The First Marquis of Leisure

"Bai Heng, quickly take some men to assist the young master; leave this to us!"

Seeing this, Bai Li brandished his spear as if he were in an empty field.

Bai Heng gritted his teeth, picked up his spear, and led a few riders to quickly chase after Bai Xinghe.

Seeing that Bai Xinghe was pointing the finger at them, Chen Feng, Chen Ping and his son, and the other young men from prominent families panicked.

I never expected that the cooked duck would fly away, and we were already at the crucial moment of execution.

The old troops who were missing during the day suddenly appeared, accompanied by eight hundred imposing cavalry.

"Help! Quick, someone come here! Stop them!"

Chen Feng, covered in sweat, retreated with his son, trying to use the armored soldiers of the Nine Gates Admiral to block Bai Xinghe and Bai Heng!

As long as the Imperial Guards and the Nine Gates Commander mobilize a large number of armored soldiers, everything is still under control!

"You bastards, I told you, I would definitely kill you and your son!"

Bai Xinghe gritted his teeth and gave Bai Heng a wink.

Bai Heng understood immediately and led more than ten riders to charge forward, attracting the attention of a large number of armored soldiers.

He picked up his knife, spurred his horse, and charged forward.

"Stop him! Stop him now!"

Chen Feng's face turned deathly pale. He abandoned even his own son and fled frantically.

Bai Xinghe rode his warhorse in pursuit, for a two-legged man cannot outrun a four-legged horse.

Before long, Bai Xinghe caught up with him.

He raised his knife and slashed at Chen Feng's neck, drawing blood. Chen Feng screamed and collapsed on the spot.

Then the warhorse trampled several scions of noble families who were so frightened that their legs went weak to the ground.

Only Chen Ping remained, terrified. His legs trembled, and he forgot to run away, kneeling on the ground begging for mercy.

"Spare me, spare me, Young Master Bai, no, Grandpa Bai, spare me! It was all instigated by Prime Minister Li and his son!"

Without any hesitation, Bai Xinghe, pressed for time, reined in his sword, and stomped down with his blade.

At that very moment, Li Taibei and his confidants led a large number of Imperial Guards and a large number of soldiers from the Nine Gates Commandery to arrive quickly.

Seeing that he was about to be completely taken over, Bai Heng dared not delay any longer.

He shouted at Bai Xinghe, "Young Master, it's too late! We must get out of the city immediately, otherwise, once we're surrounded, none of us will be able to escape!"

Bai Xinghe nodded. He glanced at the vast army that was rushing towards them. Although he was unwilling, there was nothing he could do.

"withdraw!"

After receiving Bai Xinghe's order, Bai Heng spurred his horse and led more than ten riders in a charge.

Meanwhile, Bai Shuang and Bai Li also rescued Zhang Chunqiu, the Eighth Prince, the Third Prince, and others.

However, there were simply too many people, and there was no time to rescue them.

Li Taibei spotted the formidable white cavalry from afar, but he remained calm.

Because this is the capital city, it not only has a large number of armored soldiers under the command of the Nine Gates Admiral, but also 20,000 Imperial Guards, whose equipment and quality are not inferior.

Although the eight hundred cavalrymen were fierce and swift, their advantage would be greatly diminished once they entered the city.

"Bai Tianque had indeed harbored disloyal intentions all along, secretly raising an army!"

"They've come at the perfect time! Immediately order the nine gates to be closed and the traitors executed—leave no one alive!"

Upon receiving Li Taibei's order, the Imperial Guards and the Nine Gates Commander's armored soldiers were combined into two forces, all personally led by He Taiji.

They held long spears, formed ranks, and advanced rapidly and methodically.

This formation is specifically designed to counter cavalry charges, as seen in this scenario.

Bai Shuang, Bai Heng, and Bai Li also gave the order to gather all eight hundred cavalry.

"All of you, heed my command! Even if we all perish today, we must escort the young master safely out of the city!"

"kill!"

At a single command, the three men took the lead and charged into battle.

In an instant, eight hundred riders converged into a white torrent and rushed in one direction.

Bai Xinghe gritted his teeth, urged his warhorse forward, and charged after him, sword in hand.

"Brother Bai, count me in!"

As the third prince, Zhao Xing was skilled in both literature and martial arts from a young age. He also leaped onto his horse, took up his weapon, and joined the fray.

"Lord Li, these cavalrymen are extremely skilled tactically; we simply cannot stop them!"

Soon, a deputy general of the Imperial Guard rushed over to report the situation.

Li Taibei scoffed, saying, "Anyone who dares to back down, kill them!"

"Young master, you must quickly lead the others out of the city first. If we are too late, the nine gates will close, and we will have no way to escape!"

Bai Li, covered in blood, urged them loudly.

But it's obvious that Li Taibei won't do as he wishes.

There was a huge disparity in numbers between the two sides. Even if each of the eight hundred cavalrymen could fight ten men, it wouldn't make a difference. Besides, this was the capital city, which limited the cavalry's room to maneuver.

Bai Xinghe had obviously seen this, and he originally wanted to make a breakthrough and head straight for Li Taibei.

It would be best if we could kill Li Taibei, but that's clearly impossible.

A large group of armored soldiers stood in front of Li Taibei, holding bows and arrows.

"Charge out!"

Bai Xinghe roared and led the crowd to rush out of the city gate.

Bai Shuang and Bai Li brought up the rear, while Bai Heng and Bai Xinghe led the way.

Seeing this, Li Tianbei hardened his heart and ordered, "Archers, prepare! Fire!"

"Lord Li, this is a street in the capital, surrounded by civilians. If we fire arrows, many innocent people will likely be harmed!"

"Didn't you hear my order?" Li Taibei said coldly, "Fire!"

Soon, arrows rained down like rain, densely packed from the sky.

In an instant, many civilians who did not have time to escape were all killed.

The once bustling streets were now a scene of utter devastation, filled with screams of agony.

Bai Xinghe, along with his three trusted lieutenants and eight hundred cavalry, charged madly towards the city gates.

If they charged at the normal speed of cavalry, they would certainly have been able to break through before the nine gates closed.

But right now, they not only have to face the encirclement of many Admiral's soldiers and Imperial Guards, but also have to be wary of a hail of arrows.

More importantly, many elderly, weak, women and children from the Marquis's residence, the Third Prince's residence, and the Eighth Prince's residence were also among them.

These people greatly delayed their escape from the city and were on the verge of being surrounded.

Bai Heng made a cruel decision.

He immediately pulled on the reins and stopped, then roared, "Bai Shuang, Bai Li, you two quickly take the young master out of the city! I'll stay behind to cover the rear!"

Staying behind to cover the rear in this situation is a matter of life and death.

"Uncle Heng, let's go together!"

Bai Xinghe roared.

Bai Heng acted decisively, instructing the cavalrymen beside him, "You are all soldiers trained by the general before his death. No matter what happens, remember, you must protect the young master's safety!"

"Yes, sir!" Several cavalrymen responded and forcibly escorted Bai Xinghe away.

"Uncle Heng, no!"

Bai Xinghe roared, wanting to go back to help, but was stopped by Bai Li who rushed over.

"Young master, now is not the time to act on impulse. Only if you live is there any hope!"

"No, no!" Bai Xinghe was terrified. He watched helplessly as Bai Heng, all alone, held a long spear and blocked the armored soldiers who were surrounding him!

"Young Master Bai, I shall depart first, to follow the late Emperor. To have known you, my life has not been in vain!"

At this moment, Zhang Chunqiu also made a major decision. He knew that if he took them with him, he would be able to leave.

Even if they break out of the city, they will be caught up!

"Old Zhang, no, let's go together!"

Zhang Chunqiu shook his head, a relieved smile appearing on his lips.

"Zhang Zhi, from now on you must remember to follow Young Master Bai and survive!"

"Grandpa, I'm with you!" Zhang Zhi shouted, his eyes red.

"Your Highness, I'm off!"

Xiao Changqing also chose to stay. Although he was a scholar, he was not afraid of death.

"We'll stay with Mr. Zhang too!"

"We'll stay too!"

Many of Zhang Chunqiu's students made their choices.

"And so will I!" The Eighth Prince also chose to stay.

"Xinghe, I only ask one thing of you: if possible, please take good care of Sisi from now on!"

"Eighth Prince!"

"Brother Xiao, no! Come back! Please!"

Bai Xinghe's pupils were about to burst, his eyes were wet, and he roared.

"Brother, we can't let Old Zhang, Uncle Ba, and all of them sacrifice themselves in vain!"

Zhao Xing was covered in blood, gripping his weapon. Faced with this situation, he was much more decisive than Bai Xinghe.

"Uncle Li, Uncle Shuang, hurry and save them! Quick, Uncle Heng!"

Bai Shuang and Bai Li gritted their teeth, then suddenly knocked Bai Xinghe unconscious and carried him onto the horse's back.

"Retreat immediately!"

Bai Heng looked back and saw that Bai Shuang and Bai Li had successfully led Bai Xinghe out of the encirclement. A smile appeared on his face!

Then he looked at the assembled armored soldiers and imperial guards, as well as Xiao Changqing, who had chosen to stay and die with him, and many ordinary people from the Crown Prince's residence, the Eighth Prince's residence, and the Marquis's residence!

"You all did a great job, our deaths will not have been in vain!"

"As long as my young master is alive, the Marquis of Zhenguo's mansion will exist forever!"

Bai Heng, mounted on his horse, pointed his spear forward, aiming directly at Li Taibei!

"Li Taibei, He Taiji, go back and tell that tyrant that blood debts must be repaid in blood! One day, the young master will surely return and raze this filthy Zhao imperial palace to the ground!"