“Your Majesty! Even if you don’t wish to leave the city at this time, you should remain in the mansion! If the Xiliang army attacks the city, the mansion is ultimately safer than on the city walls!” Wei Zhong chased after Bai Qingyan, trying to dissuade her.
“If Jiangzi City is breached, how could this small mansion possibly withstand the Xiliang army?” Bai Qingyan’s steps didn’t slow, and seeing the nervous expression on Chun Zhi’s face as she followed beside her, she turned to tell Chun Zhi, “Chun Zhi doesn’t need to follow!”
Whether to capture her, the Great Zhou Emperor, alive or to set ambushes to annihilate the Great Zhou forces coming to rescue, Old General Cui would not choose to attack the city at this time.
First, Old General Cui should not have had time to ascertain the number of Great Zhou troops inside Jiangzi City, so he couldn’t rashly attack the city.
Second, if the goal was to set ambushes for the Great Zhou army, he should have surrounded but not attacked.
Hearing Bai Qingyan’s words, Chun Zhi’s steps paused for an instant, then she hurried to catch up, saying to Bai Qingyan: “This servant knows she is useless and doesn’t know martial arts, but… this servant wants to stay by Eldest Miss’s side. When necessary, this servant can sacrifice her life for Eldest Miss!”
When Chun Zhi said this, her whole body was trembling. Suddenly besieged by a great army, how could this servant who had always lived in the prosperous imperial capital not be afraid?
But if her master was going up the city walls, how could she, as a servant, hide behind her master? She knew she was useless, not like Sister Chun Tao, who could take such good care of Eldest Miss, nor like Miss Qing Zhu, who was so skilled in martial arts that she could protect Bai Qingyan on the battlefield. Sometimes she even became a burden to Eldest Miss.
But now, with enemy forces besieging the city, she wanted to stay by her master’s side. Even if it meant sacrificing this life to block an arrow for her master, it would count as fulfilling her duty as a loyal servant!
Outside the government office, soldiers carrying torches were everywhere, hurrying in formation toward the city walls. The common people who had recently entered the city were also busily pulling their children and running home. The streets were in chaos.
Bai Qingyan stepped out of the mansion gates and turned to look at Chun Zhi, whose tears were falling patter-patter, as if seeing a younger version of Chun Tao. She leaped onto her horse and said to Chun Zhi: “Wait at the mansion!”
After speaking, Bai Qingyan spurred her horse and charged out, with Wei Zhong hurrying to follow…
Chun Zhi hurried to chase after the horses, but everywhere, people were running about in panic, and soldiers were shouting for people to return home. Before Chun Zhi could chase out of the long street, she had already lost them, knocked to the ground by someone. She could only sit with red-rimmed eyes, tears falling pitter-patter, pressing her palms together in prayer, beseeching heaven to protect Bai Qingyan’s safety.
Bai Qingyan first arrived at the west gate, and just as she had predicted, the Xiliang army at the west gate was numerous.
Based on Bai Qingyan’s years of military experience, the stance taken by the Xiliang army indicated they planned to surround but not attack. She felt slightly relieved.
Before long, horns also sounded at the south gate. When the defending general sent someone to report to Bai Qingyan, she had already been observing the distance from atop the west city wall for some time.
Hearing that the Xiliang army had also surrounded the south gate, Bai Qingyan turned to ask the messenger: “Did the Bai family guard make it out of the city?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, he made it out!” the messenger replied.
Soon after the messenger finished speaking, a fast horse was seen charging out from the besieging enemy formation, galloping wildly toward the city gate.
The west gate defending general gripped the sword at his waist and shouted: “Archers prepare! If enemy forces dare cross the line, don’t be polite – shoot them full of holes like a hornet’s nest!”
Bai Qingyan watched the approaching horse with cold, clear eyes. She casually took the large bow from a soldier beside her, drew an arrow, steadily nocked it, and released…
The feathered arrow whistled through the air, instantly striking beneath the hooves of the galloping horse. The startled horse reared up with a long neigh, throwing the Xiliang cavalry on its back to the ground.
The Xiliang cavalryman broke out in a cold sweat. Seeing he was at about the right distance, he shouted: “Xiliang General Cui Shanzhong requests an audience with the Great Zhou Emperor!”
Bai Qingyan casually tossed the bow back to the soldier beside her, standing tall and straight, looking down at the Xiliang cavalryman not far from the city wall: “Old General Cui Shanzhong has hung his commander’s flag in Xiliang’s capital, Yunjing, so how does he appear at Jiangzi City? If Old General Cui Shanzhong is truly here, then please have Old General Cui Shanzhong come see me in person!”
After speaking, Bai Qingyan turned and walked down from the city wall, instructing the defending general: “Tell the soldiers to never let their guard down!”
“Yes!”
As Bai Qingyan descended the city wall, she continued: “Transmit orders to all commanding officers in the city to come to the west gate immediately. Also, tell the common people who have just settled in Jiangzi City to return home immediately. In this special time, anyone still loitering outside after one incense stick of time will be regarded as spies and killed without mercy!”
“Yes!” The messenger following behind Bai Qingyan immediately mounted his horse and rode off at full speed to transmit the orders.
Just as Bai Qingyan came down from the city wall, Liu Pinggao, the Great Zhou general assigned to defend the city, arrived on horseback.
Liu Pinggao had once been a junior officer at Anping Camp. After earning merit in several battles, he was promoted and assigned to guard the great capital. This time he had requested to come to the front lines originally hoping to go to the battlefield. Unexpectedly, upon arrival he was first assigned to defend this city. When Bai Qingyan entered the city today, he had even requested that she assign him to the front lines. He never expected that tonight Jiangzi City would be besieged.
“Your Majesty!” After saluting, Liu Pinggao approached Bai Qingyan and spoke rapidly: “Currently, we don’t know how many Xiliang forces have come to besiege the city, but we only have just over five thousand troops in the city. I just went to check the granaries, and fortunately, Your Majesty previously had the disaster relief grain bound for Yecheng Pass temporarily stored in Jiangzi City, so regarding provisions, this general roughly estimates we can supply our soldiers for two months without problem. But… if we include the Xiliang people brought into Jiangzi City, I’m afraid we won’t last long!”
Liu Pinggao, having years of experience campaigning, immediately went to check the grain stores upon learning of the four-sided siege, had them strictly guarded, then immediately came to report to Bai Qingyan.
“The number of people originally in Jiangzi City isn’t large, but the Xiliang refugees Your Majesty brought, plus the Xiliang refugees who came to Jiangzi City upon hearing the news, add up to quite a number!” Liu Pinggao looked worried. “This general is concerned that since the Xiliang people were prepared early, waiting until Your Majesty entered the city before besieging it, it’s very likely that some of their people are among these refugees! We must be on guard!”
Liu Pinggao’s concern was exactly Bai Qingyan’s worry, which was why she had ordered giving the people be given one incense stick of time to return to their respective homes; otherwise, they would be killed without mercy.
“Now that the great army besieges the city, we cannot have chaos within Jiangzi City. Immediately have your trusted subordinates take five hundred soldiers in teams of twenty, and according to today’s household registration records showing the number of people in each household, conduct house-to-house inspections. Any household missing people shall have the entire family imprisoned! Anyone still loitering in the streets after one incense stick of time shall have their family members also thrown into prison!” Bai Qingyan ordered.