Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress-Chapter 1582 - 1577: Always Answer the Call

The Crown Prince of Xiping speculated whether the young officer he sent to request reinforcements from the King of Jiujiang had been captured. Considering the King of Jiujiang had yet to arrive, he felt his suspicions were likely correct.

With a hoarse voice, he spoke up, "Although I am the heir of Xiping Palace, I am not yet the King of Xiping. I dare not claim the words of the Emperor of Zhou are baseless. However, I truly do not know of any undocumented mines or weapon workshops. I only heard my father mention it once with the King of Jiujiang, which is why... when I sent someone to request support from him, I used this matter to threaten! But the King of Jiujiang has not shown up either. It’s possible... this matter may be false."

Bai Qingyan raised an eyebrow.

As for the person the Crown Prince of Xiping sent to Jiujiang, Bai Jinzhi was unsure if they had been allowed passage or if they had been killed on the spot.

It seemed the Crown Prince was using the mine and the weapon workshop as leverage against the King of Jiujiang. Seeing him delay in his arrival, he assumed that Zhou had captured the envoy sent to request aid, thus resorting to such explanations.

"Then, Crown Prince, tell me, where did those arrows with ink powder originate? Who was responsible for escorting and supervising their creation?" Bai Qingyan casually placed the tea cup on an ebony side table, resting her elbow on the arm of the chair, speaking lightly and easily. "You know, this matter requires only a little effort to investigate. There are always those in Xiping County who know the times and will inform me! Or... I could ask the King of Jiujiang, but by that time... this would no longer be leverage for the Crown Prince of Xiping."

The Crown Prince of Xiping looked at the bluestone floor in front of him, pondering slightly. He closed his eyes, then opened them again to stare at Bai Qingyan’s blood-stained deerskin boots. "I will tell..."

"Shen Tianzhi..." Bai Qingyan stood up. "Stay here and discuss this matter with the Crown Prince of Xiping. Then let Liu Pinggao take control of the mine and the weapon workshop! Also... make sure to take good care of the Xiping royal family and fulfill their requests as long as they aren’t excessive!"

"Yes!" Shen Tianzhi and Liu Pinggao responded in unison.

Crossing the threshold of the main hall, Bai Qingyan quietly instructed Bai Qingjue, "Have someone separately confine the three children and nurse of the King of Xiping together, just in case."

"Eldest Young Lady, rest assured!" Bai Qingjue replied.

"Have we received any news from Xiaosi?" she inquired.

"Not yet! I’ve already sent someone to ask. I expect news soon..."

She nodded. "Have Xiaosi withdraw the troops and leave a few teams watching the direction of Jiujiang."

Bai Qingjue recalled the Crown Prince of Xiping mentioned sending someone to request aid from the King of Jiujiang. He asked Bai Qingyan, "With the Pingyang Army likely arriving soon, will Eldest Young Lady wait for heavy forces from Dadu City to advance towards the Yan Kingdom’s border, then annihilate Yan in one move, or seize Jiujiang first?"

"While these vassal kings have yet to react, we should take Jiujiang! Seizing one Xiping and one Jiujiang will be enough to make them tremble!" Bai Qingyan’s lips tightened as she finished speaking, and she remarked to Wei Zhong, "Send someone to deliver the arrows from the Xiping Palace to Yan Capital. If you catch up with the Yan Regent Prince, inform him that the Emperor of Yan and the vassal kings have intertwined with the Tianfeng Kingdom. If not, deliver them to Jintong’s hands, and tell her if any vassal king turns back to enter Yan Capital, she must be cautious. The arrows from the Tianfeng Kingdom can penetrate armor."

"Yes, rest assured, Your Majesty!" Wei Zhong replied.

Bai Jinzhi was undaunted by war. When she led troops to the ambush, by chance, she encountered the team sent by the Crown Prince of Xiping to request aid from Jiujiang. Her initial thought was to kill these envoys since the Pingyang Army had yet to arrive, so she could return to support her elder sister in taking Pingyang City.

But she refrained from acting impulsively and allowed them to pass.

Subsequently, just as Bai Qingyan had anticipated, the King of Jiujiang also intended to strike the Emperor of Zhou before Bai Qingyan’s reinforcements joined forces. After all, only by killing the Emperor of Zhou could chaos for succession ensue.

The King of Jiujiang led his troops halfway when they were suddenly ambushed. The attacking forces were led by none other than Bai Jinzhi, famed for being a capable and battle-proven leader in Zhou. Alarmed, the King of Jiujiang had no time to retreat before seeing the retreat of Bai Jinzhi’s troops.

Indeed, the King of Jiujiang grew suspicious and promptly ordered a map to be brought forth, noticing a strategically suitable ambush location on the path to Xiping City. Moreover, the returning troops chasing Bai Jinzhi reported that Bai Jinzhi and the Zhou Army seemingly vanished, intensifying his suspicion. Fearing the assault on Xiping was a ruse for an ambush against him, he turned back to strategize further.

But the time allowed was limited.

On the sixth day of February in the third year of Yuanhe, the Emperor of Zhou personally led seventy thousand soldiers to attack Jiujiang.

At the same time, Zhao Sheng, who was in the old realm of Daliang, received an order to lead troops to the border of Huyi in Yan Kingdom.

Upon seeing the order, Zhao Sheng was filled with a surge of hot blood. Although he had not received any news from Yan Kingdom, he understood... being dispatched to Yan’s territory implied the intention to extinguish Yan. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Back then, Zhao Sheng surrendered to Bai Qingyan precisely because he believed following her would achieve a unique merit in the pursuit of peace in this world. He missed the campaign to extinguish Xiliang, but he could not miss this battle to annihilate Yan. He immediately ordered the soldiers to assemble and set out.

Yang Wuce also received orders directing him to proceed to the cities of Yan Kingdom within the territory of Zhou, to cooperate with Dong Qingyue, the Governor of Dengzhou, to control the military forces within these cities and to prevent chaos within Zhou’s territory.

As a general, Yang Wuce keenly sensed that the underlying intent behind the orders was to annihilate Yan. Though he did not know why Bai Qingyan suddenly decided to eradicate Yan during a national gamble, his blood raced with excitement, and he promptly ordered the deployment of troops.

On the tenth day of February in the third year of Yuanhe, Jiujiang City fell.

Far in Nanjiang, the King of Zhennan, Shen Kunyang, received orders to immediately set out leading the Bai family army to the Yan realm to join forces with the Emperor of Zhou, Bai Qingyan.

On the day he received the orders, the King of Zhennan, Shen Kunyang, mobilized his troops for a forced march towards Yan territory.

Inside Dadu City, Bai Qingping had already delivered the first batch of repeating crossbows and arrows, forged with ink powder, and had commandeered civilian blacksmith shops within Zhou’s territory, instructing the military weaponry supervision team to work nonstop according to Bai Qingyun’s designs, to produce the second batch of weapons.

The Minister of Revenue, Wei Bugong, had also sent the first batch of collected provisions towards the Yan border in three routes and was already arranging the second batch of supplies.

The Minister of War, Zhang Duanning, announced that Bai Qingyan was attacked in Yan Kingdom and Zhou’s resolution to extinguish Yan within Zhou’s borders during conscription...

Veterans returned eagerly, declaring... when the nation is at war, the call is answered without fail!

Moreover, elderly citizens, believing recruitment was in aid of rescuing Bai Qingyan from Yan territory, personally sent their only sons to join the army.

The recruiting young officer said, "Sir, Zhou’s recruitment laws state single sons aren’t drafted."

Yet the elderly man replied, "The Emperor, to protect us, the people of Zhou, has so many times gone to the battlefield. Now that the Emperor is trapped in Yan, why shouldn’t every good son of Zhou be able to go to the battlefield?"