Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress
Chapter 424 - 421: At the Forefront_1

Chapter 424: Chapter 421: At the Forefront_1

Two reasons: it was not only to prevent Bai Qingyan from establishing too much prestige in the military, but also to ensure that once Bai Qingyan had the same high reputation as Bai Weiting, she wouldn’t use her troops to her advantage due to her fearless temperament and lack of reverence for the Imperial Family. If that happened, the Emperor would find her hard to control. Worse, Bai Qingyan might even rebel.

Lu Ping had always respected this frail yet victorious daughter of the Bai family, who achieved a great victory over Xiliang in the southern border.

At first, Lu Ping thought the Emperor was being overly cautious. However, after reflecting on Bai Qingyan’s resolute speech at the palace banquet and recalling how she forced the execution of King Xin by striking the drum of grievances, he concluded the Emperor’s concerns were not unfounded.

Lu Ping understood he lacked the skills of legends like King of Zhen Bai Weiting and Duke Bai Qishan. The Emperor chose him as Commander mainly because he had been loyal to the Emperor even before his ascension to the throne. He never sought power, had no grand ambitions, and remained unchanged to this day.

Therefore, upon hearing that Bai Qingyan was rushing from Shuoyang to Longyang City with a squad of guards, he remembered the Emperor’s warning. The Emperor had said not to let Bai Qingyan gain further military merit unless absolutely necessary. This made Lu Ping exceedingly anxious. He abandoned the bulk of his army and hurriedly traveled day and night with a squad of cavalry.

Lu Ping feared no one else could restrain Bai Qingyan. As the supreme commander, Bai Qingyan had to obey him.

However, the journey took a toll on Lu Ping. He did not dismount, and the saddle sores on his inner thighs grew severe. Before entering the city, he even developed a high fever. Upon hearing from the city guards, he learned that Bai Qingyan, upon arrival, had not rested but immediately engaged in battle. She defeated the fierce Liang general Zhao Tong in three moves, greatly boosting the morale of the Jin Army.

Additionally, Bai Qingyan had predicted the Liang Army’s night maneuvers. The Jin Army had already captured the Zhao family soldiers who had sneaked into the city. Bai Qingyan then ordered a team to burn down the Liang camp’s grain supplies.

Seeing the admiration for Bai Qingyan written all over the faces of the guards, Lu Ping felt disheartened. Without rest, he immediately ordered the assembly of generals at the training grounds.

At the training grounds, all the high fire pits were lit. The fluttering banners and dancing flames illuminated the grounds as if it were daylight.

Pale-faced, Lu Ping sat on a chair. He felt feverish and struggled to breathe; his mouth felt like it was on fire.

Though he desperately wanted to rest, he didn’t want the troops who retreated to Longyang City to feel that their commander was inferior to a young woman.

Lu Ping clung to his chair, battling fatigue. He feared that if he lay down, he wouldn’t wake up for days. He needed to meet with the generals and make proper arrangements.

When Bai Qingyan and her group arrived, Lu Ping, cloaked in heavy armor and a cape, was seated on the platform flanked by sword-bearing cavalry, giving an imposing display of commander’s authority.

"The subordinate greets the Commander!"

They stood below the platform and saluted Lu Ping.

Lu Ping intended to rise but was too weak, his joints racked with feverish pain. Forced to remain seated, he clasped his hands in greeting to the generals: "Generals, my apologies. I have caught a cold and suffer from aches. I won’t stand. From today, without my direct order, no one is to engage the enemy. Violators will be treated as traitors. All troops must stay within the city, waiting for reinforcements to arrive before acting."

The generals exchanged glances, all acknowledging with a fist salute.

Bai Qingyan glanced at Lu Ping. He quickly averted his gaze, feeling guilty and avoiding eye contact with her calm, deep eyes.

Lu Ping had raced forward, risking his life, just to issue this order.

"Rest and conserve your strength. Once reinforcements arrive, we will drive the Liang Army back to Daliang!" Lu Ping’s voice was firm. His guards helped him up immediately.

As they watched Lu Ping leave, Lin Kangle turned to the composed Bai Qingyan, his lips moving without sound.

It was clear to everyone that this order targeted Bai Qingyan.

"General Bai, you’ve come a long way without rest. You should recuperate too. The reinforcements from Anping Camp should arrive in no more than three days. We might face a fierce battle with the Liang Army. We need you for morale!" Wang Xiping said nervously to Bai Qingyan, fearing she might be upset.

Bai Qingyan nodded, clasping her hands to bid farewell to the gathered generals.

Wang Xiping, standing beside Lin Kangle, saluted and after the others left, said, "The Commander seems to be intentionally suppressing General Bai. Is he afraid General Bai will overshadow him?"

During the southern border conflict, though the Crown Prince was the commander, the victory owed entirely to Bai Qingyan, who had no official title but led the army with a tiger tally.

Lin Kangle frowned: "At such a critical time, as the commander, he should focus on uniting the generals against the enemy, yet he worries about his subordinates outshining him!"

Lin Kangle, having battled alongside Bai Qingyan, had a bond with her and naturally detested Lu Ping’s behavior.

Lu Ping was misunderstood by Lin Kangle. He held deep respect for Bai Qingyan but was constrained by imperial orders.

·

In the prison, Lu Ping separated the eleven Zhao family soldiers, including one severely injured, to avoid collective interrogations yielding inaccurate information.

The entire prison echoed with their desperate, mournful wails, reminiscent of hell.

Lu Ping couldn’t deny Zhao Yi of the old Jiang Army had a knack for torture, using methods that made life unbearable. Especially the red-hot iron ball placed in the belly button, it was pure agony, making death seem like a relief.

From the interrogations, Lu Ping extracted the location of the grain depot and learned that Bai Jinzhi was on Huoshen Mountain.

The captain of the Zhao family soldiers, shot in the chest by Bai Qingyan, was a tough nut to crack. But he eventually succumbed to the branding iron, and upon realizing some of his men had already spilled the beans, he died in despair.

Lu Ping wasted no time, carrying the results of the all-night interrogation to Bai Qingyan.

Bai Qingyan reviewed the separate bamboo slips. Three revealed Bai Jinzhi’s location on Huoshen Mountain; the rest knew nothing but disclosed some other details.

Now informed of Bai Jinzhi’s whereabouts, Bai Qingyan didn’t want to delay. She quickly instructed Lu Ping to bring the bamboo slips to the Commander’s quarters to request permission to lead a rescue.

Just as Bai Qingyan emerged, Du Sanbao and his team returned.

Knowing Bai Qingyan was worried about Bai Jinzhi, Du Sanbao immediately dismissed the others to report to Wang Xiping while he sprinted to Bai Qingyan’s quarters.

As dawn broke, the smoke-streaked Du Sanbao, covered in sweat, wiped his face with his sleeve, revealing a clean forehead. Showing a white grin, he knelt on one knee and reported: "General Bai, I captured two scouts. They didn’t know the Lord of Gaoyi’s whereabouts, but General Gu led ten thousand men to Huoshen Mountain, likely to capture the Lord of Gaoyi."