132: Chapter 132 The Foolish Chang Feng

"Husband, put me down quickly, I'm getting dizzy."

Su Bai did as she asked and set her down, but his hands still tightly encircled her slender waist.

"Qingying, you truly are my lucky star!"

Zhou Qingying's pretty Face flushed slightly, and her eyes darted away, yet she still gathered her courage to say, "Husband, don't be happy too soon... Elder Shi said that if we want to officially begin mining, we still Face a major problem."

"Hmm?"

Su Bai gently pinched her perky nose and smiled. "What problem? No matter how big the problem is, with your husband here, it's not a problem at all."

He was currently in high spirits; having wiped out Fierce Tiger Mountain, his prestige had reached its peak, and now with the heavenly news of the Spirit Stone vein, his self-confidence was swelling like never before.

Zhou Qingying was not as optimistic as him. She hesitated for a moment before saying softly, "It's the manpower... the Spirit Stone Miners."

She explained:

"Elder Shi said that mining a Spirit Stone Mine is delicate work and requires professional miners. These people's skills are ancestral and not easily shared with outsiders; furthermore, most of them are monopolized by the major Great Clans and Sects.

Our Yunzhou is remotely located. Finding a team of miners capable of excavating a large-scale vein is as difficult as reaching the heavens. Elder Shi himself can only handle exploration and guidance; when it comes to actually entering the mine, we must rely on those miners in their prime."

The smile on Su Bai's Face slowly faded.

He understood.

This was just like the high-end technology from his previous life—core technology was always held in the hands of a few.

Having a mine was useless on its own.

You needed people who could actually dig the ore out.

"Miners..."

He murmured to himself, his brow gradually furrowing.

This was indeed a thorny problem.

...

The next day.

Inside the study of the Prefect's residence.

"Trash! Absolute trash!"

Li Han pointed at Chang Feng's nose, his spittle nearly spraying onto the man's Face.

"Who gave you the nerve? Who told you to deploy troops without permission?! Huh?!"

"Su Bai can fight, so you think you can too? He uses strategy to win from a thousand miles away! But you? Your heart was blinded by greed, seeking your own death!"

"Thirty men went out, and less than ten came back in disgrace! All the Face of my Yunzhou Army has been thrown away by a piece of trash like you!"

Chang Feng's Face was as pale as paper, and his remaining left hand was clenched tightly into a fist.

He kept his head bowed, enduring Li Han's furious scolding.

Ever since Su Bai wiped out Fierce Tiger Mountain and his prestige in the city soared like the midday sun, Chang Feng had been unable to sit still.

Why?

Why should a kid whose hair hadn't even fully grown in be able to step all over him, a Vice General?

He, Chang Feng, had struggled in the Yunzhou Army for over a decade and lost an arm just to earn his current position.

And Su Bai?

He had merely stumbled into some dog-shit luck.

Thus, Chang Feng had made a decision.

He wanted to prove himself.

After pondering for a long time, Chang Feng finally selected another famous bandit den in the Yunzhou region as his target—Piled Rocks Ridge.

This place was as well-known as Fierce Tiger Mountain.

If he wiped out Piled Rocks Ridge, he, Chang Feng, would also be a great hero of Yunzhou City.

Then, for the sake of military speed, he didn't even report to Prefect Li Han before taking it upon himself to select a squad of personal guards from his command for a late-night surprise attack.

In his mind, if Su Bai's hundred and forty or fifty green recruits could break Fierce Tiger Mountain, then he, leading battle-hardened veterans, would surely find dealing with the petty thieves of Piled Rocks Ridge as easy as reaching into a pocket to grab something.

As it turned out, once he reached Piled Rocks Ridge, Chang Feng was stunned.

The terrain of Piled Rocks Ridge was far more complex than Fierce Tiger Mountain, and the ferocity of the mountain Bandits far exceeded his imagination.

His standard military frontal confrontation tactics simply couldn't be deployed in such a place filled with jagged rocks.

The final result was that the men Chang Feng brought plunged headlong into the traps set by the Bandits of Piled Rocks Ridge.

It was a crushing defeat.

He himself nearly lost his life there, fleeing back in a wretched state.

"My Lord, I..."

Chang Feng opened his mouth, wanting to offer an explanation, but thinking of his dead soldiers, he honestly kept his mouth shut.

Seeing his pathetic appearance, Li Han grew even angrier and grabbed the inkstone on the desk, wanting to hurl it at him.

Now was not the time to assign blame.

The most important thing was how to reclaim their Face.

Chang Feng losing the battle didn't just disgrace himself; it disgraced Li Han, the highest official of Yunzhou!

"Someone, come!" he shouted toward the door.

A personal guard pushed the door open and entered.

"Go, invite General Su here."

"Yes."

Before long, Su Bai arrived.

As soon as he stepped into the study, he sensed the wrong atmosphere within the room.

Li Han sat in the main seat, his Face dark with anger.

Chang Feng stood to the side like a defeated rooster, dejected and listless.

Su Bai understood the situation perfectly, but his expression remained calm as he cupped his hands in greeting to Li Han. "Greetings, Lord Prefect."

His gaze swept indifferently over Chang Feng.

It was that one look!

It instantly ignited the fire of rage in Chang Feng's heart.

What kind of thing are you?!

How dare you look at me with that kind of gaze?!

"Su Bai!"

Chang Feng suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot as he roared, "Why do you not bow upon seeing this General?!"

Su Bai finally looked him in the eye.

"Bow to you?"

"A defeated general who lost his troops and fled in panic—what right do you have to make me, Su Bai, bow to you?"

"You!"

Chang Feng was so angry his whole body trembled. His left hand pointed at Su Bai, and he sputtered for a long time without being able to say a complete sentence.

"Enough!"

Li Han gave a furious shout, breaking the confrontation between the two.

He stared coldly at Chang Feng. "Chang Feng, your poor leadership has damaged the prestige of our Yunzhou Army and caused us to lose all Face! From this day forward, you no longer need to hold the position of Vice General!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Chang Feng felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and his entire body froze.

He looked up at Li Han in disbelief.

He had thought that, at most, Li Han would scold him and fine his salary.

He never imagined that Li Han would directly strip him of his military power!

That was the very foundation of his livelihood!

"My Lord... you..."

Chang Feng's lips quivered, unable to utter another word.

Li Han no longer paid attention to the despondent Chang Feng. He turned to Su Bai and revealed a slight smile:

"General Su, that band of mountain Bandits at Piled Rocks Ridge is currently acting with extreme arrogance; they are truly a major threat to our Yunzhou."

"The Face that Chang Feng lost, I would like to ask General Su to win it back for our Yunzhou Army!"

"For this battle, all troops in the city are at your disposal! Any funds, grain, or armaments needed can be drawn from the treasury as you wish!"

Su Bai sneered inwardly.

A slap followed by a sweet date.

This Li Han was quite skilled in the methods of controlling subordinates.

However, this played right into his hands.

He was just worrying about having no opportunity to expand his military power, and now Li Han had actively delivered it to his door.

"Since my Lord trusts me, Su Bai will not hesitate even at the cost of ten thousand deaths."

Su Bai cupped his fists, his voice ringing out loudly.

"Good! Excellent!"

Li Han clapped his hands and laughed. "I shall await General Su's good news!"

To the side, Chang Feng looked at the two of them acting so hypocritically, listening to them chime in together as if he were already a dead man.

His heart sank.

His eyes stared fixedly at Li Han.

The one who had caused him to fall to this state today was not that arrogant kid.

It was Li Han!

It was this man who had stripped him of his military power—

Li Han...

If I do not avenge this, I, Chang Feng... swear I am not human!