The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 859: Can’t afford to lose
Chapter 859: No room for error
“Princess Zhenguo, your humble servant…if you were not worried about the innocent deaths of the people, you would not have sent people to capture these children. Your humble servant is also a father! People are kind-hearted…how could your humble servant have the heart to do this?” The county magistrate’s eyes were red, and his heart was full of helplessness and despair.
“Dad… Dad, don’t cry! Dad, don’t cry!” The seven-year-old child in the county magistrate’s arms stretched out his hand and wiped the county magistrate’s tears.
“Son!” The county magistrate held the child’s hand tightly, lowered his head and kissed the child’s forehead, tears streaming down his face, “Dad… I’m sorry! Dad is sorry!”
Liu Hong’s eyes felt hot and he turned his head away, not daring to look again.
Bai Qingyan gritted his teeth, suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, reached out to help the county magistrate, whose legs were weak, up, and turned to look at the kneeling people: “From now on, no child will be sent to the capital city wherever Bai Qingyan goes!”
“Yang Wuce!” Bai Qingyan shouted.
Yang Wuce came in from the door and knelt on one knee: “I am here!”
“Take your men and capture the envoy who came to pick up the child. You don’t have to bring him to me. Put him in jail directly!” Bai Qingyan looked at the county magistrate again, “Send someone to lead the way for them!”
“Yes!” Yang Wuce ordered Yang Wei to take twenty people and leave with the yamen runners.
“Where is General Li who is guarding the city?!” Bai Qingyan looked at the county magistrate.
Upon hearing this, the county magistrate turned pale and lowered his eyes, not daring to speak.
At this time, General Li, with a dozen loyal subordinates, set up an ambush on the official road outside the city, ready to risk his life when the envoy and the children were on their way to Dadu… to see if he could save these children.
“Tell the truth!” Bai Qingyan walked up to the county magistrate.
“Reply…Reply to Princess Zhenguo, General Li is leading his men to set up an ambush on the official road outside the city, preparing to…rescue the children of Chunmu City!” After the county magistrate finished speaking, he knelt down and took two steps towards Bai Qingyan, “Princess Zhenguo, please don’t blame General Li. Among the children recruited this time, nearly half are orphans whose fathers died on the battlefield. General Li…just couldn’t bear it!”
“Good!” Bai Qingyan couldn’t help but praise, “This is the role model of our generation! A brave and tough soldier! Send someone to invite General Li back and tell him… Bai Qingyan entrusted him to guard Chunmu City, and not a single child can be taken away!”
The county magistrate was overjoyed when he heard this. He kowtowed to Bai Qingyan and turned around to order, “Go quickly! Go and call General Li back!”
Soon, Yang Wuce brought the envoy who came to Chunmu City to pick up the child and said, “Princess Zhenguo, this envoy must come to see you. He is outside the door. If you don’t come to see him, I will have him imprisoned directly.”
The envoy stretched his neck to look inside. Seeing Bai Qingyan in military uniform and full of murderous aura in the government office, he trembled all over, but still shouted with all his might: “Princess Zhenguo, I am an envoy sent by His Majesty, representing His Majesty! You let someone arrest me so casually, do you still have His Majesty in your eyes! Aren’t you afraid that His Majesty will punish you for disrespect!”
“No need to see…lock him up!” Bai Qingyan said.
“Princess Zhenguo!” Liu Hong’s eyebrows were furrowed. “That person was sent by His Majesty. You can call him in and ask him why he treated His Majesty’s envoy like this! In your eyes…”
Liu Hong’s words stopped abruptly. In Princess Zhenguo’s eyes… there was no emperor anymore.
Princess Zhenguo might rebel.
Liu Hong realized it now, but it was too late…
Neither Yang Wuce nor the surrendered soldiers from Daliang would obey his orders.
Now all the Jin troops that can obey his orders are in Hancheng and are controlled by Princess Gaoyi.
Liu Hong closed his eyes. His Majesty had issued such an order and recruited these children with such harsh means. If these children were really sent to the Nine-Layered Terrace, they would probably not survive!
Thinking about what he saw and heard in Chunmu City today, Chunmu City is just a corner… A glimpse of the corner can give you a glimpse of the whole picture. Liu Hong already has an idea of what the situation is like across the country of Jin now.
Soon, General Li, the city garrison commander of Chunmu Mountain, came back with his soldiers in a suit of armor and knelt beside the county magistrate. “I am General Li Tianbao, honored to meet the Princess!”
“General Li is willing to sacrifice his life to protect the people. I admire him!” Bai Qingyan bowed to Li Tianbao and said loudly, “From today on, if anyone comes to order to take the children of Spring Dusk City to the capital, no matter if they have an imperial decree or a golden order, General Li and the county magistrate must not let them go. They must be detained! General Li and the county magistrate are acting on my orders. I, Bai Qingyan, will bear all the consequences! Spring Dusk City is in the hands of General Li and the county magistrate!”
Li Tianbao and the county magistrate’s eyes suddenly turned red. They had long known that the Princess Zhenguo was known as the Goddess of War, but they had never thought that the Princess Zhenguo would dare to do anything to protect the people.
The county magistrate bowed his head and clapped his hands together. Li Tianbao clasped his hands together and the two of them responded solemnly…
“Princess Zhenguo, rest assured! I will defend Chunmu City to the death.”
“Princess Zhenguo, rest assured! I swear to defend Chunmu City until my death.”
After coming out of Chunmu City, Liu Hong remained silent. He didn’t know whether Bai Qingyan was going to rebel against the emperor and then support the prince to ascend the throne. If so, it would be fine, at least Bai Qingyan was going back to quell the rebellion.
Liu Hong looked at Bai Qingyan’s tall back and was more willing to believe that although Bai Qingyan was disappointed with the emperor, he was not going to rebel against the entire royal family.
Liu Hong thought of what the county magistrate and the general Li Tianbao who was guarding the city had said before they sent them out of the city. Along with the imperial edict to forcibly conscript a thousand boys and girls, there was also an imperial edict stating that only with a golden order or the emperor’s edict would the generals guarding the city allow someone to lead the troops through the official road.
If Liu Hong guessed correctly, this should be King Liang’s attempt to guard against and restrain him and Bai Qingyan, but now it seems… this imperial edict may not be able to restrain Bai Qingyan.
The news of what happened at Chunmu Mountain today has spread… As long as the name of the Princess Zhenguo and the black sail and white python flag are revealed, all the city guarding generals who have a heart to protect and love the people will open the gates.
Seeing Bai Qingyan and his group coming back, the soldiers who were sitting by the roadside to rest stood up.
Now Bai Jinxiu is still in the capital city. The emperor and King Liang have made a deal over the throne. Bai Qingyan guessed… Bai Jinxiu would definitely not let King Liang ascend the throne smoothly. She had to rush back as soon as possible, otherwise… she was afraid that Bai Jinxiu would fight to the death with King Liang in order to delay her return.
Bai Qingyan reined in his horse and glanced at the soldiers, then gave the order: “Lin Kangle, Yang Wei…”
Lin Kangle and Yang Wei, who had just returned with Bai Qingyan, immediately stepped out and said, “I am here!”
“I order you two to lead 30,000 soldiers and head straight to the Nine-Story Terrace. Make sure to rescue the children who have been sent to the Nine-Story Terrace. No chance of error is allowed! If anyone kills civilians because of building the Nine-Story Terrace, the entire army will execute them without mercy! Set off immediately!”
“Yes!” Yang Wei jumped onto his horse, intending to tell Lin Kangle what he had seen in the government office on the way.
The third update, I continue to ask for monthly votes. From today on… I will rebel against the Lin imperial power!