Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 229 Strong Enemy
The two swords clashed, and the piercing sound almost shattered eardrums.

Pei Qinghe's expression remained unchanged, but Wu Yan, who was confident in his immense strength, trembled slightly with his right hand, and his expression suddenly changed.

The moment they clashed, the confident and arrogant Wu Yan was met with a bucket of cold water.

Pei Qinghe before me is a true master!
Pei Qinghe remained expressionless, his longsword flashing incessantly, each strike aimed directly at Wu Yan's vital points. Wu Yan, alarmed, frantically parried with his own blade.

The two long swords clashed repeatedly in the air.

Wu Yan felt increasingly cold inside.

Pei Yan, Pei Xuan, Sun Cheng, Tao Feng, and others watching from the city gate shouted encouragement for their general. Pei Qinghe had been pressing Wu Yan relentlessly; Wu Yan's defeat was only a matter of time.

The Xiongnu cavalrymen below the city were three miles away, and only two people were watching the battle from a short distance away. One was a messenger, and the other was a Han Chinese who could speak Chinese.

The messenger's face grew increasingly grim.

Even though the Han people weren't very skilled in martial arts, they could see that Wu Yan was at a disadvantage.

Pei Qinghe slashed with her sword, which Wu Yan narrowly avoided, drawing blood from his waist and abdomen. Wu Yan roared in anger, his sword movements becoming increasingly aggressive, and he suddenly adopted a suicidal fighting style.

Pei Qinghe, who had the upper hand, naturally did not want to fight a desperate battle with Wu Yan, which resulted in mutual destruction. She moved like the wind and nimbly dodged the attack.

The messenger did not breathe a sigh of relief; his expression was gloomy and uncertain, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

The Han man swallowed hard and lowered his voice, saying, "Should we two go over and help?"

The messenger glared at them and said, "There are so many spectators on the city gate. If the two of us move, they'll jump down. Our brave warriors are all three miles away. By the time they arrive, our bodies will be cold."

The Han people immediately fell silent.

Swish! Another slash!

Another spray of blood flew from Wu Yan's left arm.

The injuries were all minor, but they completely ignited Wu Yan's ferocity. With a roar, he raised his sword into the air and slashed down like lightning.

Pei Qinghe had no way to avoid it, so she quickly raised her longsword and clashed head-on with Wu Yan's longsword, producing an extremely piercing sound.

Wu Yan grinned maliciously and launched a flying kick. He was tall and had long legs, giving him an advantage in terms of size. Pei Qinghe's right leg was struck, and she finally took a step back.

Pei Xuan, who was watching the battle from the city gate, exclaimed in surprise.

Pei Yan grabbed the rope, ready to jump off the city wall. Sun Cheng stopped her: "Miss Yan, don't rush. This Xiongnu general is fighting desperately, while our general is handling the situation with ease and has the upper hand. In the end, the general will surely win!"

Pei Yan looked closely and saw that Pei Qinghe, after being kicked, had once again suppressed Wu Yan with her sharp swordsmanship. Blood had also been drawn from Wu Yan's back.

Wait! What did that messenger take out?
Pei Yan narrowed her eyes and sneered, "I'll go down and kill that messenger."

Sun Cheng, with his excellent eyesight, also spotted what appeared to be a signal flare in the messenger's hand. His expression darkened: "It's too late now. Order the archers to prepare! Also, be ready to escort the general back to the city at any time!"

Bang!
A dark, gooey object flew into the air, then exploded, flashing a red light. The Xiongnu cavalry, three miles away, were clearly visible.

This is a signal for an emergency attack.

The Xiongnu barbarians, poised for battle, roared and spurred their horses forward. Three li (approximately 1.5 kilometers) was but a short distance for their galloping warhorses, barely enough time to brew a cup of tea.

If Wuyan can hold out for even a moment and keep Pei Qinghe at the city walls, the tide of battle will turn, and the advantage will be on the Xiongnu's side.

After the messenger fired the signal flare, he immediately drew his long sword. The Han people, being very alert and quick-witted, also drew their long swords.

The ropes on the city gate swung, and a sturdy, dark-skinned young woman leaped down, charging like a tiger. As she passed Pei Qinghe, Pei Yan shouted, "Hurry back to the city! I'll cover you!"

Pei Yan casually swung her knife, stabbing Wu Yan. Wu Yan dodged, but Pei Qinghe seized the opportunity and stabbed him in the waist and abdomen.

Wu Yan cried out in pain and staggered backward.

At that moment, Pei Yan rushed to the messenger and, with a few swift strokes, cleaved the messenger into a bloody mess. The Han man fled in terror, but Pei Yan hurled his long sword, which pierced the man's back and emerged from his chest. The Han man let out a blood-curdling scream and collapsed to the ground.

The signal flare exploded in the air, its red light dazzling; Wu Yan naturally saw it too. He had taken the initiative to challenge Pei Qinghe, who had fearlessly accepted. His current breach of promise was truly shameful.

However, he has been stabbed repeatedly, and if reinforcements don't arrive soon, he will die here.

No, we won't be able to wait for reinforcements.

Pei Qinghe, like a vengeful demon, coldly raised her sword and slashed down. Wu Yan, suffering from severe pain in his waist, reacted slowly and was unable to dodge in time. He raised his sword to block, but his hand trembled violently, and the long sword fell to the ground.

not good!

This was the last thought in Wu Yan's mind. The next moment, Pei Qinghe's long knife pierced through his chest.

Wu Yan made a muffled sound from his throat, his eyes wide open like copper bells, dying with his eyes wide open.

The earth trembled incessantly.

The Xiongnu barbarians charged forward on horseback!
Pei Qinghe shouted, "Pei Yan, let's go back to the city!"

Pei Yan turned and sprinted away. Pei Qinghe also rushed back. She had never run so fast in her life. By the time she grabbed the rope, the Xiongnu barbarians were getting closer and closer.

Sun Cheng shouted, "Release the arrows!"

Arrows rained down from the city gates, slightly hindering the Xiongnu barbarians.

Using the ropes, Pei Qinghe swiftly climbed up like a gecko. Pei Yan was equally agile. Just as they were about to reach the top of the city wall, the Xiongnu barbarians, driven mad by the sight of Wu Yan's corpse, raised their hands and fired arrows. One of the arrows, by sheer chance, struck Pei Yan in the back.

Another arrow grazed Pei Qinghe's right arm, leaving a spray of blood.

Despite the pain, Pei Qinghe used all her strength to climb onto the city wall.

Pei Yan fared much worse; she was hit in the leg by another arrow and was too weak to climb the city wall. She was pulled up by Sun Cheng, Tao Feng, and others.

Pei Xuan fought back her tears and helped Pei Qinghe up first.

Pei Qinghe said sternly, "I can hold on. Quickly carry Pei Yan to the military tent to treat her injuries."

Pei Xuan could only respond and beckoned two strong soldiers over. Pei Yan, wounded in the back and hind leg, was carried away, lying on a makeshift wooden frame. The arrows hadn't been removed yet, but Pei Yan still had the strength to lift her head and speak: "Don't worry, I'm lucky, I won't die."

Pei Qinghe glared at Pei Yan and ordered the men carrying the wooden frame to move more steadily. The two soldiers quickly responded and carried Pei Yan away.

Pei Qinghe quickly took out some medicine, sprinkled it on the wound on her right arm, and then wrapped the wound with a bandage.

He didn't care whether the bleeding from his wound had stopped, nor did he care about the pain in his right leg. Pei Qinghe wiped the sweat from his forehead, stood on the city wall again, and calmly directed the battle.

Those of Pei's army stationed on the city wall today witnessed their general display of might, wielding his sword to kill the Xiongnu barbarian commander. Their morale was now soaring.

The Xiongnu barbarians were driven to a state of near madness by the killing of their commander.

(End of this chapter)