Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 223 Ambush
This is an ideal location for an ambush.

The official road was flanked by mountains and forests, which could minimize the advantage of the Xiongnu barbarians, who were all cavalry.

The tactic of luring the enemy in a series of traps was executed perfectly. Although young, Yang Hu was a true military genius.

The first fast horse charged forward. The Xiongnu barbarians were babbling incoherently, shouting something incomprehensible. Pei Qinghe pulled a sharp arrow from his quiver, drew back the bowstring, but did not release the arrow.

Pei Yan, Pei Zhi, Sun Cheng, and Tao Feng also drew their bows and held their breath in anticipation.

The Xiongnu barbarians ran extremely fast in pursuit of the defeated troops ahead, and in the blink of an eye, dozens of fast horses galloped past.

Pei Qinghe remained motionless.

The thunderous sound of hooves swept past, at least a thousand cavalrymen had passed, before Pei Qinghe calmly released his arrow.

Whoosh!
The arrow, long prepared, flew out like lightning, piercing the chest of a Xiongnu barbarian. The Xiongnu barbarian let out a scream and fell from his horse. He was trampled over by the galloping horses behind him, turning into a pile of mud.

Whoosh whoosh!
Pei Yan and the others unleashed a flurry of arrows, a rapid rain of arrows. Precision wasn't necessary; hitting any part of the Xiongnu warrior's body or even their horse would suffice. Once a warrior fell, the surging horses behind would be unable to stop due to inertia. They would either trample the fallen Xiongnu warrior to death, or the horses behind would collide with the fallen ones, throwing them violently to the ground.

In an instant, countless people died or were injured on the official road.

The Xiongnu warriors who had already fled ahead were completely unaware of the ambush they were facing from behind. Even if they realized something was wrong, they couldn't turn back. Turning their horses around wasn't difficult; the real challenge was that some Xiongnu warriors had already charged through the rain of arrows. Turning back was out of the question; otherwise, a horrific head-on collision would ensue.

From above, the endless Xiongnu barbarians were brutally cut off. The front continued to run, the middle was in chaos, and those in the rear, unaware of what was happening, were still charging forward.

Pei Qinghe's grasp of the opportunity was absolutely brilliant.

The Xiongnu barbarians were experienced in mounted combat and quickly recovered after the initial chaos and massacre. The cavalry behind them slowed their horses, some dismounting, and headed straight for the direction from which the arrows had been fired.

A large group of Xiongnu barbarians charged over.

Pei Qinghe didn't even blink, continuing to fire arrows. With each arrow, a Xiongnu barbarian fell. Pei Yan and Pei Zhi were extremely skilled archers, and Sun Cheng and Tao Feng were also experts. The Xiongnu barbarians paid a heavy price before finally breaking into the mountains.

Pei Qinghe threw away his bow and arrows, drew his long sword, and pounced forward like a tiger.

Without a word, Pei Yan brandished her knife and followed. Pei Zhi followed closely on the other side.

The first wave of Xiongnu barbarians who charged into the forest saw three young girls charging menacingly with their swords raised, and they grinned contemptuously. The next moment, they were horrified to find their heads flying through the air. Then, with a thud, they crashed to the ground.

As the commander-in-chief, Pei Qinghe always charged to the front lines on the battlefield, like a sharp blade piercing the enemy's chest. This greatly boosted the morale of the Pei family army.

Kill!
Pei's elite soldiers shouted and brandished their swords.

Sun Cheng had a slight limp in one leg, but he could still ride a horse and walk. However, this inevitably affected his performance on the battlefield. The veterans who had followed Sun Cheng for many years stayed by his side with a tacit understanding. One of them was slashed by a Xiongnu barbarian and fell straight down.

That's how it is on the battlefield; one moment you're full of life, the next you're lifeless. In a life-or-death struggle, no one can guarantee they won't be injured or killed.

Seeing his brothers die in battle, Sun Cheng felt heartbroken and gritted his teeth, shouting loudly to kill the enemy.

Another outstanding performer was Tao Feng. Tao Feng was a former elite soldier in the Beiping Army and had extensive experience fighting against the Xiongnu barbarians. While fighting, he kept an eye on those around him out of the corner of his eye and occasionally raised his voice to warn them.

Even without the advantage of cavalry, the Xiongnu barbarians who charged into the mountains and forests remained ferocious and ruthless.

The Pei family army was fiercely determined to fight, using their well-practiced five-man formation against the enemy. Although they lacked experience in combat, they did not fall behind. This was a true battle to the death.

One by one, the Xiongnu barbarians fell, and soldiers of the Pei family army also died in battle. The Xiongnu barbarians were accustomed to death and were incomparably ferocious. No one in the Pei family army retreated, and no one fled. They followed behind their general, constantly swinging their swords.

Pei Qinghe couldn't remember how many people she had killed.

His gray cloth clothes were soaked with blood. He had also suffered two minor injuries.

A muffled groan suddenly came from beside her. Pei Zhi had been stabbed in the abdomen, and blood was gushing out.

Pei Qinghe suddenly swung her knife, piercing the chest of the Xiongnu barbarian: "Pei Zhi, step back and bandage him."

If she continued bleeding like this, she would die from blood loss without needing to fight any further. Pei Zhi didn't try to be brave; enduring the excruciating pain, she retreated until she reached her warhorse. Using the warhorse as cover, Pei Zhi leaned against a tree and quickly took out a medicine packet from her bosom.

Every soldier in the Pei family army carries such a medicine packet. Inside are two rolls of clean gauze, Lu's hemostatic medicine, and ginseng slices to prolong life.

Pei Zhi first put the ginseng slices in her mouth, sprinkled the hemostatic medicine on them, and wrapped the wound with gauze. After doing this, Pei Zhi was covered in cold sweat and felt her heart tremble with pain.

She was a few months younger than Pei Yan, seventeen this year, the prime of a woman's life. She still wanted to follow her cousin Qinghe to conquer the world; she didn't want to die.

Pei Zhi bit her tongue hard to keep herself from falling asleep.

Soon, more and more soldiers, too badly wounded to fight, arrived. Some, like Pei Zhi, barely managed to bandage their wounds, waiting for their comrades to come and take them back after the battle. Others, their injuries too severe, slowly collapsed and stopped breathing.

War is never a pleasant thing; bloodshed and death are the norm.

Pei Zhi forced herself to cheer up the wounded soldiers around her: "Don't be afraid, we will definitely win the battle. Hang in there, everyone, our cousin Qinghe will be here to pick us up soon."

A teenager, his arm severed and his chest ripped open like a gourd of blood, fell backward, looking at the sky peeking through the leaves, and murmured, "Before I die, I want to see the general one last time."

Within the Pei family army, there are countless young men who admire Pei Qinghe.

Pei Zhi couldn't even remember the boy's name. A wave of sadness washed over her, but she kept encouraging him, saying, "You won't die. The general will be here soon."

The boy smiled weakly and closed his eyes.

Tears welled up in Pei Zhi's eyes.

She began to feel chills running through her body, and her consciousness gradually faded. Even the shouts of battle slowly receded into the distance.

Is she going to die too?

"Pei Zhi!"

A familiar voice sounded in my ears.

The wandering soul was brought back into her body by this call. Pei Zhi opened her eyes with all her might, and what came into view was Pei Qinghe's face splattered with blood.

"Pei Zhi, wake up." Pei Qinghe's gaze was firm, her voice steady, only the hand supporting Pei Zhi trembled slightly: "We've won this battle. Now I'm taking you back!"

(End of this chapter)