Yu Fengyang rode up to Bai Chuxiao, frowning, and said, "Your Highness, Chu Tianling's army is catching up. If the troops stationed in Cangzhou and Jinzhou ahead also obey him... it would be dangerous if we were attacked from both sides."
The news of Chu Tianling's ascension to the throne might not have reached the more distant states yet, but these two states have certainly received it by now. Previously, this wouldn't have been a problem, but now that a new emperor has been appointed, these people will inevitably be eager to curry favor with him…
Bai Chuxiao said calmly, "We'll enter Yizhou from Cangzhou, then detour to the northwest. The Flying Cloud Cavalry will meet us there."
The troops stationed in each state are guarding key passes, and unless there is premeditated planning, it will be difficult to assemble them in a short period of time.
Yu Fengyang raised an eyebrow. "Will Prince Ping let us pass?" Yizhou was the fiefdom of the Third Prince, Prince Ping, who had never been particularly involved in affairs. However, given the precedent of Prince An, it was hard to say what these princes might be up to behind the scenes.
Bai Chuxiao chuckled, "You must have met him, right? What do you think of Prince Ping?"
Yu Fengyang slowly spoke, "Prince Ping only comes to the capital on the late emperor's birthday. I have met him before. He is quite dashing and unrestrained. I heard he likes to compose poems and paint. However, Tianze has no connection with him. Is Your Highness sure he will let us pass?"
Bai Chuxiao smiled slightly, "The princes aren't fools. He has no connection with Tianze, but he also has no connection with Chu Tianling. Faced with two brothers who each command hundreds of thousands of troops, he won't make a choice easily. He's already let the Flying Cloud Cavalry pass through, so naturally he'll let us pass through as well. Although it's a bit far to go through Yizhou, at least there's no risk of being attacked from both sides."
The group rode at full speed towards the border between Cangzhou and Yizhou. Just as they were about to leave Cangzhou territory, a group of Cangzhou garrison troops, numbering about 20,000, caught up with them.
"Your Highness, where are we going?" the leading man asked loudly, though his eyes were unusually small and slightly slanted, making him look somewhat comical.
Bai Chuxiao turned her head and winked at Yu Fengyang, "Who is this?"
She had learned about the commanders of each prefecture, and this one, judging from his demeanor, was clearly not...
Yu Fengyang shrugged and said to the man, "Who are you? State your name."
The man roared, "I am Yang Kai, the garrison commander of Luo City!"
Yu Fengyang raised an eyebrow. "Yang Kai? Open your eyes before you start yelling."
Everyone couldn't help but chuckle, and Yang Kai pointed angrily, "You..."
Yu Fengyang said calmly, "What do you mean, 'you'? I've killed countless enemies, and now a mere guard dares to block our way?"
Yang Kai sneered, not wanting to waste any more words, and waved his hand, "Go!"
The commander led his men to guard the main road to Jinzhou, but Bai Chuxiao and her group didn't go to Jinzhou; instead, they took the road to Yizhou. This was a golden opportunity for him. The defense was minor; if he could capture the Princess of Yan and Consort Jing alive today, then being promoted to a high-ranking position would be just around the corner.
Just then, a group of black-armored cavalry suddenly charged out from the direction of Yizhou, heading straight for Cangzhou Guard, and in a moment scattered Yang Kai's 20,000 troops.
The Flying Cloud Cavalry arrived just in time, and Yu Fengyang breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at Bai Chuxiao, who had a calm expression, he smiled and said, "If Cui Hao and the Flying Cloud Cavalry had arrived even a moment later, we would have been in serious trouble."
Bai Chuxiao blinked. "Weren't you quite arrogant just now? If Cui Hao hadn't come, I believe General Yangwei could have easily wiped out the enemy single-handedly with his sword."
Yu Fengyang laughed, "We can't lose in terms of momentum. My rank isn't much higher than a garrison commander, but... well, I can't stand this shifty-eyed Yang Kai... so..."
Bai Chuxiao nodded slightly, "Go..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Fengyang lightly touched the ground with his feet, drew his sword, and charged towards Yang Kai. With the Flying Cloud Riders charging ahead, killing Yang Kai was naturally a piece of cake.
Blood spurted out, and with a thud, Yang Kai fell to the ground. Yu Fengyang coldly said, "With this little skill, you think you can become a marquis or prime minister?"
Cui Hao, who was fighting nearby, laughed and said, "Young Master Yu is as dashing as ever!"
Yu Fengyang raised an eyebrow, "Thank goodness you arrived just in time."
Bai Chuxiao frowned slightly as she watched the battle unfold before her. She had no intention of killing the Cangzhou guards, but with the two countries at war, it was not advisable for Great Xia to suffer further losses. However, considering the consequences of being captured by Chu Tianling, she had no choice but to abandon that idea...
Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves came again. Bai Chuxiao's expression turned serious, and Cui Hao and Yu Fengyang immediately retreated.
Bai Chuxiao said in a deep voice, "Withdraw."
The Flying Cloud Cavalry also ceased their fighting. The border troops were naturally far superior to these garrison troops. Although the Cangzhou Guard had been mostly dealt with, they had a continuous stream of reinforcements behind them, and they couldn't afford to waste time.
Wei Baichuan, who had just arrived with his men, looked at the retreating crowd and shouted sternly, "Pursue!"
Yu Fengyang sneered, "It's actually Wei Baichuan. Chu Tianling and Wei Junyan are relieved. The Second Young Master Wei is already crippled. If Wei Baichuan were to become crippled as well, the Wei family might face extinction."
Bai Chuxiao was used to Yu Fengyang's ability to tease her no matter the time or the crisis, so she smiled faintly and said, "Wei Junyan's own fighting skills are not very good. I wonder how this Crown Prince Wei compares to my father."
Yu Fengyang calmly replied, "If fathers are all useless, how can their sons be any better? The Northern Army is the most useless among the border troops, which is enough to prove it."
Cui Hao, standing to the side, said with a hint of resentment, "Your Highness, Young Master Yu, we're on the run for our lives right now."
Is it really okay for these two to be so calm and discuss whether others are useless while they are on the run? The princess always says that Young Master Yu has a good mentality, but in his opinion, the princess's mentality is even better than Young Master Yu's!
However, they also had two carriages with them, so their speed naturally couldn't be very fast.
Seeing the approaching troops, Cui Hao said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, you take the Dowager Consort and leave first. We will cover your retreat."
Bai Chuxiao frowned. Joking aside, Wei Baichuan's large army was no pushover.
Lifting the carriage curtain, Bai Chuxiao quickly said, "Mother, you'll have to go through a bit of trouble."
Consort Jing shook her head dismissively, then asked seriously, "What should we do?"
Bai Chuxiao quickly gave the orders, "Qingzhu Lanxiang on horseback, Qingshuang Lanxin on horseback, let's go first."
Qingzhu, Qingshuang, and the others all nodded emphatically.
Bai Chuxiao helped Consort Jing mount her horse, then said to Cui Hao and the others, "Don't linger in the battle."
Then the six men, three on horseback and one on horseback, sped off towards Yizhou.
Wei Baichuan's eyes turned slightly cold as he watched the fleeing target. "Release the arrows."
The arrows flew towards Bai Chuxiao and the others, but were all blocked by Zhan Chi and Xia Fan's men.
Although Consort Jing tried to remain calm, she still panicked after mounting the horse. After all, she was not a skilled rider, and she found it difficult to get used to the galloping horse.
Bai Chuxiao noticed her discomfort, supported her with one hand, and said softly, "Mother, hang in there, we'll be in Yizhou soon."
Consort Jing nodded. She couldn't hold them back now; if it weren't for her, Xiaoxiao and the others would probably have already reached the Northwest.
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