“Since both armies joined forces to attack the city, it must be divided equally!” The Yan soldiers looked completely unconvinced.
Yan soldiers echoed one after another: “Right! Exactly! Equal division! It must be divided equally!”
Great Zhou soldiers’ anger surged to their heads again, rolling up their sleeves and cursing: “Equal division my ass! How many troops did our Great Zhou send, and how many did your Yan send? How early did our Great Zhou deploy troops? When we deployed, you were still sleeping in your beds, and you have the nerve to talk about equal division with our Great Zhou! You just came later wanting to pick up bargains… think you’re something special. If you ask me… we’ll give you a fart!”
“Exactly! Pingdu City was captured by our Great Zhou, and the ambush at Hanwen Mountain was fought by our Great Zhou. You come over to put on a show and want to divide half equally – what are you dreaming about!”
The Great Zhou soldiers became more and more indignant: “Last time when the elephant army besieged Pingdu City, you waited until we were almost finished fighting, then hurried over to pick up bargains and took away two of our living giant elephants. Our Great Zhou died so many soldiers, but at that time, why didn’t you say to divide the spoils according to casualty numbers? So no matter how the battle is fought, how people die… all the benefits must go to your Yan! Does your Great Yan have no shame at all!”
The Great Yan soldiers’ faces flushed with shame and anger. Their leader also stepped forward, standing on tiptoes with his finger almost poking the Great Zhou soldier’s face: “In this battle, how many soldiers did our Great Yan lose! Several times more than your Great Zhou! These giant elephants were originally exchanged with the lives of our fallen brothers – they should belong to us!”
The Great Zhou soldier looked disgusted by the Yan army, slapping away the finger pointing at him and sneering: “This is a joke. Oh… you killed more people, so you should get more? Tianfeng died even more… shouldn’t we collect all the armor from these giant elephants and send it to Tianfeng? Your commander is incompetent, letting so many of you die, and you’re proud of it?”
The Yan soldier, whose finger was slapped away instantly, drew his blade: “How dare you speak of our Ninth Prince! Brothers, fight these Great Zhou bastards!”
Both armies drew their swords simultaneously…
Suddenly, the sound of a whip cracking through the air rang out outside Pingyang City’s north gate.
The crisp, loud crack struck the hands of the two leading soldiers – one from Great Yan and one from Great Zhou – who had drawn their blades first. Both men’s swords fell to the ground in response.
Bai Jinzhi controlled her horse with one hand while holding an extremely long whip in the other, her expression cold and stern as she looked at the Great Zhou soldiers and Yan army who had nearly come to blows.
“What’s this? Just drove Tianfeng’s people across the Danshui River and think we’ve achieved a great victory, so now you’re preparing for internal strife and mutual slaughter between allied nations!” Bai Jinzhi’s expression was cold and stern, her voice authoritative and resounding.
Seeing it was Duke Gaoyi who had arrived, the Great Zhou soldiers gritted their teeth and sheathed their blades.
The Yan army, seeing that the Great Zhou soldiers had already put away their weapons, also sheathed their swords one after another. Although they all still looked unconvinced, Duke Gaoyi, though a woman, had her reputation for destroying Liang. As soldiers… even Yan soldiers naturally held awe for the strong.
Moreover, after Bai Jinzhi arrived, she didn’t immediately side with the Great Zhou but struck both sides equally, which made the Yan army less resistant.
“How to divide the spoils of this victory is being discussed by Our Majesty and Yan’s Ninth Prince. Everything will naturally be decided by Our Majesty and the Ninth Prince. What are you arguing about here?” Bai Jinzhi unhurriedly coiled her whip back and hung it at her waist.
“Duke Gaoyi!” The Yan soldiers saluted Bai Jinzhi. “Our Yan suffered heavy losses this time, with the highest number of soldier casualties. What we’re asking for isn’t unreasonable – just equal division of the armor from these war elephants. After all, in warfare, even though it’s cooperation… Great Zhou also needs Yan’s coordination, right? Since it’s a cooperative division of labor, naturally, it should be divided equally! Moreover, our Yan lost so many soldiers.”
“Bah! I’ve seen shameless people, but never seen Yan people as shameless as you! Even cooperative division of labor should follow the principle of more work, more gain; less work, less gain!” The Great Zhou soldiers’ anger, which had just been suppressed, flared up again. “According to your Yan’s shameless logic, next time in battle our Great Zhou army should just lie in the back, wait until you’re almost done fighting, then send people up to die! After all, it’s all about dying… whoever dies more gets more benefits! Our Great Zhou would save trouble, too. Brothers, isn’t that right!”
The Great Zhou soldiers echoed in agreement.
“Fine! Next time, your Great Zhou just lie in the back! Wait until near the end to go die!” The Yan soldiers also shouted angrily in defiance, and both armies once again fell into a tense standoff.
“His Majesty arrives!”
“The Ninth Prince arrives!”
Suddenly, the announcement calls of Wei Zhong and Feng Yao came from the distance. Xie Xun spurred his horse forward first, shouting loudly to make the Yan army retreat, standing alongside Bai Jinzhi: “What are you all doing! Rebelling? Just won a small victory and you’re already eager to draw swords on your own allies?!”
“General Xie! We’re just unconvinced! Since both countries joined forces and we suffered such heavy casualties, why can’t we divide the giant elephants equally with Yan? We lost so many brothers and only get this little bit! Those giant elephants may all be at Hanwen Mountain! But wasn’t it our brothers who risked their lives to wound them, allowing Zhou’s ambush to succeed!” The soldier spoke while crying and kneeling. “General, our battalion… after the fighting, only seven of us brothers remain! With such a heavy sacrifice, if it can’t bring benefits to our Yan, why should we fight this battle?”
The Yan army all knelt.
“Yes, General! Our fallen soldiers, if they knew their deaths could only be exchanged for this little bit while everything else goes to Great Zhou, they would die with eyes wide open, General!”
The Yan soldiers, thinking of their lost comrades and brothers-in-arms, each had reddened eyes.
Xie Xun looked back at Bai Qingyan and Xiao Rongyan, who were slowly riding in this direction, then turned back to look at his soldiers, saying loudly: “All of you get up! What the Ninth Prince and I discussed with Great Zhou’s Emperor in Pingdu City this time was precisely the matter of elephant division. Originally, my intention was also that the elephants should be divided equally between the Great Zhou and us! But Great Zhou’s female emperor is magnanimous, saying she’s willing to give the majority of the giant elephants to our Yan, so stop making trouble here!”
The Yan soldiers were quite surprised. They hadn’t expected that while they were here demanding equal division, the Great Zhou’s Emperor had already expressed willingness to give them the majority. Were they being petty-minded?
Upon hearing this, the Great Zhou soldiers’ eyes widened, and they all knelt in Bai Qingyan’s direction with unwilling expressions on their faces.
Even Bai Jinzhi gripped her reins tightly, calling out: “Elder sister…”
“Your Majesty, we refuse to accept this!”
The Great Zhou soldiers looked up at Bai Qingyan, their eyes full of urgency.