However, to have Liu Hong personally order the killing of nearly twenty thousand soldiers, he truly couldn’t bring himself to speak those words.

The Emperor said this matter was top secret and must not be spread, but with such a commotion, how could others truly remain completely unaware?

This time, killing disarmed rebels was different from Bai Qingyan’s burning and killing of Western Liang surrendered prisoners at Weng City. Bai Qingyan’s actions were to protect Jin’s territory – a desperate measure when outnumbered.

But Liu Hong needed only to wave his hand for ten thousand arrows to be released… killing Jin’s soldiers.

When future historians recorded this, Liu Hong’s name would probably be infamous for eternity.

Below the high wall, the Nandu rebels and Imperial Guards were crowded together. Seeing the double palace gates closed behind them while Yongding Gate remained unopened, trapping them in this square of heaven and earth, they looked up toward the high wall, but the rain was too heavy to see anything.

“General Liu, you cannot hesitate any longer!” Liu Hong’s subordinate whispered urgently in his ear. “If you delay further, someone might notice. Eighteen thousand people are no small number – if anyone becomes aware, there could be trouble! Cut through the mess with a sharp blade!”

Liu Hong closed his eyes, clenching his back teeth tightly, then raised his hand and shouted: “Archers, prepare!”

Liu Hong’s subordinate also called out loudly upon hearing this: “Archers, prepare!”

The heavy rain could not drown out the voices of Liu Hong and his subordinate.

The archers standing atop the high wall immediately stepped forward, their cold-gleaming arrowheads aimed at the Nandu Army and Imperial Guards below the wall who had already surrendered their weapons, removed their armor, and stood unarmed in white clothes.

“What are they doing?!”

“They’re going to kill us!”

Some Imperial Guards realized what was happening.

“What?! They’re going to kill us?!”

The nearly eighteen thousand white-clothed soldiers below the high wall immediately fell into panic, shouting up at those on the wall.

“Princess Zhenguo said those who surrender their weapons won’t be killed! We’ve already surrendered! How can you kill us!”

“Damn their ancestors! These dogs don’t keep their word!”

In the heavy rain, an Imperial Guard squad leader with a deathly pale face forced himself to remain calm. Looking toward Yongding Gate, he shouted hoarsely: “Brothers! Yongding Gate is right in front of us! Waiting here is a dead end – if we break through this Yongding Gate, we might still find life in death! Charge!”

As soon as the Imperial Guard squad leader finished speaking, he led the charge toward Yongding Gate, using his body to ram the sealed gate.

The more than eighteen thousand rain-soaked white-clothed soldiers below, like headless flies, all followed suit, using their bodies to ram Yongding Gate, which had stood there solid, thick, and upright for hundreds of years.

The soldiers charging at the gate fell in the rainwater, instantly trampled by those behind them who stepped over their bodies to continue forward. Their screams were terrifying.

“General!” Liu Hong’s subordinate saw the chaos below and quickly turned to urge Liu Hong. “General, you cannot hesitate any longer!”

Liu Hong clenched his teeth tightly, watching the chaos below – seeing white-clothed prisoners trampled to death, the first to charge the gate crushed by the crowd pushing behind them…

Today, though Yongding Gate was supposedly peaceful with no battle, blood still flowed endlessly.

Rather than let these people die like this, it would be better to let them die with some dignity. What seemed like tears streamed down Liu Hong’s face.

“Damn it! Keep charging! Otherwise, we’ll all die here!” a surrendered soldier below shouted.

Just as Bai Qingyan and the Bai family guards rushed up the city tower, they saw Liu Hong with reddened eyes, raising his hand high…

“Hold your arrows and spare their lives!” Bai Qingyan shouted. “Hold your arrows and spare their lives!”

The Imperial Guards, who had drawn their bows and nocked arrows, quickly turned to bow to Bai Qingyan: “Princess Zhenguo!”

“Eldest Miss!” A Bai family guard raised his hand, eyes wide as he pointed at Liu Hong, who was about to lower his hand. “Too far! General Liu can’t hear the shouts!”

Bai Qingyan turned to look at a soldier beside her who had nocked an arrow and was aiming at the Imperial Guard soldiers below the tower. She seized the bow and arrow from the soldier’s hands while supporting herself against the city wall with one hand, leaping up… Enduring the severe pain in her arm, she quickly nocked an arrow and drew the bow. In the wind and rain, she steadied her trembling, practically useless arm that could barely be lifted and shot toward the distant Liu Hong.

The arrow broke through the rain, reaching Liu Hong’s eyes in a blink, grazing past the armguard of his hand that was about to fall, then dropping down.

Liu Hong turned in shock to see Bai Qingyan, completely soaked through, holding the bow and standing atop the city wall. Her drenched clothing hem flew in the wind. Liu Hong quickly withdrew his hand, his heart pounding like muffled thunder. Joy couldn’t help but show in his eyes as he rushed rapidly toward Bai Qingyan’s direction!

The archers all lowered their arrows and bowed toward Bai Qingyan.

The surrendered soldiers, ramming the gate, suddenly saw the slender figure standing on the tower. Their eyes widened as they pointed up at the tower: “Look up there! It’s Princess Zhenguo!”

“The archers on the tower seem to have lowered their arrows!”

“Did Princess Zhenguo come to stop them from killing us?!”

“Should be… right! Princess Zhenguo said those who surrender their weapons won’t be killed!”

The Imperial Guards and Nandu Army below the city wall gradually quieted down, looking up toward the high wall above, waiting to see what fate would ultimately await them.

Seeing Liu Hong approaching her direction, Bai Qingyan endured the pain and bit down hard, throwing the large bow to an Imperial Guard and leaping down from the city wall, nearly falling.

“Eldest Miss!” A Bai family guard caught Bai Qingyan, feeling that their eldest miss was trembling all over. Her deathly pale face was covered with what might have been sweat or rainwater, constantly dripping down.

Bai Qingyan had already injured her arm when she lifted Prince Xian’s corpse high above her head. Now, using all her strength to barely manage shooting one arrow, her arm hurt so much that it interrupted her breathing.

“It’s nothing!” Bai Qingyan clenched her fist tightly, enduring the severe pain. With steady, powerful steps, she walked toward Liu Hong.

Liu Hong knew that the merit for this rescue lay with Bai Qingyan. Moreover, he had heard that when Bai Qingyan killed Prince Xian, she had said… those who surrender their weapons won’t be killed. Since Bai Qingyan had come through the rain at this time, she must be here to stop the slaughter and save lives!

Liu Hong had been unwilling to kill these Imperial Guards and Nandu Army soldiers from the start – how could he not be happy to see Bai Qingyan now?!

“Princess Zhenguo!” Liu Hong quickly bowed deeply. “Has His Majesty ordered to spare their lives?”

Bai Qingyan shook her head: “I was afraid that going to seek His Majesty’s decree first would be too late, so I came to stop Lord Liu first. I must now go to His Majesty’s bedchamber to request an imperial edict.”

Hearing this, the glimmer of hope in Liu Hong’s eyes gradually dimmed: “I already tried to persuade him. His Majesty… insists on this course, and even the Crown Prince…”

“‘Those who surrender their weapons won’t be killed’ – those were my words, so these soldiers… I must protect!” Bai Qingyan said to Liu Hong. “Bai Qingyan will obtain an imperial edict from His Majesty. Before Bai Qingyan returns, please, Lord Liu, you must preserve the lives of these surrendered soldiers. Bai Qingyan alone will bear all responsibility.”

Liu Hong was not unaware of the Emperor’s wariness toward the Bai family and Bai Qingyan. The Emperor wouldn’t even listen to his words – how could he listen to Bai Qingyan? But if Bai Qingyan was willing to try… There was still that glimmer of hope.

Bai Qingyan’s newly changed clothes were already soaked through. She should have looked disheveled, but Bai Qingyan stood here with upright posture, her pupils cold, stern, dark, and profound.