Chapter 929

First Volume, Chapter 929: Campaign Against Qin Feng

The Ministry of War's Assistant Secretary seized Wang Xiaowei by the shoulder, eyes wide with shock, nearly screaming.

"You… you've confirmed this? This matter is of utmost gravity—if there's the slightest error, it's a capital offense."

Wang Xiaowei looked grim; who would willingly deliver bad news if not forced?

He quickly explained: "This is a Chen Family bodyguard who escaped—he spoke it himself. The man is already detained at the city gate."

Upon hearing this, the Ministry of War's Assistant Secretary immediately waved his hand, signaling Wang Xiaowei to bring the man forth immediately; such a grave matter must be verified without the slightest oversight—if it's false intelligence, it's not merely a demotion, it's execution!

Wang Xiaowei dared not delay; he rushed back to the city gate and ordered the Chen Family bodyguard brought to the Ministry of War.

By the time the man arrived, the Ministry of War's Vice Minister had already rushed over upon hearing the news; since the truth had yet to be verified, he had not yet informed the Minister of War.

The Ministry of War's Vice Minister stared fixedly at the Chen Family bodyguard and barked: "Do you know what punishment awaits for falsifying military intelligence?"

Facing the Vice Minister's interrogation, the kneeling Chen Family bodyguard burst into loud sobs: "If I speak even a single lie, even if my nine clans are exterminated, I shall not utter a word of complaint—but poor Grand General Chen, he trusted Qin Feng so completely, only to be lured into the city and assassinated!"

Seeing this, the Ministry of War's Vice Minister was already nearly certain—the truth was likely real.

The thought of Chen Si being lured and killed by Qin Feng pierced his heart like a knife; throughout the entire Imperial Court, Chen Si was the only "Protector General" capable of holding the line.

That bastard Qin Feng… he struck with such ruthless decisiveness…

The Ministry of War's Vice Minister, furious: "What exactly happened?!"

"Large military columns are strictly forbidden from entering or approaching any county city without explicit exemption from the Ministry of War and His Majesty—this is basic knowledge. How could Grand General Chen not know?"

The Chen Family bodyguard wiped his nose and tears: "Qin Feng lied, claiming he needed coffins to collect the bodies of fallen soldiers. Grand General Chen, seeking to appease Qin Feng, made an exception—but who could have imagined…"

Hearing this, the Ministry of War's Vice Minister clenched his teeth: "What were you doing? Why weren't you guarding Grand General Chen?"

The Chen Family bodyguard looked devastated: "Grand General Chen said we, clad in armor, must not enter the city and disturb the people. He and Qin Feng entered the city discreetly. We can only blame Grand General Chen for trusting Qin Feng too much—Qin Feng Gouzei repaid kindness with betrayal; may he die a wretched death!"

Naive! Foolish!

The Ministry of War's Vice Minister trembled with rage; what kindness had Chen Si ever shown Qin Feng? They were mortal enemies on the battlefield—given any chance, Qin Feng would strike down Chen Si without hesitation.

But this was not Chen Si's fault—it was Lü Li's doing. Had Lü Li not meddled, His Majesty and Qin Feng would already be negotiating.

Chen Si understood the people's suffering and knew the nation's strength was exhausted; he never wished to wage another major war during this once-in-a-century winter, so he took the risk of appeasing Qin Feng—and was seized upon by him…

The Ministry of War's Vice Minister pondered briefly, then swiftly ordered his subordinates: one group to notify the Minister of War, another to contact Li Yu.

As for an Imperial Audience, it should be handled by two senior officials; though his GovernmentPosition was high, he had no desire to deliver such grim news.

If His Majesty turned on him, and he spoke wrongly by misfortune, he might invite death.

Half a Envoy later, the Minister of War and Li Yu met at the Palace Gate.

They exchanged a glance and sighed simultaneously; though filled with helplessness, knowing they must deliver this horror to His Majesty, they needed to align their stories first.

"Lord Li, how should we proceed?" the Minister of War asked cautiously.

Li Yu shook his head with a bitter smile: "What else can we do? Report the truth."

"Remember—no concealment. Follow all procedures strictly. Don't invite trouble."

The Minister of War nodded, no longer hesitating, and followed Li Yu straight toward the Imperial Study.

Just as they pushed open the door, preparing to report, they froze in shock at what they saw.

The Di King sat upon the Dragon Case, and two figures stood below it.

One was Chen Si—who should have been dead—and beside him stood a black-robed Village Elder.

Li Yu stared in disbelief: "Grand General Chen, you… you weren't supposed to…"

Before Li Yu could finish, Chen Si sighed and answered: "Had Old Wu not rescued me, I would already be headless."

"Lord Li, Minister, you've arrived just in time—let us jointly deliberate on the campaign against Qin Feng."

Campaign against Qin Feng…

Hearing this, Li Yu's heart lurched; the one thing he least wished to happen had come to pass—campaigning against Qin Feng meant all-in, and the Winter War was now inevitable.

But since the deed was done, Li Yu had nothing more to say; he simply stepped aside.

At this moment, the Di King's face was grim; moments earlier, he had been considering how to appease Qin Feng—but the instant Old Wu entered the Imperial Study with Chen Si, the Di King knew something had gone wrong.

Upon inquiry, it was confirmed: Qin Feng and Great Di had irrevocably broken ties.

The Di King's hatred burned fiercely—he wanted to whip Lü Li's corpse; this man was a traitor who brought ruin upon the nation, an eternal sinner condemned throughout the ages.

But Lü Li was dead; better to spend no time on a corpse than to focus on the crisis before him.

The Di King cut straight to the point: "The course of this Winter War hinges on Qin Feng. If we can capture him early and hold him as a hostage, we seize the initiative and reopen negotiations with Liang. But if we fail to capture him, and the war spreads across the entire realm, then…"

The Di King did not finish; this decision was Breaking the Cauldrons and Sinking the Boats—too risky. Had Lü Li not interfered, he would never have chosen this path.

The Minister of War immediately offered advice: "Your Majesty, we must immediately deploy Cavalry to pursue and kill him!"

"Qin Feng's group carries many wounded and corpses—they'll move slowly. If we intercept them before they reach Changshui County, there's still a chance."

Upon hearing this, Chen Si and Old Wu spoke in unison: "No!"

"Impossible!"

Chen Si frowned: "Qin Feng has proven time and again the combat effectiveness and morale of his troops. Sending a small cavalry unit after him will only increase casualties for no gain. Deploying a large army would waste too much time."

"In my view, we should deploy the full Army directly toward Changshui County and strike hard while Qin Feng is still unsteady."

"Changshui is an inland county in the Jingji Region—its City Wall is low, and it has no strong defensive works. Under a fierce assault, it won't hold long."