"Who isn’t afraid of death?" Bai Qingyan said with a smile. "Even Qin Shi Huang was afraid... Otherwise, why did he send Xu Fu to seek the elixir of immortality?"
Some soldiers nodded in agreement. One of the bolder ones said to Bai Qingyan, "But we’ve heard that the Princess of Zhen isn’t afraid of death. In earlier battles, she fought alongside the soldiers on the frontline!"
Bai Qingyan, clad in silver armor, sat down with a smile and gestured for the soldiers to sit as well. She began to speak slowly, "I am human too; how could I not fear death? I remember the first time I went to the battlefield with my grandfather when I was thirteen. It was the first time I saw heads roll, saw the dismembered bodies of either the enemy or our comrades. I vomited profusely and developed a high fever that night. I wanted to retreat and return to Dadu City, unwilling to stay on the battlefield..."
The soldiers from the wounded camp gathered around, eager to hear more from Bai Qingyan.
Yue Shi, being very perceptive, brought a stool for Xiao Rongyan. Xiao Rongyan sat down calmly, his deep gaze never leaving the smiling Bai Qingyan.
She turned to a veteran missing an ear who seemed to want to escape and said, "Back then, I was just like you, wanting to desert! I told my grandfather... we’re all human, all born to parents. Although we are not one nation, we share the same script, same vehicles, same measures, same rituals. How is this different from being one nation? Hundreds of years ago, when Qin Shi Huang unified the country, we were one. Why must we shed blood and sacrifice? Why must we fight today and tomorrow? Why can’t tenant farmers focus on farming? Why can’t young scholars study, gain fame, and use their knowledge to enrich and strengthen the nation?"
"Whose life isn’t precious in this world? Who wasn’t loved by their parents since birth, raised for over a decade into adulthood? Is it really just to raise us to wield weapons against the good sons of other families and die on the battlefield?"
As Bai Qingyan spoke to the soldiers, her pace was neither fast nor loud, but her words resonated deeply with them.
Who doesn’t cherish their life? Who actually wants to come to the battlefield and sacrifice?
Xiao Rongyan noticed the solemn expressions of the soldiers as they quietly watched Bai Qingyan.
"I asked my grandfather, why do we fight? Is it truly to protect our homeland and civilians, or for the interests of the ruling monarchs, letting common people shed blood and sacrifice! One day, a monarch fancies fertile lands of another nation, sends troops, unbothered by the death toll, only caring if they capture the desired land. To them, the dead soldiers are mere numbers. Which monarch knows the names of the soldiers who died for their personal ambitions?!"
"The next day, a monarch commands to avenge an insult from another nation, forcing soldiers to the field to prove their country’s strength by washing away the insult with blood. Why don’t they go to the battlefield themselves? For their son’s revenge, they disregard the lives of civilians and the bloodshed of soldiers. If the monarch truly wants revenge, why don’t they wield their own swords? Is the life of their son more valuable than the soldiers who spill blood and sacrifice? Do they not have parents? Were they all born from stones?"
Xiao Rongyan tightened his palm. Such bold words from Bai Qingyan... this could be considered challenging the royal authority.
The soldiers were also shocked by Bai Qingyan’s words, whispering among themselves.
Bai Qingyan stood up slowly, as if unfazed by the shock of her words. "I asked my grandfather... when will the world truly be at peace? When will there be no more wars?"
She looked around at the soldiers encircling her and raised her voice, "My grandfather told me, all our military campaigns are to protect our homeland and civilians! But more importantly, to unify the world! Only with a unified world, where all seas are one family, can the people enjoy eternal peace! The Bai family and the Bai family army protect not just the people of Jin Kingdom but the world! We safeguard not just Jin’s people but all the people! This is the aspiration passed down through the Bai family generations, the founding principle of the Bai family army! Leaving a golden and silver mountain for future generations is a skill, but to secure a peaceful land for future generations free from worry and fear is the true heroism!"
"I am telling you all this not to boast about the Bai family ancestors’ grand ambitions. I want to tell you... the Bai family ancestors were also human, also feared death! But despite their fear, they fought to ensure our descendants do not live in chaos like us. To ensure our descendants do not spill blood for a monarch’s interests!"
"The reason I face death willingly is summed up in four words... peace in the world!"
Bai Qingyan held up four fingers, pausing between each word, then withdrew one finger, clenched her high-raised fist.
"Whether Liang people or Jin people, we are all citizens of the world! Our current campaign is unlike any previous war! Today, we are here, not fighting for any nation’s rulers, but for our descendants! For world peace!" Bai Qingyan clasped her fists and looked around at the already impassioned soldiers, "Therefore, I implore you to fight alongside me, Bai Qingyan, to make the world free of war and bloodshed! I will exhaust my life’s efforts to let you see the unification of the world, where people live and work in peace!"
Bai Qingyan’s voice was sonorous and stirring, filling the soldiers with fervor.
A young soldier at the front, his one remaining eye red, knelt on one knee, clasped his fists, and yelled, "I swear to follow the Princess of Zhen to the death!"
The soldiers in the wounded camp were not moved merely by Bai Qingyan’s words, but by her consistent actions aligning with her words.
Though known as the God of Slaughter, Bai Qingyan ordered her troops not to loot the civilians after conquering cities in Liang Kingdom and even helped treat the plague-stricken.
Especially outside Liuzhou City, Bai Qingyan sent Jin soldiers and military doctors to treat the people in the Taoist Temple, unafraid of Liang Kingdom officials obtaining the medical formulas and losing leverage in future negotiations.
Bai Qingyan even ordered General Zhao to send the prescription to Yang Wuce so that it could be taken to the capital to save more people in Liang Kingdom.