Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress-Chapter 169 - 168: Heavy Responsibility_1

Chapter 169: Chapter 168: Heavy Responsibility_1

The old man immediately felt a surge of blood rushing to his eyes. He held his little grandson’s hand, stumbling as he hurriedly chased after the rapidly advancing army. He shouted, “Is it Young General Bai?! Is it Young General Bai of the Bai family army?!”

Hearing the nickname “Young General Bai” again, a wave of mixed emotions surged through her. Her eyes felt sore and swollen. She clenched her fists tightly, bit her teeth, and steadily moved southward.

She had lost all her martial skills and was no longer the Young General Bai of those days.

After being seriously injured, she only knew how to pamper herself. How could she still be worthy of being called Young General Bai?!

The old man, one hand on a cane and the other holding his grandson, struggled to keep up and shouted, “I am an old teacher from Feng County! Four years ago, it was the General who saved this only grandson of mine from the enemy’s blade! Four years later, the Generals and soldiers of the Bai family protected us common people with flesh and blood, letting us escape! General, are you a descendant of the Duke of Zhen from the Bai family? Have you come to the southern border to take back our homeland for us people of Feng County?!”

Bai Jinzhi’s eyes turned red, tears nearly pouring out. She felt overwhelmed with emotions.

So, in the eyes of the border people, the Bai family army was their hope.

She turned her head and looked at Bai Qingyan, who was looking straight ahead, “Eldest Young Lady, the old man is calling you from behind.”

Perhaps hearing the words “General of the Bai family,” the common people one after another stopped and stood in the direction the old man was chasing and shouting. Some who had heard the name of the Bai family followed the old man as well.

“Young General Bai?! Is it a descendant of the Bai family of the Duke of Zhen’s residence?!”

“Didn’t they say the Crown Prince has arrived? Why didn’t they mention a General of the Bai family accompanying him?!”

“Which General from the Bai family is it?”

“That graceful young man with black mourning silk on his arm, he is in mourning! He must be the young General from the Bai family of the Duke of Zhen’s residence!”

Seeing the army getting further and further away, the old man, realizing he couldn’t catch up, hurriedly pulled his little grandson and made him kneel, “Quick! Chuner, kneel and kowtow. That person is your lifesaver!”

The child, called Chuner, knelt in confusion and heavily kowtowed in the direction the army was moving. The old man, supported by his cane, also knelt shakily, calling out, “Generals of the Bai family and the soldiers of the Bai family army died protecting us border people. We will remember this forever! Young General Bai, General Bai, you must take back our homeland Fengcheng! Avenge the Generals and the people of the Jin Kingdom who unjustly died under the enemy’s blade!”

“Is it really a General of the Bai family?!”

“Are there still Generals in the Bai family? Weren’t all the Generals of the Bai family killed in battle? Which General still dares to come to the southern border?! Forget it… Tianmen Pass has fallen. We should escape early, or when the Xiliang army arrives, we’ll all be dead!”

“Bah! What nonsense! Every General of the Bai family is a man who stands tall and fearless. Do you think they’re like you, afraid to die?!”

Some women, holding bundles and children, were already in tears, kneeling with the old man and calling out, “General Bai, my husband was killed by Xiliang people! I beg General Bai to avenge us and take back our homeland!”

“General Bai!”

“General Bai, you must win! We don’t want to leave our homeland!”

The border people, influenced by the woman’s crying, knelt one after another, calling out in their local dialects of Fengcheng or Fengxian, louder and louder, urging General Bai to recapture the lost land for the country, reclaim their homes for the people, and avenge the fallen Generals of the Bai family.

In times of great difficulty, the Generals of the Bai family rushed to the southern border one after another, sacrificing their lives for the people. Such gratitude deeply moved people.

Inside the carriage, the Crown Prince lifted the curtain and looked back. Xiao Rongyan, seated inside, gazed at Bai Qingyan with eyes turning red and at the continuously kneeling common people in the distance, feeling inevitable emotion.

Such admiration for the Bai family, viewed by the border people as saviors. If they meet a wise ruler, they could create an unprecedented, earth-shattering legacy. But if they encounter a mediocre ruler jealous of their achievements, this outcome is already fortunate.

Xiao Ruohai wasn’t witnessing the sight of common people kneeling and sending off the army for the first time. In the past, it was with joy and encouragement! But now, with the people crying and kneeling, seeing the Bai family Generals as their hope, it placed a heavy burden on Bai Qingyan’s shoulders.

Bai Jinzhi couldn’t help but turn around and look at the ragged, thin people kneeling to bid farewell, her eyes red. She tugged at Bai Qingyan’s sleeve, “Eldest Young Lady, won’t you look back? All the people have knelt…”

She clenched her teeth tightly.

The common people kneeling and crying with the old man, their tearful eyes only saw the slender but upright figure of the young man in mourning attire turning around. He bowed deeply to them without saying a word and then followed the army.

Following Bai Qingyan, Bai Jinzhi and Xiao Ruohai also bowed deeply to the common people.

This bow, a thanks for not forgetting the Bai family, not forgetting the Generals of the Bai family.

She would carry their hope, reclaim their homes! Avenge the innocent people and the soldiers of the Bai family army… for her grandfather, father, uncles, and brothers!

The kneeling common people became heated.

“General of the Bai family! It really is a General of the Bai family!”

“We are saved! We are saved!”

“General of the Bai family has come to rescue us! We don’t have to be refugees anymore!”

As the army advanced, the closer they got to Wanping, the more refugees there were. Most were people who were reluctant to leave their homeland but had to because of the war. They feared if the peace talks failed and the two countries went to war, their lives would be in danger.

Seeing the five-thousand-strong army arriving, the refugees stopped, hoping that this time the country’s elite soldiers could help them take back their homeland.

That night, the army arrived at the Wanping camp. The city of Wanping was no longer as lively as it used to be. The County Governor said… hearing that the Duke of Zhen and the Generals of the Bai family had all died, the people were anxious and fearful, genuinely afraid of Xiliang’s cavalry. The wealthy had already taken their families to seek refuge outside Wan City. Those remaining were the old and weak.

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After settling down, Bai Qingyan asked the Crown Prince to convene all the accompanying commanders for a meeting.

Inside the government office, candles were glowing brightly.

The Crown Prince, with others, stood in front of a large unfolded map. He said, “Now that we have reached Wan City, we will depart early tomorrow. By traveling without rest, we can reach Wengcheng by midnight. Once we reach Wengcheng, our public negotiation and secret military deployments will be exposed. Battle will be inevitable. We will face the united forces of Xiliang and Nanyan. In this battle, we can only win, not lose! Does any General have a good strategy for victory?”

“Xiliang has already occupied Tianmen Pass, and Nanyan is entrenched in Feng County. In my opinion, we can only defeat them separately!” Shi Panshan looked at the map for a long time, turned, and cupped his fists to the Crown Prince, “Nanyan is not to be feared. Xiliang’s army is the real formidable force, robust and strong! Especially Yun Poxing, the renowned General of Xiliang, except for being defeated by the King of Zhen, is undefeated. He can only be outsmarted!”

“That’s easy to say!” Zhen Zeping, who was impatient, cupped his fists to the Crown Prince, “Your Highness, just give me ten thousand elite soldiers. I’ll bypass Tianmen Pass and directly attack Xiliang’s base from Pingyang City! I don’t believe that old Xiliang Emperor won’t recall Yun Poxing to defend their base! Once Yun Poxing leaves with his strong soldiers, given our familiarity with the terrain of Tianmen Pass… General Zhang Duanrui leading the troops can definitely take back Tianmen Pass in one go!”