For the past two weeks, Bai Chuxiao had been visiting Zhaoyun Peak every three days, but there was still no news from Chu Tianze. Finally, she couldn't sit still any longer and decided to go north to take a look. Anyway, she was bored in the capital, so she might as well go out and see the world.
Dressed in a white, close-fitting outfit, Bai Chuxiao stood atop Zhaoyun Peak. "Cui Hao, I plan to go to Bingzhou. I'll leave these people in your care until I return."
"Miss, the north is very dangerous right now. Perhaps I should go with you?"
Bai Chuxiao hesitated, "If we all leave, what will happen to the hundreds of people down there?"
"Xia Fan is intelligent; if he leads everyone temporarily, there shouldn't be any trouble." Since Miss is going, he must go with her. The Prince instructed him before he left that his task is to protect Miss.
Bai Chuxiao nodded. That was fine. She hadn't originally planned to go alone, but only intended to bring Qing Shuang along. After all, Qing Shuang was a former secret guard of the Prince of Yan's mansion, and her skills were quite good, much better than Qing Zhu's.
Upon reaching the foot of the cliff, Bai Chuxiao surveyed the group and felt a sense of satisfaction; they were much better than he had imagined…
"Line up!"
Things are different now. At Bai Chuxiao's command, hundreds of people stood in orderly formation within seconds.
"Good morning, instructor!"
"I have something to announce today. Cui Hao and I will both be leaving for a while. I have decided to appoint Xia Fan as the team leader. He will be leading the training from now on. Any objections?"
"No!" the hundreds of people answered in unison. After all, they had all witnessed Xia Fan's intelligence and he certainly deserved the recognition.
"Xia Fan, step forward!"
Xia Fan, who was being pointed at, quickly stepped forward and stood up straight.
"Tell me, are you confident you can lead everyone well?"
"Yes!" Xia Fan answered loudly. Since the instructors and Commander Cui trusted him so much, he naturally wouldn't let them down.
"Very good. From now on, everyone must not slack off. When you return, I will conduct an assessment of you. Those who fall behind will be expelled from the team. Do you understand?"
"yes"
After giving her instructions at Zhaoyun Peak, Bai Chuxiao went straight to the Left Prime Minister's residence, as she also needed to give some instructions there.
"Miss, could you take me with you?" Qingzhu pleaded, tugging at Bai Chuxiao's sleeve.
"No, this isn't a real sightseeing trip. Your skills aren't up to par, so you shouldn't come along."
Hearing this, Qingzhu felt a pang of self-reproach. It was all her fault for being useless. She vowed to practice martial arts diligently after her mistress left.
Lanxiang and the others wanted to go with them, but they knew they would only cause trouble, so they instructed, "Qingshuang, you must protect Miss."
Qing Shuang nodded solemnly. Since her mistress was willing to take her along, she naturally couldn't hold her back.
After tidying up, Bai Chuxiao led Qing Shuang towards the city gate, without telling anyone else in the Bai family, and also kept it a secret from Zhao Sifang.
Outside the city gate, Cui Hao was already waiting quietly with three horses. The three met, exchanged few words, mounted their horses, and headed straight for Bingzhou.
Bai Linan found out she had left the capital the next day and was furious.
"That rebellious daughter, she never had a single day of peace." I thought this eldest daughter was steady and reliable, but who knew she would leave without a word...
Madam Xie, standing to the side, frantically tried to sow discord, "Master, this young lady is so ill-mannered! How can a young girl like her just go to the battlefield? Isn't she just causing trouble? What if His Majesty finds out..."
"Hmph, we've spoiled her too much in this household. If she doesn't cause any trouble this time, that's fine. But if she does, don't blame me for being ruthless as her father."
A smile curled at the corner of Xie's lips. Bai Chuxiao, you brought this on yourself. Let's see how you explain yourself to everyone when you get back. Hmph, it would be even better if His Majesty withdrew the marriage because of this. In this mansion, only Xie's children are the most honorable. What right does a lowly girl have to ride on their heads...
However, if Bai Chuxiao knew their thoughts, she would only say lightly, "You're overthinking it..." She could go without worry because of His Majesty's attitude last time; she knew that even if His Majesty knew, he wouldn't say anything.
Outside Shangliu City in Bingzhou, the armies of Daxia and Beiyan were facing off. The Prince of Yan, the Crown Prince, and Wei Junyan stood on the city wall. The Crown Prince's face was grim. They could have counterattacked when the main force arrived, but he had been too eager for military merit, pursuing the enemy's advantage and falling into their trap. This one mistake had squandered all the advantages they had accumulated.
"Seventh Brother, what should we do now?"
Wei Junyan, standing to the side, fell silent and was no longer as arrogant as before. After all, if it weren't for the Prince of Yan, they wouldn't have been able to defend the city. The people from Beiyan who came this time were indeed masters of military strategy.
Chu Tianze's expression was cold. "Don't His Highness the Crown Prince and the Duke of Zhenguo both have many ideas? You two go ahead, I'm watching."
These days, one person is giving orders here and another there, leaving the soldiers unsure of who to obey. Chu Tianze lets them do as they please, focusing only on keeping the city intact. With morale low, even the best strategies are useless. It's better to wait until they've had their fill and are willing to relinquish control.
Wei Junyan's face was somewhat gloomy. "Your Highness, this is not the time for petty squabbles. If we don't reclaim these two cities soon, His Majesty will be angered."
The Crown Prince chuckled awkwardly, "Yes, Seventh Brother, you are the commander-in-chief. From now on, everything will be under your command. We should try to reclaim the lost territory as soon as possible so we can return to the capital in triumph."
"If you two promise to stop interfering, I do have a way..." Chu Tianze sneered.
Upon hearing this, Wei Junyan could only clasp his hands in a fist and say, "The entire army is naturally at the command of His Highness Prince Yan."
The Crown Prince nodded. After all, he was truly exhausted. He had never fought a war before, and only after coming here did he realize how complex it was. In a battle between two armies, the side with more troops wasn't guaranteed to win. He had been naive before. Regardless, as long as they won this battle, he would still receive a share of the military merit. Why shouldn't he let go and worry so much?
Seeing that the two had no further objections, Chu Tianze's lips curled into a mocking smile. What kind of show of power did they have with such meager abilities? He then directly ordered a retreat. The Northern Army and the imperial reinforcements were now a disorganized mess, lacking any morale whatsoever. What kind of battle could they possibly fight? The most important thing right now was to properly reorganize the army before making any further plans…
Seeing that the other side had retreated, the Third Prince of Bei Yan, Xiao Hong, was slightly surprised, then chuckled, "Yaofeng, it seems we're in for a tough battle."
These days, the enemy is a disorganized mess, only able to hold out because of their large numbers of troops. They are short of supplies and cannot send large numbers of reinforcements. However, if the enemy continues like this, he is confident that he can quickly break through Shangliu...
Yuwen Yaofeng's face also turned somewhat grave. The sudden change in the Great Xia army indicated that the so-called Prince Yan had consolidated military power, which was not a good thing. Over the past few days, they had thoroughly investigated the situation in the opposing army, and apart from the Prince Yan, they had not taken anyone else seriously...
"Indeed, the King of Yan of Great Xia is not to be underestimated; we must be extra careful," neither of them were the type to underestimate their opponent.
Xiao Hong nodded. "Good. Tomorrow, once the supplies arrive, launch a full-scale attack on the city. Don't give them a chance to breathe..."
If they wait until the King of Yan of Great Xia can rebuild the morale of his army, they will likely have to return empty-handed this time...
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