Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 270 Tragic
The people were excited and thrilled one moment, but the next moment, upon hearing the sound of horses' hooves, they almost reflexively turned their heads back and quickly closed and locked the gate.

Then peek out through the crack in the door.

Leading the charge was none other than the invincible General Pei!
Her body was covered in blood, a testament to her glorious achievements.

A child from some family started crying. General Pei glanced at the child, then quickly looked away and spurred his horse forward.

The commoner tightly covered the child's mouth until the army had passed and all was quiet, then breathed a long sigh of relief. The people unlocked their doors again. This time, they were much bolder, stepping out of their homes and gathering together, discussing loudly and passionately the great victory of the Pei family army.

Upon hearing the good news of the great victory, the magistrate of Shan County in Tuhe County stopped trembling and became fearless, and took the initiative to come and offer his congratulations.

Pei Qinghe was busy settling the wounded soldiers and had no time to meet with the magistrate of Shan County. He sent a messenger to deliver a message: "After this battle, the Xiongnu barbarians will surely be furious and may send troops again. Please ask the magistrate of Shan County to continue to procure timber and stone, and the city gates need to be reinforced further, and the city walls need to be built higher."

The magistrate of Shan County agreed without hesitation.

In the past, the Liaoxi army frequently demanded money and provisions, causing immense suffering to officials, wealthy families, and ordinary people. However, when it came to actual fighting, the once arrogant and domineering Liaoxi army turned into cowards and was utterly defeated by the Xiongnu barbarians. Now, they only dare to hide in Liaoxi Commandery.

The Pei family army was different. They brought their own military rations, did not harm the civilians in the slightest, and even dared to take the initiative to pursue the enemy outside the city, winning a great victory.

The need for timber and stone was also to reinforce the city gates and walls. Such an army is unparalleled in the world.

The wounded soldiers' tents were packed with people, and twelve military doctors were simply not enough. Pei Qinghe immediately ordered that quick-handed people come and apply medicine and bandages to those with minor injuries. The military doctors were dedicated to treating the seriously wounded.

Even so, 30% of the seriously wounded soldiers died overnight.

Sobbing could be heard from time to time inside the military tent.

Pei Qinghe was the most heartbroken and devastated. Over the past few years, she had gone to great lengths to acquire warhorses and poured countless efforts into training this cavalry. And today, in one battle, nearly half of them had been lost. This was an unbearable pain!
But she couldn't show it. She had no right to be weak and cry; she was General Pei, the pillar of strength for everyone. She had to calmly comfort everyone, to project confidence and composure, and to put everyone at ease.

Shi Yan remained silent, staying quietly by Pei Qinghe's side.

Pei Qinghe didn't sleep all night, and Shi Yan also stayed up all night.

In the early hours of the morning, the kitchen staff delivered hot porridge and steamed buns.

Shi Yan ladled out a bowl of hot porridge and handed it to Pei Qinghe, saying in a low voice, "You've stayed up all night, have some hot porridge and then go and rest."

Pei Qinghe hummed in agreement, drank the porridge and ate the steamed bun, and her stomach warmed up.

After a long day of fighting and a sleepless night, she was indeed quite tired. She didn't push herself, closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

Shi Yan stayed by the bedside.

Pei Qinghe slept for half a day before waking up. As soon as she opened her eyes, a familiar handsome face came into view.

"You stayed up all night too, why don't you go to sleep?"

Shi Yan said in a low voice, "I'm worried about you."

In everyone's eyes, Pei Qinghe was invincible and incredibly strong. But she was also made of flesh and blood, capable of being hurt, sad, and in pain. This vulnerable side of her was only revealed in front of him.

Pei Qinghe looked at Shi Yan, whose eyes were full of concern and pity, and suddenly felt a lump in her throat and her eyes welled up with tears.

"Shi Yan, too many people died in yesterday's battle." Pei Qinghe's eyes were slightly red, and her voice was choked with emotion: "So many familiar faces are gone."

Warhorses are too precious, and those selected for the cavalry camp are all elites of the Pei family army, the best soldiers she has personally trained.

Yesterday's fierce battle was fought to the bitter end. The Xiongnu barbarians were slaughtered, and the Pei family army suffered equally heavy casualties.

“Zhai Sanlang is dead too.” A tear slid down Pei Qinghe’s cheek. “When we entered Pei Family Village, they were all just teenagers, more than four hundred of them. They died one after another in battle over the years. Zhai Sanlang was only seventeen this year, in the prime of his life. I was even thinking of nurturing and promoting him in the future…” Shi Yan felt a pang of pain in his heart and reached out to hug Pei Qinghe. “Qinghe, don’t blame yourself. War is always cruel. The Xiongnu barbarians are vicious by nature. We are already very fortunate to have won the battle. Casualties are inevitable. You have done everything you could.”

It was no secret that Zhai Sanlang was in love with Pei Qinghe. Anyone with eyes could see it. Even if Shi Yan was petty, he wouldn't hold a grudge against a young man just experiencing first love. Now that Zhai Sanlang lay buried in the ground, Pei Qinghe had lost a valiant general, and he felt a heavy weight in his heart.

Pei Qinghe nestled against Shi Yan's chest, closed her eyes, and silently shed tears.

Shi Yan's eyes also turned red.

He and Pei Qinghe had known each other for six years, and their feelings for each other had deepened over the years after he joined the Pei family army.

This was the first time Pei Qinghe had shed tears in front of him.

All words of comfort seemed so pale and powerless. He said nothing more, only held her tightly and wept with her.

After crying and wiping away the tears, one must still pull oneself together and continue to shoulder the heavy responsibility.

Pei Qinghe said to Shi Yan, "I'm going to the city gate. You go about your business and don't need to follow me."

Shi Yan knew Pei Qinghe's temperament—decisive and straightforward, never hesitant or indecisive. He said softly, "If you can't hold on any longer, come back and rest. I'll always be here for you."

Pei Qinghe hummed in agreement.

The city gate was unusually busy today. Yang Hu directed the men to carry stones, while the craftsmen filled the gaps with glutinous rice paste. Lü Feng was also busy with the soldiers of the Fanyang army.

The soldiers of Fanyang Army were used to being lax and undisciplined. After being attacked by the Xiongnu cavalry on the road, they became even more disheartened and lost their fighting spirit.

Yesterday, Pei Qinghe led his cavalry in pursuit, fighting for half a day and wiping out the entire group of Xiongnu barbarians. Although they suffered heavy casualties, it was a true victory.

Who would have thought that the Pei family army would actually win in a head-on cavalry battle!
This was truly shocking for Fan Yangjun.

Today, Lü Feng ordered them to move stones, and they obediently came.

"General Pei has arrived!"

Someone with sharp eyes exclaimed in surprise.

The soldiers of Fanyang Army immediately sped up their movements. Several even deliberately moved closer to General Pei.

In the military, the strong are respected.

General Pei was like a god in their eyes.

Lu Feng glanced at the conspicuous bags and couldn't help but snort. Then he strode forward, his tone much more respectful than before: "Greetings, General."

Pei Qinghe nodded slightly.

Lü Feng naturally followed behind Pei Qinghe and reported, "Last night, General Yang sent people to clean up the battlefield and retrieved all usable weapons. The warhorses were also brought back, and there is enough horse meat for the entire army to eat for three or four days."

Those who died in battle were buried on the spot.

"What should be done with the corpses of the Xiongnu barbarians?"

Pei Qinghe coldly uttered three words: "Build a Jingguan (a mound of skulls)."

(End of this chapter)