Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 289 Retreat (Part 1)

In the midst of the bloody battle, everyone completely forgot their fear and disregarded their own lives. Pei Qinghe, whose eyes were already bloodshot, led his men forward viciously at the sight of the Xiongnu warhorses, killing all the Xiongnu barbarians and their horses.

There are fewer and fewer people around me.

Occasionally glancing out of the corner of his eye, Pei Qinghe would see Pei Yan's strong and sturdy figure, which would calm him down, and he would continue to wield his sword and fight.

Kill kill kill!

Slaughter all these wicked Hunnic barbarians who burn, kill, loot, and commit all sorts of atrocities!
"General, Pu Nu is there!" Amidst the clamor of battle, Sun Cheng shouted, his throat nearly hoarse, "Let's go kill Pu Nu!"

Pei Qinghe's eyes sharpened, and she charged toward Pu Nu with murderous intent, long sword in hand.

Pei Yan, Sun Cheng, Yang Huai, and others shouted and followed, and soon a large number of high-spirited soldiers surged forward like a surging wave.

Pu Nu still had several hundred elite cavalrymen with him, who had not yet joined the battle. Now, in a fierce fight, the outcome was still uncertain.

However, just as Pu Nu was about to give the order, his gaze met Pei Qinghe's from afar. A chill suddenly ran through him.

This is an intuition honed through countless battles and life-or-death decisions.

If this fight continues, he will be buried here today.

go!
Pu Nu acted decisively, shouted, turned his horse around, and kicked its belly hard.

Punu's elite guards turned and ran without a word.

"General Punu has retreated!"

"Let's run too!"

With their commander retreating, the morale of the Xiongnu barbarians collapsed instantly. Those who could escape immediately rode away. Those who couldn't escape lost the will to fight and fled in panic. The Pei family army's morale soared, and they chased after them, shouting as they went.

"Pu Nu ran away." Pei Yan spat angrily, "Should we chase after him?"

In the blink of an eye and after catching their breath, Pu Nu's steed had vanished without a trace. They only had two legs, and couldn't fly; how could they chase after it?
Pei Qinghe glanced in the direction Pu Nu had gone and sighed, "No need to chase after them! Let's keep everything we can!"

Pei Yan responded energetically and brandished his long sword, searching for the Xiongnu barbarians.

Yang Huai, who was originally exhausted, rallied his spirits and fought alongside Pei Yan.

Having a companion like Pei Yan on the battlefield must be the greatest happiness in the world. She is like a fierce tiger, tireless, and will not stop fighting even when wounded.

After resting for half a day, the remaining Beiping soldiers who were still able to fight rushed out of the woods.

The Xiongnu barbarians, who were tightly entangled and unable to escape, also became fierce and turned around to continue fighting.

This battle lasted from daylight until nightfall.

Countless Xiongnu barbarians fled, but the last one left fell, and only then did the fierce battle end.

Corpses and remains littered the ground, making it impossible to distinguish friend from foe. The pungent stench of blood permeated the air.

Pei Feng, who had been holding on for half a day, turned around and vomited again.

Pei Xuan, who was injured, sat not far away and forced herself to comfort Pei Feng: "You'll feel better after you vomit. We won this battle."

Pei Feng vomited everything out of his stomach, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and took a big gulp from the small water pouch at his waist. Then he quickly walked to Pei Xuan's side: "How badly are you hurt?"

Pei Xuan was covered in blood, with no visible injuries, and her sweet face was splattered with blood as well. She replied nonchalantly, "I won't die anyway."

In such a fierce battle, it's a blessing to have survived.

Infantry defeated cavalry—a victory worthy of being recorded in history. But the cost was extremely high. Many comrades died in the melee, and almost everyone was wounded.

Pei Qinghe also sustained three minor injuries. "We can't stay here any longer, lest Pu Nu lead his troops to launch a counterattack. Let's return to Liaoxi City immediately." After treating his injuries briefly, Pei Qinghe urged everyone to head back.

Those who were seriously wounded and unable to move were helped onto their warhorses. Those who were slightly wounded helped each other along.

The Pei-character flag, stained crimson with blood, fluttered in the cold evening wind.

Severely injured, Meng Dalang was burning up with fever. He sat on his warhorse with his guards behind him. He half-opened his eyes and looked at the Pei banner in front of him and that tireless figure who would never retreat. The longing that had been suppressed deep in his heart surged up.

Such heroes are worthy of the loyalty and following of the Beiping Army.

……

Two fast horses galloped towards them.

Pei Yun, who had been standing atop the city gate, suddenly blazed with intense light in her eyes: "Open the city gate quickly! The outpost has sent a message back!"

Li Chi, who had also spent a day and a half on the city gate, suddenly had a flash of inspiration, rushed down, and personally opened the side gate.

The two messengers from Pei's army shouted, "We have saved the Beiping army!"

"We have won the battle! The Xiongnu barbarians have retreated!"

The Pei family army has won a great victory!
Li Chi was overjoyed.

Pei Yun hurried over and asked immediately, "Is the general alright?"

"The general suffered a few minor injuries, but is otherwise fine."

Pei Yun felt a sense of relief. It might sound cruel, but it was the truth. The soul of the Pei family army was Pei Qinghe, and as long as Pei Qinghe was safe and sound, the Pei family army's flag would never fall.

"I'll lead men to meet the general." Li Chi couldn't contain his excitement and volunteered.

Pei Yun was the second-in-command in the Pei family army. When Pei Qinghe personally led the troops to fight, Pei Yun naturally took the lead in guarding Liaoxi City.

Pei Yun didn't dampen her spirits; instead, she smiled and said, "I'll go with you."

Lu Feng and Song Dalang couldn't resist and wanted to go too.

Pei Yun smiled and said, "Very well, General Yang, please stay in the city and we will go together to meet the main army."

Yang Hu was a step too slow and had no choice but to stay. After Pei Yun and the others left, Yang Hu went to the kitchen himself and instructed them to prepare hot water and food.

After bandaging up, Lu Dongqing and the other military doctors busied themselves with preparations. Wound medicine was prepared first, knives and scissors were scalded repeatedly with hot water, and boxes of washed and sun-dried gauze were brought over. The beds in the wounded soldiers' tents were never enough, so they found some wooden planks, laid soft straw on them, and then added bedding—that would make do.

At the fourth watch of the night, Pei Qinghe led everyone back to Liaoxi City.

One by one, torches linked together to form a fiery dragon in the dark night, shining brightly from afar.

The people in Liaoxi City were also alarmed, and they all opened their doors to see the heroes of Pei Family Army helping each other walk past their homes.

For some reason, my nose started to sting, and tears welled up in my eyes.

The taxes they paid all went to the Liaoxi Army. Now, however, it was the Pei family army that protected them. These heroes fought and died for the people of Liaoxi City, and those who survived were covered in wounds. Even General Pei, who was at the forefront, was injured and had to be helped along.

That not-so-tall girl's figure was imprinted in the hearts of the people of western Liaoning that night.

Some people knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.

Some people cried and shouted, "Long live the general!"

Pei Qinghe was too weak to respond. She held on until she reached the wounded soldiers' camp, and only after confirming that Pei Yun, Pei Yan, Pei Xuan, Pei Feng, and others were all by her side did she finally fall into a deep sleep.

(End of this chapter)