Chapter 846

First Volume, Chapter 846: The Shame of Bei Di

Just moments ago, Jing Ci had nearly lost hope; if Chen Si had not arrived in time to turn the tide, what awaited this nation would be a war even more unbearable than winter.

Ignoring the guards' pleas, Jing Ci forcibly came to the city gate, watching Qin Feng, smiling as if nothing had happened, and she couldn't help but wonder: how vast is this man's heart?

After such a massive incident just occurred, he could remain so composed.

"Qin Feng, do you not know you nearly sparked a war?"

"Do you consider the lives of my countless Di people so worthless?"

Facing Jing Ci's accusation, Qin Feng shrugged and replied with a question: "Then is my life worth anything?"

Jing Ci was instantly speechless.

Even if Qin Feng had long been "hiding malicious intent" and prepared to exploit the situation, would he have had such an opportunity had Liu Yi not provoked him first?

Ultimately, the root of all this lies with the father and son of the Ministry of Works.

But the father and son of the Ministry of Works have already been punished; even if one wished to pursue accountability, there is nowhere left to pursue it.

Jing Ci shook her head and sighed, lips parting but words unspoken.

Chen Si let out a long breath and said softly: "Brother Qin, regarding what happened earlier, please let bygones be bygones. As the saying goes, harmony is precious. Our two nations are now moving in a better direction, and neither side wishes to see war reignite."

"The disaster tonight has been averted—that alone is a blessing to Heaven."

"But the city is in chaos inside and out; I must go to calm the garrison troops. I cannot stay to accompany you."

Chen Si gave a slight nod and turned away.

Almost the moment he was out of Qin Feng's sight, Chen Si's gaze turned instantly icy.

Though he had just desperately mediated for Qin Feng, seeing the burned houses around him, Chen Si deeply realized: those not of our kind have hearts that differ.

Qin Feng is ultimately a Liang Kingdom man; no matter how close the relationship, it is all for profit—he can never become a true friend.

The resentment over Chen Mou and Chen Li's deaths slowly stirred awake within Chen Si.

He had secretly sworn that if given the chance, he would eliminate Qin Feng.

On the other side, under Qin Feng's signal, Ning Hu counted the numbers and led the Northern Border Generals who had seized the city gate back to their garrison.

Because the Northern Border Generals struck first and no large-scale close combat erupted, their casualties were light.

According to Beixi County's regulations, the dozens of fallen soldiers would be sent back to the Northern Border for honorable burial.

At the same time, the Brocade Uniform Guards were dispatched to contact the messengers who had left earlier, ordering them to return to the garrison and cancel the mobilization order.

The various garrison troops of the Di Royal Capital also returned to their camps under the command of Chen Si and Zhang Bingguo.

Aside from the slaughtered city gate guards and the burned buildings, this brief war had come to an end.

And the instigator of it all, Qin Feng, stood with his hands behind his back and smiled at Jing Ci.

"There's still time—let's go to the Wang Family Mansion for the wine-tasting gathering."

Jing Ci could hardly believe her ears: after such a massive incident, Qin Feng still had the nerve to attend a wine-tasting gathering?

This… this man, what is even in his head?

Jing Ci had no interest at all, but to appease Qin Feng, she could only nod reluctantly and follow him toward the Wang Family Mansion.

Only long after Qin Feng had departed did the residents along the streets dare to cautiously peek out.

They felt as if they had endured a nightmare.

A middle-aged man, around forty, swallowed hard and stammered: "Good heavens, this Qin Feng is terrifying—he nearly triggered a major war."

The gathered common people were all drenched in sweat.

"Not just terrifying—he's utterly unpredictable!"

"One moment he was so magnanimous, the next he turned into a demon."

"The city gate guards were all slaughtered."

"Not just that! The Minister of Works and his son, along with Patrol Security Captain Zhao Pu, were also killed. This… this is truly our Di Royal Capital? How does it feel like the Liang Kingdom's capital? How could Qin Feng wield such influence?"

"You don't understand—holding troops means holding justice."

"Troops? He only has a thousand soldiers around him! If Grand General Chen hadn't intervened in time, his tiny force would have been wiped out within one Envoy by the capital's garrison."

"Say you're foolish, and you prove it! Those thousand troops are merely bodyguards for Qin Feng. His real army is stationed along the Liang Kingdom North Border and Sangzhou. Don't be fooled by his appearance—he's a true warlord."

The common people present were struck by fresh panic, recalling the chaos when Qin Feng first arrived in the capital; fear rippled through them.

At the same time, they were filled with confusion.

How could such a bloodthirsty demon like Qin Feng show such unusual patience toward common people?

They could not fathom it, but one thing they knew clearly: even if heaven fell, it was Qin Feng and the court's affair—it would not crush them, the ordinary common people.

As for the burned houses before, they were all military facilities of the city gate guards, with no relation to civilian homes.

Realizing the fire would not reach them, the people of the capital quickly calmed down, and the streets gradually resumed their flow of pedestrians.

This unrest appeared to have subsided, but under the cover of night, the bloodshed had not ceased.

All relatives and associates of the city gate guards were seized by the Ministry of War—over three hundred people.

The courtyard of the Ministry of War was filled with kneeling figures.

Zhang Bingguo showed no hesitation and coldly ordered: "Kill!"

At his command, over three hundred heads fell to the ground.

Zhang Bingguo turned, hands behind his back, and returned to the headquarters' main hall, sighing deeply—not out of regret for the three hundred lives, but because he still could not believe the city gate had fallen.

Seeing Chen Si return, Zhang Bingguo could not help but exclaim: "This is the royal capital! In the blink of an eye, Qin Feng's men breached it—if this spreads, won't all of Heaven laugh at us?"

"This issue is too grave—we must thoroughly investigate the garrisons of every department in the capital!"

Chen Si slumped into his chair and let out a bitter laugh: "We've always been the ones attacking others; suddenly becoming the ones under attack is naturally disorienting."

"Moreover, the Northern Border Troops are indeed fierce, and since their garrison is so close to the capital, layer upon layer of negligence led to the city gate's fall."

Hearing Chen Si's words, Zhang Bingguo finally felt somewhat reconciled.

If the defenders are prepared, even if all one thousand Northern Border Generals die, they will never breach the City Gate.

"General, we must find a way to drive away these one thousand Northern Border Troops—at least push them twenty Li away; otherwise, being this close, we won't be able to sleep or eat in peace."

Chen Si shared this sentiment, and planned to send word to Qin Feng once the situation had fully settled.