Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress novel Chapter 229

Chapter 229: Chapter 227: Thank You Bai Family Army_1

Chapter 229: Chapter 227: Thank You Bai Family Army_1

Bai Qingyan listened to Qin Shangzhi’s words and nodded, cupping her fists towards the Crown Prince, “Then, please have the Crown Prince send someone to retrieve the bodies of my Huying Camp’s fallen elite soldiers and see what Xiliang has to say!”

“No, that can’t be done!” Fang Lao paused in stroking his beard and quickly looked at the Crown Prince. “No matter what, Qiushan Pass is still under Xiliang’s control. It is already inappropriate for the Jin Kingdom to have sent someone to scout in the first place. We can’t revert this now and request those bodies back. Wouldn’t that be admitting to Xiliang that we sent people to scout Qiushan Pass? Crown Prince, you must think this through!”

Upon hearing Fang Lao’s objection, Qin Shangzhi frowned deeply and immediately decided not to speak any further. After all, whenever Fang Lao spoke, the Crown Prince always heeded his advice, making anything he said pointless.

Bai Qingyan glanced at the seemingly composed Fang Lao and lowered her eyes in response, “Fang Lao’s concerns are valid. His Highness did instruct us to return quietly, but we failed to fulfill his command. We have let down His Highness!”

The Crown Prince saw Bai Qingyan kneeling on one knee, deeply remorseful, and signaled Quan Yu to help her up. He spoke slowly, “General Bai, there is no need for self-reproach! Originally, this began because Li Zhijie was evasive in the peace negotiation tent, even falsely accusing me of sending a maidservant, insisting on postponing the negotiation. It was only prudent for us to scout Qiushan Pass; besides, how else would we have known that a group of men in Jin uniforms, skilled in martial arts, was hiding there, ready to ally with Xiliang’s soldiers in defending the city?”

Bai Qingyan, supported by Quan Yu, looked towards Fang Lao with great respect, “What is Fang Lao’s wise plan?”

Fang Lao, feeling pleased with Bai Qingyan’s respectful demeanor, stroked his beard even more deliberately, turning his head towards the Crown Prince, “In my humble opinion, we should maintain our current position and stay alert. Let us protect the Crown Prince and see what King Yan Li Zhijie intends to do next.”

The Crown Prince thought for a moment and nodded, “What do you all think?”

“Currently, we are unsure of Xiliang’s intentions, so this is also good! However, we cannot leave our Huying Camp’s fallen elite soldiers’ bodies behind, right?”

Zhang Duanrui, being a soldier, felt strongly about this. The brothers from Huying Camp were comrades who fought and bled alongside them on the battlefield. How could their bodies be left unattended? This would chill the hearts of Jin Army soldiers!

Fang Lao raised his eyebrows, looking down at Zhang Duanrui, and asked loudly, “Are a few bodies more important than the reputation of the Jin Kingdom?”

Fang Lao’s question caused the generals in the tent to look at him with discontented, indifferent eyes.

“What do you literati know?!” Zhen Zeping stood up excitedly, gritting his teeth, “They were heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country! Are their lives as worthless as grass?! Are their bodies not worth anything?! Were they not born to their parents…”

“Indeed, we were all born to our parents! However, for the honor of the Jin Kingdom, I wouldn’t hesitate to have my old bones turned to dust. As soldiers… shouldn’t we be more aware of this than an old man like me? As subjects of the Jin Kingdom… our duty is to the Jin Kingdom! What does a mere skeleton count for?!” Fang Lao stood on the moral high ground, his voice powerful.

Zhen Zeping’s eyes widened, “Damn you!”

“You! A soldier may die but must not be humiliated! Crown Prince, will you just stand by and watch this disrespect?!” Fang Lao was so furious he nearly fainted. His face turned red.