The wounded soldiers supported each other and stood up to request orders from Bai Qingyan.
“Your Majesty, let us wounded soldiers stay behind to cover the rear. Following along in our condition would only drag down our brothers…”
“If we stay behind, Your Majesty and our brothers will have hope of survival!”
“That’s right, Your Majesty. We’re already wounded and disabled. Even if we cross the river, we probably won’t survive anyway!” The centurion looked toward Liu Pinggao. “General, you escort His Majesty across the river!”
Bai Qingyan’s eyes filled with tears, her fists clenched tight, emotions boiling in her heart.
No reinforcements had arrived, so they could only retreat…
And crossing the river couldn’t guarantee that the soldiers would make it alive to the other side with her.
Bai Qingyan was unwilling to abandon any of the soldiers here, but if they delayed any longer… when the main Xiping army pressed forward, even if they fought desperately to resist, how many could survive?
“If Your Majesty is worried, this old servant will stay behind!” Wei Zhong also spoke up. He had already been wounded protecting Bai Qingyan, his arm bandaged, blood still continuously seeping through. “This old servant’s entire life has been to protect Your Majesty! Staying behind today… even if I die, it would be death with purpose.”
“Your Majesty!” Liu Pinggao looked at Bai Qingyan. He knew this order was difficult to give. “Give the command!”
An archer who had been stationed high in the giant trees saw the distant firelight approaching and quickly slid down from the tree. Stepping on enemy corpses, he rushed up to report to Bai Qingyan: “Your Majesty! Flames are approaching from a distance!”
Bai Qingyan’s grip on her bow tightened, and her heart settled with determination.
“Your Majesty, could it be reinforcements from their Yan country?” Liu Pinggao felt uneasy.
Bai Qingyan shook her head: “No. Both the deceased Prince Xiping and this Prince Xiping heir want my life as the Great Zhou Emperor to gain influence among the Yan country’s feudal princes, especially now that the Xiping army’s forces far exceed Great Zhou’s numbers and have trapped Great Zhou on this mountain! If he had sent people to request military aid from other feudal princes, he wouldn’t have so impatiently ordered all the Xiping army soldiers to climb the mountain! These should be our Great Zhou reinforcements!”
As soon as Bai Qingyan finished speaking, she stepped onto a rock and shouted: “Soldiers! Our Great Zhou reinforcements have arrived! We must hold steady! When the Xiping army comes up the mountain, we’ll kill another wave! Then listen to my command and coordinate with the reinforcements to kill our way out through a bloody path! Today… as long as we don’t die! When we return to the city, I will summon all Great Zhou soldiers to destroy Yan!”
“Destroy Yan!”
“Destroy Yan!”
“Destroy Yan!”
The soldiers’ passionate blood was ignited by Bai Qingyan’s words. Even facing Xiping forces several times their number, they felt no fear.
·
At the foot of the mountain, Prince Xiping heard the screams and battle cries from the mountain and shouted for his soldiers to charge up and take the Great Zhou Emperor’s head for rewards of thousands or tens of thousands of gold.
“Report…”
Suddenly, a fast horse approached. The man on horseback wearing Xiping Prince’s mansion guard clothing leaped down before the steed had fully stopped, nearly falling to the ground, and shouted: “Report! Young Master, bandits have attacked the Xiping Prince’s mansion and captured the Princess Consort… the Prince’s wife, the three young masters, your concubines, and the families of Second Master and Third Master!”
Prince Xiping was stunned. His first thought was of the Great Zhou Emperor Bai Qingyan.
But their Xiping army’s attack was a surprise assault. How could the Great Zhou Emperor have prophetically sent people to capture their Xiping Prince’s family members?
Only his feudal prince uncles knew they had committed all their forces!
Could it be… them?!
“Young Master, this is likely the handiwork of those feudal princes. They’re probably waiting for you to kill the Great Zhou Emperor so they can use the Princess Consort, Prince’s wife, and young masters to negotiate terms with you!” the black-robed strategist stepped forward and said.
“Bah! Shameless creatures!” Prince Xiping spat. “The battle isn’t even won yet, and they’re already scheming to harm their own! Dogs!”
“Report…” A scout returned on a fast horse, shouting: “My lord, Great Zhou reinforcements are less than a li away!”
“Young Master, this subordinate believes that being so, the Princess Consort, Prince’s wife, and young masters are certainly not in mortal danger. The urgent matter at hand is still to block the Great Zhou reinforcements while simultaneously killing the Great Zhou Emperor!” the black-robed strategist said again.
Originally, the black-robed strategist’s idea had been to hold their position defensively, then request other feudal princes to come. Since Prince Xiping disagreed, they could only first resolve the current predicament.
Bai Jinzhi’s fast horse could barely keep up with Xiao Rongyan ahead of her.
Their reinforcement army had seen from far away the firelight that painted the black night red, with thick smoke rolling up like black clouds. Bai Jinzhi felt fear in her heart.
She was afraid that her elder sister and the others hadn’t been able to hold out until reinforcements arrived!
Their Great Zhou reinforcements had encountered Xiao Rongyan midway. Xiao Rongyan had captured all the family members of Xiping Prince’s mansion—twenty-six people in total, including three infants still in swaddling clothes. Not a single fish had escaped the net.
This time Xiao Rongyan was conducting imperial inspections of plague cities on behalf of the Son of Heaven. The regent’s carriage moved slowly, while Xiao Rongyan led his guard unit to travel quickly by horse to other cities for private visits. It was precisely because of this… when other feudal princes attacked Xiao Rongyan’s carriage, they failed to capture Xiao Rongyan and instead allowed him to perceive their intentions.
The rebellion of Yan country’s feudal princes was indeed beyond Xiao Rongyan’s expectations, yet it was within reason…
While this certainly involved the exposure of Xiao Rongyan’s identity as Great Zhou’s Imperial Husband, it was also likely because the feudal princes saw that Yan country had no hope of defeating Great Zhou in their gamble, and when Yan country merged with Great Zhou, Great Zhou would inevitably reduce feudal power. The precedent of Jin country’s feudal princes was still fresh in memory.
Therefore, these feudal princes taking sudden action while Bai Qingyan was in the Great Zhou was within reason.
Xiao Rongyan calculated Bai Qingyan’s travel route and guessed that Prince Xiping would make a move against Bai Qingyan. Sure enough, when he rode quickly to Xiping, he discovered that Prince Xiping had committed all his forces. He decisively ordered his guard unit to capture all family members of Xiping Prince’s mansion. He had originally intended to rush and discuss with Bai Qingyan, but unexpectedly encountered Bai Jinzhi leading reinforcements. Only then did the two ride together to provide aid.
Seeing the Xiping army arrayed in formation from far away, with heavy shield soldiers lined up in formation blocking the reinforcements’ path, Xiao Rongyan reined in his horse…
Bai Jinzhi also raised her hand and called loudly for the soldiers to stop.
The Xiping army had originally thought the Great Zhou army would immediately charge forward in battle, but unexpectedly, the Great Zhou army stopped. The general, commanding to block the Great Zhou reinforcements here, looked toward the masked man on horseback at the front, his pupils contracting. The Regent!
He then looked at the woman who rode forward and stood beside the Regent, guessing that it must be the Great Zhou Prince Gaoyi who had escaped today, his eyes narrowing.
Hearing the sounds of fierce battle coming from the mountain, Bai Jinzhi was extremely anxious and shouted, “Have your Prince Xiping come out!”
“The Regent has indeed been secretly colluding with Great Zhou and has long since betrayed the country!” The general ignored Bai Jinzhi and only looked at Xiao Rongyan. In any case, these Great Zhou reinforcements weren’t numerous. Since this Regent had delivered himself to their door, they might as well send the Great Zhou Emperor and Regent to the western paradise together here, letting them travel the road to the underworld together. “The Regent is a traitor to the country! Everyone has the right to punish him! Today, whoever takes the Regent’s head, this general will personally request merit for them! A hundred gold, a thousand gold, even ten thousand gold is no problem!”