A tall, lean man, upon hearing the reply, leered as he approached her.
"Beauty, whose subordinate are you? We're General Zhao's men. General Zhao has discerning taste and wouldn't fancy you; following us means the same good food and drink."
Food was scarce enough on the frontier, so it was General Zhao hoarding it all.
Bai Ran watched as the men drew nearer, her smile growing wider. "This humble girl still wishes to meet General Zhao. May I ask where this General Zhao is?"
As Bai Ran spoke, a hand had already landed on her slender waist.
"The General is busy with important military matters right now and has no time for you, little beauty."
The man was about to lean in. Just as she was about to retaliate.
"Shameless! Release that young lady at once!" A gaunt, burly man stood behind them, tightly gripping a spear, his eyes blazing with fury as he looked at Zhao Kang's men.
The several men turned and glanced at him dismissively. "I wondered who it was. Turns out it's just some riff-raff under a traitor."
Bai Ran followed their gaze and noticed the burly man wore a maple leaf-shaped brooch on his chest, while these men wore raindrop-shaped ones.
"You shut your mouth! General Bai is no traitor!" The burly man, his bottom line seemingly crossed, charged at them with his spear.
However, having not had a drop of water or a morsel of food for a long time, his strength failed him. He was quickly subdued by the men.
One of them stepped on the man's haggard face and ground it. "You've got spirit, but you wilted as soon as you fought. As expected from someone led by a traitor, useless just like them. Hahahaha!"
The burly man lay weakly on the ground, gritting his teeth, his eyes filled with unyielding stubbornness.
"General Bai... is not a traitor!"
The man struggled violently, only to be knocked down again.
The mocking laughter of the men incessantly invaded his ears. The burly man's heart ached, and he closed his eyes tightly.
He couldn't even deal with a few despicable scoundrels. If General Bai were here, he would surely laugh at his incompetence.
Alas, ever since Zhao Kang arrived, he hadn't heard General Bai's hearty laughter.
General Bai, where are you? The soldiers are all waiting for you.
"The General Bai you speak of, is it Bai Hanfeng?" A clear, melodious female voice reached his ears.
The man opened his eyes. A peerlessly beautiful face entered his sight. A woman was crouching beside him.
It was her? The woman who had been harassed.
"Yes," the burly man replied. Just as he finished, he saw several men behind her closing in with ill intentions, ready to attack her.
"Miss! Run!"
Bai Ran turned her head. A man was reaching out towards her.
*Crack.*
An arm fell, and blood splattered everywhere.
"Aaaah! My arm! My arm!"
The man clutched his severed limb and shouted to those beside him.
"It was you, wasn't it? That hand just touched my waist." Bai Ran stared at the man with the severed arm, her gaze sharp and her eyes filled with a killing intent that made him shiver.
"So what? Capture her alive! I want to toy with her!"
The remaining men charged at Bai Ran.
The burly man mustered all his strength to stand up, intending to help her. In the next instant, he froze.
He saw Bai Ran stepping on one man's back, with several others lying awkwardly on the ground, their lives uncertain.
She kicked the person under her foot, turned around, and said to the burly man, "Take me to your camp."
"You, you are?" The man snapped back to reality, looking at Bai Ran warily.
"Bai Hanfeng is my uncle." She walked leisurely to the man and dropped a bombshell.
Uncle? This woman was General Bai's niece?
Was she old Master Bai's granddaughter?
The man stared at the woman before him in disbelief, his eyes nearly popping out.
"Stunned? Let's go." Bai Ran raised an eyebrow at him.
"Yes, yes!" The man stiffly led the way.
They chatted intermittently along the way.
The burly man was named Li Zhong. He had served under Bai Hanfeng for five years. But a year ago, Zhao Kang arrived at the frontier, and Bai Hanfeng and Bai Xiu disappeared overnight, labeled as traitors.
Zhao Kang presented evidence of Bai Hanfeng's treason, and in a flash, Zhao Kang became the new general, acting atrociously in the camp, bullying men and women. His daughter, Zhao Yutong, gained an excellent reputation in the army by feigning gentleness and kindness and distributing food generously.
When Bai Zhantian arrived, the soldiers followed him to victory, thinking hope had arrived. Unexpectedly, Bai Zhantian was also accused of hoarding grain and was imprisoned by Zhao Kang.
The fleeting hope was extinguished. Coupled with the crimes they were accused of, their stored grain was forcibly handed over. The men in the camp could no longer endure.
Bai Hanfeng and Bai Xiu had been missing for a year?
Bai Ran listened, a sense of unease creeping in.
Who had sent the letter her grandfather received?
Why was it sent in Bai Hanfeng's name? What was the purpose?
They reached Bai Hanfeng's camp.
Soldiers sat listlessly on the ground everywhere, all weak and with vacant eyes, clearly having starved for a long time.
Maple leaf banners lay on the ground, tattered and torn, fluttering slightly in the breeze. There wasn't a decent tent in the entire camp.
Li Zhong lowered his head, unable to bear the sight.
"Miss, please don't mind. They just haven't eaten in a long time."
How could Bai Ran mind? On the frontier, lives were at stake.
The most important thing now was to feed the soldiers and give them the strength to resist Zhao Kang's men.
"Bad news! Bad news! Wu Cai has been injured by Zhao Kang's men!" Someone from a distance shouted, carrying a blood-covered man.
The soldiers, who had been listless moments ago, suddenly sprang up and surrounded him.
"What! Wu Cai was injured!"
"So badly!"
"All our military doctors have gone to Zhao Kang's side. What do we do!"
Even Li Zhong rushed over anxiously.
"What can we do? He looks like he's not going to make it!"
"Should we beg Zhao Kang?" a man asked softly.
"No!" Li Zhong roared at him. "Do you think Wu Cai will accept it if he wakes up and finds out we begged Zhao Kang to save him?"
"We are General Bai's men. We live and die as such." Li Zhong looked at the men around him, his eyes filled with determination and loyalty.
The man who spoke earlier lowered his head in shame, silent, as if he had realized his mistake.
Bai Ran observed the scene before her and raised an eyebrow.
Facing death, unyielding, loyal, and united.
Uncle, the army you led is indeed outstanding.
She smiled and slowly approached the unconscious Wu Cai.
"Who are you?" The men surrounding him looked at Bai Ran's delicate face with confusion. They didn't seem to have seen her before.
"She is General Bai's niece," Li Zhong explained.
"Miss, this is too bloody. You should step away."
Upon hearing that she was General Bai's niece, the surrounding men couldn't help but worry that they, rough men, might frighten her, a delicate young lady.