Chapter 783: 780: Gaining Profit for the Country_1

Chapter 783: Chapter 780: Gaining Profit for the Country_1

“Furthermore, compared to speculating that the Princess of Zhen might rebel, Liu Hong was more willing to believe that the Princess of Zhen was moved by the Crown Prince’s ambitions. He believed she remained loyal to the Crown Prince and used her wisdom to strategize for his future.

For the greater good, Liu Hong deeply felt that at this moment, he could suppress this matter and not mention it. He decided to verify it with the Crown Prince after the war with Daliang ended and they returned to the court.

“Since the Princess of Zhen has said so, I will not mention her assistance in my report. When we return and the merits of this battle can be attributed to her, I assure you I will not claim unearned credit and will report the truth!” Liu Hong cupped his hands solemnly toward Bai Qingyan.

Bai Qingyan straightened her back and returned the gesture. “Bai Qingyan does not care for merit. General Liu, you need not be concerned about this matter. In our battles, as long as we achieve victory, whose merit it is does not matter. The ultimate goal is to benefit the country.”

“The broad-mindedness of the Princess of Zhen is admirable!” Liu Hong said.

·

When Bai Qingyan emerged from Liu Hong’s tent, Zhao Ran, who had been waiting for a long time, stepped forward. After bowing to Bai Qingyan, he said resentfully, “Eldest Miss, according to your instructions, we have prepared and delivered the medicine for treating the epidemic to the Liang Army. However, some of the Liang Army prisoners even knocked over the medicine, claiming they’d rather die for their country than accept the enemy’s charity. It’s simply ungrateful! I come specifically to ask how we should deal with these prisoners.”

Zhao Ran was fuming inside, thinking that if they wanted to die, they could just smash their heads against a wall instead of pretending to be martyrs. The medicine for treating the epidemic was extremely precious; even the price of herbal medicine in Jin Kingdom had doubled. The Emperor of Daliang didn’t give them the medicine, yet Eldest Miss generously provided it. They dare to knock it over? If it weren’t for Eldest Miss’s orders, Zhao Ran would have slaughtered those ungrateful bastards.

After some thought, Bai Qingyan said, “Go and invite General Zhao Sheng of the Zhao family army. I need to see him!”

Zhao Ran nodded, cupped his hands, and responded, “Yes!”

When Bai Qingyan returned to Bai Jinzhi’s tent, she heard from Ji Langhua that Bai Jinzhi’s wounds had been cleaned and dressed. Standing by the bed, Bai Qingyan gently touched Bai Jinzhi’s forehead and tucked in the blanket. The stern reprimands she had been holding back disappeared without a trace when she saw Bai Jinzhi’s exhausted sleeping face.

She undid her dried cloak and prepared to change into clean clothes.

Ji Langhua, carrying a tray of medicine for cleaning wounds, saw Bai Qingyan’s weary face and sighed deeply. As Bai Qingyan was about to take off her boots, Ji Langhua quickly put the tray aside, knelt on one knee, and helped her. “Let me help you, Eldest Miss…”

Ji Langhua took off Bai Qingyan’s boots, which were warm and dry except for a slight dampness. Seeing Bai Qingyan’s swollen and pale feet from soaking, Ji Langhua felt distressed. She dried Bai Qingyan’s feet and put on clean socks, whispering, “Eldest Miss, you rushed here swiftly and fought all night. Please take a rest!”

Bai Qingyan put on clean boots, stood up, grabbed clean clothes, and walked behind the screen to change clothes, saying, “You rest too. I still have things to do.”

Ji Langhua hesitated to speak as she watched Bai Qingyan, who had changed clothes and left the tent again. She took a few steps after Bai Qingyan, feeling her heart tighten, thinking of Bai Jinzhi who had collapsed into sleep from exhaustion and Bai Qingyan, who had come to reinforce them and hadn’t eaten since the battle last night.

Ji Langhua rubbed her hands nervously on her clothes, glanced back at Bai Jinzhi, who was sleeping soundly, and put down the tent’s curtain. She instructed the guards not to disturb Bai Jinzhi and then ran off to borrow utensils from familiar Huotou Army soldiers to make hot soup noodles for Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi.

·

Zhao Sheng and several Daliang commanders were imprisoned in the dungeon at Qingxi Mountain Pass. After a day and night of torrential rain, the dungeon was flooded.

The Daliang commanders imprisoned in the dungeon had their feet submerged in water with no place to sit.

Some disgruntled Daliang commanders kicked the cell doors and shouted, “Damn it! Can’t we get a table?! Or a stool at least?! Our feet are soaking off!”

The Jin soldiers assigned to guard the dungeon stood straight on higher ground, ignoring the complaints.

The commander who kicked the cell door rattled the chains with the noise of clashing iron and the sound of water sloshing as people moved around. Curses and complaints echoed continuously from the dungeon.

The dungeon at Qingxi Mountain Pass was deep and long, with flickering torches on the walls casting a yellow light on the dirty water, creating a misleading impression of warmth. But the cold water kept their feet from being fooled.

One despondent commander sat down in the water, feeling a temporary relief from fatigue, only for the cold to creep back, torturing them further.

Zhao Sheng, whom had been disarmed and stripped of his armor, sat alone in the innermost part of the dungeon, cross-legged in the water, his eyes closed in despair.

The courage to take one’s own life was fleeting. After the Princess of Zhen saved him, he no longer had the courage to die. But being captured a second time— even if he returned to Daliang, it would mean death.

As Zhao Sheng pondered whether to end his own life or await the end of the battle to return to Daliang and die at Hancheng, several Jin soldiers with sabers descended from above, displaying tokens that declared they were ordered by the Princess of Zhen to retrieve him.

An impatient Daliang commander, upon hearing this, quickly walked to the cell door and yelled at the Jin soldiers, “Hey! If we’re to be killed, just give us a swift death! If not, at least move us to a clean place!”

Leading the way, Zhao Ran tucked the commander’s token back into his belt and proceeded to the deepest part of the dungeon without stopping for the shouting commanders. “Captured and defeated prisoners, die if you wish!”

“You!” The Daliang commander was rendered speechless.

Captured and defeated, a great shame…

Zhao Ran and his men reached Zhao Sheng’s cell. Zhao Ran glanced at the black lacquer tray floating in the water with untouched bread and knew Zhao Sheng hadn’t eaten. Without concern, he said, “Zhao Sheng, our Princess of Zhen wishes to see you!”

The cell door opened and Zhao Sheng slowly lifted his head to look at the upright young man. Using one hand to support himself against the wall, he stood up, causing filthy water to cascade down his thin clothing.

“Are you from the Bai family army?” Zhao Sheng asked.

“I am!”

Once a member of the Bai family army, forever a member of the Bai family army.

Though Zhao Ran had been injured and returned to the Bai Mansion as a guard and later trained new soldiers at Niujiao Mountain with Ji Tingyu, in his heart, Niujiao Mountain soldiers were still the Bai family army!

Zhao Sheng nodded…