Chapter 842

First Volume, Chapter 842: Beidi War Tactics

Only when the enemy launched a massive assault did the war drums sound, and in an instant, the entire Di Wang Du descended into chaos.

Tens of thousands of defenders began converging toward the royal capital.

The Imperial Guard and imperial bodyguards inside the city also responded, entering wartime status, forming dense formations, and streaming toward the city gate, while clearing and sealing off all areas within five hundred steps of the palace.

Chen Si, who had been drinking tea at the Ministry of Works, froze upon hearing the drums.

The messenger sprinted into the headquarters hall, tripped over his own feet, and crashed heavily to the ground; before he could cry out in pain, he shouted his report.

"Grand General, disaster!"

"The city gate has fallen! The three hundred guards stationed there have been massacred—the enemy now controls the gate."

What?!

Chen Si could not believe his ears; his hand trembled, and the tea cup slipped from his grip, shattering on the floor.

His eyes widened as if he meant to devour the messenger, and he growled: "Nonsense! This is the royal capital—a major stronghold. If a large enemy force had come, they would have had to breach multiple checkpoints before even approaching the capital."

"A small infiltration force could never have seized the gate in such a short time."

The messenger nearly screamed: "It's absolutely true!"

"Qin Feng's thousand Northern Border Troops were stationed too close to the gate—they launched a sudden attack. The defenders had no time to react; the gate was thrown open, and the Northern Border Troops entered as if it were an empty land, killing every soldier in uniform, regardless of rank."

"The patrol security captain who guarded the gate thought there must be some misunderstanding, stepped forward to explain—and before he could utter a word, a Northern Border soldier cut off his head with a single slash."

Chen Si froze again.

The soldiers attacking the gate… were Qin Feng's men?!

This… this is impossible!

Even Chen Si felt his mind was overwhelmed. Logically, the peace talks had succeeded perfectly, and all that remained was implementation—why, at the moment of triumph, had such a massive disturbance erupted? This made no sense whatsoever.

Zhang Bingguo, standing beside him, was drenched in sweat and roared at the messenger: "What exactly happened?!"

"Though Qin Feng acts unpredictably, he values interests above all."

"The negotiations are complete, yet he suddenly turns on us and destroys his own future—this makes no sense."

"Moreover, the troops Qin Feng brought, though elite, are far too few. If conflict breaks out, they'll be slaughtered in moments—he wouldn't do something this foolish."

The messenger wiped the sweat from his brow and gritted his teeth to reveal the truth.

"It seems… the son of the Minister of Works, Liu Yi, publicly provoked Qin Feng, escalating into a clash."

"Liu Yi's arm was broken; Patrol Security Captain Zhao Pu led men to intervene, and the conflict spiraled out of control."

"The Northern Border Generals believed Qin Feng had been assassinated, so they launched a suicide attack."

Upon learning the full story, Zhang Bingguo trembled with rage and swept everything off the table.

He cursed furiously.

"Damn it! You wretched fools—are you trying to push Great Di into the fire?!"

"Since Qin Feng entered the royal capital, the Night Owls have never ceased reconnaissance—they've confirmed it's impossible to kill him quietly."

"If assassination won't work, not a single hair on Qin Feng's head must be touched—or else…"

Before Zhang Bingguo could finish, Chen Si snapped: "This is not the time for such talk!"

"Send officials from headquarters immediately—order the capital's defenders to withdraw. Qin Feng is fiercely protective of his men; if full-scale war erupts and his Northern Border Troops suffer heavy losses, the grudge will be sealed—and Qin Feng will repay it a hundredfold, a thousandfold."

"Our national policy is set. Now is not the time to make an enemy of Qin Feng."

"Also… notify His Majesty at once—find a way to appease Qin Feng."

"From what I know of Qin Feng, as soon as his Northern Border Troops move, a Brocade Uniform Messenger will flee to the rear to send word—the longer we delay, the deeper the misunderstanding grows, and the two nations will soon be plunged back into war."

Even Chen Si, usually as steady as Mount Taishan, was now utterly tense.

Remember: the Peace Talks Agreement binds not only Great Di—but Qin Feng as well.

That's precisely why Qin Feng's troops are stationed only in the Northern Border and Sangzhou—behaving themselves—while only Lü Ci and Li Chou, the traitors, brought their rebel army into Zhuozhou.

If a Brocade Uniform Messenger escapes to Sangzhou, even if the Liang Kingdom's Imperial Court has no intention of attacking Great Di, Prince Li Zhang and Main General Xu Mo will override all opposition, mobilize every available force, and march straight on Zhuozhou.

At that point, not only will Great Di be dragged back into war, but the nation, already suffering internal strife and external pressure, will be thrown into extreme disadvantage—and the Emperor's entire plan will be shattered.

Truly, one hair pulled moves the whole body.

Meanwhile, the news reached the Ministry of Works.

The Minister of Works, hearing the deafening war drums and seeing the messenger kneeling before him, stood frozen in shock.

His son Liu Yi's broken arm enraged him—but when he learned the scale of the disturbance, he panicked.

He turned quickly to the Minister of Works—and found the Minister's face darker than storm clouds.

"Minister, you've raised yourself a fine son!"

"Why provoke anyone else? Why provoke Qin Feng? Doesn't he know that when Qin Feng flies into a rage, he'll even strike down his own country's ministers?"

"Though the Hawk Faction fiercely opposes the Peace Talks Agreement, that's purely political. Now you've torn the veil open—you're uniting the entire court and bureaucracy against the Hawk Faction!"

Hearing this, the Minister of Works turned deathly pale—he finally grasped the gravity of the situation.

The Hawk Faction held moral high ground; nearly no court official dared confront them directly. As long as this advantage persisted, pressure would eventually crack the Peace Talks Agreement.

But now look!

Great Di has no strategic plan for another major war—yet you've torn the veil with Qin Feng. To avoid a hasty war, the court and bureaucracy will now unite to appease Qin Feng—and the easiest way? Sacrifice the Ministry of Works!

The Minister of Works swallowed hard, suppressing his shock, and gritted his teeth: "That wretched brat is useless at everything except causing disaster. Rest assured, Your Excellency—I will do everything in my power to make amends."

The Minister of Works closed his eyes, took a deep breath: "Liu Minister, don't blame me for being ruthless—when the greater good demands it, sacrifice is inevitable."

"If this cannot be contained, I will have no choice but to sacrifice you and your son."

The Minister of Works had no defense—this entire disaster stemmed from his wretched son. As a father, he could only grit his teeth and accept it.

"If the damage cannot be undone, I submit entirely to your judgment!"

Watching the Minister of Works hurry away, the Minister of Works shook his head: "The Hawk Faction is doomed by too many such fools—no wonder they never succeed."

Qin Feng is a Hedgehog; anyone who touches him ends up with bloody hands!