in salute, and fell silent.

At least Qin Feng's scolding had jolted Wang Sihai awake—this massive battle was never merely for the sake of a few of them.

With the enemy closing in, Qin Feng had no time to soothe his subordinates.

"Little Marquis, the Snow Wolf Cavalry is coming—lead your troops to intercept them!"

"The comrades who withdrew from the battlefield—rest here."

"Tonight, since we've clashed, we'll settle this once and for all. I thought killing Chen Mou was enough—but since the Snow Wolf Brigade has sent its entire force, why not annihilate them now and remove a major threat to Shedynasty?"

Ning Hu clasped his fists and led his troops forward to meet the Snow Wolf Cavalry.

Meanwhile, Qin Feng ordered screening of the retreating comrades—any seriously wounded were to be sent back to the Camp for treatment.

In the end, only three hundred remained.

"Comrades, rest quickly—when you and your horses are recovered, we charge again!"

"Tonight, not a single Snow Wolf Cavalry man escapes!"