Chapter 821: 817: Very Outstanding

Chapter 821: Chapter 817: Very Outstanding

She raised her eyes to look at King of Xihuai: “Can you hold out until late March or early April… when you see the Rong’s ghost-faced prince? Can you defend until the ghost-faced prince leads his army across Jin Kingdom to attack Yan Kingdom? Almost four months, does the King of Xihuai dare to gamble on Wei Kingdom’s safety?”

While battling herself, Bai Qingyan has never stopped monitoring the battlefield situation in Yan and Wei Kingdoms. News is constantly being delivered… Bai Qingyan, skilled in warfare, had already seen through Yan’s battle plans. The routes were exactly as she had expected.

According to the latest military intelligence at hand and Bai Qingyan’s calculation of the Yan Army’s speed, factoring in the time for forced marches, Xie Xun and the Second Prince Murong Ping were likely about to converge on, or had already converged at, the outskirts of Chang City.

As for Wei Kingdom, they had very few usable generals left!

Chang City, that is the capital of Wei Kingdom!

Even though Wei Kingdom had been forced to relocate its capital to Weishu City, Chang City was still considered the capital in the hearts of the Wei people!

If Yan Kingdom were to take Chang City, it would be equivalent to having Wei Kingdom completely underfoot. Wei Kingdom could not allow such a thing to happen and thus had no choice but to dispatch Great General and Grand Marshal Song Guanxu, who had not donned his armor for many years, to lead troops to defend Chang City.

Xiao Rongyan had already known that Bai Qingyan’s assessment of the situation was almost prophetic, so he wasn’t thrown into panic despite being seen through.

What Bai Qingyan said was not wrong. According to the plan he set before leaving, the Second Prince Murong Ping and Xie Xun should have already joined forces and were likely laying siege to Chang City.

Yan Kingdom was determined to take Chang City, but not immediately. After all… even if Yan Kingdom took Chang City, as long as the Imperial Family of Wei was still around, Wei could continue to move its capital and retreat further back. Wei Kingdom would still exist.

To cut off the source, Yan Kingdom aimed to lure Wei Kingdom’s main forces to Chang City, and then make a flanking attack toward Weishu City, the new capital, to completely eradicate the Imperial Family of Wei.

King of Xihuai was discomfited by the deep and tranquil gaze of Bai Qingyan. Since he had been on the run with Xiao Rongyan, he had not received any battle reports for a long time. Could it be that… the Yan Army was really advancing so quickly, almost reaching Chang City, or already there?

Great General and Grand Marshal Song Guanxu leading troops? Wei Kingdom had suffered so many defeats without deploying Great General Song Guanxu, not just because of his advanced age, but also because he was bedridden and dependent on medication to stay alive. This fact had been kept tightly under wraps since Song Guanxu was the stabilizing force of Wei Kingdom. Given the tense relations with Yan Kingdom back then, they dared not let this news out.

If it was indeed as the Princess of Zhen said, then… how much longer could General Song last?

“Ever since being pursued, I have not received any news from Wei Kingdom!” King of Xihuai panicked and looked toward Xiao Rongyan, “If that’s the case, we must act immediately. Rongyan, we must seek the ghost-faced prince of Rong!”

Xiao Rongyan nodded to King of Xihuai.

“No need to be too anxious, King of Xihuai. By my estimation… Yan Kingdom won’t attack Chang City immediately!” Bai Qingyan smiled faintly, “If I were the commander of Yan, I would station troops at the forefront of Chang City to draw Wei Kingdom’s main forces there, and then dispatch fierce generals… to sweep past Chang City and strike Weishu City, the new capital of Wei!”

King of Xihuai’s heart skipped a beat, his eyes widened as he looked at Bai Qingyan.

Xiao Rongyan’s hand tightened slightly within his sleeve, feeling a prickle of unease. The deeper his smile, the more he thought of the future… battling Bai Qingyan would surely be tough going.

But that uncomfortable feeling was fleeting. Xiao Rongyan felt grateful for having such a beloved opponent that could inspire his very blood to boil.

“As long as the Imperial Family of Wei remains, moving the capital won’t change that. Wei Kingdom will still exist! Even if Yan captures countless Wei capitals… it’s merely quenching a thirst with poison. The true solution is to exterminate the entire Imperial Family of Wei, achieving total control.”

Bai Qingyan’s words left King of Xihuai trembling with fear, nearly sliding off his chair.

If anyone else had said this, King of Xihuai might not have believed it, but this was the God of War of Jin Kingdom… Bai Qingyan’s words left him terrified.

If Bai Qingyan’s words were true, Wei Kingdom would be doomed!

To save Wei Kingdom, the only way might be to surrender and pay tribute, thus preserving the nation!

Seeing King of Xihuai’s ashen face, she whispered, “Naturally, this might be my own baseless worry, but if Yan Kingdom does not think in this way, King of Xihuai still has enough time to seek Rong for help!”

King of Xihuai stood up again, sincerely bowing to Bai Qingyan: “Thank you, Princess of Zhen, for your insight, which enlightened me greatly!”

“I’ve said all I can. King of Xihuai… farewell!” She rose and cupped her hands to King of Xihuai.

King of Xihuai treated Bai Qingyan with utmost respect, seeing her off with a level of deference he used to reserve for his elder brother. He also instructed Xiao Rongyan to ensure Bai Qingyan’s safe departure from the inn.

Walking beside Bai Qingyan through the ornately decorated corridor of the inn, Xiao Rongyan waited until the guards fell far behind before speaking: “Kid’s insight into the battlefield is truly keen. If we were ever to become enemies, I’d have to be on full alert.”

“So Yan does intend to draw Wei’s main forces to Chang City and then send troops to attack Weishu City… to wipe out the Wei Imperial Family?” She turned to look at Xiao Rongyan.

“Yan cannot match the overwhelming force of Jin Kingdom and must rely on cunning…” Xiao Rongyan’s deer leather boots trod on the sunlit flagstones, his shadow stretching long.

She nodded and asked, “I heard from Qingzhu that the sword in Yue Shi’s hand is extraordinary, piercing through Cao Renyi’s chest armor. Later, the military doctor said that Cao was seriously injured.”

She looked at Xiao Rongyan: “Does this sword have a story?”

She wanted to ask if the sword was forged using the fine steel powder.

Previously, Zeng Shanru had mentioned that after researching various ancient texts, he believed that the fine steel powder was the secret to forging an unrivaled sword, capable of cutting through iron like mud and slicing hair blown in the wind.

“The sword in Yue Shi’s possession is called Moon Inquiry. Since both the sword’s name and Yue Shi’s name have ‘Yue’ in them, my elder brother gifted it to Yue Shi. As for its origins… it was commissioned by my mother for my father, but before it could be completed, my mother passed away.”

The orange light outlined his features, his deep, dark eyes revealing a calm and unreadable expression, with not even a sliver of warmth able to penetrate.

Bai Qingyan hadn’t anticipated that delving into the sword’s origins would touch on Xiao Rongyan’s sad memories. She stopped and turned to face him, looking at him.