Bai Qingping’s heart softened from their pleading, and just as he was about to look toward Bai Qingyan for guidance, he heard Shen Yancong say: “Rules are rules. I saw the effort you three put in today, but your physical stamina truly cannot keep up. Even if we let you stay today, you would likely die under bandit blades in future campaigns. Dismissing you is for your good! Moreover… the Bai family is spending money and effort on this training, not to support idle people.”
Hearing Shen Yancong’s words, Bai Qingyan felt much more at ease. She closed her book, stood up, and left without a word, taking her guard squad with her.
Bai Qingping turned to look at Bai Qingyan’s departing figure, understanding that this showed her agreement with Shen Yancong’s stance.
Seeing this, Shen Yancong’s lips curved into a smile, feeling somewhat proud in his heart. His father had ultimately chosen him… surely knowing he could win the Duke’s Daughter’s favor!
He would certainly prove to his father that choosing him was the right decision.
Shen Yancong ordered people to help the top three carry their meat home, dismissed the rest to return to their tents, then bid farewell to Bai Qingping before leaving.
Soon, the three citizens who had been dismissed from today’s training at the drill ground spread word of the day’s events.
Those commoners who originally hadn’t planned to join the bandit-suppressing training heard that going to the drill ground for training not only provided filling meals but also meat with every dish. If they could rank in the top three for daily practice, they could even take meat home daily to improve their family’s diet. Everyone was eager and restless, wanting to join.
But when those people gathered together to inquire at the drill ground, they were told this batch had recruited enough people, and after screening, there would be further reductions. Only if there were insufficient personnel after reductions would they continue recruiting.
Those who came to inquire were all disappointed. Many made up their minds that when the Duke’s Daughter recruited again, they would be first to secure a spot. If they trained well, they could earn meat for their families; if they trained poorly, being able to fill their bellies would still be good.
For three consecutive days, Bai Qingyan appeared at the drill ground, still eliminating the three worst performers daily and rewarding the top three with meat.
Those eliminated from the camp felt regretful and remorseful, but inevitably told their neighbors about the food and treatment in the camp.
Bai Qingyan provided better meals for the commoners who came to the camp than even military camps offered, and it could benefit their families too. This news spread from ten to a hundred to a thousand… even people from other counties made special trips to inquire when the Shouyang Bai family would recruit again.
On May twentieth, the silver that Western Liang was to pay Great Jin as reparations for the Southern Border War was formally delivered to Great Jin. Additionally, because Western Liang’s Princess Pinyang Li Tianfu had attempted to kill the Duke’s Daughter on the day she married into the Crown Prince’s mansion, Western Liang paid Great Jin considerable additional compensation, including precious treasures specifically sent to the Duke’s Daughter, ostensibly to apologize and calm her nerves.
The most clever thing the Western Liang envoy did this time… was to publicly announce the list of gifts Western Liang sent to the Duke’s Daughter alongside the list of apology gifts for the Crown Prince, naturally presenting both to the Great Jin Emperor and Crown Prince. The generosity of the Duke’s Daughter’s gifts far exceeded those for the Crown Prince by an unknown multiple.
When the Emperor and Crown Prince saw this gift list, both smiled knowingly.
The Emperor looked at the Crown Prince and asked: “Do you understand the Western Liang envoy’s intention in doing this?”
The Crown Prince quickly stood and replied: “Your son speculates that the Western Liang envoy did this simply to sow discord between your son and the Duke’s Daughter, thereby causing your son to feel resentful!”
The Emperor nodded with an expression of “this child can be taught”: “Though this tactic appears unsophisticated, it’s quite effective.”
Facing his son, the Emperor didn’t hide anything…
Great Liang had once used similar methods to drive a wedge between him and Duke Zhenguo Bai Weiting. Although the Emperor said nothing aloud, he had developed thoughts, and later, when Bai Weiting’s achievements overshadowed his master, his dissatisfaction grew even more.
“When your son first saw the gift list, he felt extremely uncomfortable,” the Crown Prince honestly admitted. “But your son also understands that the Duke’s Daughter is the hero who decisively defeated Western Liang. The more Western Liang tries to sow discord, the more your son cannot let them succeed! We must show Western Liang the harmony between ruler and minister in our Jin court! Therefore, your son plans to send all the various treasures Western Liang gave to your son to the Duke’s Daughter with great fanfare, for her to use in training troops and suppressing bandits. This way, the people will also remember the imperial family’s benevolence.”
The Emperor nodded: “That you can think this way brings your father great comfort.”
Initially, the Emperor had harbored doubts about Bai Qingyan training civilians as soldiers to suppress bandits in Shouyang, but now he wasn’t optimistic about it. The people he sent to investigate reported back that Bai Qingyan had recruited only farmers and tenant farmers, and those people mostly came for the meat or rent reductions – barely a hundred people… what could they accomplish?
If they succeeded in suppressing bandits, it would solve a problem for the court, and the Emperor could simply award commendations then.
If they couldn’t suppress bandits, it would only waste the Bai family’s silver – why should the Emperor feel pained?
That very day, the Crown Prince sent people to transport the apology gifts from Western Liang, meant for both him and Bai Qingyan, to Shouyang with great fanfare.
When Bai Qingyan heard that the Crown Prince had ordered people to transport Western Liang’s reparation gifts to Shouyang with banners flying and cannons firing, her eyebrows raised slightly. She sent someone to notify Ji Tingyu to investigate first, and if feasible… to secretly rob the apology gifts being escorted by the Crown Prince’s men.
After all, if His Highness the Crown Prince made such a grand spectacle, it would be unreasonable not to alert bandits bold enough to even rob the Duke’s Daughter.
Battle reports from Chun Mushan arrived every two days. Initially… Shen Qingzhu wrote that Bai Jinzhi was managing to keep her composure, following General Zhang Duanrui daily to train troops and analyze battle situations, allowing Great Liang’s forces to shout curses outside the city without responding to their provocations.
Recently, after Great Liang learned that Bai Jinzhi had also gone to Chun Mushan, they began hurling insults outside about Duke Zhenguo, cursing the entire Bai family, with words that quite insulted Bai Qingyan. Bai Jinzhi couldn’t restrain herself and almost charged out, but General Zhang Duanrui personally held her back. Bai Jinzhi flew into a rage at Zhang Duanrui, accusing the general of cowardice.
After reading Shen Qingzhu’s letter, Bai Qingyan burned it with candlelight as usual and pondered carefully before writing a letter to Bai Jinzhi. She instructed Bai Jinzhi… that the more Great Liang lost composure and began insulting the Bai family, the more it showed Great Liang’s urgency to quickly end this battle. Bai Jinzhi must maintain her composure and wait for General Zhang Duanrui to find the right opportunity. Moreover, as a military general, Zhang Duanrui was not cowardly but prudent and cherished his soldiers’ lives. Bai Jinzhi should respect and honor him, not offend him.
After sending the letter, Bai Qingyan worried endlessly.
Though Xun Tianzhang was a radical who would stop at nothing, he had always shown respect for military generals of all nations, especially the capital Bai family, whose loyalty and righteousness were known throughout the world. How could he speak insults?
Xun Tianzhang had once said there were three people he respected in this life…
First was Great Yan’s Empress Ji. Empress Ji, as a woman, had pushed Great Yan’s national power to its peak. Her new political proposals seemed absurd at first glance, but after implementation proved capable of greatly increasing national strength!