Chapter 46 Victory in the Dragon's Den and Tiger's Den is nothing more than this...
"General!" Zhao Kun, the most senior adjutant, stepped forward with his fists clasped, his loud voice breaking the deadlock. "What Deputy Commander Bai said is risky, but it is the only good strategy that can quickly break the siege! If Black Stone Pass is lost, we are all incompetent generals. How can we face the people? This humble general is willing to second his proposal!"
The statement from this highly respected veteran general in the Northern Army immediately triggered a chain reaction. Several mid-level officers who had fought under Bai Lian's command stepped forward one after another:
"This humble general seconds it! Deputy Commander Bai's military strategy is divine; this humble general has complete faith in him!"
"Although Eagle's Beak Cliff is treacherous, victory lies in surprise! I second that suggestion!"
Fan Wu surveyed the tent and saw more and more generals standing on Bai Lian's side. He gave Bai Lian a deep look, his expression complex. His eyes held anger at being challenged in authority by a junior, as well as concern about the risks of the plan. But in the end, the old general's sense of responsibility outweighed his personal gains and losses.
"Good!" Fan Wu slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups rattle. "We'll go with Deputy Commander Bai's plan! But you must sign a pledge! I will send your most elite scout battalion with you, and have Li Bingma's troops feign a main force rush to your aid to draw the Di people's attention." He walked up to Bai Lian and lowered his voice: "Remember, not only must you succeed, but you must also return safely. Beiting... needs you."
"This humble general will surely return in triumph!" Bai Lian bowed and saluted, her sword finally wielded for protection.
That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high, making it the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack. Bai Lian personally led three hundred elite soldiers, who silently left the camp under the cover of darkness.
Throughout the march, Bai Lian always led from the front. When the troops arrived at the foot of Eagle's Beak Cliff, even the bravest soldiers couldn't help but gasp – on the almost vertical cliff, the so-called "path" was nothing more than a treacherous trail trodden out by herb gatherers, the narrowest point only wide enough for one person to pass sideways, with a bottomless abyss on one side.
"Tie yourselves together with ropes, three to a group, and look out for each other." Bai Lian calmly gave the order, and took the lead in tying the rope around her waist. She climbed the cliff lightly, each step as steady as a rock, and when she encountered danger, she would turn back to pull the soldiers behind her.
The biting wind stung their faces like knives. The soldiers' sweat soaked through their inner shirts, quickly freezing in the cold. One young soldier slipped and nearly fell, but Bai Lian caught him just in time.
"Deputy Commander..." The soldier was still in shock.
"Concentrate and follow my footsteps." Bai Lian's voice remained steady in the cold wind.
Thus, under Bai Lian's leadership and encouragement, the troops spent the entire night and finally, in the darkest hour before dawn, successfully crossed this treacherous terrain.
Standing atop Eagle's Beak Cliff, the entire Wolf Valley unfolded before one's eyes. Just as Bai Lian had predicted, the Di people had committed their main forces to the Black Stone Pass offensive, leaving the valley's defenses lax, with only sporadic patrols.
After observing for a moment, Bai Lian quickly deployed: "One team will occupy the high ground and suppress the enemy with crossbows; the second team will follow me and head straight for the grain storage; the third team will cut off the retreat route, and not a single one can escape!"
"action!"
At a command, three hundred elite troops charged down the mountain like tigers. Rockets rained down on the Di camp like meteors, instantly setting the grain piles ablaze. The Di people awoke with a start, and in their panic, they were utterly unable to mount any effective resistance.
Bai Lian took the lead, her swordsmanship ruthless and precise, targeting Di leaders who attempted to organize a resistance. Her martial arts combined battlefield combat with the deadly skills of an assassin, making her even more adept in the chaos, instantly carving out a sea of blood. Seeing their commander's bravery, the soldiers also fought without hesitation.
The Di army suffered a crushing defeat at the Black Stone Pass front, leaving their commander utterly terrified. Seeing flames raging behind them, their morale crumbled instantly. Simultaneously, Li Bingma's forces launched a general offensive, plunging the Di into a pincer movement and resulting in a crushing defeat for the Di.
When Bai Lian led her troops back to the Beiting camp with prisoners and spoils of war, the entire army was in an uproar.
The soldiers spontaneously lined up to welcome her, their cheers deafening. In this battle, Bai Lian not only lifted the siege of Black Stone Pass, but also established her prestige in the army with a classic surprise attack.
At the victory celebration banquet, Fan Wu personally poured wine for Bai Lian, his expression complex: "Deputy Commander Bai, this battle was fought brilliantly! I... am completely convinced!" He fully acknowledged Bai Lian's abilities.
The next day, a letter of victory written by Fan Wu was sent on horseback to Fengwu City.
The good news reached Fengwu City, and within three days, the emperor's edict was delivered to the Beiting Protectorate by express courier.
The eunuch's high-pitched voice was particularly clear in the biting cold wind.
The first half of the imperial edict was full of praise, commending Bai Lian for being "both wise and brave, and turning the tide," and bestowing upon her a thousand taels of gold, a hundred bolts of brocade, and even an exceptional reward of the late emperor's personal sword.
When she heard the line "The year is drawing to a close, and the white lotus is filled with longing," Bai Lian, who was bowing her head to receive the decree, trembled almost imperceptibly on the eyelashes.
"Bai Lian, the Deputy Commander of Beiting, is hereby ordered to immediately hand over military duties and return to the capital for an audience. This is the imperial decree."
Bai Lian took the heavy dragon-patterned sword with both hands, her fingertips tracing the cool scabbard.
The late emperor bestowed upon her the title of Deputy Commander of Beiting, a position she was about to be relieved of her military command and recalled to the capital. Such favor is perhaps not a good omen.
"Your subject accepts the decree and expresses gratitude." Bai Lian's voice was calm and even, but her fingertips were slightly white.
The generals inside the tent looked at each other, and the atmosphere became tense for a moment.
Just as the eunuchs delivering the imperial edict were led to rest, Lieutenant General Zhao Kun couldn't help but step forward, his thick brows furrowed: "Deputy Commander! What... what kind of logic is this? You risked your life to win this victory, and now everything is in ruins, the remnants of the Northern Barbarians haven't been wiped out yet. How can the court summon you back to the capital at this time? What 'longing for his daughter'? This is clearly..."
"General Zhao," Bai Lian interrupted him calmly, her gaze sweeping over the faces in the tent filled with confusion and worry. "The Emperor's mind is made up; there is no need for further words."
She knew perfectly well that this reason was far-fetched. She was now nominally the adopted daughter of the Bai family, so how could there be any talk of "missing her daughter"? It was just that the people in the court, or rather, the one who sat firmly at the pinnacle of power, needed a respectable excuse to transfer her away from Beiting.
Almost at the same time the imperial edict arrived, Galorin's secret letter was also delivered to her by her bodyguards.
At night, Bai Lian looked through the letters and saw that the handwriting on the paper was messy and obviously written in a hurry, probably because she was in a very unstable state of mind when she wrote it.
"...The situation in the capital is treacherous. The Third Prince, Jia Xuanyu, has been frequently associating with the generals of the Imperial Guards recently...The timing of this Northern Di invasion is also very suspicious...Rumors are circulating in the court, implying that some generals on the frontier are harboring bandits for their own benefit...and are suspected of secretly colluding with the Di people, with the finger pointing at you. Lian'er, please be careful on your return to the capital. Even the most dangerous places are no more dangerous than this."
To nurture a bandit for personal gain? To secretly collude with someone? A cold smile curled at the corner of Bai Lian's lips.
So that's how it is. The Northern Di people's unusual attack this time was indeed hiding a deeper conspiracy.
She suddenly recalled the resentful and mocking look in the eyes of the stubborn Di chieftain before his death during the interrogation of prisoners: "You nobles of Fengwu City are more cunning than wolves on the grasslands... We are nothing but pawns..." At the time, she thought it was just the barking of a defeated dog, but now it seemed to have come true.
The Di people and certain forces within Fengwu City have likely already colluded to remove her, this "stumbling block" who has repeatedly made military achievements and holds military power.
The next morning, when Bai Lian calmly announced her impending return to the capital at a military meeting, the tent erupted in chaos, and Fan Wu remained silent.
"Deputy Commander, we can't go!" a captain who had followed her since she arrived in Beiting cried out urgently, "This is clearly a ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain!"
“Yes, General Bai!” Another seasoned and prudent captain stroked his beard, his brows furrowed. “The capital is a dangerous place now. If you go alone, wouldn’t you be like a lamb entering a tiger’s den? Why not make an excuse that you are busy with military affairs and postpone your trip?”
Looking at her comrades who had fought alongside her, Bai Lian felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She raised her hand to silence the commotion, her voice clear and firm: "I understand your intentions. But the imperial decree has been issued. To disobey it would be to give others a handle against me. Not only would I be guilty, but the entire Northern Army would be implicated."
She walked to the huge map of the northern border, nodded slightly to Fan Wu, and traced the winding border line with her finger: "The Northern Barbarians have just suffered a defeat and are unable to launch a large-scale invasion in the short term. Comrades, each of you should perform your duties, and the Northern Court's defense line will be as solid as a rock."
She paused, her gaze sharpening. Yes, the real storm wasn't on the border where swords clashed, but in the seemingly prosperous yet deadly imperial city.
Some wanted to kill her with the swords of the Northern Barbarians, while others wanted to prosecute her according to the laws of the court. If she did not go, the stigma of "holding up an army and becoming powerful" would never be washed away.
Lieutenant General Zhao Kun walked to Fan Wu's side, looked at Bai Lian, and choked up: "General, with Deputy Commander Bai leaving... this humble general is truly uneasy!"
Fan Wu sighed heavily, his resolute face filled with worry. He patted Zhao Kun on the shoulder, his voice low and deep: "The waters of the capital are unfathomable, sharper than the scimitars of the Northern Barbarians, and more deadly than the sandstorms of the northern deserts. I fear she is going there to use herself as bait to catch the big fish lurking in the shadows. All we can do is guard this Northern Court, be true to ourselves, and be true to the people of this land."
The next morning, as dawn broke, Bai Lian, dressed only in light military attire, carrying a long spear, mounted her warhorse and headed towards Phoenix Dance City. She was accompanied by a small squad of nominally "guards," but in reality, they were more like royal guards "monitoring" her.
Fan Wu led the generals of Beiting and escorted them all the way to the ten-mile-long pavilion on the official road.
"I've seen you off for a thousand miles, but we must part ways eventually. General Fan, everyone, take care!" Bai Lian clasped his hands in a fist salute on horseback, his gaze sweeping over every familiar face, as if trying to etch it all into his heart.
"Take care, Deputy Commander!" the generals shouted in unison, their voices echoing across the plains.
Bai Lian said no more, turned her horse around, gave a soft shout, and the steed galloped south with unstoppable momentum.
The wind and sand from beyond the Great Wall howled and swirled behind her, as if playing a desolate farewell song for the departing general, or as if silently foreshadowing an even greater storm that would sweep through the court and the border.
Fan Wu and the others stood there for a long time, until the figure of the man and his horse completely disappeared at the end of the official road, merging into the vastness of heaven and earth. This storm blurred the view into the distance and weighed heavily on the hearts of everyone who had come to see them off.
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