Torrential Rain
Inside Longyang City, Liu Hong paced restlessly before climbing the city wall to wait.
The night was unusually dark, and the wind was howling. The cold gusts were heavy with moisture—by the look of it, a torrential downpour would soon break loose.
Liu Hong gazed out at the undulating mountain range beyond the walls. Not a single light flickered there; only the sky above Huoshan Mountain glowed a smoldering red.
Just as Bai Jingyan had predicted, the tens of thousands of Liang soldiers who had shed their armor had begun digging trenches beside the Longmu River the moment night fell. There was no doubt about it—they meant to sink Longyang City.
But the Jin army had hardly been idle either. Following Bai Jingyan's strategy, Liu Hong had evacuated the civilians to the highland between Longyang City and Youhua City. Then he had divided ten thousand men into five columns and ordered them to destroy the transport roads along which the Liang army's grain would pass. He had also commanded Lin Gangluo to lead soldiers out and harvest every last stalk of wheat before the night was over.
Hidden beneath the curtain of darkness, the Liang army and the Jin army each moved in silence, readying themselves for war.
Liu Hong could not help but marvel at Bai Jingyan's cunning. She had even foreseen the strategy Xun Tianzhang would employ to strike at the Jin forces.
Yet his faith in her rested on her track record—on the Southern Border campaign, where she had overcome superior numbers with a smaller force, crushed Xiliang, and won resounding distinction. Without that record, even the Zhenguo Commandery Princess of the Bai clan, young as she was, would have been difficult to trust so readily.
Bai Jingyan had been the pivotal figure in the great victory over Xiliang. That was why Liu Hong had accepted her proposal. And now he was more certain than ever—the state of Jin could never afford to lose a talent like Bai Jingyan!
"She should have made the trip twice by now!"
Liu Hong's worry knew no bounds.
"Marshal, please don't worry yourself."
Fu Yahei spoke up, having just returned from treating the wounded.
"The Commandery Princess wields the Sun-Shooting Bow with consummate skill. Besides, the Bai family guards went with her, along with General Wang Xiping. She'll be safe."
Liu Hong nodded.
Just then, the garrison commander of Longyang City came rushing up to make his report.
"Marshal! Word from the south gate! A band of soldiers claiming to be Bai family guards has escorted some woman to the gates. They're demanding to be let inside, saying they must see the Commandery Princess. What are your orders?"
Liu Hong turned to look at the garrison commander.
"The Bai family guards wish to see the Commandery Princess, you say?"
"Yes, Marshal!"
The commander nodded. Bai Jingyan was not within the walls at the moment, so there was no way to verify the guards' claim. What if they were spies sent by the Liang army?
"Have them wait outside the walls. We'll confirm it with the Commandery Princess when she returns, and decide then!" Liu Hong replied.
"Yes, Marshal!"
The garrison commander answered and hurried back to his post.
The wounded returning from Huoshan Mountain had finished treatment and emerged from the infirmary barracks. They were every bit as anxious as the rest.
"General Wang Xiping had better bring our Centurion back safe!"
One of the wounded soldiers said with unconcealed worry.
The centurion they spoke of was Du Sanbao.
During the Southern Border campaign, Du Sanbao had harassed and insulted Ji Nanghua, and for it his battle merits had been stripped from him. He had been demoted from Centurion to Squad Leader of Ten.
Yet in the soldiers' hearts, Du Sanbao remained their eternal Centurion—valiant, skilled in war, and true to his comrades.
"That's right. The Commandery Princess went with them, didn't she? Remember? When the Marshal tried to block the Commandery Princess's path a little while ago, what did she say? She said the Bai army's code is to never abandon a comrade who shares life and death with you. She'll bring our Centurion and the Gaoyi County Princess back safe, no doubt about it."
"Back during the Southern Border war, I heard someone say this in the infirmary—that the Commandery Princess, just like our Centurion, always charges in at the front every time she goes to war! The Gaoyi County Princess lured the Liang army away so her brothers could escape safely! Generals who fight shoulder to shoulder with their soldiers and never abandon them—doesn't that put your heart at ease? That's exactly why the Bai army is of one heart and one mind!"
"Hmph. Look at those proud generals of ours. They'll probably hide in the rear forever. The moment we're beaten and die up front, they'll be the first to run!"
One of the wounded—a man who had once been Du Sanbao's subordinate and now served under his replacement as Centurion—spat out the words.
"Now that's going too far. We soldiers exert our strength, but the general is the one who commands. What they do is different!"
The Jin soldiers had gathered in clusters, arguing back and forth. Just then, a loud voice rang out from atop the gate tower.
"They've returned! They've returned! The Commandery Princess has returned! And General Wang Xiping is right behind her!"
Only then did Liu Hong breathe a sigh of relief and shout.
"Open the gates, quickly!"
The soldiers of Longyang City, who had all stayed awake waiting for news, rose as one and craned their necks toward the gate.
Black clouds had swallowed the moon, and a violent gale swept across the land. The downpour was imminent.
Bai Jingyan and her party had come racing through the darkness without torches, running madly against the wind.
Behind Bai Jingyan and the Bai family guards, Wang Xiping was approaching at the head of a column of cavalry bearing aloft lit torches.
Draped over Bai Jingyan's saddle was Bai Jinchi, who had collapsed from sheer exhaustion. Perhaps the sight of her eldest sister watching over her had loosened the tension that had held her taut—despite the jarring of the ride the whole way back, she never once stirred awake.
All through the night Bai Jinchi had refused to let go of that single strained thread of alertness. And the instant she had laid eyes on Bai Jingyan, her mind had finally let go, and she had fallen where she stood.
The heavy gates swung slowly open, and with the groan of thick iron chains, the drawbridge lowered. Bai Jingyan and her party dashed swiftly into the city.
Liu Hong led his men down beneath the gate tower. As Bai Jingyan dismounted, the Bai family guards did the same, then hurried to her horse and helped Bai Jinchi down, carrying her straight to the infirmary.
"Centurion!"
One of the wounded, seeing Du Sanbao slumped blood-soaked over a saddle, called out urgently and rushed toward him.
"Take them all to the infirmary!"
Bai Jingyan gave the order.
"Yes, Commandery Princess!"
Nuo Ping dismounted, hoisted Shen Qingzhu onto his back, and raced toward the infirmary.
"You've been through a great deal, Commandery Princess!"
Liu Hong addressed Bai Jingyan as he came to meet her.
Wang Xiping returned as well, dismounting before speaking in his hearty, forthright voice.
"The moment we saw the Liang soldiers withdraw, we knew you had succeeded, Commandery Princess, and pulled back at once."
The wind had raged the entire journey back, and Bai Jingyan's anxiety had only grown.
"A great rain is coming. Have the civilians been evacuated? Did you order the wheat harvested? And the roads carrying the Liang army's grain?"
Liu Hong nodded.
"Set your mind at ease! I've given the orders already! Just as you predicted, Commandery Princess, the Liang army fully intended to drown Longyang City. They sent a considerable number of men to dig those trenches—seems they meant to finish them under cover of night and take the city in one swift stroke. Now, Commandery Princess, go inside and rest! You must conserve your strength. A war unlike any we've fought is about to begin!"
"Ah!"
Just then, Liu Hong suddenly remembered the Bai family guards waiting outside the southern gate.
"The garrison commander of Longyang reported to me a short while ago. Some Bai family guards have escorted a young woman to the south gate. They were demanding to see you, Commandery Princess."
Bai Jingyan turned and gave her order to the Bai family guard closest to her.
"Go and see!"
With that, Bai Jingyan offered a clasped-fist salute to Liu Hong and headed toward the infirmary.
She had checked on the way back—Bai Jinchi had no serious injuries. She had likely collapsed simply from the strain of so many grueling days. But Shen Qingzhu, who had protected Bai Jinchi, was gravely wounded, and Bai Jingyan was deeply worried for her.
Bai Jinchi was certainly in no real danger. She had merely fallen asleep from sheer weariness. The army physician had treated the burns on the back of her hand, but could examine nothing further. Thankfully, her pulse was steady.
Shen Qingzhu's body bore both blade wounds and arrow wounds. She had endured through untold hardship before finally collapsing. According to the army physician, her condition was not good.
Bai Jingyan gazed down at Shen Qingzhu's bloodless face and spoke to the physician.
"Draw a curtain around her. I will go in and examine the wounds myself. Tell me the state of her injuries, and I will tell you how we should treat her."
"Yes, Commandery Princess!"
The physician nodded.
After the curtain was hung, Bai Jingyan removed her armor and washed her hands in warm water. Just as she was about to step inside the curtain, she heard Ji Nanghua's voice.
"Eldest Miss!"
Bai Jingyan turned to see Ji Nanghua, covered head to toe in dust, hurrying toward her at a brisk pace.
"Eldest Miss! I set out right after you did! And I still couldn't catch up!"
Ji Nanghua glanced at the curtained enclosure.
"Is Fourth Miss injured? Eldest Miss, leave her to me!"
Back in Shanyang City, upon hearing that Bai Jingyan had departed for the Southern Border, Ji Nanghua had hastily packed her belongings intending to follow. On the battlefield, wounds were inevitable—and since Bai Jingyan and Bai Jinchi were women, she had believed they would need her.
But by the time she reached the Bai estate, Bai Jingyan had already departed. Lady Dong had made an instant decision, assigning her Bai family guards and ordering her to go after her daughter. Ji Nanghua had clung to her saddle from Shanyang City onward, riding without rest in a frantic chase—yet she still had not managed to catch up with Bai Jingyan.
Ji Nanghua's skill as a physician could be trusted, and with that Bai Jingyan finally allowed herself some peace of mind. She lifted the curtain herself and said urgently,
"This is Shen Qingzhu! I'm entrusting her to you!"
Bai Jingyan did not leave; she stayed inside the barracks to help Ji Nanghua.
Only after Ji Nanghua had finished treating Shen Qingzhu's wounds and written out a prescription did she slump over the table and fall asleep.
Before dawn broke, thunder cracked across the sky and the torrential rain began to pour.
Bai Jingyan tucked the blanket around Shen Qingzhu, then stood beneath the eaves and watched the rain come down in sheets. She worried whether the wheat had been harvested in time.
As lightning split the night sky, she caught a glimpse of soldiers bent double in the downpour, cutting wheat as fast as their hands could move. She saw the sentries as well, posted on high ground with bows drawn, on guard against Liang spies.
They had to move swiftly, and in silence. This was a military order—a duty every soldier was bound to uphold.
The Jin army harvested every last stalk of wheat through the night, and the Liang army dug a massive trench in a single night.
When day broke, Xun Tianzhang's son administered his father's medicine. Just then, his eye caught a spy running through the rain to deliver his report.
A Liang general, drenched to the bone with water dripping off him in streams, rushed into the command tent and wiped the rain from his face with a rough swipe of his hand.
"Marshal! A report from our spy! Last night the Jin army destroyed our army's grain transport roads, leaving only the Pingming Road open! They mean to cut off our provisions entirely!"
Xun Tianzhang clenched his fist, held his silence for a moment, then shook his head.
"If the Jin army truly meant to sever our grain supply, they would have blocked every road without exception. Leaving only Pingming Road open—they mean to divide our forces and lure us onto that road."
He judged that the Jin army had annihilated the troops escorting the grain and was now plotting to swallow the provisions as well. An army without food could not wage war.
"Marshal, give us your orders!"
Wiping the bitter taste of the medicine from his mouth with a handkerchief, Xun Tianzhang answered calmly.
"Send the main army to Pingming Road. There, we will annihilate the Jin forces! Assemble all the generals!"
"Yes, Marshal!"
"Are the trenches finished?"
Xun Tianzhang turned his head and asked his son.
His son nodded.
"The soldiers who were digging returned to camp just now to rest, and I've sent soldiers from the other camps to guard the site. You need only give the command, Father. The decision you made yesterday was nothing short of a stroke of divine brilliance. The downpour began before daybreak—in more than forty years of life, I have never seen rain like this."