Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 267 The River of Despair (Part Two)

"...Young General, Du sneaked out of the military tent in the middle of the night, but we noticed him. He sneaked into a civilian's house, but before he could do anything, we caught him and brought him back."

Du Da clearly hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation. After struggling a bit, he grinned sheepishly and said, "I have a chronic sleepwalking problem. I took a stroll when I got up in the middle of the night. I just came back without doing anything."

Lu Feng remained expressionless, his eyes blazing with murderous intent: "No one is allowed to disturb the people. You will all see the consequences of disobeying military orders today."

With a clang, he drew his long sword.

Du Da panicked and hurriedly kowtowed, begging for forgiveness: "Young General, please calm down! I will never dare to do it again..."

puff!
A long knife pierced his chest.

Du Da died in shock and agony.

Even on his deathbed, he couldn't understand why things he used to do wouldn't work tonight.

The soldiers who had caught Du Dalai to curry favor were also shocked by the bloody scene. They wanted to curry favor and get some reward money, but they had no intention of killing their colleague.

Who would have thought that Lü Feng would kill Du Da with a single blow!
Lu Feng sheathed his long sword, his cold and violent gaze sweeping over the crowd: "No one is allowed to collect the corpses. Let the Fanyang army see what happens when they disobey military orders!"

Many heads peeked out from the crowded military tents, then quietly retreated.

This matter quickly reached Pei Qinghe's ears.

"General Lü is greedy for life and afraid of death. The soldiers he leads are no good at fighting and are used to bullying the people." Pei Yun commented objectively and calmly: "Lü Feng is better than his father. At least he knows some shame."

Pei Qinghe said calmly, "True gold is refined by fire. If Lü Feng can survive this battle, he might be able to lead an army."

Pei Yan was so sleepy that she yawned repeatedly: "After running around for so many days, I can finally get a good night's sleep in bed tonight. Aren't you guys going to sleep yet?"

"You go to sleep first," Pei Qinghe said. "My cousin Yun and I still have something to discuss."

Pei Yan turned over and quickly fell asleep, snoring away.

Pei Yun smiled helplessly: "Sometimes I really envy my cousin Yan. She's so carefree and can fall asleep anytime."

Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "Everyone has their strengths. It's good that she's like this; she just follows orders and charges into battle."

Pei Yun looked at Pei Qinghe, a hint of worry in her eyes, and lowered her voice: "Cousin Qinghe, there's no one else here, just the two of us. How confident are you in this battle?"

Pei Qinghe finally removed her invincible armor and sighed softly, "There is no guarantee of victory whatsoever; we can only fight to the death."

More than 20,000 men followed her, while the enemy was the ferocious 30,000 Xiongnu cavalry. The natural disadvantage of infantry against cavalry was a stark reality. She was human, not a god, and with such immense pressure on her shoulders, how could she not be anxious and worried?

However, she was the commander-in-chief of the Pei family army, the backbone of everyone's forces. Everyone was watching her, and she had to remain calm, composed, and unflappable.

Pei Yun was silent for a moment, then grasped Pei Qinghe's hand: "I hope God is on our side."

To win this battle, we not only need strength, but also some luck from the heavens.

Pei Qinghe hummed in agreement, then quickly perked up and smiled, "I'm looking at a map, why don't you come and take a look too?" Pei Yun nodded, leaned over, and looked at the map with Pei Qinghe, whispering about setting up an ambush. Before they knew it, time had slipped by, and the sound of the night watchman's drum reached their ears.

It's past midnight!
Pei Qinghe and Pei Yun lay down on the bed. Both were preoccupied with their own thoughts, but fortunately, they were both calm and composed, and eventually fell asleep.

At dawn, Pei Qinghe opened her eyes and woke up at the same time as Pei Yun. The two sisters smiled knowingly at each other and then tugged at Pei Yan's ear.

Pei Yan rubbed her ears and stood up with a grimace.

The male and female soldiers of Pei's army were also used to getting up at dawn. The cooks got up even earlier, starting to cook porridge at the fourth watch.

Pei Qinghe personally led his troops and ran two laps through the empty streets of Tuhe County.

Footsteps converged, like a sudden rumble of thunder. The people, who hadn't slept a wink all night, cautiously peeked through the cracks in their doors. They quickly retreated, trembling, hiding the last of their food and money. Wives and daughters smeared their faces with soot. Though it served no practical purpose, it offered some comfort.

Pei Qinghe was well aware of the people's fear and didn't bother to appease them. Given enough time, the people would naturally see the army's discipline. There was no point in arguing now.

After their morning exercise, they drank two bowls of hot porridge and ate two steamed buns made from mixed flour. Having filled their stomachs, Pei Qinghe led the group to the city gate.

Pei Xuan and Pei Feng were on guard at the city gate last night. Both of them hadn't slept all night, their eyes were slightly red, but they were in good spirits: "General, last night, the Xiongnu cavalry circled around the city once and then left."

"Fortunately, we acted quickly and entered Tuhe County in time."

Even though the city gates and walls of Tuhe County were dilapidated, it was better than nothing. At least they could stop warhorses.

Pei Qinghe nodded slightly: "You two go back and sleep for half a day before coming back."

Pei Xuan and Pei Feng didn't try to be brave and obediently went to rest. Pei Qinghe circled the city gate and ordered it to be sealed. She then summoned the magistrate of Shan County: "I need to reinforce the city walls. I have enough manpower, but you'll have to find a way to get the timber and stone."

What could the magistrate of Shan County do? He reluctantly accepted the order and went to several wealthy households to "borrow" timber and stone. Ordinary people would also have some stored in their homes, so he "borrowed" them all first.

The magistrate of Shan County made his point clear: "General Pei is using courtesy before resorting to force. If you borrow now, you'll have earned some merit and hard work. Otherwise, if General Pei sends someone, it won't just be about borrowing timber and stone."

After such intimidation, several wealthy households reasonably lent out large quantities of timber and stone. The common people, accustomed to being exploited, watched helplessly as their possessions were taken away, daring not to speak out, and could only console themselves. Fortifying the city gates was ultimately a good thing; if the Xiongnu barbarians breached the city, everything would be over.

Changli County was occupied by the Xiongnu barbarians. Innocent people in the city were slaughtered indiscriminately, and the fate of women was even more tragic.

In the eyes of the Xiongnu barbarians, the people of Jingchao were like pigs and dogs, not even human. At least General Pei hasn't robbed or killed the people yet.

The city gate quickly became a hive of activity. Some people were carrying things, some were carrying them onto the gate, and some were reinforcing the city walls under the direction of craftsmen. The leaders were directing the work in an orderly manner.

The soldiers from the Guangning Army, Pingyang Army, and Fanyang Army were all sent to repair the city walls. The Pei family army was responsible for patrolling and guarding the city. This was intentional on Pei Qinghe's part. When it came to military discipline, she only trusted her own army.

Tap tap tap tap!

The trembling sound of warhorses galloping across the ground was terrifying.

“Don’t panic,” Pei Qinghe said in a deep voice, “Observe the dust and listen to the movements. The Xiongnu barbarians chasing us will not exceed two thousand. This number of people is just right for everyone to practice.”

(End of this chapter)