The Northern Khaganate envoy procession passed safely through the fortress and made its way toward the capital.
Unbeknownst to them, they were being monitored by two Shadow Reapers from Shadow's squad.
Back in the fort, Qin Feng had returned to his private study and was going over military reports.
One report caught his eye.
It was from General Huo Jian — the man who had betrayed his father.
Qin Feng's eyes narrowed as he read its contents.
The general requested grain for the now two hundred thousand troops, along with lodging upon their return.
'How audacious… I haven't even come for you, yet you dare make such a request.'
Qin Feng set the missive down, his brows furrowing.
'It seems the Minister of War is plotting something new.'
With the Northern Khaganate's failure to kill Qin Feng or seize Beiguan Fortress, the Minister of War's plan to install Huo Jian as Frontier Commander had collapsed.
He had failed to achieve his objective.
But Qin Feng doubted he had given up.
This maneuver — having Huo Jian return in such a manner — only reinforced that suspicion.
'Hm... How should I deal with this…'
---
One Week Later
One week later, Qin Feng, accompanied by General Liang and General Zhao, rode to General Huo Jian's camp — currently positioned two days' away from Beiguan Fortress.
A captain who had once served under General Liang guided them to the main tent, where laughter and loud cheers echoed from within.
A feast was clearly underway.
A guard announced Qin Feng's arrival.
He entered the tent, his two generals following behind.
As expected, a banquet filled the space. Five long tables lined each side, piled high with rich dishes and wine. Seated behind them were high-ranking officers.
At the raised podium sat General Huo Jian, his table even more lavish — stacked with meat and brimming wine cups.
Huo Jian was tall and broad, roughly Qin Feng's height. He wore full armor, just like the other generals present.
Upon seeing Qin Feng enter, he let out a hearty laugh.
"General Qin! We weren't expecting you to ride out personally to greet us. How diligent of you."
Laughter rippled through the tent.
A general seated closest to Qin Feng spoke next.
"General Qin, have you prepared the grain for the men? We've been deployed for long and are short on food and supplies."
He tore into a large pig trotter as he spoke.
'Again. "General." Not "Commander."' Qin Feng noted.
Another general chimed in.
"Yes, you wouldn't want us all starving to death, would you?"
More laughter followed.
Neither Qin Feng nor Generals Liang and Zhao reacted.
Qin Feng's face bore his usual faint smile, while Zhao Kun and Liang Wude had cold expressions on their faces—As if they were looking at corpses.
…And they were.
"General Zhao," Qin Feng said evenly, almost casually, "bring me his tongue."
No theatrics.
Just instruction.
The tent quieted instantly.
"Yes, Commander."
General Zhao stepped toward the officer who barked out a laugh, then dropped the trotter and drew his sword.
"What? You think I'm afraid of you? Come closer and taste my blade!"
Zhao did not slow.
The general roared and slashed.
Zhao raised his armored forearm and deflected the strike effortlessly. In the same motion, he seized the man's wrist and snapped it with a sharp twist.
A scream tore through the tent.
Zhao kicked out the man's knee, forcing him to collapse. Then, grabbing his jaw, he shoved a gloved hand into the general's mouth, shattering teeth as he forced it open.
With brutal precision, he seized the man's tongue and ripped it free.
Blood sprayed.
Zhao kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing backward. The unconscious body hit the floor, twitching as blood poured from his ruined mouth.
BANG!
Huo Jian slammed his fist onto the table.
"Commander Qin! What is the meaning of this?! Maiming a general in such a manner!"
By now, every officer in the tent was on his feet, hands hovering over their weapons.
Outside, movement stirred.
Huo Jian himself was flustered.
This was not how it was supposed to unfold.
The banquet had been designed to undermine Qin Feng — to bruise his pride, to test his authority. To show him that despite his title, he held no real control here.
Huo Jian had expected him to endure the insults. To reason. To negotiate. To assert authority through words.
Not this.
This had never entered his calculations.
'And when did Zhao Kun become so strong?' he thought.
Qin Feng smiled faintly.
"Oh? So you do remember that I am your Commander. For a moment, I thought I had wandered into an enemy camp, mistaken for a minor general."
His gaze swept the room.
"Perhaps I was mistaken?"
Huo Jian clenched his jaw.
"Disrespect is not grounds for such ruthless execution."
"General Huo Jian," Qin Feng replied calmly, "have you spent so long playing at politics that you've forgotten how the military operates?"
Before Huo Jian could respond, Qin Feng's expression hardened.
"General Huo Jian. Do you admit your crimes?"
Silence.
Then laughter.
"Commander Qin," Huo Jian said coolly, "it seems the journey here has taken its toll on you."
He raised his voice.
"Guards! Escort the Commander and his two generals to their tents."
Twenty guards entered immediately. Outside, at least eighty more gathered.
As they advanced, Zhao and Liang turned to them and drew their swords in unison.
Then, with terrifying force, they slashed downward, carving deep fissures into the ground before them.
"Cross these lines," they said in unison, "and you will die."
They stabbed their swords into the earth and stood firm, backs to Qin Feng.
The guards hesitated.
Several in front staggered back instinctively.
Qin Feng did not turn.
"General Huo Jian," he repeated, "do you admit your crimes?"
Huo Jian's composure cracked.
"How dare you walk into my camp and bark accusations at me!"
He grabbed his blade and descended from the podium.
"Do you think that because you are Commander, you may speak without consequence?!"
Reaching the bottom step, he drew his sword and pointed it at Qin Feng.
"Hear my order! The Commander has gone mad and murdered a loyal general. Apprehend him by any means necessary!"
More soldiers flooded the tent — at least fifty inside now, hundreds surrounding it.
Yet none wanted to be the first to cross the lines carved into the ground.
So, they wavered. Swords pointing at Qin Feng, Zhao Kun and Liang Wude, but feets planted firmly to the ground, not moving an inch forward.
Liang Wude then roared at them:
"You dare point your weapons at your Commander?!"
The soldiers wavered even more, some staggering back.
Qin Feng, seemingly unbothered, stepped forward leisurely toward Huo Jian.
"You betrayed your Commander," he said evenly. "You stole his troops and abandoned him — along with thousands of comrades — to die."
Another step.
"You breached military protocol and accepted orders from external forces. You deployed troops against your superior's command."
Another step.
"You misappropriated military funds for personal gain."
Now standing two meters away.
"And you harbored malicious intent toward your Commander."
He met Huo Jian's eyes.
"General Huo Jian... How do you plead?"
---
Author's Note:
Hello everyone. What did you think of this chapter?
Personally, I think I made the soldiers seem a little like whimps, less brave than the Northern Khaganate soldiers that still charged at Qin Feng even after seeing his strength—which was much more formidable than what Zhao Kun and Liang Wude displayed.
But, then, these are two different things. Unlike in the case of the Northern Khaganate soldiers, in this case, their deaths would be a fool's one. They won't be dying as brave soldiers, they'd be dying as traitors or fodders.
So, they won't just throw their lives away for a thankless task. And there's also the fact that they're not even really loyal to Huo Jian, only following his orders cos he's their superior.
As always, I welcome discussion—whether about strategy, historical nuance, or corrections of any kind. I respond to every comment.
And if you're enjoying the story so far, please consider adding it to your collection and dropping power stones.
You can also read advance chapters on my patreon: /Still_Searching
Thank you.