Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 272 Public Sentiment (Part 1)

At that moment, everyone's heart trembled.

Hot blood surged in my heart.

Turbulent times breed heroes. In Youzhou, no one can rival Pei Qinghe.

The first to submit and bow down were the Guangning army. Lü Feng and the other soldiers of the Fanyang army were also impressed by Pei Qinghe's magnanimity, courage, and methods; it was only a matter of time before they bowed down in respect.

How much longer can the Liaoxi Army hold out?
Even if that scoundrel Li refuses to back down, the people have their own judgment. When everyone's hearts are with Pei's army, how can the Liaoxi army stand?
The towering flames dyed the sky red.

A strong, acrid smell assaulted my nostrils.

The magistrate of Shan County arrived with his officials, and the people who had been hiding behind their doors spontaneously came out of their homes. They dared not leave the city gate, so they crowded inside, peering out.

They were initially startled by the enormous mound of human heads, but upon learning that they were the heads of Xiongnu barbarians, they were overjoyed and excited.

Upon seeing the charred remains of the Xiongnu barbarians, some people covered their faces and wept.

"General Pei, why didn't you come sooner? We've been robbed by the Xiongnu barbarians time and time again. You should have come much sooner."

The crying people were immediately cursed by those around them: "Bah! How dare you speak of General Pei like that! General Pei traveled hundreds of miles to save us. He didn't ask us for a single grain of food or a drop of water, and he even fought the Xiongnu barbarians with his sword for us."

"You only see the corpses of the Xiongnu barbarians, but you don't know that many of the Pei family's soldiers also died."

“Li the scoundrel demands money, grain, and taxes all day long, but when the Xiongnu barbarians come, he cowers and hides in Liaoxi County. Compared to General Pei, Li the scoundrel should jump over the city gate.”

"Anyway, from now on I will only acknowledge General Pei!"

"Me too!"

“I’m strong, I’ll come tomorrow to move stones to build the city gate.”

“Me too. I’m going to sharpen the wood-chopping knife at home. If the Xiongnu barbarians come, I’ll fight them to the death with this knife.”

The people were filled with righteous indignation, their fear of the Xiongnu barbarians gone, and their voices were filled with respect for General Pei.

"General Pei is coming. Everyone, please make way."

There was no need to shout; as soon as the crowd saw Pei Qinghe approaching, they immediately cleared a large area. However, none of them wanted to leave, craning their necks to look around.

A few days ago, Pei's army entered the city, and the people hid in their homes, with no one daring to show their faces.

In just a few days, the people's attitudes have completely changed. Their faces are now filled with eagerness and hope.

This is the hope that Pei Qinghe brought them to live a good life.

Pei Qinghe walked through the city gate, stopped, looked at the crowd of people, and said in a clear and steady voice: "Don't worry, everyone, with me, Pei Qinghe, here, we will definitely protect Tuhe County."

The firelight was behind her.

She is like a war goddess emerging from raging flames.

Some people were moved to tears, while others cried out, "Long live the general!"

The poor people didn't understand any grand principles, nor did they know that they shouldn't shout "Long live the general!" "Long live the general!" was a title reserved for the emperor. To shout it like that was a grave taboo.

In their simple hearts, General Pei had risked his life for them, so they should all be honored with the title "Long Live the General."

One by one, the people began to shout. The magistrate of Shan County was somewhat uneasy and loudly reminded the people not to shout. If such a thing reached the ears of the young emperor, it would arouse his suspicion, which would be no good.

Unfortunately, the excited and enthusiastic people only had eyes for Pei Qinghe and paid no attention to the magistrate of Shan County.

Pei Qinghe raised his hand to suppress the commotion, and the shouting crowd quickly fell silent. "It's getting late, everyone should go home!" Pei Qinghe said with a smile. "Those who are strong can come to the city gate tomorrow to help move stones and timber."

The people responded loudly and reluctantly dispersed.

Fearing a stampede from the crowd, the magistrate of Shan County shouted instructions. Once all the people had dispersed, the magistrate, his voice hoarse from shouting, approached, cupped his hands, and bowed deeply: "On behalf of the 36,000 people of He County, I thank General Pei!"

Pei Qinghe gazed at the magistrate of Shan County and slowly said, "Starting this year, Tuhe County will be under the jurisdiction of my Pei family army. The Pei family army will only collect 30% of the taxes as military expenses."

The magistrate of Shan County bowed deeply and said, "Yes, General."

……

The fire burned all night, turning half the sky red.

That night, countless people in Tuhe County were too excited to sleep.

Pei Qinghe couldn't sleep either. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw familiar faces. They were covered in blood, wailing in agony. They were all looking at her pleadingly, shouting at the top of their lungs, "General, save me!" She charged forward with her sword, but they had already closed their eyes.

Finally, it solidified into the face of a boy who died with a smile on his face.

Waking from a nightmare, Pei Qinghe found her pillow soaked with tears.

Pei Yan, sleeping soundly on the bed next to mine, was snoring away.

Pei Yun was also fast asleep.

Pei Qinghe did not move, and lay there quietly until dawn.

Daylight broke, and it was a brand new day. Pei Qinghe suppressed her sadness and anger, and appeared before everyone with a bright and energetic demeanor.

“General, from today onwards, we will have to eat horse meat for several days in a row.” Bian Shulan, who was in charge of the kitchen, also came this time. She chuckled in a low voice, “Horse meat is tough and has a bit of a fishy smell, so it can’t be used to make soup. Fortunately, I brought a lot of spices with me. Last night, I made braising liquid, cut the horse meat into pieces, boiled it, and then braised it overnight. General, please have a taste first.”

The braised horse meat is cut into thick pieces about the size of a baby's fist, and each person is given two pieces to eat with their steamed buns. The aroma of the braising sauce masks the gamey smell of the horse meat, and the meat itself is chewy. It's incredibly delicious when eaten with mixed grain steamed buns.

Pei Qinghe ate two in a row, then smiled and said with a relaxed expression, "Luckily, I brought Sister-in-law Shulan with me this time. You're skillful and thoughtful, so the food is even better than usual."

Bian Shulan beamed with joy at the praise: "Everyone needs to be well-fed before fighting. Even if we die on the battlefield, we should at least have a full stomach before we go on our way."

Pei Qinghe fell silent.

Bian Shulan regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth, and whispered uneasily, "I just said it casually, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Don't take it to heart."

Pei Qinghe rallied and replied, "No war is without its casualties. I can hold on."

Bian Shulan said softly, "Your eyes are bluish; you must not have slept well these past two nights. Qinghe, you are made of flesh and blood, not a god. You have already given your all; don't be too hard on yourself because of those who died in battle."

Pei Qinghe felt a lump in her throat and slowly hummed in agreement.

Bian Shulan turned her head and wiped her eyes with her sleeve: "My eyes hurt from the smoke from the fire. I'll go wash them now. You can continue eating. There's plenty of steamed buns and horse meat."

Pei Qinghe nodded, picked up the steamed bun, added an extra slice of horse meat, and took a big bite.

Eat your fill before you go to war.

Yesterday, Zhai Sanlang and his men died in battle; perhaps tomorrow or the day after, it will be her turn.

Fight for your ideals and aspirations until the moment you close your eyes.

No matter what lies ahead, I will never regret it.

(End of this chapter)