Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress-Chapter 1562 - 1557: The Bloody Path

Liu Pinggao nodded, "Regroup!"

"Yes!"

Liu Pinggao rode at the front, always on guard, with the elite Bai family army guarding Bai Qingyan’s carriage, and another circle of the elite Anping Army surrounding them outside.

In fact, Liu Pinggao preferred Bai Qingyan to travel by carriage. Although it slowed their progress a bit, it was safer this way.

Even though the scouts had already gone to investigate, Liu Pinggao remained extremely cautious upon entering this mountain pass, halting the troops and sending people up the mountain to check.

He himself turned his horse towards Bai Qingyan’s carriage and said, "Your Majesty, we have reached the mouth of the mountain pass, and we are about to cross it!"

Bai Qingyan heard this, glanced at Bai Jinzhi, who was sleeping soundly beside her, adjusted her white fox fur blanket, pulled aside the cotton curtain, and looked towards the mountain pass. Although it was a pass, the slopes were not steep. If someone were truly lying in ambush here, they might handle ordinary folk, but against the battle-hardened Anping and Bai family armies, there would be no chance of victory, especially now that it was not the time of war.

Nevertheless, Bai Qingyan preferred to act cautiously, "To be safe, have the vanguard take the slopes on both sides and escort the army through."

"Yes!" Liu Pinggao received the order and immediately sent the Anping Army up both slopes to escort the army.

If someone had the patience to lie in the snow, freezing in ambush, they would first have to face the Anping Army. The Bai family army would then seize the opportunity to charge at them, and no matter how tough the enemy forces were, they wouldn’t withstand it.

Liu Pinggao was truly in awe of their Emperor.

The King of Xiping personally led fifty thousand troops, lying in the snowy hollows of the mountains, snow accumulating on his body to match the surrounding height. He had been leading his troops here for half a day and a night.

The Emperor of Zhou appeared later than the King of Xiping had anticipated.

He bit on a whistle, snow covering his eyebrows and beard, remaining motionless, his eyes fixed on the high slopes where Zhou soldiers stood, blades drawn towards them.

The King of Xiping was startled at first, thinking they had been discovered, and bit down tighter on the whistle. He had thought that after Zhou’s Emperor sent scouts, they wouldn’t send anyone up. He was ready to blow the whistle to signal his soldiers to rise, but the Zhou army ascended in unison.

By now, the sun had risen, shining its golden light through the forest of towering trees, the snow-covered ground steaming with mist like a fairyland.

To ambush the cunning and wily Emperor of Zhou, the King of Xiping ordered his soldiers to wear heavy cotton clothes without armor, ready for a desperate fight. He even deliberately left footprints on the mountain to simulate bandits.

His soldiers had almost frozen here overnight. When the heavy snow fell, the King of Xiping had inwardly praised it, thinking the snow would completely conceal his soldiers’ forms. Were the soldiers’ hands stiff by now, did the Zhou Emperor really notice them after all?

The King of Xiping was under pressure, but... even if a desperate fight ensued, would not his fifty thousand troops be able to annihilate some ten thousand strong?

Moreover, he had hidden troops at the entrance of the mountain pass and even more at the exit to trap them.

With this thought, the King of Xiping did not hesitate longer. He closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the army below, estimating when Bai Qingyan’s troops had almost entirely entered the pass, and decisively blew the whistle.

The sharp whistle suddenly resounded through the mountains, startling the birds hibernating in the trees to shriek and take flight.

Bai Qingyan, reading in the carriage, abruptly lifted her eyes and slammed the book down heavily on the table, her eyes as dark as ink. Just as she lifted the curtain to the carriage window, she heard the earth-shattering sounds of battle all around.

Lu Yuanpeng reacted swiftly, immediately drawing his blade to guard Bai Qingyan’s carriage.

Now that they were deep within the pass, they would either break through or retreat...

"Your Majesty, hold on tight!" Lu Yuanpeng believed the chance to break through was greater, and decisively shouted, "Bai family army, hear my command, escort the Emperor out!"

Just as Lu Yuanpeng finished speaking, a rain of fire arrows, as if with eyes, flew straight at Bai Qingyan’s carriage.

No matter how sound her sleep, Bai Jinzhi was awakened by the commotion!

A soldier by nature, Bai Jinzhi instantly awoke, saying nothing as she lifted the cotton curtain. Before she could see anything, her elder sister pressed her head down, causing her to hit the table. As she looked up, she saw a flaming arrow, smelling strongly of pine oil, embed itself in the wooden wall of the carriage.

Fire oil dripped from the arrow shaft. Bai Jinzhi saw the blue flame about to touch the table, and despite the pain in her forehead, she grabbed her elder sister’s teacup to douse it, only to be stopped by Bai Qingyan. Using a cloth, she wiped the fire oil from the table, covered the flaming arrow to extinguish it, and threw it out.

The Bai family army guarded closely, bravely using swords and shields to fend off the arrow storm, but the rain of flaming arrows was so intense that swords alone couldn’t block them. The calls of agony filled Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi’s ears.

"Elder Sister, let me have a look outside!"

Bai Qingyan’s eyes were icy as she grabbed Bai Jinzhi, "The arrows rain down from above, and without armor, stepping out is death! Stay where you are!"

It wasn’t that Bai Qingyan was afraid for her life and unwilling to fight. The Bai family and Anping soldiers were fighting to the death to protect the Emperor of Zhou, and stepping out now would only cause chaos!

Given the intensity of the arrow assault and the sound of battle cries, their attackers were likely in greater numbers, at least double those she commanded.

While Bai Qingyan pondered this, she heard the sound of battle behind them as well.

"There are enemy troops at the rear! Be careful!" The Anping soldiers atop the high slope, standing tall, could see far and shouted, seeing a mass of troops emerge unexpectedly from the narrow pass below.

Liu Pinggao had faced many formations before and showed no fear, "Anping Army, hear the order, protect the Emperor at all costs!"

"Elder Sister!" Bai Jinzhi heard there were troops blocking them at the rear and immediately guessed... there were probably also forces blocking the front, "They mean to trap us here!"

Surrounded on all sides, with ambushers revealing themselves first, although they were midway, retreating troops had revealed themselves first! If Bai Qingyan’s assumptions were correct... then the main force was likely waiting at the exit!

"Protect the Emperor out!" Lu Yuanpeng shouted.

"Lu Yuanpeng, hear the order!" Bai Qingyan ignored the arrow rain and lifted the curtain, her gaze fixed intently on the high slope, "Lead half the Bai family army to charge up the right slope and retreat alternately with the Anping Army out of the pass!"

"Your servant obeys the order!" Lu Yuanpeng responded, mounted a fast horse, and led the soldiers to charge up the slope.

"Liu Pinggao..." Bai Qingyan called. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Your servant is here!"

"Lead the Anping Army to turn around and cut down the enemy at the choke point, ensure a path is cleared!"