Chapter 914: First Volume, Chapter 914: Three Fronts, Terrible Intelligence

First Volume, Chapter 914: Three Fronts, Terrible Intelligence

The reason is simple: once on the battlefield, there is only one goal—to kill the enemy.

Therefore, every strike must be delivered with full force.

Under such extreme intensity, physical strength will quickly be exhausted.

Even Zhang Zhenhai, a battle-hardened Zhonglang Jiang, now lay on the ground like mud.

Qin Feng stood at the center of the intersection, shielding Zhang Zhenhai behind him, desperately holding back the growing tide of Tuntian Soldiers.

Watching Qin Feng fight bloodied and relentless, Zhang Zhenhai tried to push himself up—only to be struck from behind by a club, crashing heavily to the ground.

The one who struck him was not the enemy, but Qin Feng.

Qin Feng swung his long spear and roared: "Stay down! Recover your strength—replace Liu Ming."

"Liu Ming is skilled in martial arts, but he's not suited for brutal close combat—he won't last long."

Zhang Zhenhai rolled over, lying on the ground, watching Qin Feng fight endlessly against the enemy, and burst into loud laughter: "Hahahaha, Marquis! You are the Marquis of Great Liang, Lord of the Northern Border—yet you fight on the First Line yourself? You must be the most pitiful Marquis in history!"

Qin Feng paid no mind to Zhang Zhenhai's mockery; his long spear was severed, so he discarded it and drew his battle saber to continue fighting.

"You're about to die, and still talking so much?"

"Shut your mouth. Waste another ounce of strength, and when we get back to Beixi County, I'll have Xu Mo hang you up and beat you for three days and three nights."

Receiving another curse from Qin Feng, Zhang Zhenhai grinned broadly—having followed such a lord through life and death was, in his eyes, a stroke of fortune.

Get back to Beixi County? Can we even return?

If we can return… I'll take a long leave, rest for a few days.

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhenhai let out a dumb grin.

At the entrance of the ancestral hall in the village's center, Li Xiaolan watched enemy troops leaping and climbing across rooftops—she knew clearly: they had reached their limit; the DefensiveLine would break at any moment.

Li Xiaolan took a deep breath and slowly raised her right hand.

The Tianji Camp Guards beside her swiftly drew short knives from their belts and pressed them into her hands.

Two Tianji Camp Guards exchanged glances, then knelt together and bowed three times to Li Xiaolan before rising, saying nothing, and charging toward the Qian Xian Zhan Chang.

Li Xiaolan gripped the knife, her eyes showing not a trace of fear—only unyielding resolve.

The moment the DefensiveLine broke, Li Xiaolan would take her own life.

She would never allow herself to fall into enemy hands; as a woman, she knew all too well what awaited her—she must protect her Chastity, and preserve the reputation of the Qin Family and Qin Feng.

Meanwhile, outside the village, three messengers arrived simultaneously at Lü Li from three entirely different directions.

"Pillar of the State, disaster! Troops are charging from the Changshui County direction!"

"Pillar of the State, Grand General Chen Si leads his personal guards toward us, slaughtering our scouts and messengers along the way."

"Pillar of the State, heavy losses on the Front Line—the Enemy Army's morale remains firm; soldiers are deserting in droves, and the Supervisor of the Army has already executed over twenty."

"Piles of corpses block every entrance to the village—the front-line commanders beg the Pillar of the State to send your personal guards into battle."

"The Tuntian Soldiers' morale is nearly shattered."

Facing this cascade of bad news, Lü Li's expression remained utterly calm—he had anticipated all of this.

Only the Deputy General of the Garrison frowned tightly, his eyes flickering with panic.

But seeing Lü Li unmoved, he dared not ask, and could only grit his teeth and stand by.

Lü Li first turned to the messenger from Changshui County.

"Is it Ning Hu leading the reinforcements? How far are they from here?"

The messenger did not dare hesitate: "The enemy Zhonglang Jiang is fierce and unstoppable, and all are light cavalry—our scouts dare not approach for reconnaissance. We only know they number over five hundred, split into two groups: one hundred ahead, four hundred in rear guard. The vanguard has already entered Qingshan County and is less than twenty Li from here!"

Hearing the report, Lü Li already had his answer.

The enemy Zhonglang Jiang must be Ning Hu.

The vanguard of one hundred are pure Tianji Camp Guards, rushing here at any cost; the four hundred behind are Beixi Soldiers.

Lü Li knew the Brocade Uniform Guard had eyes and ears everywhere—completely sealing the news was impossible.

Moreover, Ning Hu's reinforcements were now less than twenty Li away; by distance and time estimates, the Brocade Uniform Guard must have sent word to Changshui County even before Qin Feng was ambushed—or perhaps even before Lü Li first deployed his troops.

Lü Li did not reply immediately, but asked: "What is the situation with Chen Si?"

The messenger from Wang Du was drenched in sweat: "We don't know how many troops Chen Si brought—only that there are many. Anyone he encounters on the road—scouts, messengers, even Qingshan County's constables—is killed, one by one."

"Grand General Chen Si is advancing fiercely—he is only twenty miles from here."

Lü Li nodded, then turned to the messenger returning from the Front Line: "How many enemy troops remain in the village? Have you killed any Zhonglang Jiangs? Have you found any Tianji Camp Guards' corpses?"

The messenger wiped sweat from his brow, nervously replying: "No Zhonglang Jiangs killed. No Tianji Camp Guards' corpses found."

The Deputy General of the Garrison could no longer hold back: "What? Not a single Tianji Camp Guard has fallen yet? Are they celestial soldiers?"

The messenger turned pale: "The Tianji Camp Guards hold the village entrance tightly—protected on both flanks by civilian homes, and with Anwu Guard and Beixi Soldiers guarding their rear. They only need to focus on the front. The Tuntian Soldiers, confined to narrow passages, cannot break through their DefensiveLine."

Hearing this, the Deputy General of the Garrison began sweating too—he immediately looked to Lü Li.

"Pillar of the State, what are you waiting for? Only your personal guards can break through the Tianji Camp Guards' DefensiveLine!"

Lü Li waved his hand decisively: "No!"

"The Tianji Camp Guards possess unmatched tactical advantage—they are the pinnacle of Ji Zhan. Even the legendary Imperial Guards of Liang have suffered heavy losses against them."

"My personal guards are elite, but still cannot match the Tianji Camp Guards—charging blindly would bring massive casualties."

"Besides, cavalry are rapidly approaching from both flanks."

Saying this, Lü Li stood up and shouted orders: "Leave one hundred Supervisors of the Army to prevent troop collapse as much as possible. Everyone else, prepare to engage Ning Hu's reinforcements!"

"Qin Feng's side must now number fewer than a hundred, and casualties will mount faster—Tuntian Soldiers alone can kill him."

"Right now, the priority is to block Ning Hu's reinforcements—to buy time for the main battlefield."

The Deputy General of the Garrison could not believe his ears: "Then what about Grand General Chen Si?"