Bai Qingyan nodded: “Thank you for your hard work! Stand up and come with me to see the Commander-in-Chief!”

“Yes!” Du Sanbao quickly stood up and followed behind Bai Qingyan and Lu Ping, walking briskly toward the Commander-in-Chief’s camp.

Du Sanbao had heard the news of Commander-in-Chief Liu Hong’s arrival as soon as he entered the city. Since the Commander-in-Chief had come to rescue the High Righteousness County Princess, they naturally needed to request permission from the Commander-in-Chief.

Du Sanbao made up his mind that if the Commander-in-Chief permitted Bai Qingyan to go rescue the person, he would definitely stay by Bai Qingyan’s side and fight bloody battles alongside her.

When Bai Qingyan reached the entrance of the Commander-in-Chief’s camp, she cupped her hands to Liu Hong’s deputy general: “Please trouble yourself to inform the Commander-in-Chief that Bai Qingyan has urgent matters and requests an audience!”

Liu Hong’s deputy general saluted Bai Qingyan and said, “Princess, the Commander-in-Chief caught a cold on his way to Longyang City. His high fever won’t subside, and he forced himself to reach Longyang City. He has just taken medicine and fallen asleep…”

“This is a battlefield! Not the Capital City!” Bai Qingyan’s blazing eyes looked at Liu Hong’s deputy general, speaking each word deliberately with natural authority despite showing no anger. “Military intelligence is urgent and requires the Commander-in-Chief’s decision!”

Liu Hong’s deputy general broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead. He knew the Princess Zhenguo was difficult to deal with, which was why Liu Hong had instructed him not to see anyone.

However, as Bai Qingyan said, this was a battlefield, not the capital. On the battlefield, military situations changed in an instant. As long as the Commander-in-Chief wasn’t dead, he must crawl up to make any decisions that required his judgment, because the Commander-in-Chief’s decisions… related to the victory or defeat of the war and the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers.

“Military intelligence is urgent. If it’s delayed, can you bear this responsibility?” Du Sanbao boldly questioned the Commander-in-Chief’s deputy general.

The High Righteousness County Princess had been leading three thousand troops without supply provisions for nearly half a month. They didn’t even know what miserable state the County Princess and those brothers were in now. Every moment they delayed here, the County Princess and her men faced more danger, yet this Commander-in-Chief’s deputy general was still dawdling here.

Liu Hong’s deputy general knew he couldn’t bear this responsibility. He pressed his lips together, and after a long while said: “Princess, please wait a moment. This subordinate will go report.”

Liu Hong was helped up by his deputy general in a daze, his throat parched and his joints aching terribly: “What military intelligence?”

“The Princess Zhenguo didn’t say, but this subordinate saw that the Jin soldier in civilian clothes behind the Princess Zhenguo should have just returned from outside the city, bringing some military intelligence!” Liu Hong’s deputy general said.

Liu Hong raised his hand to pinch his still throbbing forehead. Knowing the matter was urgent, he pointed to his clothes for his deputy general to help him put them on properly, then said: “Quickly invite the Princess Zhenguo in!”

After Bai Qingyan entered with Lu Ping and Du Sanbao, she saluted Liu Hong.

Lu Ping placed the bamboo slips from the interrogation on the desk in front of Liu Hong. Du Sanbao clasped his fists and said: “Commander-in-Chief, this subordinate was ordered to leave the city today to burn the Liang army’s grain supplies. On the way back, I captured two tongues and questioned them separately. Now Great Liang’s General Gu is leading ten thousand men at Fire God Mountain, presumably to surround and capture the High Righteousness County Princess!”

Lu Ping also followed up: “Today, this humble one not only extracted the location of the Liang army’s granary from the Zhao family soldiers who infiltrated the city, but also learned that the High Righteousness County Princess is currently at Fire God Mountain.”

Bai Qingyan clasped her fists toward Liu Hong: “Please permit me to lead five thousand troops to Fire God Mountain to rescue her!”

Liu Hong nodded – rescuing people was indeed urgent!

He could understand that Bai Qingyan’s urgent rush to Longyang City was mostly to rescue the High Righteousness County Princess.

“However, reinforcements haven’t arrived yet. If we send five thousand troops out of the city, what if the Liang army’s main force comes to attack…” Liu Hong also had his considerations.

“Tomorrow morning, please have the Commander-in-Chief personally deliver the heads of the Zhao family soldiers who infiltrated Longyang City to the Liang camp, and in the Commander-in-Chief’s capacity, issue a battle challenge to the Liang army’s commander Xun Tianzhang. Xun Tianzhang originally wasn’t sure whether reinforcements had reached the city. With the Commander-in-Chief appearing in person, the suspicious Xun Tianzhang will surely suspect that our Jin reinforcements have arrived and won’t easily accept battle! Much less start fighting or attack the city!” Bai Qingyan had already thought this through on her way here.

Calculating by time, Jin’s reinforcements indeed shouldn’t have arrived yet, but Liu Hong’s timely arrival, first with Bai Qingyan accepting challenges, then with Jin’s new Commander-in-Chief Liu Hong personally declaring war, would surely make Xun Tianzhang hesitate.

During the time Xun Tianzhang hesitated, Bai Qingyan was confident she could rescue Bai Jinzhi.

Liu Hong nodded, then looked up at Bai Qingyan again with hesitation. After thinking for a long while, he pressed his hand on the interrogation bamboo slips on the desk and spoke: “Princess, tomorrow, accompany this Commander to the Liang camp to declare war together. This Commander is unwell and needs the Princess who captured their Great Liang fierce general in three moves to be there… to boost our army’s prestige! As for rescuing people at Fire God Mountain… it would be more appropriate to send Generals Lin Kangle and Wang Xiping to lead ten thousand men! After all… General Lin Kangle and General Wang Xiping have been in the northern frontier for months and are more familiar with the terrain than the Princess!”

This was already the greatest compromise Liu Hong could make – he could send people to rescue Bai Jinzhi while also suppressing Bai Qingyan according to the Emperor’s instructions.

Bai Qingyan pressed her lips together and looked quietly at Liu Hong.

Liu Hong’s lips were dry, cracked, and pale. He said to Bai Qingyan: “I know the Princess is anxious to rescue her sister, but the Princess’s health is already frail, and you came here day and night without stopping. Even I can barely hold on, let alone the Princess, a young lady! The High Righteousness County Princess is Duke’s granddaughter and also a hero of the Nanjiang campaign! She must be rescued! But Princess, you must also rest! This is a military order!”

Liu Hong spoke these words from his heart. Both Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi were of the Duke’s bloodline. In a situation where rescue was possible, Liu Hong was unwilling to see more harm come to Duke Bai’s family bloodline.

Bai Qingyan nodded.

Liu Hong immediately had his deputy general go deliver the orders. Bai Qingyan turned her head to instruct Lu Ping: “Uncle Ping, please accompany General Lin Kangle to help find Xiao Si!”

“Yes!” Lu Ping clasped his fists in acknowledgment.

“Princess, rest assured! I, Du Sanbao, will risk this life of mine to bring the High Righteousness County Princess back safely!” Du Sanbao’s eyes blazed with determination.

Watching Lu Ping and Du Sanbao leave, Liu Hong breathed a sigh of relief. His tone inevitably softened as he said to Bai Qingyan, “I heard the Princess hasn’t rested since arriving at Longyang City. Now that there’s news of the High Righteousness County Princess and people are going to rescue her, the Princess should rest well!”

Bai Qingyan looked at the gradually brightening sky outside the Commander-in-Chief’s camp window, then turned to look at Liu Hong kneeling in the flickering candlelight, and asked calmly: “When General Liu was appointed Commander-in-Chief, before the expedition, did His Majesty instruct General Liu to guard against me?”

Liu Hong’s fist tightened, and his expression darkened: “Is the Princess questioning this Commander, or questioning His Majesty?”

“I wouldn’t dare!” Bai Qingyan’s expression remained composed. “It’s just that His Majesty has heavy suspicions about my Bai family, so I asked this question! General Liu’s sentiment in seeing off my Bai family’s heroic spirits at the gates of the Bai mansion – Bai Qingyan has never forgotten. Bai Qingyan regards General Liu as an elder, so today I want to be frank with General Liu. My Bai family’s people… our loyal and righteous hearts are known throughout all nations. The border people of Jin are all those my grandfather, father, and generations of Bai family troops fought to the death to protect! The Bai family… will never rebel! Much less calculating private interests during a national crisis.”