Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress

He seemed to have thought of something and looked up at Bai Qingyan: "Moreover... Zhou Kingdom and Yan Kingdom chose to start the war now because they were worried that when spring and summer arrived, Tianfeng Kingdom would push the battlefield to the borders of your two countries, causing the people of Zhou and Yan to suffer. That is why they decided to dispatch troops at this time, not entirely for Xiliang! If the lips are gone, the teeth will feel cold... If Xiliang falls, the people of Zhou and Yan Kingdoms will also suffer!"

"If the lips are gone, the teeth will feel cold?" Bai Qingyan's smile deepened. "Why don't our Zhou and Yan Kingdoms refrain from going to war with Tianfeng Kingdom for now and inform Tianfeng Kingdom about the Huoyun Army hidden in Laian Mountain? Surely... Tianfeng Kingdom would be very happy to capture the Emperor of Xiliang and Auxiliary General Yun Poxing there! Li Tianfu would be even happier... to eliminate the Huoyun Army, which poses the greatest threat to her throne."

Li Zhijie's face changed suddenly, yet he didn't immediately deny it. After all... for Bai Qingyan to bring it up openly meant she already had a grasp on their movements, and denying it at this point was meaningless.

Seeing the way Li Zhijie pressed his thin lips tightly, Bai Qingyan adjusted her sleeves and continued, "Therefore... I ask the King Yan to return immediately and convey to your Emperor of Xiliang and Auxiliary General Yun Poxing to dispatch troops at once... set an ambush at the valley exit north of Hanwen Mountain and south of Danshui River, to ensure the complete eradication of Tianfeng Kingdom's Elephant Army."

Li Zhijie looked up at Bai Qingyan and finally understood... Bai Qingyan had laid an obvious flaw for him to see, digging a pit for him to fall into, just to make them set an ambush here with the only remaining Huoyun Army they had.

"If Zhou and Yan Kingdoms make such a big move, yet the Huoyun Army is not present, allowing the remaining Elephant Army of Tianfeng Kingdom to escape..." Bai Qingyan's lips curled slightly, the smile not reaching her eyes, and she looked indifferently at Li Zhijie, "all consequences will be borne by Xiliang alone."

As soon as Bai Qingyan finished speaking, the Bai family's guards brought up the envoys and guards who had come to Pingyang City with Li Zhijie.

"The carriage is ready, King Yan should hurriedly return to inform the Empress of Xiliang, Li Tianjiao, immediately!" Bai Qingyan said, and upon rising, had guards take Li Zhijie away, then walked out with Wei Zhong.

Li Zhijie's expression was heavy; he didn't know if there was an internal traitor who disclosed the location of the Huoyun Army and Empress Li Tianjiao of Xiliang to Zhou Kingdom, or if Bai Qingyan was truly so formidable as to accurately guess that the Huoyun Army was hidden in Laian Mountain.

·

Bai Qingyan left the Governor's Mansion and headed straight to the barracks.

Snowflakes began to fall again in the sky.

The soldiers of Zhou Kingdom were already prepared, ready to set out, and Bai Qingyan, dressed in imperial garb, lifted the hem of her robes and stepped onto Dianjiang Terrace.

She looked at the young faces, some determined, others fearful, and spoke: "The Elephant Army of Tianfeng Kingdom, some soldiers have already encountered them last night, perhaps... there is still fear in your hearts, still doubting whether we can defeat those armored, invincible beasts! But... we have no way back!"

Bai Qingyan's words were sonorous and solemn: "Because behind us are countless people of Zhou Kingdom! They are our relatives! Our parents, wives, and children! If we do not destroy those Elephant Armies on the soil of Xiliang now, in the future... these Elephant Armies will invade our land of Zhou, slaughtering and enslaving our people at will!"

"Therefore, today Zhou and Yan Kingdoms unite to jointly resist the Elephant Army of Tianfeng Kingdom, vowing to obliterate the Elephant Army on which Tianfeng Kingdom relies outside the border of Zhou Kingdom!" Bai Qingyan raised a hand in a fist gesture and loudly declared, "Elite soldiers of Zhou! In this battle... Bai Qingyan entrusts the safety of all Zhou people to all of you!"

The soldiers, roused by Bai Qingyan's words, were burning with enthusiasm, and Lu Yuanpeng was the first to raise his red-tasseled silver spear, shouting hoarsely, "Kill the enemy!"

The soldiers raised their swords and halberds high, shouting in unison…

"Kill the enemy! Kill the enemy! Kill the enemy!"

The soldiers' voices pierced the sky with their overwhelming sound, shaking the heart.

Sitting in the departing carriage outside the city, Li Zhijie vaguely heard the high-pitched voices coming from the barracks, lifted a hand to draw open the carriage curtain, and looked through the falling snowflakes, feeling very heavy-hearted.

Lowering the carriage curtain, Li Zhijie felt anxious. He had the carriage stop to the side, lifted the curtain, and instructed a guard: "Go quietly and see if this time the soldiers of Zhou have all been mobilized! Then hurry back to Laian Mountain and report!"

"Yes!" The guard clasped his fists in response and galloped away.

Soon, Li Zhijie returned to their camp at Laian Mountain and met with Li Tianjiao and Yun Poxing.

Li Tianjiao and Yun Poxing were shocked to see that Li Zhijie had lost a leg.

Li Zhijie, however, didn't care much and was helped into the cave by Yun Lingzhi and Yun Tianao, settled on a soft couch, covered with thick fox fur, and had a fire basin placed before him.

"Was this Bai Qingyan's doing?" Yun Poxing asked.

Li Zhijie shook his head: "This was done by the Elephant Army of Tianfeng when they clashed with the soldiers of Zhou, and in a way... the people of Zhou saved me!"

Li Tianjiao looked at Li Zhijie's face, which was devoid of blood, and asked, "Zhou let you return, so they agreed to send troops to Tianfeng Kingdom!"

Li Zhijie nodded and relayed everything Bai Qingyan had said to Li Tianjiao, including that Zhou was already aware of their hiding in Laian Mountain, and if they did not follow Bai Qingyan's orders this time, after the great battle, Bai Qingyan would surely settle accounts with Xiliang.

"Even if Bai Qingyan discovered us in Laian Mountain, it doesn't matter!" Li Tianjiao's beautiful features turned red by the leaping flames, "We aren't planning to hide here forever to become mountain lords; we will seize the right opportunity to reclaim Xiliang."

"The Huoyun Army... is all we have." Yun Poxing clenched his fists and frowned, shifting the coals with tongs, "If Bai Qingyan simply forces Tianfeng Kingdom out of Pingdu City, deliberately luring our Huoyun Army to fight with Tianfeng's Elephant Army in the canyon, we're afraid we won't even be able to preserve the Huoyun Army! Afterward, we won't have any capital to contend with Zhou and Yan Kingdoms anymore."

"But Bai Qingyan already knows we are hiding in Laian Mountain with the Huoyun Army. Once they drive away Tianfeng Kingdom, they will turn back to deal with us!" Li Zhijie's already pale face worsened, "We have less than eight thousand Huoyun Army, many of whom are still half-trained. If we engage directly with Zhou Kingdom, we're likely to fail. Hiding is impossible; if we don't want to fight Tianfeng Kingdom, secretly leave Laian Mountain... and return to our city in Xiliang to defend it. Perhaps Zhou and Tianfeng Kingdom will become entangled with each other and have no strength to attack us!"

Yun Poxing's grandson Yun Tianao disagreed: "But entanglement is only temporary. In this battle, whether Zhou or Tianfeng gains the upper hand, as long as we appear in the city, one country will inevitably come to attack us! Zhou is alright, but if Tianfeng's giant elephants storm the city, the city gates won't hold at all!"