Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 273 Public Sentiment (Part Two)

Today, many spontaneous people have flocked to the city gate.

In those days, it was common for people to lack food and clothing. At first glance, they were all emaciated. Pei Qinghe sighed inwardly, but said gently, "I am very pleased that everyone has come to help. Please line up and don't crowd."

The noisy crowd quieted down the moment they saw General Pei, becoming as docile as lambs, and quickly formed two long queues.

Pei Qinghe said to Yang Hu, "Thank you for making the arrangements, General Yang."

Yang Hu bowed and accepted the order, summoning a dozen quick-witted and eloquent soldiers. The civilians were divided into teams of ten, and each soldier led one team to transport the stones and timber. Occasionally, some trouble would arise, but it would be quickly resolved and would not affect the overall situation.

With many people and great strength, the city gate was raised a considerable height in just half a day. The dilapidated city wall was also repaired in many places.

At noon, the kitchen staff brought in dozens of bamboo baskets to deliver the food.

The aroma of steamed buns made from mixed flour and braised horse meat mingled together, making the hungry villagers swallow hard. They were quite conscientious, having brought their own rations that morning. While the soldiers lined up to receive their food, the villagers squatted to the side, preparing to gnaw on dry biscuits and drink cold water.

Pei Qinghe said with a smile, "You guys come and get your food too."

Do they have food too?
The people's eyes lit up, and one of the bolder ones asked, "General, can we get a few steamed buns? And is there horse meat too?"

"Two steamed buns and two pieces of horse meat," Pei Qinghe replied patiently. "If you have a big appetite, you can take another steamed bun. You can take any leftovers home."

The people were overjoyed. Grateful for General Pei's kindness, they had mustered their courage to do hard labor at the city gate. Unexpectedly, the general even gave them lunch.

Suddenly, I thought of the "King of Liaoxi" who used to exploit them relentlessly... Bah! What King of Liaoxi! He's not even worthy to carry General Pei's shoes!

The people lined up happily, without being greedy. Each person received two steamed buns and two pieces of horse meat. The steamed buns were the size of an adult's fist, and the horse meat was the size of a palm. Each person also received a bamboo tube of vegetable soup.

Fighting requires fighting desperately, and reinforcing city gates and repairing city walls is also physically demanding work. Everyone needs to be well-fed. The army's rations have been going down very fast these past few days.

Pei Qinghe also lined up for food and ate lunch with the other soldiers. The Pei family army was already used to this, and the brothers Yang Hu and Yang Huai followed suit. Song Dalang of the Pingyang army was recuperating from his injuries. The one who felt this most deeply was Lü Feng of the Fanyang army.

Which general in the army doesn't drink the blood of his soldiers? It's perfectly normal for ordinary soldiers to be starving while their commanders enjoy a life of luxury in their tents.

Within the Pei family army, Pei Qinghe ate and lived alongside the soldiers, charging ahead in battle. She cherished her soldiers and also pitied the common people.

How could such a general not win the hearts of the army? And how could he not win the hearts of the people?

The Fanyang army was far inferior to the Pei family army. Putting aside everything else, just looking at their commanders, they suffered a crushing defeat.

With mixed feelings, Lü Feng took the steamed buns and horse meat, carrying his bamboo tube, and sat down with the soldiers of Fanyang. They ate and drank silently, but for some reason, he couldn't taste the flavor of the steamed buns and horse meat.

Several trusted confidants surrounded Lü Feng, eating and drinking in silence. Once they had filled their stomachs, they whispered, "Young General! If any more Xiongnu barbarians come, we'll fight them to the death!"

"We must show General Pei that the Fanyang army is not cowardly; they also have heroes who will fight to the bitter end!"

"Yes! We have to regain our dignity!"

Lu Feng let out a breath, his eyes regaining their sparkle: "Alright, next time I'll volunteer to fight!"

...Pfft!
The sharp scimitar slashed down, and the Xiongnu barbarian's head fell to the ground, rolling a few times.

The Hun general, with curly hair and bloodshot eyes, slashed at the men who had fled back in disarray, then glared fiercely at the other Hun barbarians kneeling on the ground: "My brave warriors all died outside Tuhe County. Only you few managed to escape?"

Several Xiongnu barbarians, their faces pale and trembling, replied, "It's that Pei Qinghe, the Pei Qinghe who killed General Wuyan! She led several thousand cavalry out of the city. No matter how hard we ran, we couldn't shake her off."

"Her soldiers are no match for us, but she's too ruthless! We're no match for her!"

"She killed our leader, and the rest of us were surrounded by soldiers. A few of us managed to escape and deliver a message to the general."

"We beg the general to send troops immediately to avenge us!"

The Xiongnu general, Pu Nu, twitched his ferocious face.

Pei Qinghe's name had already risen to prominence among the Xiongnu tribes. Last year, Wuyan was killed by Pei Qinghe on the battlefield, and the Xiongnu warriors suffered an unprecedented defeat. The more than one thousand Xiongnu warriors who fled back to the grasslands trembled at the mere mention of Pei Qinghe's name.

Pu Nu and Wu Yan were both fierce generals under the Khan, and they were usually hostile to each other for the position of the strongest general. When Wu Yan died at Pei Qinghe's hands, Pu Nu secretly rejoiced, but felt no regret or sympathy.

This year, the Khan sent him to lead troops to attack Youzhou. He avoided Pei Family Army and Guangning Army and specifically came to attack Liaoxi Army.

Unexpectedly, Pei Qinghe took the initiative to lead his troops here! With a single move, he annihilated two thousand fierce Xiongnu warriors!

Punu is no fool who has come this far; he is not a brainless brute. Nor would he ever underestimate his opponent like Wuyan did.

"We cannot send troops!"

Pu Nu coldly said, "Continue to besiege the Liaoxi Army and wipe them out first."

Several Xiongnu barbarians kneeling on the ground became anxious: "Our tribe's brave warriors have all died at the hands of the Pei family army. Why doesn't General Punu send troops to avenge us?"

Pu Nu sneered and cursed, "Our deployment of a large army has played right into Pei Qinghe's scheme. She wants to lure us to attack Tuhe to relieve the siege of Liaoxi Commandery. This is the Han Chinese military strategy of 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao'!"

"We have no rivals in mounted combat. No matter how powerful Pei Qinghe is, she doesn't have that many warhorses and cavalry. She must have paid a heavy price to wipe out your cavalry. Her Pei family army will suffer even more casualties."

"We will not attack Tuhe, but continue to attack Liaoxi Commandery. Whoever loses patience will be the first to lose."

Those few Xiongnu barbarians were still crying and shouting incessantly.

Pu Nu, impatient, brandished his sword and killed all those who were shouting angrily, leaving only two who knew better than to utter a sound. Then he carefully questioned them about the battle, his expression growing more and more solemn as he listened.

"General Punu!" A Xiongnu barbarian rushed over and reported indignantly, "Outside Tuhe City, a mound of skulls has been built with the heads of the warriors. The bodies of the warriors have also been burned."

The Xiongnu had a custom of sky burial. Crushing bones and scattering ashes was the most tragic fate for the Xiongnu.

Pu Nu's eyes blazed with fury, and he cursed incessantly. With a few swings of his scimitar, he hacked the last two men to pieces, turning them into bloody gourds: "Issue my order! Immediately send troops to attack Liaoxi County! I will use the blood of the King of Liaoxi to pay tribute to our brave warriors!"

(End of this chapter)