"I accept the order!" Liu Pinggao received the order and immediately gave the command, but because he was in the middle position, it was not easy to rush to the front.
"Eldest Young Lady! Iâll lead the Bai family army to strike the left side!" Bai Jinzhi clenched her fists tightly, unwilling to stay cooped up in her sisterâs carriage during battle.
"Bai Jinzhi..." Inside the jolting carriage, Bai Qingyanâs deep eyes looked at her as she pressed firmly on Bai Jinzhiâs shoulder with one hand and untied her iron sandbag with the other, speaking quickly yet steadily, "The attackers are here for me! I, your Eldest Young Lady, command you to stay alive and break through to get reinforcements! All the cities in Zhouâs Yan territory are filled with our Dasheng warriors, all can be used!"
Hearing this, Bai Jinzhiâs hair stood on end. How could she not understand her sisterâs meaning: "Eldest Young Lady, you canât divert the enemy forces! You are Dashengâs backbone, I will go! Eldest Young Lady, you go for reinforcements!"
Bai Qingyan knew this carriage couldnât last much longer, and being such a large target, nearly all arrows were aimed at it. Not to mention, the carriage would soon catch fire, and although the horses pulling it were clad in chain mail and less likely to be hit by arrows, fire-tipped arrows could blind the horses, causing them to go berserk... Once the carriage lost control, the people inside might not survive.
"Do you not understand what Iâm saying? These people are after me! Only I can lead them away!" Bai Qingyan clutched Bai Jinzhiâs shoulder forcefully, "Xiao Si, how likely your Eldest Young Lady can survive depends on how quickly you break through and bring reinforcements! Xiao Si, donât disappoint your Eldest Young Lady!"
Bai Jinzhiâs eyes were filled with tears. The curtains in the carriage were already ablaze, and the blazing fire illuminated her pale face in an amber hue. She didnât nod, but trembled as she helped untie her Eldest Young Ladyâs iron sandbag.
Perhaps because the Bai family army charged forward, the ambushers were suppressed and couldnât shoot arrows. Taking advantage of the halted arrow rain from the right, Bai Qingyan grabbed Bai Jinzhiâs collar, pushed open the carriage door, and leapt out of the still-moving carriage.
Having removed her iron sandbag, Bai Qingyan shielded Bai Jinzhi, while an arrow aimed thoughtlessly from the left hit her arm... and struck one of the horsesâ eyes pulling the carriage. The horse reared and collided, causing even the trained horses to stampede wildly.
Thanks to Wei Zhong pulling Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi aside, they avoided being hit by the swerving carriage as the horses lost control.
Bai Jinzhi had been on battlefields before, but it was the first time she felt trapped. Her Eldest Young Lady held her down and shielded her, filled with rage and helplessness, she could only see the Bai family soldiers drawing swords and raising knives to protect them, with arrows aflame underfoot and the bodies of her fallen comrades.
The Bai family army had always been invincible in battle; wherever they looked, even though there were bodies of their comrades, there were always more enemy dead. This time, however... there were only the bodies of comrades, no enemy in sight.
This was the first time Bai Jinzhi felt both angry and powerless on the battlefield. Seeing the Bai family soldiersâ corpses filled with arrows, she couldnât help but think of how her grandfatherâs generation was trapped in Lingchuan Canyon back then, just like pieces of meat waiting to be slaughtered.
Bai Jinzhiâs palms were covered in sticky sweat, entirely unlike the normally passionate Gaoyi King whenever there was a battle!
Because her Eldest Young Lady was here!
And these attackers were precisely targeting her Eldest Young Lady!
She wanted to protect her Eldest Young Lady but was helpless. For the first time since her glorious years, Bai Jinzhi felt overwhelmed, tears almost forcing their way out.
Bai Qingyan shielded Bai Jinzhi tightly, scanning around, and spotted Taiping, a pure white and exceptionally handsome horse, among the cavalry. She blew a loud whistle with her fingers.
Upon hearing its ownerâs whistle, Taipingâs ears perked up, and it galloped towards Bai Qingyan.
"Your Majesty!" Liu Pinggao saw a fire arrow pierce Bai Qingyanâs arm, setting her sleeve ablaze. Defying orders, he turned his horse around without hesitation, sped to Bai Qingyanâs side, dismounted, and wrapped her arm with his cloak to extinguish the fire. Without a word, he removed his armor, intent on fitting it onto Bai Qingyan regardless of whether it suited her or not.
He was a soldier of Zhou, and this outing with the emperor was a hard-won opportunity for Liu Pinggao himself. No matter what, he was determined to protect the emperor.
Bai Qingyan stopped Liu Pinggaoâs hand. As she fitted the oversized armor onto Bai Jinzhi instead, she glanced around, listening to the enemyâs whistle signals.
Seeing Taiping arrive, she raised her hand and shoved Bai Jinzhi onto Taipingâs back, calmly and loudly ordering, "Bai family army, obey orders, protect the Gaoyi King at all costs!"
The surrounding area was filled with Bai family soldiers. Bai Qingyan was their Young General Bai, and her orders were to be followed without exception. They shouted in unison, "Yes!"
"Eldest Young Lady!" Bai Jinzhi, now on horseback and gripping the reins instinctively, the ill-fitting armor making her look even smaller, finally broke into tears, "Letâs go together!"
"We canât leave together! Remember the Eldest Young Ladyâs words! Go!" Bai Qingyan slapped the horse forcefully. It neighed and galloped along the arrow-free high ridge to the rear.
"Order all soldiers to climb the right side and break into the forest!" Bai Qingyan ordered loudly.
Since the enemy had archers ambush left and right, and ambushers at the entrance guided them towards the exit, Bai Qingyan chose to take to the right hillside into the forest...
Firstly, once in the forest, dense foliage limited archers, and in melee combat... they held the advantage.
Secondly, amidst the clamor, Bai Qingyan distinctly heard whistle signals from the right hillside; to capture the bandits, capture their leader first, so Bai Qingyan naturally chose the right.
Thirdly, since heavy troops were stationed at the exit, she could not run into it. She had to find another way to break the siege; fortunately, this high but not steep slope seemed like fateâs opening for her escape.
"All soldiers climb right, break into the forest!" Liu Pinggao loudly transmitted the order.
As Bai Qingyanâs orders spread like waves, she picked up a spear from the ground and broke it at knee length to use it as a lance. Spotting a riderless horse galloping towards her, she seized the swinging reins and gracefully mounted up, while Wei Zhong quickly found a horse, holding his long knife to guard Bai Qingyan alongside Liu Pinggao.
Spotting Lu Yuanpeng, Bai Qingyan, without even looking at him while charging up the high ridge, said, "Lu Yuanpeng, protect the Gaoyi King and break through the entrance without fail!"
Lu Yuanpeng only then realized Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi had exited the carriage. He accepted the order, turned his horse around, and charged towards Bai Jinzhi.