Chapter 5

Qin Feng coldly glanced at the young man, then turned and sat down in his own seat. He didn't take this guy, who seemed to want to kill him with his eyes, seriously at all. It was clear that this was someone from a big city and a prominent family, full of arrogance and ignorance of the world. Such a person, if in the Death Corps, would die without knowing why, even if his martial arts were excellent. However, the old man surnamed Guo, who kept his hands in his sleeves, made Qin Feng sense a hint of danger. This kind of feeling could only be perceived by someone like Qin Feng, who had been on the brink of death. From him, Qin Feng could feel the iron-blooded and ruthless aura, as if this old man had also come from the military. From the way General Zuo addressed him, it was clear that this man held a high position. Even General Zuo, who commanded a large army, had to call him "Old Guo."

"Alright, now that all the camp commanders are here, the military council will officially begin. According to the latest orders, the direction of our army's advance will change," Zuo Lixing cleared his throat and looked at the generals below.

"Are you kidding me?" Qin Feng jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on. "General Zuo, this is a matter of military strategy. How can it change so easily? According to the previous orders, our Death Corps has already sent scouts to investigate the route, the positions of the Western Qin outposts, the deployment of troops, and the distribution of towns. We have finally gathered all this information, and now a change will leave us in the dark. This is too frivolous, isn't it?"

With a bang, Zuo Lixing slapped the table. "Qin Feng, are you too bold? Since you know this is a matter of national importance, how can you speak so recklessly? The new direction of the attack was personally ordered by the Second Prince and brought by the Princess. Where to attack is decided by the court, how to attack is decided by me. When is it your turn to speak?"

Qin Feng's face turned red, he took a few deep breaths, and then sat back down heavily. In his heart, he was highly dissatisfied. The Second Prince was far away in the capital, thousands of miles from here. What did he know about the front lines? He was probably just trying to show off his wisdom and bravery. Facing the map, he came up with a route of attack, not realizing that the gap between the map and reality is as wide as the gap between dreams and reality. On the map, two routes might be the same distance, but in actual military movement, they could differ by several or even dozens of days. The advance of a large army is not like a single person's journey; a mountain or a lake could cause the army to waste a lot of time. In a confrontation between two armies, such a time difference could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Especially for a unit like the Death Corps, such a situation could lead to disaster. General Zuo was just trying to curry favor with the Second Prince! Thinking of this, he became even more angry.

"I know that many of you, like Captain Qin, have similar thoughts. Changing the strategy at the last minute will indeed bring us many difficulties, but this time it is unavoidable. Let Old Guo explain the specific situation," Zuo Lixing turned to the old man.

"Everyone, I am Guo Jiuling, serving in the Inner Guard." Guo Jiuling's opening statement immediately caused a gasp of shock in the tent. The Inner Guard was the most mysterious institution in the Great Chu, directly led by the emperor. It was said to be full of experts and talents from all walks of life, specializing in completing tasks that ordinary people could not. Of course, the most feared task was to eliminate those whom the emperor disliked.

"Recently, a Western Qin spy case was cracked in the capital, and a Western Qin spy hidden in our Ministry of War was captured. This person was promoted to a Deputy Minister of War this year. During his interrogation, we learned that the detailed plan for this operation, which General Zuo had reported, had been completely leaked to Western Qin. Therefore, on the route you were originally supposed to take, Western Qin has already set a trap, waiting for us to walk right into it," Guo Jiuling said.

Upon hearing this, the tent was filled with gasps of shock and curses. Military men were not known for their refinement, and for a moment, all kinds of foul language came out. The grand tent of the central army seemed to have turned into a gathering place for commoners. Zuo Lixing and Guo Jiuling were clearly used to this, but Princess Zhao Hua, who was sitting next to General Zuo, was clearly very uncomfortable. She shifted slightly, her eyelids drooping, and the young man behind her opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but this time he was smart enough to close it again, seeing the anger of the generals in the tent.

"Alright, you are all generals of the state. What kind of behavior is this? Shut up and listen to Old Guo," Zuo Lixing knocked on the table and said.

"Given this, the court has decided to change the route of advance, to catch them off guard. To keep it secret, the court has specially sent Princess Zhao Hua to comfort the troops, and I have disguised myself as her guard to convey the latest orders and the new route of attack," Guo Jiuling said.

"Do you all understand now?" Zuo Lixing smiled. "The Western Qin people want to take a shortcut and deal a heavy blow to our western border troops. This time, we will give them a surprise."

"General Zuo, I have a question for Lord Guo," Qin Feng, who was not well-liked, stood up again and said.

"What is your question, Captain Qin?" Guo Jiuling stared at Qin Feng and asked.

"This Western Qin spy managed to rise to the position of Deputy Minister of War, which clearly indicates that the Western Qin people have put a lot of effort into him. They must also value him highly. Now that the Inner Guard has cracked the case and captured this Deputy Minister, the Western Qin people must know that he is in trouble. Since he is in trouble, the Western Qin people won't naively think that we will still follow the original plan, will they?"

Guo Jiuling nodded in approval. "Captain Qin, that's a good question. General Zuo, have you seen any personnel changes in the court's gazette?" He turned to look at Zuo Lixing.

Zuo Lixing shook his head. "No, I haven't."

Guo Jiuling smiled at Qin Feng and spread his hands. "Captain Qin, as you can see, there have been no changes. This Deputy Minister still goes to court and returns home to eat and sleep every day."

Qin Feng gaped at Guo Jiuling. "How, how is that possible?"

"The Inner Guard has its own methods. This Deputy Minister is still continuously transmitting intelligence to the Western Qin people, and this intelligence is real," Guo Jiuling said with a smile.

"I understand!" Qin Feng nodded and sat down. As Guo Jiuling said, the Inner Guard had its own methods. In the Death Corps, Qin Feng had seen all kinds of ruthless means, but compared to the terrifying Inner Guard, they were probably just small potatoes. Since the Inner Guard had caught this Deputy Minister, they must have a way to make him cooperate.

"Since there are no more questions, I will now assign the tasks for this operation," Zuo Lixing's face became solemn. "This time, the Western Qin people have gathered an army of over 100,000 to destroy us. Our goal is not to capture cities and territories, but to destroy this army. Once we eliminate this Western Qin army, their southern territory will be at our mercy."

Everyone laughed.

"Qin Feng," Zuo Lixing said sternly.

"Your subordinate is here!" Qin Feng stood up sharply. The Death Corps was always the vanguard, and he knew that the first name called would be his.

"To confuse the enemy, your Death Corps will still advance along the original route," Zuo Lixing said, looking at Qin Feng's fallen face. "You must act according to the situation, but you must do your best to make the Western Qin people believe that we are still following the original route, with no changes to the plan. The longer you can delay, the better. You have many years of experience, and I believe you can handle this. Moreover, your actions are the key to the success of this operation. If you make a mistake, all our careful planning will be in vain. If that happens, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Your subordinate understands!" Qin Feng said dispiritedly. "We in the Death Corps are always doing this kind of job. Don't worry, General, we will do our best. But after the battle, the Death Corps must be given the first credit. Those who survive should receive the richest rewards."

"Of course," Zuo Lixing smiled. "If you do well, you will no longer be a captain. I will recommend you to the court for promotion to a deputy general. You have served in the Death Corps for six years, and it's time for a promotion."

As soon as Zuo Lixing said this, the tent was filled with murmurs of admiration. Most people looked envious, and of course, some were happy for Qin Feng. Like Qin Feng, who had been a captain in the Death Corps for six years, was truly unique. However, seeing Qin Feng's dismissive expression, it was clear he was not impressed.

Only the young guard behind Princess Zhao Hua showed a look of anger.

But such a frivolous person was naturally ignored by the generals in the tent.

(One reader asked how internal martial arts and martial arts fit into a historical novel. Adding these elements is just to make the novel more interesting and give the protagonist more opportunities to shine. They are just seasoning; the main dish is still the political and military struggles. Don't worry! Also, I'm excited to see readers guessing the plot in the comments. Back in the days of "Horse Treading," many readers bet on the plot and lost. Ha ha ha! I look forward to the bets!)

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