The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 1194: meet in person
Chapter 1194 Come to see in person
“Your Majesty! Even if you don’t want to leave the city at this time, you should stay in the mansion! If the Xiliang army attacks the city, this mansion is safer than on the city wall!” Wei Zhong chased after Bai Qingyan to dissuade him.
“If Jiangzi City is breached, how can this small mansion resist the Xiliang Army?” Bai Qingyan did not stop walking. She saw Chunzhi, who looked nervous, following her. She turned around and said to Chunzhi, “Chunzhi, you don’t have to follow us!”
Whether it was to capture the Great Zhou emperor alive, or to set an ambush and annihilate the Great Zhou army that came to rescue him, General Cui would not choose to attack the city at this time.
Firstly, General Cui probably did not have enough time to find out the number of Great Zhou troops in Gyantse City, so he could not attack the city rashly.
Secondly, if the purpose was to ambush the Great Zhou army, they should have surrounded them instead of attacking.
Chunzhi paused for a moment when she heard Bai Qingyan’s words, then hurriedly followed and said to Bai Qingyan: “I know that I am useless and I don’t know martial arts, but… I want to stay with the young lady. If necessary, I can sacrifice my life for her!”
Chunzhi’s whole body was shaking as she said this. The city was suddenly surrounded by a large army. How could she, a slave who had always lived in the prosperous imperial capital, not be afraid?
But her master was going to climb the city wall, how could she, as a slave, hide behind her master? She knew she was useless, not like Sister Chuntao who could take care of the young lady, nor like Miss Qingzhu who was so skilled in martial arts that she could protect Bai Qingyan on the battlefield. Sometimes she even had to become a burden to the young lady.
However, now that the enemy is besieging the city, she wants to stay by her master’s side. Even if she has to sacrifice her life to block an arrow for her master, it can be regarded as her fulfilling the duty of a loyal servant!
Outside the government office, soldiers holding torches were everywhere, marching hurriedly toward the city wall. The common people who had just entered the city were also hurriedly dragging their children home, and the streets were in chaos.
Bai Qingyan stepped out of the mansion gate and turned to look at Chunzhi, whose tears were dripping down her cheeks. It was as if she saw a younger Chuntao. She jumped on her horse and said to Chunzhi, “Wait at the mansion!”
After saying that, Bai Qingyan rushed out with his horse’s belly, and Wei Zhong quickly followed…
Chunzhi hurriedly chased after the horse, but there were people running around in panic everywhere, and soldiers shouting for the people to go home. Chunzhi lost him before he even ran out of the long street and was knocked to the ground. She could only clasp her hands together with red eyes and tears falling, praying to God to bless Bai Qingyan’s safety.
Bai Qingyan arrived at the west gate first, and just as Bai Qingyan expected, there were a large number of Xiliang troops at the west gate.
Based on Bai Qingyan’s many years of marching experience, she knew that the Xiliang army was planning to surround but not attack, so she felt secretly relieved.
Not long after, the horn at the south city gate sounded. When the general guarding the city sent someone to inform Bai Qingyan, Bai Qingyan had already been on the west city wall observing the distance for a long time.
Hearing that the Xiliang army had surrounded the South Gate, Bai Qingyan turned to ask the messenger who came to deliver the message: “Have the Bai family guards left the city?”
“Your Majesty, we’ve left the city!” said the messenger.
Not long after the messenger finished speaking, fast horses were seen rushing out from the enemy camp besieging the city and galloping towards the city gate.
The general guarding the city gate tightly grasped the sword at his waist and shouted loudly: “Archers, get ready. If the enemy dares to cross the line, you will be shot into a hornet’s nest without hesitation!”
Bai Qingyan stared at the increasingly tense horse with a cold look in his eyes. He casually took the bow from the soldier beside him, drew the arrow, and calmly drew the bow, releasing…
The feather arrow whistled and instantly pierced the hoof of the galloping horse. The horse was frightened and raised its hoof and neighed loudly, throwing the Xiliang cavalry on its back off.
The Xiliang cavalrymen were so frightened that they broke into a cold sweat. Seeing that they were close enough, they shouted loudly, “Xiliang General Cui Shanzhong, please see the Emperor of the Great Zhou!”
Bai Qingyan casually threw the bow in his hand to the soldiers beside him, stood straight, and looked down at the Xiliang cavalry not far from the city wall: “Old General Cui Shanzhong hung up the commander’s flag in Xiliang Yunjing, how come he appeared in Jiangzi City again? If Old General Cui Shanzhong is really here, then please ask Old General Cui Shanzhong to come and see him in person!”
After saying that, Bai Qingyan turned around and walked towards the city wall, and told the general guarding the city: “Tell the soldiers not to let down their guard!”
“yes!”
Bai Qingyan said as he descended from the city wall: “Order all the generals in the city to come to the west gate immediately! Also tell the people who have just settled in Jiangzi City to go back immediately. If anyone lingers outside after one stick of incense at a special time, they will be treated as spies and killed without mercy!”
“Yes!” The messenger following Bai Qingyan immediately mounted his horse and rode quickly to deliver the message.
As Bai Qingyan walked down from the city wall, General Liu Pinggao, who was sent by the Great Zhou to guard the city, came on horseback.
Liu Pinggao used to be a junior general in Anping Camp. Later, he made several military achievements and was promoted to guard the capital city. This time he asked to come to the front line originally to fight in the battlefield, but he didn’t expect to be arranged to guard the city here as soon as he arrived. When Bai Qingyan entered the city today, he asked Bai Qingyan to send him to the front line, but he didn’t expect that Jiangzi City would be surrounded that night.
“Your Majesty!” Liu Pinggao saluted and walked to Bai Qingyan, speaking very quickly to Bai Qingyan, “We don’t know how many troops Xiliang has sent to besiege the city, but we only have more than 5,000 troops in the city. I just checked the granary. Fortunately, your majesty ordered the relief food and grass sent to Yechengguan to be temporarily stored in Jiangzi City. So I roughly calculated that the food and grass can be used by the soldiers for two months. But… if we add the Xiliang people brought into Jiangzi City, I’m afraid we won’t be able to hold out for long!”
After all, Liu Pinggao had been fighting in the battlefields for many years and was very experienced. When he learned that the city was surrounded on all sides, he immediately counted the food and grass, ordered his men to guard them strictly, and then came to report to Bai Qingyan at once.
“There aren’t many civilians in Jiangzi City, but the refugees from Xiliang that Your Majesty brought with him later, and the refugees from Xiliang who heard the news and rushed to Jiangzi City, add up to a large number!” Liu Pinggao was full of worry. “I’m worried. Since the people of Xiliang have been prepared and are just waiting for Your Majesty to enter the city and besiege it, there may be some of their people among the refugees! We have to be on guard!”
Liu Pinggao’s worries were exactly the same as Bai Qingyan’s worries, so Bai Qingyan ordered that the people would be given one incense stick of time to return to their homes, otherwise they would be killed without mercy.
“Now that the army is besieging the city, we cannot allow chaos in Gyantse. Immediately send out someone you can trust, with 500 soldiers, in teams of 20, to patrol each household according to the number of people in each household registered today. If there is anyone missing from the house, the entire family will be imprisoned! Anyone who is still lingering on the street after one stick of incense, his or her family members will also be taken to jail!” Bai Qingyan ordered.