Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 221 Offense and Defense (Part 1)

After a ten-day march, they left Yan County and entered the territory of Guangning County.

The people of Guangning County were much more in awe of Pei's army, and no one dared to approach them.

Pei Qinghe maintained a marching pace of sixty li per day. Sun Cheng, who was leading the scouts, was much faster, having already covered more than a hundred li and bringing new information every day.

"Reporting to the general, there was a group of rioters and bandits ahead. To save time, Chief Sun did not massacre them, but led the outpost to drive them away."

"Chief Sun has discovered the movements of the Xiongnu barbarians. They are currently in the territory of Guangning County, not attacking the county seat, but instead plundering villages where no one can resist."

Pei Xuan was furious: "Bah! These barbarians are cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong, they are despicable and shameless!"

Pei Qinghe glanced over and said, "The Xiongnu barbarians sent troops to plunder grain, silver, and people. Robbing villages is the easiest. They're not stupid; of course, they won't pick on the strong right away."

Pei Feng frowned and said, "With so many soldiers in Guangning, why don't they take the initiative to attack? Are they just standing there guarding the city walls, watching innocent civilians being killed and robbed?"

Pei Qinghe said calmly, "This is not the fault of the Guangning Army. The Xiongnu barbarians grew up on horseback and are the best cavalry. They are as fast as the wind. If the Guangning Army leaves the city, they can't even touch the tail of the Xiongnu barbarians' horses."

"In terms of combat strength, the Xiongnu barbarians are ruthless by nature, and every one of them is a skilled fighter. It's quite impressive that the Guangning Army was able to defend the city."

In short, the Guangning army simply lacked the capability to launch a proactive attack!
It wasn't just the Guangning Army. The Fanyang Army and the Liaoxi Army also faced the same situation when encountering the Xiongnu barbarians; they all had to avoid their sharp edge and focus on defending the city.

The only army truly capable of going toe-to-toe with the Xiongnu barbarians was the Beiping Army.

With the departure of the Beiping army, a fatal gap was left in Youzhou's border defenses. Now, the Pei family army has filled that void. However, they haven't yet faced the enemy head-on or undergone a true test.

Pei Qinghe herself was certainly not afraid of the Xiongnu barbarians. However, in a battle between two armies, individual bravery was not enough to determine the outcome. If the Pei family army behind her were all cowards and weaklings, even if she were a killing goddess descending to earth, it would be useless.

After several years of training, this is the real test of the Pei family army's combat strength and courage.

"It's good that you're confident. However, you must not be arrogant or underestimate the enemy." Pei Qinghe warned solemnly, "Also, we're here to help the Guangning Army defend the city. We must not have any disagreements with the Guangning Army over the matter of going into battle. The Guangning Army has far more experience fighting the Xiongnu barbarians than we do, and there are always things we can learn from them."

Pei Xuan and Pei Feng obediently agreed.

Pei Zhi, a few years older, stood by with her arms crossed, watching the commotion. Suddenly, she was called out: "Pei Zhi!"

Pei Zhi quickly lowered her arm: "Yes!"

Pei Qinghe said, "Yang Hu is now the commander-in-chief of the Guangning Army. You must not offend or disrespect him in public, lest you damage his prestige as a general."

Pei Zhi obediently replied, "I understand."

This time, it was Pei Xuan and Pei Feng's turn to watch the excitement with winks and smirks.

Pei Qinghe glanced at them, and Pei Xuan and Pei Feng immediately became serious and solemn: "Pass down my order: from today onwards, march eighty li every day and arrive at Guangning County as soon as possible."

"Yes!"

Three days later, the Pei family army appeared in a grand procession beneath the city walls of Guangning County.

Sun Cheng arrived in Guangning County ahead of them, and the Guangning army had already received the news. The brothers Yang Huai and Yang Hu led a group of military officers to open the city gates to welcome him.

Pei Qinghe raised his hand, signaling the cavalry behind him to stop, and then dismounted.

The towering Pei Yan rushed over like lightning: "Cousin Qinghe! You actually led the troops here in person!" Pei Qinghe hummed in response, reached out and patted Pei Yan's arm, signaling her to step aside.

Yang Huai and Yang Hu and their group stepped forward quickly, cupping their hands in gratitude: "General Pei personally led troops to our aid, and the entire Guangning Army is deeply grateful."

General Yang's death, along with the loss of three thousand elite soldiers who either perished or fled, was a fatal blow to the Guangning army. The Guangning army's morale was low, and their fighting strength was questionable. And then, at this critical moment, the Xiongnu barbarians arrived. Yang Huai and Yang Hu had no choice but to rally their spirits and lead their troops to defend the city.

In the brothers' minds, it would be extremely righteous for the Pei family army to send a few hundred elite soldiers to help them.

Unexpectedly, two thousand elite troops arrived, half of whom were cavalry. Pei Qinghe personally led the troops and brought three months' worth of military rations with him.

No need for a thousand words. Yang Huai secretly vowed in his heart that after this battle, as long as he was lucky enough to survive, he would willingly marry into the Pei family and serve the Pei family army.

Pei Qinghe said gently, "The Pei family army and the Guangning army are of the same ilk, and it is only right that they help each other. Let's not waste any more time and go into the city first."

The first to enter the city were a thousand cavalrymen.

Calling them cavalry isn't quite accurate. True cavalrymen are perfectly integrated, their minds and bodies in perfect harmony. They can charge, retreat, kill with swords, and form cavalry formations.

The Pei family army originally had only a few hundred horses. At the end of last year, the Zhan family returned with more than eight hundred horses, and the Pei family army only had this thousand cavalrymen. They had only been training for about half a year. They looked impressive and well-organized, but in reality, they were just infantrymen on horseback.

This alone was enough to make the soldiers of Guangning Army drool with envy and the people of Guangning County cheer like a tsunami.

After the thousand elite soldiers entered the city, they became the Pei family army's thousand infantry. Their uniform gray uniforms, orderly marching steps, and confident bearing were astonishing. Seventy percent of the soldiers were men, and the remaining thirty percent were women, who attracted even more attention.

Even the Beiping army back then didn't have this kind of style.

The Pei family army's flag was planted on the city wall of Guangning County, fluttering alongside the Guangning army's flag.

The people who came to welcome Pei's army into the city were excitedly discussing the army's many strengths. They lingered there for a long time, reluctant to leave.

The previously panicked hearts have calmed down today.

The Yang brothers, Yang Huai and Yang Hu, felt much more at ease.

Sun Cheng, who had arrived a few days earlier, had already found a suitable open space. The Pei family army of two thousand men set up camp on the spot, cleaning their swords, feeding their horses, lighting fires, and cooking, all in an orderly and efficient manner.

Pei Yan easily pushed Pei Xuan and Pei Feng aside and stayed close to Pei Qinghe.

She used to follow her cousin Qinghe around every day. This time, they had been apart for almost a month, an unprecedentedly long separation. Pei Qinghe chuckled, "No need to follow me so closely. I'm already here, I won't leave until I win."

Pei Yan chuckled: "Anyway, I'll sleep with you tonight."

Pei Qinghe smiled gently.

"General Pei," Yang Huai personally invited, his manner respectful, "General Yang has prepared wine and water, and invites General Pei to dine with us."

The General Yang that Yang Huai mentioned was Yang Hu, who had just taken office as the commander-in-chief a little over a month ago.

Pei Qinghe smiled and nodded: "Okay. I'll go right away."

……

(End of this chapter)