Zhang Duanrui looked up at the Crown Prince with considerable surprise: “Your Highness, Young Master Bai has been practicing nonstop along this journey, and his archery skills…”

Before Zhang Duanrui could finish, the Crown Prince had already stepped forward to personally help Bai Qingyan up, saying solemnly: “This entire battle has been planned and arranged by Young Master Bai. Only with Young Master Bai stationed in Wanping can I avoid panic when unexpected situations arise. Young Master Bai should remain by my side – only then can I feel at ease!”

The Crown Prince’s words were sincere. If not for considering that Bai Qingyan was a woman and there were proprieties between men and women, he would certainly have grasped Bai Qingyan’s hand firmly to express his genuine feelings.

She understood that the Crown Prince was guarding against her, so… even with no available generals at the moment, the Crown Prince was unwilling to let her lead troops, much less allow her to meet with the Bai family army.

Although this was within expectations, Bai Qingyan still felt disappointed in the Crown Prince.

Today, they faced the Xiliang army, known as hundreds of thousands of mighty lions. Victory of the weak over the strong was already difficult, and with no generals available… in a battle that could only be won and not lost, the lives of soldiers and the fate of the nation’s mountains and rivers still couldn’t outweigh his suspicions.

She closed her eyes, forcibly suppressing her sense of disillusionment with the imperial family, and lowered her gaze respectfully: “If that’s the case… then please arrange things quickly, Your Highness. I’ll go back and change my clothes first.”

Just now Bai Qingyan had come directly from the training ground, and under her cloak, her clothes had long been soaked through with sweat, clinging damply to her body.

The Crown Prince hadn’t expected Bai Qingyan to agree so readily and cleanly. He felt truly relieved and nodded repeatedly: “Good, good, good. Thank you for your hard work, Young Master Bai. Go back and change quickly!”

Seeing that Bai Qingyan was about to leave, Qin Shangzhi felt anxious: “Your Highness, this time we’re luring part of the Xiliang forces into the Wengshan basin, but we cannot predict in advance how many Xiliang troops there will be, nor who will be leading them! Young Master Bai previously campaigned in Nanjiang with Duke Zhenguo and is familiar with Wengshan’s terrain. Only Young Master Bai commanding five thousand in ambush can ensure complete success!”

“Your Highness!” Zhang Duanrui stood up and said, “This general is willing to stake his head as a guarantee for Young Master Bai. Your Highness… let Young Master Bai lead troops!”

In this expedition, the available generals were merely him, Zhang Duanrui! Zhen Zeping! Shi Panshan! And then… the former Young General Bai, Bai Qingyan!

Zhang Duanrui deeply understood His Majesty’s and the Crown Prince’s wariness toward Bai Qingyan, but this battle was urgent. To achieve victory of few against many, they couldn’t afford a single mistake!

Bai Qingyan had planned to divide forces into four routes, led by the four of them. As long as there were no errors, this battle would certainly be won. But if they lacked Bai Qingyan, who was most familiar with Wengshan’s situation, the variables would be even greater!

The Crown Prince saw Bai Qingyan looking at him with calm, composed, and profound eyes, as if she could see his fear of the Bai family… his fear of Bai Qingyan. His heart skipped uncontrollably twice, and he steadied himself: “Young Master Bai is the one coordinating the entire battle. How can he go to Wengshan to risk his life? Only with Young Master Bai stationed in Wanping will I not be caught off guard by unexpected situations.”

Zhen Zeping, being simple-minded, nodded in agreement: “His Highness the Crown Prince speaks reasonably!”

Zhang Duanrui clenched his teeth tightly.

Qin Shangzhi wanted to persuade further, but Bai Qingyan had already bowed and taken her leave. He watched Bai Qingyan’s retreating figure and sighed deeply, only hoping that whichever general set the ambush at Wengshan basin would be able to destroy the Xiliang forces!

Bai Jinzhi and Xiao Ruohai, who had been waiting outside the government office, hurried forward when they saw Bai Qingyan emerge.

“Elder Sister! How did it go?” Bai Jinzhi asked.

Bai Qingyan pulled her cloak tighter, stepped across the government office threshold, and stood under the lights looking at Wanping City, still pitch black: “As expected, His Highness the Crown Prince wants me to remain in Wanping.”

Bai Jinzhi was furious and almost rushed in to argue with the Crown Prince. Then, remembering her elder sister had said “as expected,” she blinked and asked in confusion: “Elder Sister has arrangements?!”

Although it was as she had expected, she was still taking innocent soldiers’ lives as stakes, and her mood was heavy as she walked down the government office steps toward the military camp. After a long while, she lowered her eyes and said to Bai Jinzhi: “Go back and rest well! By this afternoon at the latest, it will be our turn…”

When she had just been making arrangements, she had chosen to lead five thousand soldiers in an ambush at the Wengshan basin, not because setting an ambush in the basin was safer than having Zhen Zeping and Shi Panshan feign defeat to lure Xiliang forces into the gorge!

On the contrary… the Wengshan basin was truly dangerous. The basin’s terrain wasn’t steep – rather, like the eastern side of Wengshan Gorge where the Xiliang forces had set their ambush, it consisted of relatively gentle slopes easy to climb to the top.

If they occupied the high ground in the basin for an ambush with equal forces, they would naturally win steadily. But if the enemy had several times more troops than the ambush forces, Xiliang commanders, desperate to survive, could order suicide squads to use their bodies to block arrows and charge up!

Even if the Xiliang army had only one battalion break out of the basin and reoccupy the eastern side of Wengshan Gorge, then the Jin forces in Wengshan Gorge, being weaker than the Xiliang forces, would be in danger!

Both Qin Shangzhi and Zhang Duanrui knew the basin’s terrain was complex, and without a commander familiar with the terrain leading troops, there might be mishaps. Yet the Crown Prince still wouldn’t let her lead troops.

For the basin, she had the confidence that among the generals accompanying this expedition, besides her, no one could lead five thousand soldiers and trap the Xiliang army to death in the basin.

Because… apart from her having fought enemy forces at Wengshan before, her milk brother Xiao Ruojiang had already reached Nanjiang and thoroughly mapped out all the terrain here!

At this moment, the Wengshan map presented by Xiao Ruojiang was in her hands! This map, drawn using the Bai family army’s cartographic methods… was detailed enough to mark mountainous terrain, with content so thorough it was unique in the world.

Moreover, Xiao Ruojiang had already figured out the temperaments and dispositions of all generals under Yun Poxing’s command, sending them to her in batches during her journey to Nanjiang. Therefore, she was equally clear about the marching preferences of commanders within the Xiliang army!

Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles!

This was Bai Qingyan’s confidence!

She had Zhen Zeping feign defeat and flee, dividing into two routes…

First, to give the Xiliang forces a feeling of panicked, desperate flight.

Second, to have part of the organized Xiliang army swallowed up first in the basin!

Third, to reduce the number of Jin troops exiting through the narrow gorge mouth.

Fourth, to do everything possible to preserve… the ten thousand troops that Zhen Zeping would split off in his feigned retreat.

But now that the Crown Prince wouldn’t let her lead troops, whether those ten thousand soldiers rushing into the basin together with the Xiliang army could be preserved was no longer a consideration. Once the Xiliang forces killed off the five thousand Great Jin ambush troops and occupied the high ground, they could quickly slaughter all ten thousand men.

At that time, as long as the Crown Prince didn’t want to lose, didn’t want the Jin army in Wengshan Gorge to be annihilated, he would have to let her enter battle!

She had calculated very clearly, which was why after arranging the rope bridge task for the Huying Battalion, she made no further arrangements!

After the Huying Battalion completed their mission and withdrew, they would be perfectly positioned to go into battle with her after resting!

She had to thank His Highness the Crown Prince’s wariness – it gave her this opportunity.

When Bai Qingyan returned to camp, she happened to encounter Xiao Rongyan about to board his carriage and depart.