Chapter 824: First Volume, Chapter 824: The Ultimate Master Attacks

First Volume, Chapter 824: The Ultimate Master Attacks

The seventh prince governs in place, but has not yet ascended to the Herald position; thus, nominally, the Liang Emperor's orders still supersede all else, and with Qin Tianhu's rank of Grand Commandant, the joint imperial and ministerial decrees must be obeyed throughout Heaven.

Should anyone defy them, it is treason—meriting execution!

Don't be fooled by Qin Feng's casual, lazy demeanor—this man, when serious, is always decisive and ruthless; he intends to use this once-in-a-millennium opportunity to pressure all domestic factions.

Who dares refuse? He will crush them with thunderous force!

If they submit, he will castrate them—break their fangs!

The Liang Emperor burst into laughter, shaking his head in awe: "Old seventh, old seventh, your famed patience and strategy are still too crude. Look—this is true patience! He has more than enough military strength to launch direct attacks against the Lin Family and the Southern Border powerful clans, yet he hides behind the scenes."

"He waits for this perfect moment of nationwide chaos to subdue every chaotic faction at once!"

The Liang Emperor waved his hand: "Transmit my Imperial Command: command authority over the Longhu Army is temporarily granted to Grand Commandant Qin. Also, since the Son of Heaven was attacked, the Northern Border Troops may mobilize at any time to reinforce the King!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yao immediately knelt and cried out in a sweet voice: "Your Majesty's Imperial Command."

Her second point was that the Northern Border Troops could freely cross the border—but the Liang Emperor had already anticipated it.

…

Night was still young when the messenger rushed toward Jingdu, heading straight for the East Camp.

As the East Camp came into view, the messenger had no time to rejoice—he was struck by a hidden arrow, fell heavily from his horse, and died on the spot.

Three Anwu Guards, lying in wait along the messenger's unavoidable route, stepped out from the Cao Cong, seized the military dispatch from his body, and vanished instantly.

Meanwhile, inside the Imperial Study, the Grand Commanders of the East and West Camps and the Garrison General sat uneasily.

According to timing, the battle at Taishan should have already begun—but no messenger had returned, and they knew nothing of Taishan's situation.

Li Yong remained calm: "Don't speculate—the messengers have all been intercepted and killed."

"Our eyes have been blinded by Qin Feng. It seems the siege of Taishan has already failed."

At these words, the three Great Generals turned pale, exchanged glances, and could not speak for a long while.

The Eastern Camp General broke the grim silence first, speaking in a low tone: "Your Highness, Qin Feng is far away in the Di Wang Du—how could he possibly control events within the realm?"

"Could he possibly be omniscient, having foreseen every one of our moves?"

Li Yong closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "I've said before—we face our greatest obstacle in Qin Feng. Before leaving Beijing, he made a series of arrangements. To call him omniscient is not an exaggeration."

The Grand Commander of West Camp growled coldly: "If we'd known this, we should have assassinated Qin Feng from the start—then we wouldn't be in this predicament."

Li Yong snorted: "Assassinate him? How? General, you understand Qin Feng too little."

"He appears coarse, but his mind is finer than hair."

"Wherever he goes, he is surrounded by hidden guards. And this time, he brought over a thousand Northern Border Generals—how could you possibly touch him?"

"Now that it's come to this, stop dwelling on these meaningless matters."

The Garrison General frowned tightly: "Your Highness, if Taishan has truly fallen, what do we do next?"

Li Yong's eyes flashed with murderous intent: "I underestimated the bond between Father Emperor and Qin Feng. Even when they are at odds, they maintain an unspoken, adversarial alliance. Now that the situation is clear, their bond will only grow stronger."

"Qin Feng will surely aid Father Emperor in reclaiming the Herald position."

"If so, we strike first—seize Beijing!"

Saying this, Li Yong rose abruptly and barked: "East and West Camps—attack the Longhu Army! Garrison Army—eliminate every military force Qin Feng left behind in Beijing! I will utterly erase Qin Feng's influence in the capital!"

With no other choice, the Three Great Generals could only follow through to the end, shouting in unison: "Yes, Your Highness!"

…

The Di Wang Du lay utterly silent. Qin Feng and Chen Si staggered out of Yun Xiang Lai Jiu Lou, drunk.

That night nearly drank Qin Feng to death.

After bidding farewell to Chen Si and the others, under Ning Hu's support, Qin Feng took a few steps then collapsed to the ground, vomiting violently—no matter how low-proof the turbid wine was, the sheer volume was too much.

Drinking like this, he wasn't drunk—he was nearly dead from overindulgence.

Qin Feng could no longer walk. He simply sat down on the ground, hugging his shoulders, shivering: "These old bastards are relentless! Talking about staying up all night, drinking and chatting—fuck that! We've already settled everything we needed to discuss—why drag it out? Go home, go to your mothers—it's not better that way?"

Qin Feng ranted—had he known this would happen, he should've dragged Li Zhang along; Li Zhang was far better at these kinds of social obligations.

Ning Hu crossed his arms and threw salt on the wound: "You got the better end of the deal and still complain—you drank one meal and nearly sealed the Peace Treaty Terms. What a feat!"

"If it were me, I'd drink three days and three nights without hesitation!"

Qin Feng sneered: "Drinking ruins everything!"

"This is Di territory—we must stay alert at all times. One slip, and we die without a grave."

"Besides, leaving Yun Xiang Lai so late will surely provoke those madmen."

"Forget it—let's head back to the Yi Guan."

Qin Feng leaned against the wall, staggered to his feet, and turned to walk back—when a faint footstep came from behind.

He instinctively turned—and saw a Black-Clothed Man walking slowly toward him.

Night Walk Garment? Assassin?

Just as feared, it came!

Qin Feng's heart lurched—he signaled Ning Hu with his eyes and sprinted toward the Yi Guan. But after only two steps, his shoulder burned with pain.

He turned—and his blood turned cold.

A five-inch iron needle was embedded in his shoulder—more like a chopstick than a needle.

Qin Feng instantly sobered, barked: "Danger! Where are the Anwu Guards!"

At that moment, the Black-Clothed Man let out a cold snort: "No need to waste your breath—your hidden guards are already dead."

What?!

The Anwu Guard were Qin Feng's most elite protectors—slain silently, all of them?

This… this was impossible!

Ning Hu realized the danger and shoved Qin Feng hard: "Brother Qin, run—I'll hold him off!"

The Black-Clothed Man sneered: "Stop me? Where do you get such confidence?"

Before the words faded, Qin Feng saw a flash of cold light—Ning Hu was flung backward and slammed hard onto the ground, an Iron Needle lodged in his left shoulder too!

Took out Ning Hu in a single exchange?

Such terrifying skill!

"Who are you?!" Qin Feng clutched his shoulder, blood gushing uncontrollably, his eyes locked in horror on the Black-Clothed Man, barely an arm's length away.