Chapter 979

First Volume, Chapter 979: Jing Ci and the Xiongying Brigade

Even if the Northern Di King knew nothing of the news from Changshui County, Qin Feng's detention of Zhang Chao had already revealed his stance.

The Northern Di King no longer held any illusions; he lowered his head and looked at Li Yu, asking in a deep voice: "Minister Li, matters have come to this—do you still have a plan to save the nation?"

Facing the Northern Di King's question, Li Yu's heart felt extraordinarily heavy.

If before Qin Feng's army breached Zhuozhou, Li Yu had still clung to hope, believing that Da Di, with its full national strength, might still stand a chance against Qin Feng, upon learning that Qin Feng's Southern Front Army had swiftly, in one strike, stormed all the way to Ezhou, Li Yu had plunged into utter despair.

Leaving aside the enemy's terrifying combat effectiveness and efficient logistics, merely the fact that the enemy had captured Ezhou would cause irreversible consequences.

After all, in this age, news from the capital could not reach the provinces in just a few days.

Local garrisons would learn only one thing: that the enemy had taken Zhuozhou and was now fiercely attacking Ezhou; as for the enemy's tactics or the specifics of Zhuozhou's fall, whether they cared or not, even if they did, they likely had no reliable sources of information.

The enemy's swift capture of Zhuozhou was a thunderclap to every regional garrison—even commanders eager to fight would see their military morale shaken.

Although Li Yu did not wish to admit it, at this moment, there was no choice but to relocate the capital northward and establish a defensive line in the North to continue the war.

But Li Yu could not say this himself—it had to be raised by the Northern Di King himself.

Li Yu could only sigh and feign helplessness: "The enemy's offensive is swift; such a pace of advance is unprecedented in history."

"Even if Grand General Chen leads troops to establish a defensive line north of Ezhou, holding back Qin Feng's advancing army remains beyond our capacity."

Li Yu's meaning was clear: even with Chen Si in command, stopping the enemy's advance would be nearly impossible; if they did not flee now, before the enemy reached the Jingji, they would never get another chance.

The Northern Di King slumped against the Dragon Throne, his gaze dazed.

He could not understand how Da Di, once so mighty, had sunk to this state.

When Da Di first invaded Liang, it was still strong and well-equipped, holding every advantage; but since Qin Feng appeared, the tide turned sharply. Even after forming a bitter enmity with Qin Feng, the Northern Di King still had a chance: he could have, before Qin Feng's diplomatic mission, somehow gathered the promised war reparations and denied Qin Feng any pretext to escalate.

Then, they would only need to follow standard protocol for receiving foreign envoys.

But now, one misstep led to another, until they fell into a bottomless abyss.

The Northern Di King had ruled with martial vigor for half his life, never imagining he would be driven to this brink; to avoid relocating the capital, he asked again: "Minister Li, if I were to betroth Princess Jing Ci to Qin Feng, could that make him withdraw his troops? After all, Qin Feng is a man who values emotion—perhaps, out of respect for Jing Ci's sake…"

Hearing this, Li Yu's heart twisted with bitterness.

At this point, the Northern Di King still thought of using Jing Ci for a marriage alliance—if Jing Ci had been useful, how could she have been driven into this predicament?

Moreover, between Jing Ci and Jing Qianying, whom would Qin Feng favor? Was there even any need to consider?

Yet Li Yu did not immediately reject the Northern Di King's proposal; instead, he said softly: "Let us prepare three measures: first, spare no effort to reinforce Ezhou with grain and forage, easing Grand General Chen's logistical burdens. Second, send Princess Jing Ci to Changshui County to resume state peace talks with Qin Feng. Third…"

Li Yu paused again, still not mentioning relocation of the capital—such a matter was too grave to be decided by one man alone; if anything went wrong later, Li Yu would inevitably bear the blame.

After long deliberation, the Northern Di King could only accept Li Yu's suggestion, treating a dead horse as if it were still alive.

That night, orders were issued: troops split into three columns—one continued transporting grain and forage to support Chen Si; another marched to Bei Fang Gu Cheng to construct a defensive line; the third headed to the Hou Gong to meet Princess Jing Ci.

Upon learning the Emperor intended to send her to Changshui County for peace talks, Jing Ci understood at once: the nation was on the brink of collapse, and the Manchu Civil and Military had exhausted all options.

She looked at Qi Ya, who had faithfully served her side by side, and smiled bitterly: "I never imagined the burden of saving Da Di would fall upon a woman like me."

"But Qin Feng has always been decisive in battle—now that victory is within reach, how could he possibly call off his troops just because of me, a woman?"

"This decision is surely meant to trade my presence for precious time to negotiate."

Seeing Jing Ci's sorrowful expression, Qi Ya felt deep pity—but at this deadline, what other choice was there but to obey the Emperor's orders?

After two days of preparation, carrying the compensation gifts previously promised by Zhang Chao, Jing Ci boarded a carriage and set out for Changshui County.

At the same time, the Beixi Expeditionary Brigade had already clashed with the enemy.

Following Li Zhang's military deployment, the Beixi Expeditionary Brigade advanced as vanguard toward the Bei Xian, with the Light Cavalry Corps flanking on both sides and the Main Force guarding the rear; but when they were only two days' march from the enemy's defensive line, they were ambushed by a formidable force.

This entire cavalry unit was exceptionally fierce; in a single encounter, it shattered the Beixi Expeditionary Brigade's formation, and one fierce general even briefly closed in on Jing Qianying and Xu Mo at the center. Had the infantry not swiftly formed a defensive line to block the enemy cavalry's charge, Jing Qianying and Xu Mo would have been beheaded.

After a moment of chaos, the Beixi Soldiers, including the Beixi Cavalry, reorganized and launched a counterattack—but the enemy came swiftly and departed just as quickly, withdrawing from battle at astonishing speed.

In a single glance, Xu Mo made an accurate judgment: this enemy unit must be elite among elites; across all of Northern Di, only one force met this standard—the Xiongying Brigade!

Xu Mo did not dare delay; he immediately ordered the troops to construct a defensive line on the spot, instructing Jing Qianying to remain among the Beixi Bu Zuo to prevent a cavalry ambush, while the Beixi Cavalry circled the perimeter, ready to engage.

Xu Mo frowned deeply, as if facing a dire threat, and repeatedly warned Jing Qianying: "Fourth Miss, beyond this point lies the Northern Di Imperial Court—this region must be heavily guarded, and now we've been ambushed by the Xiongying Brigade; worse battles lie ahead. Though you are highly skilled in combat, this is still a battlefield—no matter what happens, you must not act on your own initiative."

"You are the core pillar of the Wild Emperor Party—if you fall, I cannot answer to Lord Qin, and Lord Qin's entire plan will collapse."