Tiger Guards

Chapter 754 Arrogant at first and respectful at the end

Upon hearing the news, Yi Jing and Gongsun Zan donned their armor and climbed the wall to observe.

At this moment, he was in high spirits, and even the morale of the officers and guards around him was visibly bright and vigorous, with the whole group looking eager to try.

"Great! That's wonderful!"

Gongsun Zan watched as the Hebei Righteous Cavalry, scattered and flowing like mercury, appeared seven or eight miles away, and couldn't help but cheer repeatedly.

These Hebei knights advanced in groups, spreading along roads and country lanes, each with two feathers on their backs, slightly spread out to the left and right, like flames trembling.

Some small groups of Yuan Jun's knights attempted to set fire to the wheat, but the summer wheat, which was in the grain-filling stage, was not so easily ignited.
On the contrary, the arson committed by these Yuan army knights thoroughly enraged the military outposts outside Yijing City.

They could temporarily submit to Yuan's army, as long as they could still cultivate the land and make a living, then enduring it for a while wouldn't be a big deal.

However, Yuan Jun's act of setting fire to the wheat fields crossed the line for the men and women of the military village.

It may have been the influx of Hebei knights that inspired the resistance spirit of these men and women in the military settlements.

Those captured by Gongsun Zan and sent to the banks of the Yi River for military settlement were not only from Youzhou, but also from Jizhou, Qingzhou, and even Yanzhou.

If Gongsun Zan's foundation is stable, flourishing, and prosperous, then these men and women are Gongsun Zan's retainers and followers.

Unfortunately, Gongsun Zan's career has fluctuated greatly over the years, making their relationship of dependence unstable. After repeated ups and downs, it is more like a cooperative relationship.

Anyway, whoever rules this land, these military settlement households will grow grain for them, as long as they have enough food to get through the winter.

Pei Bao, the vanguard commander of the eastern route, led dozens of his personal cavalry to a mound of earth near the road.

He stopped his horse to observe and saw that all of Yuan's army camps were on fire, and the fires were raging and seemingly impossible to extinguish.

According to preliminary reconnaissance by scouts, these Yuan troops have all retreated into two cities on the north bank and Yiyin City on the south bank.

After personally observing the situation, Pei Bao turned to his chief clerk and said, "Tell the central army that what my eastern detachments have seen is that the rebel army on the north bank of the Yi River has burned down their fortifications and fled into the two military cities. Also, the pontoon bridge over the Yi River has been destroyed. I suggest recruiting shipbuilding craftsmen from the surrounding areas of Ji County to rebuild the pontoon bridge."

"Here."

The chief clerk agreed, and immediately a clerk dismounted, and an armored cavalryman also dismounted nimbly and knelt on one knee.

On the broad, flat back of the armored cavalry, based on Pei Bao's dictation, they carefully considered the words and began to write this military dispatch.

The military dispatch was then presented to Pei Bao. After Pei Bao confirmed that it was correct, he took out his personal seal, dipped it in ink, stamped it, and handed it to a five-man squad to be sent back to the rear.

Although Xu Huang could also confirm and investigate the military situation here through other channels, Pei Bao, who was now in charge of one of the three vanguard routes, should be prepared to maintain constant contact with the central army.

After the military dispatch was sent to the rear, Pei Bao saw the eastern gate of Yijing open, and a group of knights came straight towards him.

From afar, they could tell that the enemy's horses were thin and had long hair, and that this cavalry team of thirty or forty men couldn't run fast. There were also their own cavalry teams intercepting and inspecting them along the way.

Ultimately, only seven knights were able to pass through the blockade and gradually arrived at the mound where Pei Bao was located.

Behind Pei Bao, a knight carried a battle flag that read "Pei, the Commandant Who Suppresses Bandits." The approaching rider also carried two battle flags, one reading "Gongsun, the Prefect of Bohai" and the other "Gongsun, the General Who Destroys the Barbarians."

Gongsun Fan reined in his horse and looked around. When he saw the battle flag bearing the inscription "Commander Pei, the Bandit Suppressor," his gaze lingered on the character "Pei" for a couple of breaths. He then leaped off his horse and stepped forward, asking loudly, "Are you under the command of Grand Tutor Zhao?"

Pei Bao spurred his horse to the edge of the mound, then leaped off and handed the whip to a guard: "I am Pei Bao, the Right Vanguard General under the command of Commander-in-Chief Xu Gongming. Who are you?"

"General Gongsun Fan, who was in charge of defeating the enemy and serving as the governor of Bohai Commandery."

Seeing that the guards at the foot of the mound had opened the passage, Gongsun Fan stepped forward and asked urgently, "Where is Grand Tutor Zhao?"

“I do not know the whereabouts of the Grand Tutor. I am currently under the command of Governor Xu and have not inquired about the Grand Tutor’s whereabouts.”

Pei Bao also stepped down seven or eight paces, standing five or six paces away from Gongsun Fan, and asked directly, "How is the Marquis of Ji? How many soldiers in Yijing are still capable of fighting?"

"Although my elder brother suffered defeat at Xindu, his foundation remains intact. I have heard that the Grand Tutor's troops are approaching, and the bandit Yuan has gathered his forces and retreated. Now, all the officials and soldiers in the city are overjoyed, and there are no fewer than ten thousand who can fight." Gongsun Fan tried to put it as positively as possible, and added, "There are still more than five thousand fine horses in the city, but they are short of summer grazing. Now that the siege of Yijing has been lifted, the horses in the city can forage for food for more than a month and then they can join the battle."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but look around at the summer wheat around the hill. Even if the green wheat was harvested now to feed the horses, the horses would recover very quickly.

Green wheat in its grain-filling stage is a horse's favorite.

"Can we only join the war after more than a month?"

Pei Bao asked a question, and seeing Gongsun Fan nod, he immediately told his chief clerk, "Report back to the central army and say that General Gongsun Polu has come out of the city to meet us. He said that there are more than 10,000 soldiers and more than 5,000 fine horses in the city. After resting for more than a month, they can join the battle."

"Here."

The chief clerk agreed. Pei Bao examined Gongsun Fan and his cavalry. He saw that these people had full faces, which showed that the grain reserves in Yijing City were indeed plentiful.

However, Gongsun Fan and others had dark circles under their eyes, and their skin was an unhealthy white, with an overall dry appearance.

With a simple observation, Pei Bao concluded that Gongsun Fan and his men were severely lacking in vegetables, and thus could infer the health condition of the horses in the city.

Gongsun Fan disliked Pei Bao's scrutinizing gaze, which resembled that of someone buying and selling livestock, and asked curiously, "What's going on, Commandant Pei?"

"It's nothing. You all look pale and unwell. Is there a shortage of salt in the city?"

"There is enough salt to last for several years."

Gongsun Fan couldn't help but smile as he spoke: "Bohai and Pingyuan produce salt, which, although not as much as Qi and Le'an, is enough to supply Yijing."

"Ah."

Pei Bao nodded and said, "Please ask General Polu to return to the city and tell Marquis Ji to wait patiently. Once Commander Gongming hears of this, he will send an envoy into the city to discuss matters concerning the cooperation between the two armies with Marquis Ji."

"That's fine too."

Gongsun Fan cupped his hands in reply, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, but he couldn't help asking, "I wonder what the relationship is between Commandant Pei and the former Prefect of the Capital, Lord Pei?"

“We are already beyond the fifth degree of kinship; my brother is my sister’s husband, the Grand Tutor.”

Pei Bao answered calmly, without showing any anger.

The Pei family manor suffered heavy damage, and no matter how frenzied the army was, they would not kill Pei Hu and Pei Bao's close relatives.

They were originally a collateral branch of the Pei clan, and the so-called unity of a large family was often just something to show to outsiders, or they would only emphasize unity and cooperation when they were hunting together.

The oppression within one's own clan on ordinary days can be even more ruthless and cruel than the oppression of servants and slaves.

No one likes their livestock to go missing or die, but if a group of poor relatives suddenly die of illness... that's obviously a good thing.

Having experienced Pei Mao's rebellion, Pei Bao had adapted to the changes in the outside world.

Upon hearing Pei Bao's simple self-introduction, Gongsun Fan, who was already standing at the foot of the earthen mound, tried his best to straighten his back, not wanting to lose face as a general and prefect in front of a mere captain.

Upon learning Pei Bao's true identity, Gongsun Fan naturally leaned forward slightly to observe Pei Bao more closely, and their positions immediately became more harmonious.

Pei Bao remained calm about this change, finding it quite commonplace.

Compared to others, Gongsun Fan, who was in a weaker position and had to ask for help, was already considered to have great integrity.

Otherwise, the local warlords of Youzhou, whose customs were influenced by both Han and non-Han cultures, would have been very generous in having their wives, daughters, and daughters-in-law entertain and serve Pei Bao.

As for concubines and maids, some were even considered beneath them, and there was a fear that these servants would take advantage of them.

(End of this chapter)