Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 215 Bad News

The joy of Emperor Jian'an's wedding had not yet subsided when he was struck by a devastating piece of bad news.

Tao Wudi personally led his troops out of the city in the middle of the night to launch a surprise attack. The Wuyi army suffered a great defeat, their commander was beheaded, and the soldiers scattered and fled.

Seeing the situation was unfavorable, the Chang Le army also retreated. They didn't forget to submit a memorial, filled with heartache and self-reproach for their incompetence.

Emperor Jian'an was so angry that his face turned ashen, and he collapsed to the ground.

Without hesitation, Eunuch Shen rushed forward and knelt down, becoming the emperor's shield, and was bruised and bleeding from his head. Only after the imperial physician rushed over and the emperor was moved to the dragon bed did Eunuch Shen get up, covering his nose, and be helped down with a limp.

Empress Zhang wiped away tears beside the dragon bed.

Upon hearing the news, General Zhang entered the palace. Seeing Empress Zhang in such a state, General Zhang was displeased and sternly rebuked her: "As Empress, how can you be so weak? The Emperor's blood rushed to his head temporarily; the imperial physicians will soon awaken him with acupuncture. What is there to cry about?"

Empress Zhang held her father in great awe and dared not cry any longer, staying by the emperor's side with red eyes.

Prime Minister Pang and other important officials entered the palace and stood guard outside the emperor's bedroom.

An hour later, Emperor Jian'an finally opened his eyes and woke up. The first thing he saw was his father-in-law, and the first thing he said was, "Has the rebel army come to attack the city?"

General Zhang replied in a deep voice, "The rebel army has won a great victory and their morale is high. If they don't come today, they will come tomorrow or later. Your Majesty, rest assured, with the Bohai Army here, we will definitely be able to defend the city gates."

Emperor Jian'an's panicked heart calmed down a little.

General Zhang then said, "I request Your Majesty to issue an edict ordering all garrisons in the north that are loyal to the court to send troops here."

With the precedents of the Chang Le Army and the Wu Yi Army, Emperor Jian'an was filled with apprehension, lacking both confidence and assurance. He whispered, "What if they refuse to come, or if they come and suffer a crushing defeat like the Chang Le Army?"

General Zhang sighed, a rare occurrence: "At a time like this, we can't worry about so much. No matter how many men come, they can hold back the rebel army. We must first ensure that Bohai Commandery is not lost."

"There is no time to lose, Your Majesty. Make a decision as soon as possible."

Emperor Jian'an took a deep breath: "I will listen to my father-in-law and issue the decree immediately."

Meng Liulang strode forward, cupped his hands, and asked to go up to the city gate.

At this critical moment, there's no time for fighting; securing Bohai Commandery is the top priority. General Zhang didn't object; he even praised the valiant Beiping army while holding his nose.

Where does the face come from?

For the past few months, the Beiping army has been recruiting new soldiers, requiring funds and provisions, which the Zhang family has repeatedly obstructed. They fear that the growing strength of the Beiping army will threaten the Bohai Navy. Their selfish motives are truly despicable. Now, however, they are praising the Beiping army.

Meng Liulang sneered inwardly, but under Meng Dalang's frequent gesturing, he barely managed to suppress his sarcastic remarks.

……

The Wuyi army suffered a crushing defeat and fled in disarray, while the Changle army quietly withdrew. The rebel army then launched a renewed and fierce attack on the city. The emperor issued an edict summoning loyal troops to defend the capital.

The news reached Peijia Village.

Pei Qinghe, who was diligently training his cavalry, did not flinch: "The Pei family army is weak and has few generals. They can barely protect the people of Yan County and Beiping County. They are not capable of fighting the rebel army. We will not deploy them for the time being."

Within the Pei family army, Pei Qinghe's words were law. She remained inactive, and not a single person came to persuade her to send troops.

After receiving the imperial edict, General Yang of the Guangning Army sighed deeply and quickly mustered his troops for battle. The Guangning Army had eight thousand soldiers; General Yang took half with him, leaving the other half to guard the camp. Before leaving, General Yang repeatedly instructed Yang Huai, Yang Hu, and others: "You must guard the camp. Be sure to guard against the Xiongnu barbarians taking the opportunity to invade."

"In case the Xiongnu barbarians come, immediately send a message to Pei's army for help."

Yang Hu muttered to himself, "General Pei is as cold as iron. He wouldn't even send troops when the Emperor was in trouble. Why would he send troops to support us?"

General Yang replied, "General Pei does not want to be drawn into the civil war, so she refuses to send troops. If a foreign enemy comes, she will certainly not stand idly by."

He paused for a moment and said to Yang Huai, "I am leading troops to defend the emperor, and I don't know when I will return. If I die in battle, you don't need to observe mourning; you should marry into the Pei family as soon as possible."

That sounds incredibly ominous, like someone making their final arrangements.

Yang Huai's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out, "Maybe we shouldn't go! Anyway, the Pei family army didn't go."

Yang Hu chimed in, "Tao Wudi is so powerful, Uncle should probably not go."

General Yang's face darkened: "The Emperor has issued an edict, how can I not go? I have already given the military order, and it will not be changed."

Then, he led four thousand elite soldiers to the Bohai Navy.

There are always some generals like General Yang who are loyal to the court. The troops stationed in the north were all mobilized. If you looked down at the whole north from above, you could see several armies rushing towards Bohai Commandery from different directions.

The army's discipline was poor at the time; wherever the army passed, it was no different from a bandit's rampage. Countless households had their food stolen, their wives and daughters violated, and were forced into the ranks. The number of refugees hiding in the Yanshan Mountains suddenly increased.

The bandits in Yanshan had long been wiped out by Pei's army. Yanshan had long since become Pei's territory.

The Yanshan Mountains stretch endlessly, and refugees seeking refuge in the deep forests and mountains are like water flowing into rivers. However, the deep mountains are infested with wild beasts, birds of prey, snakes, rats, insects, and ants, and there is no stable source of food, so survival is not easy.

Countless refugees who flocked to Yanshan perished along the way, traversing the mountains and forests. Of those who ultimately succeeded, perhaps only two or three out of ten managed to find Peijia Village.

Looking at the vast fields where farmers were peacefully cultivating the land, and at the endless, sturdy walls, the ragged refugees wept bitterly.

"We've finally found Pei Family Village."

"Being taken in by General Pei means we'll have better days ahead."

“Other armies are more terrifying than bandits. The Pei family army never bullies the people and only collects 30% of the land tax each year. General Pei is like a Bodhisattva descended from heaven to save us.”

The displaced people, having lost their homes and nowhere to go, regarded Peijia Village as a paradise. Coming here, they found a way to survive.

Faced with the surge in refugees, Pei Qinghe also felt immense pressure.

This month, the number of refugees seeking refuge has been several times higher than usual. If this trend continues, the number will only increase.

Although Pei Family Village had stockpiled a lot of grain, it couldn't accept refugees indefinitely. She had to ensure that the soldiers of the Pei Family Army were well-fed first, and that everyone in Pei Family Village had food. Only then, after considering the remaining resources, could she accept some refugees.

"Shi Yan, calculate the grain reserves. Set aside enough for the Pei family army's annual rations and the entire village's annual food supply." Pei Qinghe said in a low voice, "See how much surplus grain we have, and how many refugees we can accommodate."

During this period, refugees poured in one after another, and Shi Yan, as the chief steward, was the busiest person. He almost wore out the abacus beads every day. He saved every grain of food and calculated every penny.

After Pei Qinghe gave the instructions, Shi Yan flipped through the account book again without saying a word, calculated it once, and said in a hoarse voice: "If we keep enough food for a year, we can take in a maximum of two thousand more refugees."

(End of this chapter)