Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress
Chapter 511 - 508: The Final Showdown_1

Chapter 511: Chapter 508: The Final Showdown_1

Bai Qingping and Shen Yanzong had already made arrangements. In a while, besides the Xiliang assassins who had been diligently training the new recruits these past few days, there would also be Shen Yanzong and experts from the Governor’s residence to ensure Bai Qingyan’s safety.

Shen Yan received the news last night that Bai Qingyan would lead her men up the mountain to eliminate the bandits early this morning. He made a special trip home, where his father instructed him. If Shen Yanzong could protect the Princess of Zhen this time, she would view him in a new light. Hence, he assigned the ten best guards from the Shen residence to Shen Yanzong.

Bai Qingping could see that Shen Yanzong was eager to showcase his skills in front of Bai Qingyan. Hoping to earn her admiration, he chose to stay in the camp today without vying for the spotlight.

The Xiliang assassins had also discussed their retreat plan after killing Bai Qingyan on the mountain last night. They were ready and waiting for Bai Qingyan to arrive.

Soon, someone rushed into the training ground on horseback and shouted, "The Princess of Zhen orders Shen Yanzong to lead the army to meet her at the North City Gate and proceed to eliminate the bandits!"

Shen Yanzong tightly gripped the sword at his waist, leaped down from the Dianjiang Terrace, and shouted, "Shen Yanzong obeys the order!"

After speaking, Shen Yanzong cupped his fists towards Bai Qingping, "Brother Qingping, I’ll leave the training ground to you!"

Bai Qingyan quickly returned the salute, "Brother Yanzong, rest assured! Be very careful and protect the Princess of Zhen!"

Shen Yanzong nodded, jumped onto his horse, and swept his gaze over the new soldiers who were tense and alert in the training ground, loudly shouting, "Move out!"

It was the first battle for the new recruits. There was fear, with some trembling legs and even thoughts of retreat. But remembering that killing the bandit leader would earn them ten gold pieces, they gritted their teeth and followed the team to the North Gate.

Bai Qingyan, along with Bai Jinzhi and the Bai family guards, were waiting at the North of the city. From a distance, they saw the new recruits carrying torches approaching. Bai Jinzhi’s horse snorted heavily, its hooves pawing the ground.

Logically, for the first-time soldiers on the battlefield, the commander should inspire morale from the Dianjiang Terrace.

However, this was for regular armies like the Bai family army and the Jin Army.

For a regular army, the speech should be loud and impassioned to boost morale!

But facing these militiamen gathered for money and trained for only a few months to deal with mountain bandits... talking about national righteousness would not inspire them.

Therefore, Bai Qingyan chose the outskirts of the city to give them time to deal with their fear.

Shen Yanzong saw Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi on their fine horses, whispered to the person beside him, and spurred his horse towards Bai Qingyan. Dismounting, he saluted, "Princess of Zhen, Commandery Princess Gaoyi!"

Bai Qingyan nodded, "Any deserters midway?"

Shen Yanzong smiled, "There were hesitant ones, but they all followed in the end..."

Bai Qingyan nodded, looking at the new recruits gathering with torches at the North Gate. She gently spurred her horse forward, scanning their anxious and fearful faces, and asked, "Are you all afraid?"

The new recruits almost reflexively shouted loudly...

"Not afraid!"

"Not afraid!"

"Not afraid!"

A faint smile touched Bai Qingyan’s eyes as she spoke, "I remember the first time I went to the battlefield, I had a guard of women protecting me, but I was still afraid!"

To these new recruits, Bai Qingyan, though a woman, was a victorious and imposing Princess of Zhen from battles at both the southern and northern frontiers. They had thought she was a general unafraid of life and death, yet she confessed to being scared on her first battlefield.

"Fear is nothing to be ashamed of!" Bai Qingyan tugged the reins of her horse, standing before the new soldiers holding flickering torches, "Which frontier elite isn’t fighting for their life on the battlefield? Which of the survivors haven’t crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood? Do you think they aren’t afraid of death? No... everyone fears death! Even I fear!"

"But we cannot let our fear allow those mountain bandits to run rampant. Today they kidnap others’ children, if we let them go, tomorrow it will be our own!" Bai Qingyan’s expression grew stern, "We are not facing well-trained elite soldiers of an enemy country, but vicious bandits preying on their own countrymen. We have trained for months... you are all the best of the best, highly skilled. Are we no match for these untrained, wild bandits?!"

In the flickering torchlight, those new soldiers on their first real battle began to have determination in their eyes.

Yes, they were all chosen for their skills, and in daily training, they were victors!

"So, this time, who should be afraid... are those bandits! They know we are training to kill them yet still arrogantly come down to kidnap children. We’ll show them we’re not just for show, our drawn swords will taste blood!"

The new soldiers were now eager to prove themselves against the bandits.

Bai Qingyan turned her horse, saying to Shen Yanzong, "Move out!"

Shen Yanzong’s gaze lingered on the arrow quiver on Bai Jinzhi’s back, wondering as he didn’t see either the Princess of Zhen or Commandery Princess Gaoyi carry bows, why bring a quiver of arrows?

Yesterday, didn’t the Princess of Zhen specifically say that with high trees on the mountain, arrows would be useless, just bring swords?

He rode forward, shouting, "Move out!"

The Xiliang assassins, seeing that Bai Qingyan had not brought her Sun Shooting Bow, felt relieved. Knowing that her arrows never missed, if she had the bow, their chances of survival would be slim.

Just as dawn broke, the new recruits had already surrounded the mountain.

Shen Yanzong commanded his men to extinguish their torches and silently advance from different positions up the mountain, aiming for the fastest and least costly victory over the bandits.

Before they moved, Shen Yanzong encouraged the new soldiers again. Following Bai Qingyan’s approach, he described the bandits as untrained riffraff and declared the first to reach the camp and capture the bandit leader’s head would earn ten gold pieces.

Seeing Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi dismount and instruct the Bai family’s guards to stay at the mountain’s base, intending to join the new soldiers, Shen Yanzong jokingly told the new soldiers, "Though the Princess of Zhen and Commandery Princess Gaoyi left their guards behind, they are highly skilled warriors. We better not let them take the lead and lose those ten gold pieces!"

The new recruits saw the Princess of Zhen not even bringing her guards, showing such disregard for the bandits, they eagerly rushed up the mountain as if in a competition.

Shen Yanzong chose six Xiliang assassins to stay close to Bai Qingyan. Seeing that the new soldiers had already rushed ahead to capture the bandits, they exchanged glances, drew their long swords, and suddenly turned to attack Bai Qingyan.