Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress novel Chapter 757

Chapter 757: Chapter 754: Must be Guarded Against_1

Bai Qingyan leaned against the soft couch by the window ledge of Boyun Courtyard, looking at the messages sent over and igniting the letter.

She squinted her eyes, staring at the blue flame devouring the paper, remaining silent for a long time.

Sending the epidemic to Daliang was an idea discussed by the Crown Prince and Elder Fang, hoping that after Daliang suffered from the epidemic, they would submit to the Jin Kingdom for the cure.

Qin Shangzhi had already gone to Guanghe Canal to oversee the major project of canal construction. Without Qin Shangzhi’s assistance in persuading him, the Crown Prince was led further astray by Elder Fang, using such unscrupulous methods to force Daliang to submit. Was he not afraid their own soldiers might also get infected? _{ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com}

In the late July of the seventeenth year of Xuanjia, Bai Qingyan finally received a letter from her third sister Bai Jintong, which settled the anxious heart she had for Bai Jintong.

Bai Jintong, now using the alias Cui Fengnian, was traveling in Xiliang. She mentioned that from Guanping, she had traveled to the seaport, sailed across the sea, and bought many rare items from the Jin Kingdom for the foreigners. She also purchased rare items from the foreigners at low prices and brought them back. Unexpectedly, she got lost at sea and discovered a place called Tianfeng Kingdom. Further exploration revealed that Tianfeng Kingdom was located behind the impassable snowy mountains behind the Rong.

The snow-covered mountain stretched endlessly from the wilderness front of Daliang and the Rong to the borders of Xiliang. Previously, they all thought the snowy mountains behind the Rong were the ends of the earth. Unexpectedly, there was another country in the central desert land beyond the valleys spanning dozens of miles beyond the snowy mountains.

The weapons in Tianfeng Kingdom were almost invincible. The weapons she brought were no match at all. Later, she learned that Tianfeng Kingdom used a special method in forging weapons, adding something called black powder.

This time, Bai Jintong sent back the letter with some black powder and a blacksmith from Tianfeng Kingdom, asking Bai Qingyan to see if it could be used. However, the language of Tianfeng Kingdom was something they had never encountered before and might not understand; they could only rely on gestures.

In the letter, Bai Jintong also mentioned that the items she sold in Xiliang, which the Xiliang nobility had never seen before, were very popular, especially among the six noble families of Xiliang, competing to buy them. Bai Jintong also made connections with numerous Xiliang nobles.

She also mentioned the Empress of Xiliang, noting that the Empress’s policy of promoting people from humble backgrounds applied not only to civil officials but also to military generals. She vaguely sensed that the Empress of Xiliang seemed to be secretly forming a military unit imitating the Huying Camp of the Bai family army under Yun Poxing’s command. Although it hadn’t been confirmed, she suspected that there might be some truth to it and would investigate whether any Huying Camp soldiers were captured and joined Xiliang.

Since the last battle at Wengshan between Xiliang and the Jin Kingdom, where Bai Qingyan burned and killed a hundred thousand elite soldiers, Xiliang had suffered a heavy blow and was no longer a match for the Jin Kingdom. Now, Xiliang was regrouping and the Empress of Xiliang had put forward a series of policies, vowing to rejuvenate Xiliang.

The latest decree from the Empress of Xiliang required men to split their families after marriage because both Xiliang and Jin Kingdom conscripted soldiers based on households. This expanded the source of soldiers in Xiliang, with many 14-year-old boys being conscripted. Xiliang seemed eager to take advantage of the chaos amidst the conflicts between Wei and Yan, Jin Kingdom and Daliang, as well as the Rong, to strengthen its military power.

Bai Jintong urged Bai Qingyan to remain vigilant.

Bai Jintong knew that the Jin Kingdom was caught in a major war with the Liang Kingdom and guessed that her eldest sister might have ambitions to annihilate Liang. With the incompetence of the Jin Imperial family and the outbreak of epidemics in two cities, the Jin Kingdom might not be able to spare forces to curb Xiliang. If they couldn’t stop Xiliang’s growth through war, Bai Jintong hoped to emulate Guan Zhong’s methods through commerce to constrain Xiliang’s livelihood, though it was uncertain and required a lot of silver, needing Bai Qingyan’s cooperation.

This time Bai Jintong sent a Jade Pendant back along with the letter. It was meant for Chun Tao, and Bai Qingyan was asked to pass it on.

After reading Bai Jintong’s letter, Bai Qingyan felt at ease.