Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 263 Deploying Troops (Part 3)

The famous General Pei, renowned throughout the north, was actually such a young and pretty girl.
When Pei Qinghe's bright and sharp gaze fell upon him, Lü Feng's heart trembled again, and he subconsciously bowed and clasped his hands in greeting: "Lü Feng greets General Pei!"

Pei Qinghe said calmly, "General Lü, please do not stand on ceremony."

Lu Feng composed himself, lowered his hands, and raised his head: "The Xiongnu barbarians are rampaging through Liaoxi Commandery. General Pei has led his troops to Liaoxi to fight the Xiongnu barbarians. Our Fanyang army is also willing to contribute troops and strength. My father sent me with three thousand soldiers to follow General Pei's orders."

Pei Qinghe smirked: "General Lü once served under King Qiao and led troops against the Pei family army. Now he's actually willing to send troops to help me fight the Xiongnu barbarians. It's truly unexpected!"

Lu Feng was still young and not thick-skinned enough; he was embarrassed. He straightened his chest and said, "I joined King Qiao because my father looked down on General Zhang, who held the emperor hostage and commanded the court. We sent troops to Pei Family Village to fight for territory, but we lost to General Pei and even lost several hundred warhorses."

"Previously, it was all internal strife and personal grudges. Now, the Xiongnu barbarians have launched a large-scale invasion of Liaoxi. Liaoxi has collapsed, and next, the rest of Youzhou will be in chaos. With a formidable enemy at hand, previous personal grudges are nothing. We should join forces to defend against the enemy."

These words were repeatedly instructed and taught by General Lü, and Lü Feng knew them by heart. Now, as he shouted them out with a flushed face, they had a certain power to shake people's hearts.

Pei Qinghe raised an eyebrow and finally looked at Lü Feng directly: "These words, General Lü, were you asked to say them?"

Lu Feng replied proudly, "Yes. If it were me, I would have sent troops to support the Guangning Army last year. Why would I wait until this year?"

General Lü was cowardly and of poor character, while Lü Feng was righteous and had the brave and fierce demeanor of a young military general.

Pei Qinghe nodded inwardly, her tone softening considerably: "General Lü's willingness to send troops shows some righteousness. Let's march together to fight the Xiongnu barbarians first, and we can discuss other matters after the battle is over."

What else is it?

It goes without saying that losing would mean utter defeat. But if they win this battle, General Lü will have to bow down and submit to her if he wants to remain in Youzhou.

Lü Feng clearly understood this as well, and nodded in agreement.

Pei Qinghe summoned important figures from the Pei family army, including Yang Hu, Yang Huai, and Song Dalang. Lü Feng greeted each of them. Some were quite familiar, such as the brothers Yang Hu and Yang Huai, while others were people he had heard of long ago, such as Pei Yun, Pei Yan, and Mao Hongling. However, Lü Feng was meeting Song Dalang of the Pingyang army for the first time.

Lu Feng was impulsive and straightforward. He blurted out what he was thinking: "The Pingyang Army is still in Bingzhou, which is so far away. Why did they send troops here?"

Song Dalang replied solemnly, "My sister is engaged to Pei Feng, so the Song and Pei families are related by marriage. It's only right that the Song family should contribute to the Pei family's army in battle. Besides, is there any need to hesitate when fighting the Xiongnu barbarians?"

The last sentence ignited Lu Feng's passion, and he slapped Song Dalang on the shoulder: "That's right! With foreign enemies at hand, we should all work together to fight the Xiongnu barbarians."

Despite the pain in his shoulder, Song Dalang grinned.

Yang Hu leaned closer affectionately: "We will all follow General Pei's orders and work together to drive the Xiongnu barbarians back."

Everyone looked at Pei Qinghe with intense gazes.

This is a gaze of reverence and trust.

Pei Qinghe was a victorious general, undefeated in every battle. In the eyes of the people, he was like a god of war. They all firmly believed that as long as they followed General Pei, they could defeat the Xiongnu barbarians.

Such trust is so precious.

Pei Qinghe felt a heavy burden on his shoulders, his heart heavy, but he showed no sign of it on his face, and calmly smiled and said, "The Fanyang army has come from afar, so let them settle down and rest first. We will make further plans after Sun Cheng and Tao Feng return from scouting the battle situation." Lü Feng cupped his hands in agreement.

In order to catch up with Pei's army, Lü Feng had been marching at a rapid pace and was indeed exhausted. Now he relaxed a little and called on the soldiers to set up their tents and settle down.

Lu Feng knew the soldiers' temperament well, and warned them with a stern face: "You must not clash with the Pei family's army, Guangning army, or Pingyang army, and you must not make fun of or insult the female soldiers of the Pei family's army. If you cause any trouble, don't blame me for turning my back on you."

Lü Feng was General Lü's eldest son. He had led troops in the Fanyang army for over a decade and was highly respected, but also ruthless. The soldiers dared not disobey and readily agreed.

They only brought a little over a hundred tents, and after setting them up, twenty men had to squeeze into each tent. The soldiers were exhausted and each buried their heads and fell fast asleep.

As evening approached, it was time for dinner. The soldiers took out their rations, hard, dry biscuits that could kill someone. They had to tear off a bite with great effort, hold it in their mouths, and chew it slowly.

"General Lü," the sweet and lovely Pei Xuan came over with a smile, followed by more than a hundred people carrying dozens of pottery jars: "The general asked me to bring some hot soup."

With so many people, it's not easy to get everyone a hot meal. The kitchen can only make some hot soup, which can be used to make some porridge. Tear up some dry flatbread and put it into the hot soup, and that's delicious too.

Lü Feng thanked them repeatedly. The earthenware pot was two feet tall, and each person took a bamboo tube to fill it with hot soup.

There was meat in the soup!

"And radishes and cabbage!"

After their initial gasps, the soldiers beamed with joy. The rock-hard, dry biscuits, once placed in the hot soup, became soft, warm, and even had a meaty flavor. To them, it was a rare delicacy.

The next morning, General Pei surprisingly sent over freshly roasted military rations.

Various grains such as wheat, sorghum, and beans were roasted, mixed with sesame seeds and peanuts, ground with a stone mill, and then either salted or sugared before being packed into long, narrow grain bags. Each soldier received two bags of rations, one salty and one sweet.

The soldiers happily imitated the Pei family army, tying their grain sacks around their waists or slinging them over their shoulders: "The Pei family army is living a really good life."

"Isn't that right? Eating so well every day, if it were me, I would also be willing to risk my life for General Pei."

General Lü lived a life of luxury, with countless riches and silver, while these ordinary soldiers had their pay repeatedly deducted, making it difficult for them to even get a full meal.

Then look at Pei's army, each one well-fed, with rosy complexions and heads held high. How can one not envy them?
Lü Feng felt a burning sensation on his face as he listened to the soldiers' whispers. He coughed forcefully and promised them, "When we return from this battle, I will discuss it with the general and ask him to provide everyone with sufficient pay. The food rations should also be improved so that everyone can eat their fill."

The soldiers immediately began to flatter him, but privately they grumbled, "Our general is such a miser, he'd never be willing to feed and clothe us properly."

"Waiting for him to pay his soldiers is not as good as just joining the Pei family army!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Don't let the young general hear!"

"The Pei family army is notoriously strict in its discipline; any violation means certain death. We're used to being lazy, how could we stand it? Stop dreaming!"

(End of this chapter)