Chapter 963: First Volume, Chapter 963: Siege and Verbal Battle

First Volume, Chapter 963: Siege and Verbal Battle

When Qin Feng woke again, it was noon the next day; a faint fragrance still lingered on the bed, but Xiao Xiangxiang and Shu Feng had long vanished.

"What a pity! Finally had some free time, and I fell asleep—what a waste of heaven's gifts!"

Qin Feng cursed himself inwardly for being weak, stretched out hard on the bed, and found the sleep deeply restorative—his accumulated fatigue had finally vanished.

When Qin Feng stepped out of his room with his hands on his hips, he found the courtyard empty—all four women were gone.

"Strange, where did they all go so early in the morning?"

As Qin Feng walked outside, he entered the Beixi County Courthouse and found the four women standing at the door, gazing out.

"What are you all crowding here for?" Qin Feng asked without thinking.

The four women exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

Xiao Xiangxiang rushed over and clung tightly to Qin Feng's arm, excitedly saying: "Master, you're awake!"

"Hehehe, come quick—outside is so interesting, everyone's voting for representatives."

Voting for representatives?

Confused, Qin Feng followed Xiao Xiangxiang out the door and found dozens gathered on the Street—local Common People and Logistics soldiers alike.

The crowd was loudly and passionately debating.

"Let me go! I've been stuck in the city so long I'm bored out of my mind—perfect chance to stretch my limbs."

"You common folk shouldn't be butting in!"

A Beixi Soldier, hands on hips, shouted boastfully.

The Common People glared back, clamoring to prove themselves.

"Why not? Commander Ning said whoever drives the enemy commander away with words gets twenty taels of silver—this is a gift from heaven!"

"As for cursing, in Changshui County, if I'm second, no one dares claim first."

"Who doesn't know how to insult ancestors? The key is hitting them where it hurts."

"Hehehe, just curse a few times and earn twenty taels of silver? Is there really such a thing?"

Hearing their chatter, Qin Feng instantly grew interested—he didn't need to guess: the enemy, unable to breach the city, had shifted from assault to siege, employing provocation tactics.

Verbal battle was naturally part of that tactic.

Ning Hu, being tongue-tied, must have been so badly insulted he couldn't even lift his head—hence hiring skilled cursers.

Qin Feng loved a good spectacle; how could he miss this? But sensing the hostile glares from Shen Qingci and Li Xiaolan, he dared not leave openly—he feigned disinterest and turned back toward the County Yamen.

"Verbal battle? Boring! I'll go back and rest my wounds."

Seeing Qin Feng behave so obediently, Shen Qingci and Li Xiaolan exchanged glances and believed him.

But the moment Qin Feng returned to the Back Courtyard, he scaled the wall and ran straight to the City Wall—just as he prepared to climb up, several Tianji Camp Guards blocked him, refusing outright.

One Tianji Camp Guard pleaded, voice cracking: "Lord Qin, please don't climb! If the enemy launches a stealth attack and you're harmed, we can't bear the responsibility!"

"If you insist on going up, at least put on your armor."

Under the Tianji Camp Guards' desperate pleas, Qin Feng reluctantly endured, slowly donning each piece of armor, even the helmet—only then did they allow him onto the wall.

But the moment he stepped onto the City Wall, Qin Feng grinned.

The wall was packed with people; Ning Hu stood with hands on hips, one foot on the Jianbing, roaring insults downward.

Outside the wall, over a hundred men gathered—mostly Cavalry; their commander likewise pointed up at Ning Hu, hurling curses.

"You're Ning Hu, right? The so-called top warrior under Qin Feng? Pfft!"

"Where's Xu Mo? Only Xu Mo deserves to fight me. As for you? Go sit somewhere cool and quiet—you're not even worthy to be mentioned alongside Xu Mo."

As the saying goes: strike the snake at its vital spot, kill with words that pierce the heart—this enemy commander's words struck straight into Ning Hu's core.

Though Ning Hu and Xu Mo were as close as brothers, as the two Main Generals of Beixi County, they secretly competed.

Ning Hu's strategic skill was nowhere near Xu Mo's—he knew it well—so he could only reclaim pride in tactics.

In single combat or Small-Scale Operations, not even Xu Mo could match Ning Hu—let alone anyone else in Beixi County.

Yet now, the enemy commander had reduced him to nothing, stoking Ning Hu's simmering rage.

Ning Hu pointed down at the enemy commander and roared: "Xu Mo is a general! I am a Martial man! How can we be compared?!"

"If you dare, fight me one-on-one!"

"If I don't cut off your dog's head within one cup of tea time, I'll take your surname!"

The enemy commander laughed loudly in response: "Hahahaha! You? If you're so brave, come down!"

"I'll let you have one hand. One incense stick time—if I don't knock you off your horse, I lose, and you may do as you please."

"But you're such a brute—you probably can't even last three rounds."

Ning Hu was furious—but not foolish. He knew this was provocation, and so he seethed helplessly.

Qin Feng could no longer watch. He thought: this little tiger is so blunt—he's been broken by three sentences. If he becomes a Main General commanding ten thousand troops and remains this impulsive, disaster will follow.

Precisely because he understood Ning Hu's temperament, Qin Feng had never given him command of troops—only let him lead Elite Troops in Small-Scale Operations.

Just as the enemy commander gloated, Qin Feng suddenly spoke: "Why didn't your army attack today? Afraid?"

At these words, every eye instantly turned to Qin Feng.

Seeing Qin Feng arrive, Ning Hu's eyes lit up—of all people, Ning Hu respected no one's verbal skill except Qin Feng's. Back in the Imperial Court of Jingdu, Qin Feng had debated a hundred scholars and crushed the court ministers—all with his tongue.

This enemy commander, a mere Martial man, was no match for Qin Feng.

Ning Hu rushed over in three strides, excited: "Brother Qin, rely on you!"

Qin Feng waved his hand, signaling he had it under control. Standing at the edge of the City Wall, he looked down at the enemy commander with a smile: "Your army left thousands of corpses and fled in shame—now you come to hurl words? Only brave enough for verbal sparring? Truly, the Capital Elite of the Northern Di Imperial Court—you've earned my admiration."

"If all the Northern Di Elite are like you, then the Northern Di are but a finger-snap away from annihilation."

The enemy commander's face darkened instantly. He glared at Qin Feng, teeth clenched: "Qin Feng Xiao'er, don't get too cocky! Dare you come down and fight me to the death?!"