Chapter 915

First Volume, Chapter 915: A War Without Righteousness Loses the People's Heart

The garrison deputy general believed Chen Si posed a greater threat; after all, Chen Si had slaughtered countless obstacles in his path, clearly indicating hostile intent—he was coming for Lü Li. Right now, they must find a way to stop Chen Si, then kill Qin Feng and bury this case for good.

With Qin Feng dead, even if Chen Si raged, he could never murder a Pillar of the State over a dead man.

The court and populace are in turmoil, public morale is fragile, and the people still harbor deep hostility toward Qin Feng. If they learned Chen Si killed Lü Li to avenge Qin Feng, the entire realm would erupt in fury; even under public pressure alone, Chen Si would dare not act recklessly.

"Pillar of the State! Your subordinate suggests dispatching personal guards and infantry to intercept Ning Hu's reinforcements, while sending cavalry to ambush and harass Chen Si, buying time for the battlefield."

"If we only block Ning Hu and let Chen Si advance, once he reaches the battlefield, it may…"

Before the garrison deputy general could finish, Lü Li waved him silent: "You understand nothing of Chen Si!"

"Chen Si has long regarded me as a thorn in his eye, a splinter in his flesh, desperate to remove me. In his eyes, I and the entire Hawk Faction are traitors who betray the state. My actions against Qin Feng give him the perfect pretext—and with Night Owl now involved, even Li Yu, despite his differing views, will stay silent to protect himself."

"Today, I, the Pillar of the State, will die."

Hearing this, the garrison deputy general was utterly stunned. He stared at Lü Li, frozen for a long while before snapping back and crying out: "Then we must send troops to stop Chen Si! If you return to Wang Du, with the Hawk Faction and public support, you can still turn the tide!"

The garrison deputy general reacted so fiercely because his fate was tied to Lü Li's—should Lü Li fall, every officer involved would be purged in blood.

Lü Li understood the deputy general's thoughts, but he still shook his head firmly: "You don't just misunderstand Chen Si's methods—you don't understand the combat effectiveness of his personal guards."

"Don't forget, Chen Si's clan brothers are all Main Generals of the Snow Wolf Brigade, and nearly all of his personal guards are veterans retired from that brigade."

"We have barely a hundred cavalry. If we charge them, they'll be slaughtered within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

"Right now, we must focus all efforts on blocking Ning Hu's reinforcements—gain these twenty Li, and only then can we strike with one-Strike Victory and kill Qin Feng."

Upon hearing this, not just the garrison deputy general, but every general present felt their spirits collapse.

At that moment, they realized Lü Li had already accepted death. Every move he made was for revenge for his son; the lives of others meant nothing to him.

Everyone on the field—generals and soldiers alike—had become tools, or rather, cannon fodder, for Lü Li's revenge.

This battle meant everything to Lü Li himself, but to everyone else, it was a meaningless act of suicide.

Lü Li sensed the hatred and fury in the eyes of the officers and soldiers around him, but he didn't care.

Whether it was the murder of his son or the humiliation he suffered in Liang Guo Jingdu, Lü Li's hatred burned endlessly. If killing Qin Feng required any price, he would pay it—otherwise, he would never overcome the barrier in his heart, and would die in bitter despair.

The garrison deputy general had no choice. He gritted his teeth and led a thousand troops straight toward Ning Hu's reinforcements.

But after marching only five or six Li, he halted.

This thousand-man force consisted of seven hundred Tuntian Soldiers and three hundred Lu Family personal guards, plus the last hundred cavalry—undoubtedly the most combat-effective unit under Lü Li's command.

The garrison deputy general stared toward the direction Ning Hu might appear, then raised his hand and ordered: "Infantry form ranks here. Cavalry advance left and right to ambush Ning Hu's reinforcements. Lu Family personal guards, move to both flanks and lie in wait three hundred steps away!"

"This tactic lacks resilience, but the enemy rushes to reinforce—they won't linger. This is a tactical encirclement!"

Under the deputy general's orders, the soldiers took their assigned positions and lay in ambush.

Almost as soon as the Lu Family personal guards departed, the deputy general turned to the troops standing guard and growled: "You all heard it—Lü Li is dragging us to die for his private revenge. Is that justice?"

"We served Lü Li to achieve great things, yet now we're to be slaughtered like ants—and die as cowards, even in death!"

"Wanggang Village won't fall, Ning Hu's reinforcements are charging hard, and Chen Si, the Grand General, sees us as a chaotic faction. This is a disaster from heaven."

"While there's still time—who will follow me to Da Yi and redeem ourselves?"

The soldiers had long grown weary of this battle. Though they knew Qin Feng was doomed, they'd suffered fivefold, even tenfold casualties and still couldn't breach a tiny village like Wanggang Village. Qin Feng's army's combat effectiveness and morale had left them hopeless and bewildered.

Now, even the garrison deputy general seethed with resentment over this war of personal vengeance. As common soldiers, they had no hesitation—they followed their deputy without question.

Several men who had cowered in the rear during battle now stood up and shouted loudly.

"He's right! Lü Li deceived us!"

"This war is unjust!"

"Chen Si, the Grand General, is a Zhonglang Jiang who defends the state. Even he sees us as a chaotic faction—clearly, Lü Li's war hides treacherous intent. We were meant to serve Da Di, to shed blood and sacrifice our lives. Now we've become rebels—is this right?"

Seeing the soldiers rally behind him, the garrison deputy general wasted no time. He ordered the troops to prepare, then sent messengers to recall the Lu Family personal guards hiding on the flanks.

The Lu Family personal guards, unaware of the betrayal, followed orders and marched into position under the deputy general's direction.

Now, the soldiers surrounded them from all sides.

By the time the Lu Family personal guards sensed the hostility in the soldiers' eyes, it was too late. At the deputy general's command, every soldier attacked at once.

Caught completely off guard and overwhelmed by close-quarters assault from all directions, even the superior combat effectiveness of the Lu Family personal guards couldn't save them—they suffered massive losses in an instant. Within a blink, over half were slaughtered.

The Lu Family personal guards in the center barely survived, but fewer than a hundred remained. Outnumbered, unprepared, and surrounded in close combat, even their fierce counterattacks could not change the outcome.

The leader of the personal guards screamed: "You traitors! May you die cursed! Even as ghosts, I won't let you go!"