Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 433 Personal Guards (Part 1)

Half an hour later, Pei Yan returned from the training ground with two newly appointed personal guards.

Pei Qinghe glanced at them. Song Dalang's clothes were slightly dirty, and Fei Lin's left side was a little stiff, making him walk less nimbly. However, there were no signs of punches or kicks on their faces. It was clear that Pei Yan had already held back and hadn't given them a good beating.

As the commander of the personal guards, it was common for him to be trained and instructed, or to be intimidated and physically challenged.

Pei Qinghe pretended not to know and casually instructed, "The two of them will stay and continue their duties. Go to the Prime Minister's residence and invite the Prime Minister over."

Pei Yan accepted the order and left.

Song Dalang and Fei Lin stayed behind to await orders. Pei Qinghe treated them without any politeness, indeed regarding them as ordinary personal guards, sending them around to run errands without hesitation. They were also required to stand aside when discussing matters with Prime Minister Pang.

After a long day, the two young generals from the north were truly exhausted.

After their shift ended and they had dinner, they could rest. The four guards shared a room. Finally, they received some preferential treatment. Pei Yan specially allocated a room for the two of them.

As soon as the door closed, Fei Lin, who had been enduring the pain for most of the day, grimaced and rubbed his left abdomen: "Commander Pei went too far. I haven't been able to walk properly all day."

Song Dalang said, "I've already shown mercy; I didn't even hit their heads or faces. Otherwise, neither of us would have the face to show in public, and we would have been carried out of the training ground."

Fei Lin snorted twice, somewhat indignant: "I consider myself to be quite diligent in martial arts training. I usually train in my own military camp and have many defeated opponents. How come I become like a punching bag when I'm under Pei Yan's command?"

Song Dalang was much more straightforward: "Those who usually train with us are either personal guards or military officers from the camp. We are both young generals, so how could they dare to fight us all at once? Wouldn't they just become our defeated opponents? In terms of skill, you and I are only at the level of ordinary military officers. Pei Yan is a top figure in the Pei family army, domineering and brave, and neither of us is her match."

Fei Lin looked frustrated, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a curious question: "Is there really no one who can control Pei Yan?"

"Of course." Song Dalang lowered his head to apply medicine to his wounds: "That tigress Pei Yan becomes obedient and docile in front of General Pei."

Fei Lin's spirits lifted: "I have witnessed the general's heroic figure on the battlefield. But I have never seen the general practicing martial arts on a daily basis."

Song Dalang looked up and grinned at Fei Lin: "The general has a habit of practicing martial arts in the morning. We are both his personal guards, so we'll get up early tomorrow and go to the training ground with him to see it for ourselves."

Fei Lin nodded emphatically.

Nothing was said that night. At dawn the next day, the two men got up briskly. The minor injuries from the previous day had healed completely after a night's rest, and the two young generals were once again full of energy... as two generals' personal guards.

The two first went to find Commander Pei, and then went to the training ground with General Pei.

The training ground in Yan County has been expanded twice and is now quite spacious. As usual, several rows of weapon racks are set up along the edge of the training ground, containing both wooden weapons and real swords and spears.

Most of those who came to the training ground were direct descendants of the Pei family, including the chubby Pei Yue. There were also some elite soldiers from the Pei family army, selected to fill the personal guard due to their outstanding horsemanship and archery skills. At a rough glance, there were about two hundred people.

Pei Yan said to Pei Qinghe, "After much deliberation, we only selected these few."

Pei Qinghe casually chuckled, "Take your time selecting people; better to have fewer than to have inferior ones. Let's start with the quota of five hundred personal guards."

Hearing the words "better to have none than something bad," Fei Lin felt a surge of pride and turned to raise an eyebrow at Song Dalang. Song Dalang's brow relaxed as well.

The two of them quickly stopped laughing.

Pei Qinghe shot at the target for a while, but finding it uninteresting since she hit the target every time, she put down her bow and started picking people to spar with her for practice.

“Song Dalang and Fei Lin are both newcomers, so they will accompany the general in sparring today.” Pei Yan immediately recommended as soon as Pei Qinghe’s gaze swept over.

Pei Qinghe smiled and nodded. Song Dalang and Fei Lin both felt a chill run down their spines, yet were also eager to try.

Everyone knows how formidable Pei Qinghe is. Just how formidable? Only a personal trial would reveal the truth. They knew they were no match for Pei Qinghe, but what if? What if they displayed exceptional bravery in battle and, by some stroke of luck, managed to defeat the general in a single move?

Pei Yan scoffed, about to utter a sarcastic remark, when Pei Qinghe glanced over. Pei Yan immediately shut her mouth.

Pei Qinghe turned her head again and smiled at Song Dalang Fei Lin: "Practice fist and foot techniques first, then weapons. The two of you can practice together."

Fei Lin was about to agree when the shameless Song Dalang spoke up first: "We would be delighted to spar with the General. I'll shamelessly ask the General for guidance first."

Pei Qinghe's eyes flashed with a hint of appreciation: "Alright, you go first."

Song Dalang bowed and accepted the order, took two steps forward, steadied himself, and assumed a crisp and decisive starting stance. Pei Qinghe did not move, but only gestured to Song Dalang with her eyes to make his move.

Song Dalang didn't hold back, taking a step forward and throwing a swift right punch.

Fei Lin almost blurted out "Good!"
Pei Qinghe neither dodged nor yielded, but instead parried with his left fist.

Song Dalang felt as if his right fist had struck a boulder, which remained unmoved, while his fist throbbed with unbearable pain. Terrified, Song Dalang quickly shifted his stance, using both fists and feet.

Pei Qinghe's footwork shifted even faster, her left fist whistling through the air, and in the blink of an eye, she had exchanged more than a dozen blows with Song Dalang. Her right fist remained motionless throughout.

Bang! Unable to dodge in time, Song Dalang was kicked squarely on the seventeenth move and slid five or six meters away.

Pei Qinghe looked at Fei Lin, who was in shock, and shook her left fist, signaling Fei Lin to step forward.

Fei Lin's throat felt dry and tight, and his scalp tingled. He dared not and could not hesitate, so he mustered his courage and stepped forward. Pei Qinghe still did not move her right hand, and in fourteen moves, she knocked Fei Lin to the ground.

After catching his breath, Song Dalang picked up a wooden spear.

Pei Qinghe also picked out a wooden gun.

She was skilled with long swords, and equally adept with other weapons.

Even with weapons, the defeat was just as swift. In less than twenty moves, Song Dalang's wooden spear was knocked from his hand, and he was swept to the ground by the spear. The bodyguard uniform he had changed into early that morning was now covered in mud and dust.

Fei Lin gritted his teeth and grabbed a wooden sword.

Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "It's been a while since I've practiced my sword. Today is a good day to practice." He picked up a wooden sword and with a flick of his right hand, he twirled it into several sword flourishes.

Fei Lin: "..."

Needless to say, they lost swiftly and decisively.

Pei Yan said with a hint of disdain, "Those two are too useless. They couldn't even last twenty moves against the general. If it weren't for their fathers being generals, they wouldn't even be able to get into the Imperial Guard."

Song Dalang and Fei Lin were both covered in dust and ashamed, too embarrassed to utter a word.

Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "With regular practice, you'll gradually get better. Who's next?"

Pei Yan immediately pointed and said, "Pei Yue, come here."

(End of this chapter)