The Bai family army soldiers who hadn’t yet reached the valley mouth slaughtered the first wave of Western Liang soldiers that escaped, then rushed to join the group and report the situation to Cheng Yuanzhi.
“Where is the Jin army’s commanding general?!” From atop the high slope on the right side of Weng Mountain valley, Bai Qingyan, astride her warhorse, called out loudly.
Wang Xiping gripped the long sword with a damaged blade in his hand and called back loudly: “Who goes there?!”
She controlled her breathing from the swift gallop, raised the military tally in her hand, her voice steady and rapid: “The military tally is here! I command you to lead the Jin army soldiers to urgently reinforce the one thousand Wanping garrison troops on the eastern side of the valley. You must annihilate the Western Liang army forces within Weng Mountain, leaving no survivors! Disobey orders… and face execution!”
Wang Xiping sheathed his sword, but before he could answer, he was pushed aside by the broad-shouldered Cheng Yuanzhi, and the unprepared Wang Xiping nearly fell.
Cheng Yuanzhi sheathed his broadsword and rushed to the front, his shoulders trembling with excitement as he called out with red eyes and a choked voice: “Little Commander Bai!”
Wang Xiping: “…”
Wang Xiping, pushed aside by Cheng Yuanzhi, looked at him resentfully. What was this brute so urgent about?!
Wang Xiping looked toward Bai Qingyan on the high platform and cupped his hands: “This general receives the order!”
After Wang Xiping left with the Jin army to reinforce as ordered, she put away the military tally and looked at the Bai family army soldiers before her—their faces bloody, their bodies wounded, wearing mourning cloth. Thinking of how in the valley just now, when they shouted for revenge for grandfather, father, uncles, and her brothers, their voices couldn’t hide their high fighting spirit and their determination in their bones to not fear death, their hot blood.
Bitter emotions surged in her heart, her eyes crimson. This was the Bai family army that the Bai family had led for generations! Loyal, brave, fearless! Living and dying together!
“Little Commander Bai!” Cheng Yuanzhi’s tears poured forth as he cupped his hands and knelt on one knee, choking out loudly: “Please let Little Commander Bai lead us to avenge the Marshal, the Deputy Marshal! To avenge all the Bai generals and Bai family army brothers!”
“Please let Little Commander Bai lead us in revenge!”
“Please let Little Commander Bai lead us in revenge!”
The Bai family army soldiers all knelt together, cupping their hands and shouting, their emotions passionate, their voices shaking the nine heavens.
The hot tears in her eyes could no longer be hidden. She gripped the reins tightly, dismounted, and cupped her hands to the Bai family army soldiers: “You are all iron-blooded men of my Bai family army! You are well-deserving, valiant elite soldiers! Accept this bow from me! I’m sorry… I came too late!”
She dismounted and bowed deeply to the Bai family army soldiers.
“Little Commander Bai!” Cheng Yuanzhi was already choked with emotion and couldn’t speak.
Bai Qingyan leaped down from the high slope and helped Cheng Yuanzhi up: “General Cheng, please rise! All soldiers, please rise!”
Cheng Yuanzhi couldn’t help but cry softly, gritting his teeth: “This general is incompetent! I failed to protect the Deputy Marshal! I let the Deputy Marshal’s head hang in the Western Liang army camp, and still cannot retrieve it! This general has lived shamefully until now, not out of greed for life—I only want to sever Yun Poxing’s head for revenge, only then will I have the face to meet the Deputy Marshal!”
“Every soldier of my Bai family army is exceptionally brave—how can there be talk of living shamefully?!” She looked at these remaining Bai family army soldiers, unable to contain the grief and fury filling her chest, shouting to all the soldiers: “Grandfather and father have fallen, but the daughters of the Bai family remain! I, Bai Qingyan, am still here! As long as one person of the Bai family draws breath, the black sail white python flag of the Bai family army will never fall! As long as one person of the Bai family draws breath, we will fight and die together with the Bai family army soldiers!”
“Sworn to follow Little Commander Bai to the death!” Cheng Yuanzhi raised his sword and shouted.
“Sworn to follow Little Commander Bai to the death!”
“Sworn to follow Little Commander Bai to the death!”
Xiao Ruohai and Bai Jinzhi came galloping, hearing from afar the extremely high-spirited shouts of the Bai family army swearing to follow Bai Qingyan to the death, surging emotions churning in their chests.
“Elder Sister!” Bai Jinzhi leaped from her horse and called loudly: “Yun Poxing has led his men to break out!”
Hearing this, she raised high the Sun-Shooting Bow from her back, gripped it tightly, and gritted her teeth as she shouted: “Bai family army soldiers! This battle is our Bai family army’s battle of redemption! Battle of revenge! Which of the Bai family army’s hot-blooded men dare follow me to sacrifice their lives killing enemies?”
“Kill enemies!”
“Kill enemies!”
“Kill enemies!”
The Bai family army’s three thunderous roars of “kill enemies” were heart-shaking.
Yun Poxing, seeking life from death, had just escaped in embarrassment from the sea of fire. Still shaken, he heard the powerful and vast battle cries coming from the valley mouth.
His scalp tightened. He pushed away the deputy general supporting him, his cold and violent eyes fixed on the front of the valley mouth. Drawing the curved blade at his waist, his rough voice shouted: “Western Liang warriors reborn from fire! We killed the undefeated legend of the Jin nation, Bai Weiting! We severed the heads of his sons and grandsons! Now his little granddaughter dares to clamor at the valley mouth to kill us, Western Liang’s most valiant warriors! Can we dignify Western Liang warriors who died under a woman’s blade?!”
“No!”
“No!”
“No!”
The Western Liang elite soldiers who escaped from the flames howled.
“Absolutely not!” Yun Poxing’s eyes were crimson, his voice like a great bell: “The Western Liang Sky God only protects the bravest warriors on the battlefield! I want you to show the courage of wolves! Show the spirit of hawks! Exterminate the last of the Bai family army! Turn Bai Weiting’s granddaughter into a plaything under our Western Liang warriors’ crotches! Revenge for the Western Liang elite soldiers who died under the Bai family army blades!”
The Western Liang army that escaped death had their blood boiling as they drew their blades and shouted.
“Revenge!”
“Revenge!”
“Revenge!”
“Invincible Western Liang warriors! Charge!” Yun Poxing screamed hoarsely, his curved blade pointing straight at the valley mouth.
At the valley mouth.
Bai Qingyan listened to the Western Liang army’s shouts from the deep valley, her speech steady and urgent, her words clear as she gave orders: “Bai Jinzhi, relay orders to Shen Liangyu of the Huying Battalion—take sixty Huying Battalion elite soldiers on fast horses around Tianmen Pass, strike directly at the rear of the Western Liang camp… According to the map markings, burn three Western Liang army granaries and weapons depots, without fail!”
“Bai Jinzhi receives the order!” Bai Jinzhi, already standing on the high slope, leaped onto her horse and galloped away.
“Xiao Ruohai!” She threw the military tally from her chest to Xiao Ruohai, her face grave as water: “Take this military tally and quickly command scouts to ride swiftly back to Wanping with news. Order five hundred Wanping garrison troops to use the cover of night to escort dry rations and weapons toward Feng County. After our Jin army clears the Western Liang army from the eastern side of Weng Mountain valley, order Shi Panshan and Wang Xiping to each lead ten thousand subordinates to replenish their strength and replace weapons en route to Feng County, then attack and take Feng County! You take one hundred Huying Battalion elite soldiers to infiltrate Feng County under the cover of night and burn Nanyan’s grain supplies, coordinating from within with the Jin army. You must take Feng County before dawn tomorrow!”
Tonight, with flames shooting skyward from Weng Mountain’s deep valley, Nanyan spies had surely already reported the military situation at Weng Mountain. The Western Liang army, whose forces were several times that of the Jin army, had been annihilated in Weng Mountain valley—Nanyan must be scared out of their wits!
At this moment, if the Jin army directly attacked Feng County, taking it would be easy.
“Xiao Ruohai receives the order!” Xiao Ruohai mounted his horse and departed with the orders.
In the valley, fierce winds raged, the howling sounds like crying ghosts and howling wolves.
The Bai family army formed battle ranks, led by Bai Qingyan holding the Sun-Shooting Bow, sealing off the Weng Mountain valley exit. Sharp, calm gazes fixed deadly on the depths of the valley.
She gripped the Sun-Shooting Bow tightly in her hands.