“Your Majesty! You cannot do this, Your Majesty!” The leading Great Zhou soldier knocked his head against the ground repeatedly, shouting: “Your Majesty, we refuse to accept this! If we’re going to care for whichever side suffers heavier casualties, then in the future our Great Zhou soldiers won’t fight anymore! We’ll just send people to die, since whichever Kingdom loses more people gets more benefits!”
The Great Zhou soldiers quickly echoed, pleading with Bai Qingyan to reconsider: “Don’t we, Great Zhou, also have fallen comrades? If Your Majesty divides the spoils this way, how can those soldiers who sacrificed their lives in fierce combat be willing to accept it?”
The leading Great Zhou soldier waved his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, continuing to speak to Bai Qingyan: “If Your Majesty truly handles it this way, what fighting spirit will our Great Zhou soldiers have left for battle! Our commanders strategize well, we fight well… having fewer brothers die in battle somehow becomes our fault! What kind of logic is this? Since we enlisted, we’ve never feared death, and we fight to gain benefits for our Kingdom. Today Yan’s Ninth Prince is also here – if the Ninth Prince dares to say that in future battles, whichever Kingdom loses more people gets more spoils, we all dare to sacrifice our lives for Great Zhou!”
The young general looked directly at Murong Yan, his tone sincere.
“Yes, Your Majesty! This humble one was fortunate to study for a few days with Master Ziyuan in Shouyang, and knows that a mutual alliance between the two countries is for both nations’ benefit. But does our alliance with Yan mean we must suffer losses ourselves? This subordinate refuses to accept it!”
“This subordinate refuses to accept it!”
“This subordinate refuses to accept it!”
Even ordinary Great Zhou soldiers without military rank shouted along: “Is this alliance between two countries meant to test both nations’ magnanimity? Well, this lowly one has a small heart and refuses to accept it! At worst, we won’t form any alliance! Can our Great Zhou soldiers not defeat those Tianfeng scoundrels!”
The Great Zhou soldier continued: “If we compromise this time… giving most of the war elephants to Yan, in future cooperation, won’t our concession this time arouse the greed of Yan soldiers? This precedent cannot be set!”
“This time Yan dares to clamor for equal division, isn’t it because last time when Tianfeng’s elephant army besieged Pingyang City, we were almost victorious when they interfered in the battle, yet they got half the giant elephants, making them greedy and demanding equal division of these elephants with us this time?!”
“Right! If the gains of both countries can’t match their abilities and contributions with proportional rewards, who would be willing to exert effort in future joint resistance against enemies? If that’s the case, better not to ally at all!”
“If no alliance, then no alliance!” Yan soldiers also began shouting.
Xie Xun gripped his reins tightly. In his position, if Xie Xun were a Great Zhou soldier, he indeed wouldn’t accept such a distribution. He shouted: “Yan soldiers, be quiet!”
Bai Qingyan pulled her reins forward, raising her hand to signal the Great Zhou soldiers not to be agitated: “Indeed, Great Zhou invested many troops in this battle. Each Kingdom’s soldiers taking what they earned would be fair to you. Yan’s Ninth Prince said the same thing!”
The Great Zhou soldiers looked toward the man behind Bai Qingyan wearing a silver mask, sitting upright on a pure black horse, and couldn’t help but nod. This Ninth Prince of Yan was a reasonable person, not the ruthless, profit-seeking individual described in rumors.
Bai Qingyan sat on horseback, one hand gripping the reins, the other holding a riding whip, controlling her pure white steed as it stood before the soldiers of both armies, her expression stern: “Why did our two countries ally? To jointly resist Tianfeng’s elephant army! Do you think… this heavy blow to Tianfeng’s elephant army is the end? We can now divide the spoils? Tianfeng’s elephant army here is only a small part – the main elephant force may already be on its way. Are we going to harm ourselves internally over dividing these elephant carcasses?”
Shen Qingzhu followed behind Bai Qingyan in silence. She too felt displeased with Yan’s behavior, especially since her young mistress was considering giving Yan more, yet Yan’s soldiers were making trouble with Great Zhou over wanting equal division.
Neither Great Yan nor Great Zhou soldiers spoke, but this wasn’t from heartfelt acceptance.
Bai Qingyan looked at her soldiers, seeing their unconvinced faces one by one. She pulled her reins forward, her gaze sweeping over her soldiers as she asked: “After this battle, you may feel that the elephant army isn’t so difficult to deal with, that even without allying with Yan, our Great Zhou could independently destroy the elephant army. Is this so?”
The leading Great Zhou soldier raised his head, boldly bowing to Bai Qingyan before looking up at her: “Exactly so. Duke Gaoyi led troops to attack the city, forcing Tianfeng to flee from within. General Yang Wuce has also led troops to block Tianfeng’s eastern escape route at the east gate. To the west is Yan territory with no retreat for Tianfeng!”
This Great Zhou soldier had a very clear mind, his gaze steady and voice firm: “Therefore, even if Yan hadn’t come to besiege the west and south gates, Tianfeng’s elephant army would still have crossed Hanwen Mountain and forded Danshui River, using Quanya City as their retreat route!”
After speaking, this Great Zhou general glanced at the Yan army: “Your Majesty’s military tactics are divine, having arranged everything properly. Yan merely came to pick up ready gains, so Your Majesty’s distribution is something this subordinate refuses to accept!”
Bai Qingyan hadn’t expected such a figure in Shouyang’s army – a promising general. She asked: “What is your name?”
“Replying to Your Majesty, this subordinate is An Qingshan!” An Qingshan quickly replied.
“Your analysis is correct.” Bai Qingyan found An Qingshan quite interesting. She shifted her gaze from An Qingshan to look at the Great Zhou soldiers. “In today’s battle, indeed, Yan didn’t send many troops, and even without Yan’s forces, Tianfeng would have crossed Hanwen Mountain and forded the Danshui River. However… without Yan’s army fighting desperately outside Pingyang’s gates, sacrificing themselves fearlessly against strong enemies, could we have made Tianfeng understand that our Great Zhou had joined forces with Great Yan, determined to jointly resist Tianfeng? Could we have shown Tianfeng through our momentum that the brave soldiers of both our countries fear no death, willing even to perish together to drive away Tianfeng’s elephant army?”
“Duke Gaoyi leading Shouyang’s army to attack the city was the beginning of hostilities. Having Tianfeng learn of Yan’s participation in the siege would throw them into confusion, making them understand that Great Zhou and Yan are one – when one Kingdom fights, the other must fight too!”
Bai Qingyan’s mount Taiping stamped its hooves, snorting heavy white mist from its nostrils.
She controlled Taiping, her voice rising as she continued: “Furthermore, with Yan’s army ambushing here in a desperate battle, we could disrupt the hearts of Tianfeng’s soldiers! How many of the elephant troops who died in Hanwen Mountain fell there after being severely wounded by Yan’s army first? Can you calculate clearly? In warfare… we compete with numbers, but even more with our soldiers’ fighting spirit and morale! Yan’s ambush at the south gate was meant to shatter Tianfeng’s morale. Only then… could the two ambushes at Hanwen Mountain completely crush Tianfeng’s fighting spirit, leaving them only knowing how to flee, allowing us to gain complete advantage!”