“Young General Bai!” Someone who spotted Bai Qingyan first shouted out.

The wounded soldiers of the Bai Family Army, upon hearing that Young General Bai had arrived, could no longer sit still even while having their wounds treated. They stood up in surprise and joy, looking in Bai Qingyan’s direction.

“Young General Bai!” Cheng Yuanzhi also stood up, hurriedly wrapping his exposed body with his clothes.

She looked at the blood-covered Bai Family Army soldiers in the wounded camp and quickly raised her hand to signal everyone to sit down: “Bai Qingyan has only come to inform everyone that tonight, Bai Qingyan will lead two thousand elite Bai Family Army soldiers and will retrieve the head of our Bai Family Army’s Deputy General! Tomorrow morning, those with light injuries will follow me to take down Tianmen Pass, and then capture Feng City! Everyone, rest assured and recuperate well to prepare for future battles!”

After speaking, Bai Qingyan bowed to all the wounded soldiers and turned to walk out of the tent.

“Young General Bai!” Wei Zhaonian chased after her, cupping his hands and saying, “Wei Zhaonian wishes to accompany Young General Bai to the Western Liang military camp to retrieve the head of our Bai Family Army’s Deputy General!”

Bai Qingyan looked at Wei Zhaonian’s grave expression. Although Wei Zhaonian had already lost one eye, his desire for revenge burned strongly in his heart.

She cupped her hands and said: “Then I’ll trouble General Wei to lead my fourth sister, Bai Jinzhi, and eighteen hundred soldiers to prepare an ambush in advance at Huiping Road. When I and two hundred elite soldiers retrieve our Deputy General’s head and pass through Huiping Road, intercept the pursuing Western Liang troops!”

Wei Zhaonian’s eyelid twitched. To actually… only take two hundred men to raid the camp?!

“Young General Bai, is it inappropriate to only take two hundred men?!” Wei Zhaonian was worried.

“I know what I’m doing, General Wei can rest assured!” Bai Qingyan said.

Wei Zhaonian no longer argued, cupping his hands in acknowledgment. After watching Bai Qingyan leave, he thought for a moment, then immediately turned and ordered people to prepare fire oil and crossbows. He planned to use the Western Liang soldiers’ methods against them, employing the same tactics they had used.

Two thousand Bai Family Army soldiers took advantage of the night to exit Weng City, and happened to encounter General Zhang Duanrui who was clearing the Weng Mountain canyon battlefield and bringing Jin troops back to Weng City.

Zhang Duanrui saw the Bai Family Army leaving Weng City and quickly rode ahead. Seeing that Bai Qingyan was leading them, he asked: “General Bai, are we setting out to attack Tianmen Pass now?!”

“General Zhang, lead your troops back to Weng City to rest. When I return and daybreak comes, we’ll depart for Tianmen Pass!” Bai Qingyan said.

Zhang Duanrui cupped his hands in acknowledgment. He sat on his horse watching the soldiers carrying the black banner with white python flag head straight toward Tianmen Pass direction, disappearing into the vast night.

—

Xiao Rongyan, who had already bypassed Pingyang City and returned to Great Yan’s border, now stood atop the high mountain of Linchuan, looking toward the eastern horizon where a patch of red light had appeared, guessing it should be in the direction of Weng Mountain.

“Master, Uncle has arrived!” Xiao Rongyan’s guard came up from the foot of the mountain and bowed to Xiao Rongyan.

“I know!”

Xiao Rongyan responded and walked down the mountain.

Down this mountain path… he was deep in thought.

Now that Jin, Nanyan, and Western Liang were in complete chaos, should it be time for Great Yan to make a move?

Great Yan had suffered continuous natural disasters last year, and during the harsh winter, the people had barely enough to eat, with countless dying from cold and starvation.

But… if they didn’t take advantage of this three-way war to reclaim Nanyan, which had been split off from Great Yan, there might not be such a good opportunity again in the future.

When Xiao Rongyan came down from the mountain, he saw a white-haired elderly man in a black jacket, spirited and bowing to him with barely contained excitement: “Young Master! It’s been many years since we last met… how has Young Master been?”

This old man had no beard, and his voice was somewhat thin, clearly a palace eunuch.

This was Feng Yao, the Grand Eunuch who had once served beside Empress Ji. When Empress Ji perished in flames, it was Feng Yao who carried the seven-year-old Xiao Rongyan to safety. Later, Feng Yao served beside Empress Ji’s eldest son… the current Emperor of Great Yan, proving his unwavering loyalty.

“Uncle…” Xiao Rongyan returned the courtesy to Feng Yao and asked, “How is elder brother’s health? Does he still suffer from fainting spells?”

Feng Yao sighed and shook his head, his eyes reddening as he dabbed at the corners with his sleeve before saying: “The Kingdom lacks capable ministers for governing, and His Majesty handles everything personally. This year, Great Yan is in such a state… the people are destitute. Before this old servant left, His Majesty had already become thin!”

Xiao Rongyan clenched his fists tightly in his sleeves, gritting his teeth: “Tell elder brother to persevere a bit longer. I will find a divine physician for him! And capable ministers for governing… I will find them too!”

“Ah!” Feng Yao responded, then quickly took out a military tally from his chest and handed it to Xiao Rongyan: “His Majesty specially sent this old servant here to deliver this to you! The new army that Xie Xun was ordered to train has already shown some success. Now that Young Master is traveling in Jin, if you encounter danger, you can use this military tally to mobilize the new army training in the Linchuan mountain range to at least ensure Young Master’s safe return home! His Majesty said that nothing is more important than Young Master’s safety!”

Under the flickering torchlight, Xiao Rongyan’s deep, profound eyes alternated between light and shadow. He looked at the military tally Feng Yao held in his palms, his pupils growing darker, emotions seeming to surge in his chest as he gripped the jade cicada in his palm tightly.

Was this Heaven’s will?!

He had just been thinking about whether to take advantage of this opportunity to reclaim Nanyan, and Uncle had brought him the military tally, with Xie Xun training new troops right here in the Linchuan mountain range where he was located.

Having Xie Xun, a completely unknown nobody, train the new army had been Xiao Rongyan’s idea, but he hadn’t expected… that his elder brother would have Xie Xun train the new soldiers here in Linchuan.

Xiao Rongyan took the military tally and asked again: “How many men does Xie Xun have training in the Linchuan mountain range?”

“Thirty thousand,” Feng Yao said.

Thirty thousand…

Far exceeding Xiao Rongyan’s expectations, his throat tightened repeatedly. He turned to his subordinates behind him: “Bring the map!”

His subordinate quickly brought out a map and spread it on the driver’s seat of the carriage, taking a torch and holding it high.

Xiao Rongyan looked down at the map. Before leaving Wanping, he had received news that the Emperor of Nanyan had ordered… the Nanyan army that had already captured Feng County to stay put in Feng County. When it came time for peace negotiations, Nanyan would negotiate terms with Western Liang, having Western Liang trade Feng City for Feng County. After all, Feng County had always been what Western Liang wanted, but Feng City was what both Western Liang and Nanyan desired.

The Emperor of Nanyan had already ordered the domestic preparation of provisions to be sent to Feng County, allowing the Nanyan army to survive the winter well.

Xiao Rongyan moved his finger to the position of Yao Pass on the map and tapped it. If Nanyan’s provisions and supplies were to reach Feng County… to go quickly they must pass through Yao Pass quickly!

He handed the military tally back to Feng Yao, saying: “Uncle, you take the military tally… order Xie Xun to lead the new army, raise the Bai Family Army’s black banner with white python flag… set up an ambush at Yao Pass to seize the provisions Nanyan is sending to Feng County in Jin! Then… the thirty thousand armored soldiers will hide in place at Yao Pass, continuing the ambush. Within four days, Nanyan’s army attacking Jin will surely flee back to their Kingdom in defeat, and they’ll still have to pass through Yao Pass! Order Xie Xun to prepare early and make sure to… annihilate Nanyan’s elite forces at Yao Pass, leaving no survivors!”

Having Xie Xun raise the Bai Family Army’s black banner with white python flag to seize Nanyan’s provisions was both to borrow the Bai Family Army’s prestige and to temporarily obscure Great Yan’s movements from Nanyan’s eyes, preventing Nanyan from guarding against Great Yan for now.