Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 228 Bloodbath (Part 3)
Inside the military tent of the Xiongnu barbarians.

After taking stock of the dead, wounded and lost, Wu Yan flew into a rage.

The Xiongnu warriors were invincible; they had never suffered such a defeat before.

Upon entering the pass, the more than 10,000 cavalrymen split into two groups. He led 6,000 cavalrymen, initially sweeping through the enemy with overwhelming force, their iron hooves trampling across the land. They plundered large amounts of money, grain, and able-bodied people, the majority of whom were women.

Unexpectedly, the Guangning army first sent troops to lure the enemy, and then they fell into a series of ambushes, especially in the second ambush battle, in which many Xiongnu warriors were killed or wounded. The cavalry that charged to the city walls also suffered heavy losses.

In the past few days of siege, the defending Guangning army and the Pei family army have proven to be exceptionally difficult to deal with, resulting in casualties on both sides. Today's siege saw the largest number of casualties, including two of his fiercest generals who fell to the arrows of that skilled archer clad in soft armor and a helmet.

Enraged, Wu Yan dragged all the prisoners over and beheaded them one by one, killing three in succession. The fourth prisoner finally broke down and revealed the truth.

It turns out that the sharpshooter was none other than Pei Qinghe, the commander of the Pei family army.

An eighteen-year-old girl!
Wu Yan hacked all the prisoners to death, grinning savagely as he roared, "Boil them all! We'll all have meat tonight. We'll continue the siege tomorrow morning!"

"I want to capture Pei Qinghe myself and use her blood to pay tribute to the fallen Xiongnu warriors!"

The Xiongnu barbarians inside the tent shouted in unison.

Wuyan then ordered that all the captured women be put into the military tents and used as pleasure by the Xiongnu warriors. The women who were raped to death, like the previous captives, became meat in the pot.

The act of killing for women barely calmed the raging anger in Wu Yan's heart.

The next morning, as usual, they ate meat. Wuyan shouted in the Xiongnu language, "After we break through the city today, we will massacre the inhabitants for ten days!"

"The first warrior to scale the city wall will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces!"

The Xiongnu barbarians shouted excitedly.

Wu Yan took out his longbow and arrows and personally led his troops to the city.

It was just dawn. The rising sun cast its light upon the tall, sturdy city walls. Standing atop the walls, the young female general held a longbow and fired a sharp arrow.

Wu Yan's pupils suddenly contracted, but he did not back down and instead raised his hand and shot an arrow.

The two arrows collided in mid-air and fell to the ground together.

This is a true master!
Wu Yan felt a chill run down his spine and fired another arrow. If he could kill Pei Qinghe with a single arrow, he could shatter the morale of the Pei family army.

Coincidentally, Pei Qinghe thought the same thing.

She raised her hand and shot an arrow.

With its high vantage point and the wind at its back, the arrow flew even farther. The two arrows met again in mid-air and fell together.

The Pei family soldiers on the city wall shouted in unison to cheer on their general.

The Xiongnu barbarians below the city also started chattering away.

Wuyan waved his hand, and the Xiongnu barbarians spurred their horses backward, retreating out of the range of the arrows. Then, Wuyan ordered his men to engage in a war of words beneath the city walls.

Verbal sparring is also commonplace on the battlefield. In battles between two armies, verbally humiliating the opposing commander is a common tactic to provoke them.

Not satisfied with simply cursing in the Xiongnu language, Wu Yan's army also had several Han Chinese soldiers who were fluent in both Xiongnu and Chinese. They were ordered to go to the battlefield and curse again in Chinese.

Actually, they were too far away for those on the city walls to hear clearly. However, once the verbal battle was initiated, the Pei family army's soldiers were filled with rage. They retaliated with angry curses, insulting the ancestors of the Xiongnu barbarians.

Pei Yan had a loud voice and was also the one who cursed the most fiercely.

Pei Qinghe narrowed his eyes, turned to Pei Yan and the others and smiled, "The Xiongnu barbarians are used to burning, killing, looting, and slaughtering everywhere. We've never heard of them calling for war! It's clear that after yesterday's battle, they've become fearful! They're trying to boost their morale with insults. Today, if we give them a good beating, they'll retreat!"

Pei Yan, Pei Xuan, and the others were greatly encouraged.

Tao Feng stepped forward and said, "General, when I was in the Beiping army, I learned some of the Xiongnu language. I'll curse them back." Unexpectedly, Tao Feng possessed such talent.

Pei Qinghe smiled and agreed. Tao Feng immediately stepped forward and began shouting angrily. His curses were clearly extremely vulgar, and those standing closest to the city gate heard him, their faces turning grim as they roared back in anger.

Tao Feng showed no weakness, fighting against the crowd single-handedly and hurling insults incessantly.

Pei Qinghe turned and gave an order, and Pei Yan nodded and left. After a while, she led a few people to the city gate.

These were all borrowed from the Guangning Army. The Guangning Army fought against the Xiongnu for many years, and there were soldiers in the camp who could speak the Xiongnu language. They all had loud voices.

With the addition of new forces, the verbal battle has become even more exciting.

Soon, a man rode forward from below the city. Pei Yan raised his hand to shoot an arrow, but Pei Qinghe stopped him: "Wait a moment."

As the man approached the city gate, he shouted, "General Wuyan challenges General Pei to a battle. Does General Pei dare to accept the challenge?"

It's not uncommon for commanders to challenge each other before battle, especially in warfare. However, it's extremely rare for the Xiongnu barbarians to actively request battle. This suggests that the Xiongnu barbarians were all bark and no bite, having lost their confidence in victory.

The Xiongnu barbarian commander wanted to kill the enemy commander on the battlefield to boost morale and quickly capture the city.

Pei Qinghe had the same plan.

"Tell them I accept this battle." Pei Qinghe coldly instructed Tao Feng, "Have the Xiongnu barbarians retreat three miles, and I will descend from the city to fight the Xiongnu commander!"

Pei Yan and Pei Xuan were both startled and immediately tried to stop them.

They certainly had faith in Pei Qinghe. But the pre-battle fighting was extremely dangerous. What if something went wrong, or she got injured?
Sun Cheng, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "If we can kill the Xiongnu general, we will have won this battle! The Xiongnu barbarians will retreat quickly. We won't have to fight to the death anymore! We can save many lives!"

"This risk is worth taking!"

He was, after all, a seasoned general, whose vision and perspective were far beyond what Pei Yan and Pei Xuan could match.

Pei Qinghe glanced approvingly at Sun Cheng: "Chief Sun is right. The Xiongnu barbarians took the initiative to challenge us, so I killed him honorably in front of everyone! This caused the Xiongnu barbarians' morale to collapse!"

"Pei Yan, Pei Xuan, you two stay on the city wall and cover my retreat!"

Pei Yan and Pei Xuan had no choice but to obey.

“Sun Cheng,” Pei Qinghe instructed solemnly, “if the situation outside the city changes suddenly, you must make a decision immediately.”

This shows the general's high regard and trust in him.

A surge of warmth welled up in Sun Cheng's heart, and he solemnly agreed.

The Han Chinese who had challenged him to battle rode up to Wu Yan and respectfully reported, "Pei Qinghe has accepted the challenge! Please order the warriors to retreat three miles."

Wu Yan grinned maliciously and waved his hand, signaling the cavalry behind him to retreat like a tide.

A rope was lowered from the city wall.

Pei Qinghe gripped the rope and leaped off the city wall.

Wu Yan threw down his bow and arrows, removed his armor, gripped his long sword, and rattled off a string of words. He strode forward.

Pei Qinghe also took off her soft armor and threw away her helmet, then stepped forward with her long sword in hand.

The distance between the two closed rapidly.

Pei Qinghe's handsome and spirited face came into Wu Yan's view. Wu Yan felt contempt and lust at the sight of her, and when he raised his knife to strike, he deliberately avoided Pei Qinghe's face.

Pei Qinghe sneered and parried with his sword.

(End of this chapter)