Their speed of travel was so fast that they far outdistanced the rapid marching troops bringing twenty thousand soldiers to Chun Mushan.

The closer they got to Chun Mushan, the more refugees they could see.

The government had sealed the main roads, forbidding refugees from continuing south, so the refugees carried dry rations and led their children along mountain paths instead.

There were rumors that Great Liang’s commander-in-chief, Xun Tianzhang, had declared that for every city they captured, they would massacre the entire city. The people were terrified, fearing that if they didn’t flee south, they would lose their lives.

Continuing north to Youhua City, Bai Qingyan’s party passed through the city to find complete chaos within. On every street and in every alley, each household was piling trunks and valuables onto wooden carts, ox carts, and donkey carts. Children’s crying, men’s shouting, and the sharp curses of women whose ducks had been stolen stood before ox carts, all intermingled in cacophonous noise.

Everywhere were Jin soldiers busily transporting chevaux-de-frise to the north gate, with squad leaders shouting for Jin soldiers carrying iron spades to hurry to the north gate to dig trenches.

The entire city presented a scene of military panic and chaos.

Common people clutched bundles stuffed with valuables, grumbling and cursing as they headed toward the south gate…

A little girl sitting on an ox cart wanted to go back to retrieve a doll she had dropped, but was scolded by her father and began wailing loudly on the cart.

“Cry, cry, cry—all you know how to do is cry! Keep crying, and the Liang army will come and take you away!”

“Tell me… what kind of situation is this! When Duke Zhenguo was still alive, when was our Jin Kingdom ever beaten this badly? The Liang army would probably have been beaten back home before they could even pass Chun Mushan!”

“What’s the use of saying this now! If you want to blame someone, blame that traitor Liu Huanzhang, who conspired with the enemy, and that accursed Prince Xin!”

“Shh! Do you want to die! How dare you speak about a prince!”

Bai Qingyan sat high on her horse without dismounting, turning to signal a guard to dismount and inquire.

The guard to Bai Qingyan’s left leaped down from his horse and stopped the squad leader who was shouting for Jin soldiers to hurry, asking: “Is the Liang army about to attack Youhua City?”

This time, Bai Qingyan was traveling rapidly, rarely leaving her horse’s back. No guard could move faster than Bai Qingyan to scout ahead for information. When their party entered Youhua City, they were essentially walking blind.

“Let go of my child! Let go of my son!”

“Mother! Mother… save me, Mother!”

“You foolish widow, the Liang army is about to attack Youhua City. With the limited dry rations we can carry while fleeing, if I sell your son to someone else, then I can take you with me. Otherwise, both you and your son will die!”

The people of Youhua City who witnessed this scene looked at the widow, who had a bad reputation and had long been mixed up with ruffians and hooligans. They shook their heads, sighed that the child was pitiful, then all minded their own business and left. When even the government couldn’t manage such matters, which common person would want to take the lead?

The human trafficker grabbed the child’s arm and threw several taels of silver at the feet of the widow, who was being held by the ruffian.

“I don’t want silver! I want my son! Give me back my son!”

Bai Qingyan smoothly drew a feathered arrow from her quiver, her eyes dark with anger. The arrow shot through the air, instantly piercing through the trafficker’s topknot. The force was so great that it caused the trafficker to stagger and fall, screaming in terror.

The ruffian looked toward Bai Qingyan’s direction and, meeting the sharp gaze of the woman seated on horseback, felt his heart and courage freeze.

Seeing this, the widow quickly broke free from the ruffian’s grasp and rushed to embrace her son. Like a mother beast protecting her cub, she glared at the ruffian with gritted teeth and pulled the hairpin from her head, her expression fierce: “If you dare let anyone touch my son again, I’ll kill you!”

The ruffian looked at the pale-faced trafficker touching the arrow in his hair, then turned and hurriedly left. The trafficker also crawled away in panic.

Only after both men had left did the widow turn around and embrace her son tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.

The squad leader sized up the extraordinary guard before him, his gaze also taking in their horse convoy. When his eyes fell upon Bai Qingyan, who sat on horseback with an imposing aura, holding her Shooting Sun bow, he couldn’t help but lower his voice to ask the guard: “Who are you people?”

“My master is the Princess Zhenguo,” the guard didn’t hide it.

“The Princess Zhenguo?!” The squad leader was startled and opened his eyes wide to look at Bai Qingyan.

Bai Qingyan looked back at the squad leader: “Has the Liang army arrived at the city gates? To make your city’s defense troops panic like this! You don’t even bother with robbery happening in the city?”

The squad leader’s eyes grew hot, and he knelt directly: “Princess Zhenguo! The Liang army has already attacked Longyang City! The people of Longyang City have all fled south. As soon as Longyang City falls, Youhua City is next. Our general had no choice but to tell the people to flee quickly and leave us to resist the enemy!”

The common people who had been pulling ox carts, donkey carts, and wooden carts, carrying bundles and preparing to flee, gradually stopped upon hearing this and all looked toward Bai Qingyan, whispering among themselves.

“Is it the Princess Zhenguo?! Did the court send the Princess Zhenguo to lead troops and drive the Liang army back?”

“The Princess Zhenguo? Is that the killing god Princess Zhenguo who burned and killed a hundred thousand surrendered prisoners at Weng Mountain?”

“Isn’t that Duke Zhenguo’s granddaughter?”

“Now that the Princess Zhenguo is here, do we not have to leave our homes and become refugees?”

The city defense general had just come down from the city wall. Having been busy for a day and night, he was preparing to return to his mansion for a brief rest when he heard someone mention the Princess Zhenguo just as he rode his horse to the street corner. The defense general leaped off his horse and strode quickly toward Bai Qingyan.

“This humble general Wang De’an, defender of Youhua City, pays respects to the Princess Zhenguo!” Wang De’an hurriedly bowed.

“The enemy forces haven’t arrived, yet you throw your ranks into chaos! Absurd!” Bai Qingyan couldn’t suppress the anger in her heart.

Wang De’an felt uneasy and lowered his head even further: “This humble general acknowledges his fault!”

Bai Qingyan’s face was taut as she gripped the reins tightly: “Immediately restore order within the city. Any incidents of burning, killing, and looting are to be dealt with strictly according to Jin law! Send someone knowledgeable about military affairs to accompany me immediately to Longyang City!”

“Yes!” Wang De’an stood up and shouted behind him: “Li Chunyao!”

Wang De’an’s deputy Li Chunyao quickly squeezed out from the crowd: “I pay respects to the Princess Zhenguo!”

“Princess, regarding this military situation, whatever this humble general knows, Li Chunyao also knows! Let him accompany you!” Wang De’an said hastily.

Bai Qingyan glanced at Li Chunyao: “Mount up! We’ll talk as we travel!”

Having spoken, Bai Qingyan spurred her horse first and galloped toward Youhua City’s north gate.

Seeing that all the guards the Princess Zhenguo brought had mounted their horses, Li Chunyao quickly turned to salute Wang De’an with cupped hands, then leaped onto his horse to catch up.

The military intelligence learned from Li Chunyao was more detailed than both the military reports and the messages Lu Ping had sent back.

The Liang army had now crossed Chun Mushan and broken through Puwen City.

General Zhang Duanrui’s remaining troops had retreated into Longyang City. Because the court’s reinforcements had not yet arrived, Youhua City’s defender Wang De’an, fearing that Longyang City’s fall would endanger Youhua City’s people, had sent a batch of provisions. Li Chunyao had personally escorted those provisions at the time.