Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress

Chapter 173: Chapter 172: Caught Off Guard_1

Bai Jinzhi, clutching her silver spear and panting heavily, also approached Bai Qingyan, unable to contain her excitement and with bright eyes: “Eldest Young Lady!”

Bai Qingyan glanced at Bai Jinzhi, signaling her to calm down. She took the towel offered by Xiao Ruohai to wipe her sweat, unfastened the heavy iron sandbags from her arms, wrapped herself in a cloak, and said, “Let’s go…”

When Bai Qingyan entered the Government Office, Shi Panshan, who was fastening his battle armor cloak, pulled Zhen Zeping and followed closely behind her.

She turned her head to greet Shi Panshan and Zhen Zeping, and they returned the salute with cupped fists.

“In the middle of the night, could it be that the Xiliang army has launched a surprise attack?” Zhen Zeping’s booming voice preceded his entrance.

The Crown Prince, along with his three counselors and General Zhang Duanrui, stood before a map, discussing something. Hearing Zhen Zeping’s voice, they turned around.

The Crown Prince saw Bai Qingyan, Zhen Zeping, and Shi Panshan saluting him and focused his gaze on Bai Qingyan: “No need for formalities. The sentry reported that the Xiliang army has set an ambush at the Jiuqu Peak bend and the eastern exit of Wengshan Canyon. They are currently transporting wood, stones, and kerosene up the mountain! The Jiuqu Peak has about twenty thousand troops, while the number of troops at Wengshan is unknown. However, the raised dust and fluttering banners suggest tens of thousands of soldiers are hidden there!”

Zhen Zeping widened his eyes. Could it be that the Eldest Young Lady of the Bai family predicted this correctly? He turned sharply to look at Bai Qingyan.

The slender figure clad in white and draped in a cloak stood under the flickering candlelight, her stunning white face expressionless. Her eyes were deep and steady, devoid of joy at having predicted the Xiliang army’s deployment, nor anger at having lost the opportunity due to the Crown Prince not following her strategy. She was calm and composed.

“With the Xiliang army deployed in these two locations, it cuts off our fastest route to Wengcheng! If we detour around Jiuqu Peak and Wengshan, even if we set off immediately, it would take us until the Shen hour at the earliest to reach Wengcheng with a forced march!” Shi Panshan bit his lip and suggested, “If the garrison at Wengcheng can hold out until the Shen hour, we might be able to bypass Jiuqu Peak and Wengshan and coordinate with the defenders to annihilate the Xiliang army.”

“Impossible!” Bai Qingyan shook her head.

She walked towards the map: “If we divert our forces and hurry to Wengcheng around Jiuqu Peak and Wengshan, our fifty thousand troops would be exhausted upon arrival. How could we fight? Moreover, fifty thousand troops cannot move unnoticed. Do you think Xiliang’s spies are blind? Once Yun Poxing realizes that our fifty thousand troops have bypassed his ambush points, his forces can then use the Jiuqu Peak paths and Wengshan Canyon to reach Wengcheng before us and redeploy! Our fifty thousand reinforcements would be like sheep entering a wolf pack, surrounded by Xiliang’s cavalry! The Bai family troops defending Wengcheng would not sit idly by while our reinforcements are slaughtered and would inevitably come out to rescue, achieving Yun Poxing’s goal!”

Last night Bai Qingyan had accurately predicted Xiliang’s deployment today, and now… neither Zhen Zeping, Shi Panshan, nor the Crown Prince could afford to underestimate her. They fell silent.

Qin Shangzhi pondered for a moment and then said, “Perhaps Your Highness could first send a messenger to Pingyang to mobilize thirty thousand troops for reinforcements, and then send a single rider to Wengcheng to order the defenders not to leave the city and to hold Wengcheng at all costs! If Yun Poxing has set an ambush, his troops would not intercept a lone rider, thinking it was not an army.”

Qin Shangzhi pointed to the map: “As long as the defenders at Wengcheng hold out, we can split our forces into two. One detachment goes to Feng County to block Nanyan’s troops! The other detachment avoids Yun Poxing’s primary force, slowly bypassing Jiuqu Peak and Wengshan, rendering his forces unable to grasp our movements. Then we can send a cavalry detachment to the main Xiliang camp and set it aflame! As soon as there is chaos in the Xiliang camp, Yun Poxing would have to redeploy, giving us an opportunity to strike based on his new arrangements.”

“Unstable!” Before Bai Qingyan could respond, the eldest advisor under the Crown Prince interjected, “The combined forces of Xiliang and Nanyan outnumber our Jin Kingdom’s forces several times over. If you set their camp on fire, Yun Poxing might retaliate and surround our fifty thousand troops in rage! Acting based on his redeployment is too passive and risky!”

The Crown Prince nodded in agreement with the elder advisor’s assessment.

However, Bai Qingyan was impressed by Qin Shangzhi.

It is said that the best defense is offense. Although waiting to counterattack seems passive, it allows one to control the outcome as desired.

While Qin Shangzhi certainly understood this principle, there was an element of risk involved, which was not suitable for the Crown Prince, who could not afford to lose.

“Mr. Bai!” Zhang Duanrui kneeled towards Bai Qingyan, “Yesterday you said that if His Highness did not deploy as you suggested, you still had a strategy. Please speak plainly now…”

The distressed Crown Prince looked at Bai Qingyan anxiously: “Mr. Bai, do you have a strategy?”

Shi Panshan also looked at Bai Qingyan.

An impatient Zhen Zeping could no longer hold back: “Mr. Bai, we were wrong to underestimate you yesterday! Now that we face a grave enemy, please spare us the suspense and tell us your plan!”

Bai Qingyan remained calm and spoke steadily: “As I said to General Zhang yesterday, I have a strategy, but it depends on the presence of the Huying Camp of the Bai family.”

Just as she finished speaking, a sentry outside the Government Office called out: “Report… news from the direction of Wengcheng, Yun Poxing is attacking Wengcheng with his main army!”

“When did the assault begin?!” Zhang Duanrui asked, stepping forward.

The sentry kneeling at the door replied: “It started at the Chou hour!”

The Crown Prince was stunned. His hand tightened in his sleeve, remembering his father’s instructions before he left. After a moment, he released his clenched hand and said, “The Huying Camp is in Wanping!”

Bai Qingyan showed no excitement, turning silent as she looked at the map. After a moment, she spoke swiftly and definitively…

“Our army should be divided into four contingents! General Zhang Duanrui will lead one contingent, acting as bait, with thirteen thousand elite soldiers and two thousand crossbowmen heading towards Jiuqu Peak’s path. Let the Xiliang spies report back, and remember to march slowly, reaching Jiuqu Peak in two hours without entering the path! General Shi Panshan will lead a second contingent of ten thousand elite soldiers to circle to the eastern side of Jiuqu Peak’s path and catch the Xiliang ambushers off guard!”

“Once the battle begins, Xiliang’s main force will fully engage General Shi if it cannot ambush us, but in this fight at Jiuqu Peak, General Shi is permitted only to lose, not to win!” She directed her gaze at the bewildered Shi Panshan, her finger tracing along the map from Jiuqu Peak to the Wudan River, “General Shi, remember, you must feign a panicked retreat, leading Xiliang’s main force around Jiuqu Peak… towards the Wudan River!”