So attacking Pingyang City was, for Li Tianjiao, the task with the smallest degree of difficulty that she could currently undertake.

The people of Xiliang regarded the Fire Cloud Army as equivalent to the Bai family’s Tiger Eagle Battalion, but the Fire Cloud Army had never actually faced real Tiger Eagle Battalion soldiers. Could the training methods that Guan Zhangning had mastered truly train genuine Tiger Eagle Battalion elite soldiers in such a short time, as the Fifth Master of the Bai family had done?

Which of the Tiger Eagle Battalion’s elite soldiers hadn’t undergone years of training? Which one wasn’t selected from the cream of the crop among those who had served in the Bai family army for several years?

Why was there only one Tiger Eagle Battalion? Because the elite soldiers of the Tiger Eagle Battalion were extremely difficult to cultivate. Even though the Tiger Eagle Battalion had been trained into the Tiger Eagle Army due to the former Jin Crown Prince’s requirements and support, those who could truly be used on the battlefield as the former Tiger Eagle Battalion soldiers were—aside from the previous Bai family army’s Tiger Eagle Battalion—not numerous at all.

Soon, Shen Liangyu, clad in battle armor, ascended the city wall. He brushed the snow from his body and led his troops in quick steps to Bai Qingyan’s presence, kneeling on one knee in salute: “Your Majesty, indeed as Your Majesty predicted, Yun Poxing truly sent people back and forth to probe, wanting to see whether we had set an ambush! This subordinate has prepared everything according to your instructions. Our soldiers have already reached Lai’an Mountain and are lying still in the snow, waiting only for one hour after the Xiliang Fire Cloud Army departs to strike and capture alive the Xiliang Empress Li Tianjiao!”

From Lai’an Mountain to Pingyang City was only twenty kilometers. One hour after the Fire Cloud Army departed, when they captured the Xiliang Empress, by the time Li Tianjiao sent word to Yun Poxing, either Yun Poxing would already be approaching Pingyang City, or he would have already arrived at Pingyang City and even begun taking action.

Given Bai Qingyan’s previous knowledge of their hiding at Lai’an Mountain and her forcing them to go to the area between Han Wenshan and Danshui River to set their ambush…

At this moment, Yun Poxing would surely believe that Bai Qingyan thought their Fire Cloud Army had already gone entirely toward the Danshui River direction, and that she harbored the same intention as they did—to capture alive the opposing emperor—using her remaining forces to capture Li Tianjiao, thus leaving Pingyang City without any military strength.

The more this appeared to be the case, given Yun Poxing’s nature, the less likely he would be to give up the opportunity to attack Pingyang City. He might even burn his bridges and allocate most of his forces to enter the city and capture her, this Great Zhou Emperor, alive, using her to secure benefits for Xiliang.

Moreover, Yun Poxing had no habit of charging at the forefront when marching and fighting. He would surely send other generals to enter the city first for battle. Once half the Fire Cloud Army entered the city, they would close the city gates and split the Fire Cloud Army apart.

Yun Poxing would certainly realize what was happening. Given Yun Poxing’s unwavering loyalty to Li Tianjiao, even if he suspected an ambush, he would have only one choice: abandon the Fire Cloud Army inside the city and turn back to rescue Li Tianjiao.

“Don’t surround Li Tianjiao too tightly, and don’t attack too fiercely. Control the intensity carefully—you must leave them a path to send word to Yun Poxing, making Yun Poxing divide his forces to return and rescue his sovereign,” Bai Qingyan said.

“Your Majesty, rest assured, this subordinate has already given the instructions!” After Shen Liangyu finished speaking, he continued, “Your Majesty, you should still leave the city first. Leave this place to us!”

“Yes! Little Marshal Bai, you should go first!” Cheng Yuanzhi said.

With the howling wind in her ears, she gazed at the vast flying snow in the night and spoke in a low voice…

“Once, our Bai family army surrounded Yun Poxing, but at that time, for the survival of the Bai family and the Bai family army, we had no choice but to let Yun Poxing escape. I once swore an oath to General Cheng and the Bai family army led by General Cheng that in three years, I would surely lead you all to seek revenge! So today I cannot leave!” Bai Qingyan turned to look at Cheng Yuanzhi, “General Cheng, I didn’t send you out of the city but kept you here… precisely to hand Yun Poxing over to you!”

Cheng Yuanzhi gripped tightly the handle of the saber at his waist. His eye sockets were suddenly struck by acidic heat, and he widened his eyes, not letting the moisture in them spill out. All the blood in his body began to boil, his entire person burning and tingling—he didn’t know how long he had waited for this day!

She had not forgotten. Cheng Yuanzhi had once said that he had survived shamefully until now not out of greed for life, but only wanting to behead Yun Poxing for revenge before he could have the face to meet her father!

She also hadn’t forgotten that once Cheng Yuanzhi had raised his blade before him, saying… he wasn’t afraid that Yun Poxing’s blood would dirty his blade—it could be washed clean and used again.

That day, she had released Yun Poxing and sworn an oath before all the Bai family army generals that she would lead them in revenge, asking them to trust her.

She had endured humiliation and harbored hatred for so long, and it had been hard on those Bai family army soldiers who had accompanied her in battle at Weng Mountain… These generals who had once followed her grandfather, father, and uncles had accompanied her in enduring humiliation and harboring hatred for so long. Therefore, Yun Poxing’s head should rightfully be taken by them!

Her gaze fell on the great saber Cheng Yuanzhi wore at his waist. Her moist red eyes looked at Cheng Yuanzhi with a smile: “General Cheng isn’t afraid that Yun Poxing’s blood will stain your precious blade—it can be washed and used again. So… I trouble General Cheng to take a thousand soldiers now to set an ambush in the mountains and behead Yun Poxing! For the fallen brothers of the Bai family army, for the generals of the Bai family, for… Little Seventeen, who was humiliated by Yun Poxing!”

Hearing these words, Cheng Yuanzhi finally understood Bai Qingyan’s intention in keeping him in Pingyang City. Thinking of when he had led the Bai family army soldiers with the determination to die as they rushed to Weng Mountain Canyon, wanting only to perish together with Yun Poxing, and the scene when Bai Qingyan had just arrived, his throat swelled with pain. He hurriedly turned his face away and rubbed it with his hand, then knelt on one knee. His voice rang out clearly, and he shouted hoarsely at the top of his lungs: “Little Marshal Bai, rest assured! If I cannot take Yun Poxing’s head, I, Old Cheng, will use this precious blade to cut off my head to apologize to the Deputy Marshal! To apologize to the Bai family’s heroic spirits! To apologize to the Seventeenth Young Master!”

Bai Qingyan helped Cheng Yuanzhi to his feet: “Go!”

Cheng Yuanzhi acknowledged the order and rushed down from the city tower with quick steps, leading his troops away…

The reason Bai Qingyan hadn’t sent Cheng Yuanzhi ahead to set the ambush was because she knew that after the battle in Nan Jiang, Yun Poxing would be more cautious when facing her, and might even study her tactics. He would surely discover that in the battle at Weng Mountain she had almost entirely used ambush forces, thus harboring wariness and sending people out to scout. Only after confirming there were no ambush forces would Yun Poxing dare to deploy his troops.

Therefore, they had to move only after Yun Poxing’s reconnaissance was complete.

This time, Bai Qingyan planned to use the method of dividing and consuming in two stages to annihilate the Fire Cloud Army that Yun Poxing held…

Yun Poxing only had the Fire Cloud Army, so to attack Pingyang City, which they had determined didn’t have many troops, he would surely select elite forces. Following the normal Tiger Eagle Battalion method, elite squads would enter the city first and act separately—one route to capture her, this Great Zhou Emperor, and another route… to open the city gates!

Attacking from Pingyang City’s south gate would easily allow news to leak out, putting the Fire Cloud Army in the passive position of being attacked from both sides. Going around to the north gate would not only waste too much time but would also leave the soldiers in a state of exhaustion.