The Army's Resolve Wavers
After comforting the soldiers of the Bai family army, Bai Jingyan rose to her feet and spoke with grave formality.
"The moment Yun Paxing returns to the Xiliang camp, the Xiliang army will realize they have suffered a catastrophic defeat at Wengshan—that over a hundred thousand troops marched out and only a few dozen came back. Their army's resolve cannot help but waver. And now Yun Paxing's grain supplies have burned to ash. With their provisions cut off and their commander returned in such a miserable state, their morale will collapse entirely!"
With tears still glistening in her eyes, Bai Jingyan issued her orders in a ringing voice.
"The soldiers of the Bai family army will enter Wengcheng at once and regroup. After one shichen, two thousand men will follow me in a raid on the enemy camp—to retrieve my father's head!"
"Yes, General!"
Cheng Yuanzhi's voice boomed like a great bell being struck. He wheeled about and let loose several sharp whistles through his fingers.
The entire Bai army whistled, summoning their warhorses.
At that moment, Zhang Danyue came galloping down from above the canyon, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"General Bai! The Xiliang soldiers in the valley saw their commander flee and have all thrown down their arms in surrender. Zhen Zeping and Shi Panshan are asking whether we should open a path and let them go. What are your orders?"
Bai Jingyan lifted her head and looked up at Zhang Danyue. Then, with eyes as calm as still water, she answered without a flicker of hesitation.
"Kill them! Leave not a single one alive!"
Zhang Danyue flinched.
"That is..."
It had always been the custom of war that surrendered soldiers were not put to the sword.
"General Zhang, if you fear the censure of the world and cannot bring yourself to do it, then I, Bai Jingyan, will bear that infamy myself! Every additional Xiliang soldier we kill today means more lives saved for the people of Great Jin tomorrow. The commander's tally is in my hands. This order comes from me alone—it has nothing to do with you, General Zhang."
There was not the slightest room for argument in Bai Jingyan's voice.
Zhang Danyue hesitated for a moment. Then, recalling that the Crown Prince's military tally rested in Bai Jingyan's hands, he raised a clasped-fist salute and replied with reluctance.
"I will carry out your orders."
"Once every Xiliang soldier in the valley has been put to the sword, Generals Zhang Danyue and Zhen Zeping will confirm the count and return to Wengcheng to regroup. Await further orders—tomorrow at first light, you will ride with me and the Bai family army to retake Tianmenguan!"
At the words that Tianmenguan would be retaken at once, Zhang Danyue felt his blood surge hot in his veins.
Though they had all just fought a hard battle and were weary to the bone, this was a war in which the few had triumphed over the many, and the soldiers' morale burned at its fiercest. After a single night of rest and regrouping, the retaking of Tianmenguan was certain to succeed.
Bai Jinchi, gripping the great black Hongmang banner and carrying Bai Jingyan's Red-Tasseled Spear slung across her back, came riding back at full speed. She dismounted with the banner in hand and tossed the spear from her back to Bai Jingyan.
"Big sister! Your spear!"
Bai Jingyan caught the Red-Tasseled Spear in a single fluid motion.
"Mount up. We're returning to Wengcheng."
"Back to Wengcheng!"
Cheng Yuanzhi roared the echo, his eyes blazing as he turned to Bai Jingyan.
"When Wei Zhaonian, Gu Wenchang, and Shen Kunyang finish recovering and lay eyes on Little White Marshal again, they'll think they're dreaming!"
* * *
Within Wanping City, the Crown Prince stood upon the city wall draped in a heavy cloak. As he gazed at the sky above the distant Wengshan Canyon, stained burning red, his heart pounded so violently it felt as though it would leap from his throat.
"Has the scouting rider returned with word of the battle?"
The Crown Prince clenched his fist, his arm extended stiffly at his side.
Zhen Xiangzhi stood beside him, silent, saying nothing. He could only pray that Bai Jingyan would emerge victorious.
In the distance, a horse galloping at breakneck speed drew steadily closer. Zhen Xiangzhi hurriedly pointed ahead.
"Your Highness! Look there!"
The Crown Prince's heart hammered so fast it seemed about to stop altogether. He held his breath, watching the approaching rider, and clenched his fist tighter still.
The horse reached the base of the wall, and the scout hauled hard on the reins, bellowing at the top of his voice.
"Open the gates at once! A great victory at Wengshan! A great victory at Wengshan! Our army has annihilated the Xiliang invaders in the Wengshan Canyon!"
Blood rushed to the Crown Prince's head in a sudden surge, and his whole body came alive as though he had been born anew.
We won! We actually won!
He was so overcome with excitement that his ears rang with a dull roar. He scrambled down from the wall in haste, stepped on the hem of his own cloak, and very nearly tumbled headlong—but fortunately the garrison general steadied him by the arm.
"Careful, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Having spoken, the general respectfully stepped back behind him once more.
"We won! We've won!"
The Crown Prince exhaled a long breath, bracing himself against the cold stone of the wall as he hurried down the steps.
The scout rode swiftly into the city, and upon catching sight of the Crown Prince, immediately dismounted. He dropped to one knee before him, crying out news of the great victory, then continued in a voice quivering with excitement.
"It is a great triumph for our army, Your Highness! General Bai ordered that not a single enemy be left alive, and our forces have slaughtered the entire Xiliang army of over a hundred thousand within the canyon! General Bai commanded five hundred garrison soldiers to transport the captured grain and weaponry to Fengxian under cover of darkness. She then met with Generals Shi Panshan and Wang Xiping, had the soldiers restore their strength, and set out at once for Fengxian. They will retake the city before dawn breaks!"
At those words, Zhen Xiangzhi's eyes flashed. He stepped forward and spoke.
"Your Highness! There is no time to lose! Give the order to resupply our weapons immediately!"
But the Crown Prince's face was growing whiter by the moment. He asked in a trembling voice.
"You killed them all? The surrendered soldiers? Did you kill the surrendered soldiers as well?"
"Your Highness, every last one of them."
The scout answered.
The Crown Prince's face turned slowly to the color of blank paper.
Of course a victory in war was cause for rejoicing—but by all rights, this was a war fought in his name! If word spread that the army had massacred even the enemy soldiers who had surrendered, his reputation would be finished! He had been counting on using those prisoners of war as leverage when the time came to negotiate with Xiliang!
Regret came crashing over him in a wave. It had been a mistake, handing the military tally over to Bai Jingyan to show his trust. The regret kept coming until it seemed the Crown Prince's face would turn purple from ear to ear.
"Your Highness?"
Zhen Xiangzhi found the wavering Crown Prince baffling.
"To commit such a crime!"
The elderly Advisor Fang went white with shock.
"It has been the way of war since ancient times that surrendered soldiers are not killed! If word spreads that we slaughtered an enemy army that had already laid down its arms, what will the other kingdoms think of our Jin? They will look upon us as no better than beasts!"
At the advisor's words, the Crown Prince's expression grew darker still.
"Now is not the time to weigh such niceties! We came with a mere five thousand relief troops. If we take those surrendered soldiers as prisoners, we would have to expend our own manpower guarding them. What if the prisoners staged a counterattack along the way? Killing them was the correct decision!"
Zhen Xiangzhi once more raised a clasped-fist salute to the Crown Prince.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince! Order five hundred garrison soldiers dispatched at once to transport the grain and weaponry! If we strike now, while Nanyan trembles in panic, we are certain to retake Fengxian!"
The moment the overexcited Zhen Xiangzhi finished speaking, Advisor Fang cast him a leisurely glance and spoke slowly and deliberately.
"Your Highness, our soldiers have fought a desperate battle from dawn to dusk—they will be utterly spent. The Nanyan soldiers garrisoned at Fengxian, on the other hand, will be bursting with strength. If we assault the city now... it will only work against our own army."
Zhen Xiangzhi shot Advisor Fang a look, then continued through gritted teeth.
"Your Highness! The sky over Wengshan has been dyed crimson. So long as that red sky still burns, our army's morale will not break! If we do not lay siege while Nanyan's army is reeling, then by tomorrow morning, Xiliang and Nanyan may well have gathered themselves and forged their alliance anew. If that happens, retaking Fengxian will become far, far more difficult!"
"Your Highness..."
The scout raised his head and looked at the Crown Prince.
"The grain and weaponry General Bai instructed us to prepare... sh-shall we prepare them?"
"Your Highness! This is no time for hesitation!"
Zhen Xiangzhi clenched his jaw once more.
"Your Highness, recall the strategies General Bai has put forth. Every single one has struck true! She predicted the enemy's marching formations and deployments with flawless precision, without a single misstep. General Bai is someone even the late King of Zhenguo praised as a born general. You must trust her. If our army defeats the combined forces of Nanyan and Xiliang in a single day, then never again will anyone dare to provoke the dignity of Great Jin!"
The Crown Prince found himself thinking of how Bai Jingyan had predicted even the exact location of the Xiliang ambush. Had she not already surrendered the military tally into his hands? He could not fathom whom else he might trust but Bai Jingyan. The Crown Prince nodded.
"Hurry! Dispatch the five hundred... no! Eight hundred! Eight hundred garrison soldiers of Wanping, as General Bai instructed, to transport the grain and weaponry! Move!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Once the scout had hurried off, the Crown Prince turned to face his three advisors, raised a clasped-fist salute, and spoke.
"Think, all three of you. How are we to construct a justification for the killing of the surrendered soldiers?"
"The campaign was waged by General Bai, and the order to kill the prisoners was given by General Bai as well. The matter has nothing to do with you, Your Highness. Hold General Bai accountable and take her head, and the whole world will know the depth of your benevolence and righteousness! Fear nothing, Your Highness."
Advisor Fang spoke as casually as if discussing the weather.
The Crown Prince actually seemed to be considering Advisor Fang's proposal—kill Bai Jingyan outright.
"But... if we do that, everyone will know that the victory at Wengshan was not mine, will they not?"
As Zhen Xiangzhi watched the Crown Prince frowning in the lamplight, a chill crept over him, and a thousand thoughts raced through his mind.
He would not bear the infamy of slaughtering surrendered soldiers, yet he would not give up the glory of Wengshan either. The Crown Prince's greed was excessive—far too excessive.
With the King of Zhenguo and all the generals of the Bai family dead, Great Jin was as good as a soldier stripped of his armor. If the Crown Prince put to death a general who appeared perhaps once in a hundred years, Great Jin would become prey for them all!
Remembering how readily the Crown Prince swallowed whatever Advisor Fang told him, Zhen Xiangzhi felt his scalp prickle, and he stepped forward urgently.
"Your Highness, General Bai must not be killed! It is to General Bai's merit above all that this war ended in such a great triumph! Not only did she devise the strategy—she fought alongside her generals through blood and fire to win the victory at Wengshan with her own hands. If you slaughter General Bai, the other generals will lose heart. Who then will dare risk his life for you, Your Highness? Who will dare win glory for Jin?"
The Crown Prince weighed Zhen Xiangzhi's words once more.
"Moreover, the great armies of Xiliang and Nanyan have not fully withdrawn—the war is not yet over. General Bai may be a woman, but in strategy and troop deployment she inherited the abilities of the King of Zhenguo himself. Why then would you kill a general who commands the battlefield with such cunning, Your Highness? If General Bai dies in this campaign, let alone the recovery of the Southern Border, we would not even be able to hold the very city we stand upon."
Zhen Xiangzhi's eyes burned red.
In public duty and in private feeling alike, Zhen Xiangzhi wanted to protect Bai Jingyan.