Chapter 208
Bai Qingyan’s gaze turned towards the direction of the Xiliang camp across the river. When Xiao Ruojiang returned, he would send his foster brother to Mengcheng to find Ah Jue. Ah Jue, being clever, would surely leave a mark. Xiao Ruojiang just needed to follow the mark to find him.
As Xiao Rongyan’s guard mounted his horse and prepared to leave, he coincidentally ran into Bai Jinzhi, who was returning from taming horses.
Bai Jinzhi saw Bai Qingyan at the camp gate and cheerfully waved at her, “Eldest Young Lady! Eldest Young Lady… I made Pingan recognize its master!”
Xiao Rongyan’s guard was startled and walked past Bai Jinzhi…
Wasn’t that the prized horse their master had given to Miss Bai? Could it be that… in the letter their master sent to Miss Bai last time, he expressed his feelings for the fourth young lady of the Bai family, so Miss Bai gave the horse to the fourth young lady?!
Bai Qingyan smiled at the elated Bai Jinzhi, her eyes gentle and peaceful, with no trace of murderous intent.
The fact that Ah Jue was still alive would have to wait until after they won this battle in the southern border before telling the fourth sister!
Xiao Ruojiang, carrying a head neatly packed in a velvet box, led a group of guards to the Xiliang camp.
In the command tent, Yun Poxing was contemplating how to raid the Jin Army camp that night when suddenly a report came from outside the tent, saying that Bai Qingyan had sent someone to visit Yun Poxing and give him a gift.
Yun Poxing thought for a moment and had the person brought in.
When he saw that the visitor was the man who had beheaded his son and who was always by Bai Qingyan’s side, Yun Poxing clenched his teeth to control his urge to kill.
In Yun Poxing’s command tent, every Xiliang general looked furious, and the atmosphere was tense, as if Yun Poxing only needed to give the order and they would tear Xiao Ruojiang to pieces.
Xiao Ruojiang looked calm, taking the box from the Jin soldier behind him and handing it respectfully to Yun Poxing. “Our Young General Bai said that since the Xiliang Kingdom is in chaos and Yun Commander is planning to withdraw troops to quell the internal strife, she would send a gift to Yun Commander before you leave, to avoid… the Yun Commander making a foolish mistake and coming to our Jin Army camp to rob it.”
Yun Poxing’s hand tightened on the desk, staring hard at the redwood box, knowing that it contained his son’s head. His eyes filled with rage as he looked at the composed Xiao Ruojiang, guessing that he was sent by Bai Qingyan to test him.
He slowly released his tightly clenched hand, gritting his teeth, saying, “Thank your Young General Bai on my behalf. Tell her… not to forget our agreement of three years! In three years… I will come back to take her head!”
Xiao Ruojiang squinted his eyes, pretending to scrutinize Yun Poxing. Meanwhile, one of Yun Poxing’s generals drew his sword, with bloodshot eyes, and shouted, “Jin dog, get out!”
Only then did Xiao Ruojiang withdraw his gaze and leave with the Jin soldiers.
Yun Poxing, his voice raspy, ordered someone to bring his son’s head before him. He didn’t have the courage to open the box. With tears choking his voice, he raised his hand and pressed the box forcefully. His eyes filled with murderous intent. His whole body trembled with rage as he said, “Tonight, whoever takes Bai Qingyan’s head will be rewarded with ten thousand gold!”
The Xiliang warriors knelt on one knee, gritting their teeth, saying, “Commander, rest assured! We will avenge the Young Master and the Young Master!”
After having a hearty meal, part of the Xiliang army, led by several generals, retreated with half their forces before the sun had set.
Soon after, Xiliang sentries reported that the main force of the Jin Army had also begun to retreat towards Fengcheng.
Yun Poxing’s fiery eyes burned with hatred, glaring at the Jin Army camp across the river. “Bai Weiting’s granddaughter is still less cautious compared to her grandfather! Does she really think that one drill, one defeat scares me?! She thinks that sending a random person can test whether my retreat is real or fake, and trusts her Jin Army to retreat so boldly…”
As night fell, the sound of rushing water masked the movements of Generals Wei Zhaonian and Shi Panshan, who silently surrounded the Xiliang camp from both sides, waiting for orders.
Across the river, the Jin Army camp was brightly lit. Yun Poxing sat in his command tent, waiting for any movement from the opposite side.
“Report…” A Xiliang soldier knelt at the tent entrance and said to Yun Poxing, “A small Jin Army unit crossed the river and headed west, for reasons unknown!”
Hearing this, Yun Poxing’s right eye twitched for no reason, “Investigate! See what they are up to!”
“Report…” Another Xiliang soldier knelt at the tent entrance, “A small Jin Army unit crossed the river and headed west, for reasons unknown!”
Yun Poxing was silent for a while, feeling his eye twitching even more, “Investigate!”
In just a few incense sticks of time, several scouts reported that small groups of about thirty Jin soldiers had continuously left the camp.
Yun Poxing felt uneasy, a creeping fear of Bai Qingyan quietly climbing from his feet to his calves, and the chill rapidly surged up his spine. Gritting his teeth, he asked, “Have the scouts, who went to investigate what the Jin Army was doing after leaving the camp, returned?!”
“Commander! Not yet!”
Yun Poxing’s heart started racing in alarm, but before he could understand why, a stretch of red glow suddenly skidded straight towards the Xiliang camp from outside the command tent.
A sentry saw a sudden bright flash in the dark sky on the right side of the Xiliang camp and barely had time to react before the first flaming arrow silently pierced the wooden pillar of the high platform. The arrow’s tail quivered, and the eerie blue flames spread downward…
It was a rain of flaming arrows! It was fire oil!
“Not good! Enemy attack! The arrows are on fire!”
As soon as the sentry spoke, an arrow pierced his clothes, setting him ablaze. He screamed, batting at the flames on his body before falling off the high platform.
Yun Poxing, sitting in his tent, heard countless arrows whooshing through the air and swiftly hitting various tents inside the Xiliang camp.
They were trapped!
Yun Poxing’s entire body felt numb, his throat like it was being gripped by a massive hand, rendering him unable to make any sound.
A single arrow pierced Yun Poxing’s command tent. The small opening created by the arrow began to be licked by an almost imperceptible flame, gradually enlarging.
“Commander! The enemy is using fire attack! They are numerous and coming in force; we need to get you out!” Several generals stormed into the command tent, saying.
Yun Poxing came to his senses and shouted, “Don’t get caught up in fighting. Retreat towards Chuanling Mountain immediately! Go!”
“Yes!”
Yun Poxing was helped out of the camp by his guards, shielding against the arrow rain with shields, and mounted a horse… He glanced at the fiery red scene in the distance, looked at the Jin soldiers charging into the camp, and was terrified.
Something was wrong! The Jin Army’s numbers were wrong!
The Jin Army appeared to have no more than twenty thousand soldiers! So where did the troops that retreated from the Jin Army camp today go?!
Panic stirred in Yun Poxing’s throat as he thought of the large forces that had retreated from the Jin Army camp earlier that evening. Were they waiting in Chuanling for him right now?!
After the first round of fire attacks, the Xiliang camp was ablaze everywhere, but the Jin soldiers crossing the river remained calm. High black sails and white python flags fluttered as they entered the Xiliang camp in an orderly manner, their cries of battle shaking the heavens.