Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress

"This time, the joint forces of Zhou and Yan Kingdom are attacking Tianfeng Kingdom. If Zhou truly dares to go all out, Yan Kingdom surely will too! Since Zhou and Yan Kingdom have witnessed the might of the Elephant Army, they understand... once the war starts, they must annihilate most of Tianfeng Kingdom's Elephant Army in one fell swoop, or risk endless troubles!" Yun Poxing put down the fire tongs in his hand and looked up at Li Tianjiao, "So, I'm betting that this time Zhou and Yan will put all their efforts into killing Tianfeng Kingdom's giant elephants, leaving Pingyang City virtually unguarded!"

"So, father means... we should follow Bai Qingyan's command and set up an ambush on the south bank of the Danshui River at Hanwen Mountain?" Yun Lingzhi asked.

Before Yun Poxing could reply, Li Tianjiao said, "The choice for Tianfeng Kingdom—is it only submission? To Zhou, to Yan Kingdom, or to be bullied by Tianfeng Kingdom? Why should we be so cowardly?"

Yun Lingzhi glanced at Yun Poxing and respectfully asked, "What does His Majesty mean?"

"If Zhou and Yan Kingdom really go all out, instead of passively following Zhou's orders and submitting, why can't we attack Pingyang City and capture Bai Qingyan alive?"

Yun Tianao also looked at his grandfather in surprise.

"Winning against the Elephant Army is not so easy for Zhou and Yan Kingdom—that kind of beast armed to the teeth... even if Zhou and Yan Kingdom do win, it will be a Pyrrhic victory!" Li Tianjiao warmed his hands by the fire, eyes fixed on the flickering flames, "Let Tianfeng Kingdom and Zhou fight and weaken each other! Without Tianfeng Kingdom's Elephant Army to rely on, and with Bai Qingyan captured by us, Xiliang, which submitted to Li Tianfu out of fear of Tianfeng, will undoubtedly return to our fold! The Xiliang forces secretly supporting us can finally do so openly."

Yun Poxing straightened up, agreeing with Li Tianjiao's reasoning!

Without the intimidation of Tianfeng Kingdom's Elephant Army, Li Tianfu will lose his grip. Those Xiliang families who were either forced or volunteered to submit to Li Tianfu will see Li Tianjiao capturing Bai Qingyan with the Huoyun Army and surely return under Li Tianjiao's rule, for the Xiliang people refuse to become a vassal state of another kingdom.

"But all this hinges on Zhou indeed going all out, leaving little to no garrison in Pingyang City," Yun Lingzhi said.

Despite his worries, Yun Lingzhi had to admit that Li Tianjiao's plan was a way to break the current impasse and minimize the Huoyun Army's losses.

Previously, when Li Tianjiao sent Li Zhijie to Pingyang City to meet Bai Qingyan, Yun Poxing had already planned that once Zhou repelled Tianfeng Kingdom and Xiliang returned to peace, if His Majesty truly wanted to submit to Zhou, he would sacrifice himself to maintain national dignity.

Therefore, although concerned, Yun Poxing was willing to support Li Tianjiao's plan today.

"I have already sent someone to scout, they should return soon!" Li Zhijie said.

Li Tianjiao turned to Li Zhijie, his eyes showing rare tenderness, his gaze sweeping over the empty space where Li Zhijie's leg used to be, eyes reddening: "King Yan truly suffered for Xiliang!"

Li Zhijie shook his head: "As a member of the Xiliang Imperial Family, for the late emperor, the Empress Dowager... for His Majesty, everything I do is for the loyalty to the family, which is my duty!"

"As for the Xiliang Imperial Family, my own sister... yet to doom all of Xiliang for an eunuch!" Li Tianjiao thought of his sister Li Tianfu, mist clouding his eyes, and he exhaled deeply, "This time, as long as we can reclaim Xiliang, I will not be soft-hearted toward Li Tianfu again, as if… she was never my sister!"

Although concerning Li Tianfu, it's a national affair, but it's also a family matter for Li Tianjiao, neither Li Zhijie nor Yun Poxing could intervene or comment.

"Let's wait!" Li Zhijie suggested first, "Wait for the scouts we sent to verify whether Zhou deployed all their forces to return, then His Majesty will know how to proceed next!"

Li Tianjiao nodded, instructing Li Zhijie to rest well, then left Li Zhijie's cave and sent people to monitor Yan Kingdom's barracks. If Yan troops were advancing towards Pingyang City, it must be reported…

The pain had already drenched Li Zhijie's back with sweat, not to mention the psychological unacceptance of losing a leg, the exhaustion and weakness brought by excessive bleeding, and the dizziness that made him want to lie down. Yet, he forced himself to hold on, understanding that the return of the scouts verifying Zhou's full deployment was also the moment to decide Xiliang's future—whether to submit to Zhou or make a fight.

Li Zhijie dared not fall and had no spare energy for grief.

Time ticked by, and as dusk approached, the scouts Li Zhijie sent to probe Zhou's military force finally returned in haste.

Hearing that soldier was directly taken to Li Tianjiao, Li Zhijie immediately ordered himself to be carried over.

When Li Zhijie arrived, he overheard the soldier saying to Li Tianfu: "Subordinates waited in the snow for a long time, seeing the military camp emptied, leaving only soldiers to guard the camp. I then turned back to Pingyang City, pretended that King Yan left something for me to fetch, and after a round, apart from the few hundred soldiers guarding the city, there were no extra troops at all."

In the cave, the candlelight flickered, and the charcoal in the brazier crackled.

Li Tianjiao clenched his fist tightly: "Bai Qingyan knows as well that military action cannot drag into winter, so this time, they will fight with full force to drive Tianfeng Kingdom back to the other side of the snow mountain!"

After speaking, Li Tianjiao looked up, his eyes bright and resilient: "Once Zhou and Yan Kingdom drive Tianfeng Kingdom away with full force, the next step would likely be to divide Xiliang. We in Xiliang must not sit by and do nothing! Send people to monitor the movements in Pingdu City, and as soon as Zhou and Yan Kingdom attack, we must seize Pingyang City and capture Bai Qingyan while Zhou and Yan Kingdom are caught up with Tianfeng Kingdom! Led by General Yun!"

Yun Poxing, hearing Li Tianjiao's words, gritted his teeth and decided to lay down his life for the future of Xiliang, shouting: "Have the soldiers prepare!"

"Grandfather, as long as we can capture Bai Qingyan, the soldiers who side with the traitor Li Tianfu will surely support His Majesty, right?" Yun Tianao tightly gripped the sword at his waist.

Yun Poxing nodded: "Naturally!"

Yun Tianao knelt on one knee, fist against his chest, looking up at Yun Poxing: "Grandson dares to be the vanguard, to capture Bai Qingyan for His Majesty and to avenge Uncle!"

Yun Poxing's eyes reddened upon hearing his grandson mention his eldest son, lifting Yun Tianao up: "Good child!"

·

Sal Khan stood atop the city wall, seeing the Zhou soldiers surrounding Pingdu City without showing an intention to attack. He sent a soldier fluent in Tianfeng Kingdom's common tongue out on a giant elephant to request a meeting with the commander of Zhou.