She raised her hand to point at the city walls behind her where torches flickered, pointing at the Great Zhou soldiers on the walls who were fully alert with bows drawn and arrows nocked, her voice ringing clear: “How could I face the Great Zhou soldiers who stand shoulder to shoulder with Bai Qingyan… who have left their homeland far behind and sacrifice their lives for the peace of their families and people?”
Old General Cui looked at Bai Qingyan, reminded of Bai Weiting, and felt admiration for this Great Zhou Emperor in his heart. But admiration aside, ultimately, the two armies still stood on opposing sides.
“If Your Majesty insists on fighting, perhaps there is no chance of victory!” Old General Cui turned and ordered: “Bring the people up!”
“Yes!” The general who had been standing behind Old General Cui accepted the command and rode off quickly.
Old General Cui looked at Bai Qingyan and said: “The Xiliang soldiers Your Majesty sent toward Yecheng Pass to seek reinforcements have already been captured alive by us!”
Cui Shanzhong raised his head to look at Jiangzi City: “With the city surrounded, and Jiangzi City being our Xiliang’s city, the capital preserves the construction blueprints of this city. Our Xiliang army knows the secret passages of this Jiangzi City like the back of our hands. It can be said… If I wanted to trap Your Majesty to death in Jiangzi City, the Great Zhou army would have absolutely no way to send messages out. This Jiangzi City is full of our Xiliang people—how long does Your Majesty think you can hold out?”
“General Cui, wouldn’t smoke signals work?” Bai Qingyan’s lips curved upward. “Moreover, I don’t need Great Zhou reinforcements. I only need to hold out until Great Zhou breaks into Yun Capital, captures Li Tianjiao alive, and Xiliang will disappear from history forever.”
Cui Shanzhong’s palm tightened slightly, but he maintained that same kindly smiling expression: “Then, has Your Majesty considered that once Great Zhou breaks through Yun Capital, or even… captures our Xiliang Emperor, our Xiliang army, to save our emperor, will surely attack the city with full force? At that time, with the troops in this city, can Your Majesty hold it?”
As soon as the old general finished speaking, Xiliang general had the bloodied captain of the Bai Family Army’s covert guard squad dragged out and forced to kneel beside Old General Cui.
“Young Miss…” The covert guard captain’s eyes were swollen, and his entire person looked as if he had been fished out of blood.
Bai Qingyan’s gaze swept over the squad captain’s body, then she looked at Cui Shanzhong with smiling eyes, pulling her fox fur cloak tighter in the howling cold wind: “How can Old General Cui Shanzhong be so certain that I will only defend to the death… and not take the initiative to attack? Although Old General Cui Shanzhong has the advantage in troop numbers, it’s not as safe and secure as being in a high city. If we launch night raids, there will surely be times when you’re fatigued and can’t hold your defenses!”
Without waiting for Old General Cui Shanzhong to answer, her gaze turned to the Xiliang army holding torches behind Old General Cui Shanzhong: “This should be the main force of the Xiliang army… and all of Xiliang’s remaining strength. The old general still hopes to use this bit of remaining strength to contend with the Yan state, so you can only besiege me, this Great Zhou Emperor, then offer up the cities to Great Zhou, using both soft and hard tactics to force Great Zhou into a ceasefire with Xiliang, in exchange for Xiliang’s breathing space. Then Xiliang would seek peace with the Yan state. If Yan’s state is willing to cease hostilities, at least Xiliang could preserve the nation. If Yan’s state is unwilling… Xiliang could also free up its hands to deal with the Yan state!”
Old General Cui Shanzhong knew that the Bai family was all intelligent. Even if he hadn’t come to meet Bai Qingyan this time, she could still clearly analyze Xiliang’s entire strategic situation and know that he had no intention of directly attacking the city this time.
Either the peace talks would succeed and they would sign an alliance with Great Zhou, allowing Old General Cui Shanzhong to free up his hands to deal with Yan state—after all, even if they exhausted all of Xiliang’s strength, they absolutely could not simultaneously fight against the currently strongest Great Zhou and Yan state.
Li Tianjiao was not Li Tianfu, and Cui Shanzhong was not a blindly optimistic general. After weighing the options, naturally, he would first make peace and cease hostilities with the strongest Great Zhou, destroy the alliance between Great Zhou and Yan state, then seek peace with Yan state. If they could obtain Yan state’s ceasefire, that would be best. If not, their Xiliang would fight the Yan state to the death.
Old General Cui Shanzhong nodded: “Why doesn’t Your Majesty think of it differently? Ceasing hostilities with Xiliang this time would easily gain so many cities, and we could even negotiate further! First, resolve the urgent crisis of being besieged, preserve military strength, and then if Yan state and Xiliang cannot reach an agreement and fight again, wouldn’t it be good for Great Zhou to reap the benefits as the fisherman?”
Bai Qingyan shook her head: “Old General, since we formed an alliance with the Yan state and resolved to jointly attack Xiliang, the Great Zhou cannot break faith with the Yan state! As the emperor of a nation, personal life and death are a small matter, while national integrity is paramount! As a member of the Bai family, personal life and death are also a small matter, while losing character is paramount! Old General… The Great Zhou’s ambition is to take the world. If we break faith with Yan state… and break faith with Xiliang, only thinking of Great Zhou’s interests, how could Great Zhou… obtain the world?”
If one breaks faith with the world, one cannot obtain the world!
He hadn’t expected that Bai Qingyan, at such a young age, would understand this principle.
Old General Cui Shanzhong looked steadily at Bai Qingyan upon hearing this, unable to help but sigh in his heart… With such an emperor, how could the Great Zhou worry about not unifying the world?
She turned her head to signal Liu Pinggao to bring people up…
Liu Pinggao turned and gave orders to have people brought over.
Soon, Great Zhou soldiers escorted the Xiliang soldiers that Old General Cui Shanzhong had sent to mix with Xiliang refugees and infiltrate Jiangzi City with the intent to cause chaos, and the corpses were also carried up.
“These are the Xiliang soldiers that the old general had follow refugees into the city, intending to cause disorder. They are returned to Old General Cui today, and I also ask Old General Cui to return our Great Zhou people.” Bai Qingyan said.
When Old General Cui Shanzhong had earlier seen so many people being escorted out behind Bai Qingyan, he knew that his hidden soldiers buried in Jiangzi City had been discovered. He had thought that perhaps Bai Qingyan would discover his pre-positioned ambush soldiers, but he hadn’t expected Bai Qingyan to discover them so quickly—it was greatly beyond Cui Shanzhong’s expectations.
He bowed his hands to Bai Qingyan: “I once heard rumors circulating that the Great Zhou Emperor was a natural-born commander—this is indeed true. To be able to dig out the hidden soldiers this old man had pre-positioned in such a short time, this old man admires!”
After speaking, Old General Cui Shanzhong waved his hand to have his soldiers first send the Bai Family covert guards to Bai Qingyan.
The Bai Family’s covert guard captain was dragged up, and Liu Pinggao personally stepped forward to support him, saying: “You’ve suffered, brother!”
The Bai Family’s covert guard captain shook his head. Supported by Liu Pinggao behind Bai Qingyan, he was immediately taken by the Great Zhou soldiers into the city to find military physicians for treatment.
The Xiliang soldiers and corpses were also exchanged back to Xiliang by the Great Zhou.
Bai Qingyan supported herself on Wei Zhong’s hand and stood up, seeing that the young attendant beside Old General Cui Shanzhong also helped Cui Shanzhong to his feet.
“Your Majesty’s ambition lies in the world—this old man understands! In that case… this old man can only have a contest with Your Majesty.” Old General Cui Shanzhong gave Bai Qingyan a deep bow.
Bai Qingyan nodded to Old General Cui Shanzhong, turned, and was the first to walk toward the city.