Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 500 Extra: The Great Victory

Morton Khan has fully awakened.

He lay motionless, the soft earth beneath him, the vast night sky like a dome above him. The night wind carried the stench of blood.

His whole body ached, and his head was extremely dizzy.

He forced his eyes open, looked at the woman's face above him, and uttered a few words in fits and starts: "Pei Qinghe, you've won!"

There's nothing more to say about dying at Pei Qinghe's hands. In his final moments, Morton Khan even felt a sense of relief.

Pei Qinghe never wasted words with the enemy on the battlefield. This time was no exception. She looked down at Morton Khan and said coldly, "That's right, I won!"

The winner takes all, the loser dies!

It's that simple!
Pei Qinghe raised his sword and swiftly brought it down. In a flash, Morton Khan's head rolled away.

Everyone behind her cheered: "A great victory! The Pei family army has won a great victory!"

Yes!

In this national war, the Pei family army ultimately emerged victorious!

Pei Qinghe raised the corners of her mouth and smiled. The next moment, she threw down her long sword and sat down on the blood-soaked grassland.

She was too tired! Killing Morton had drained her last bit of strength.

Everyone lay down on the grass.

Morton died, but the war was not completely over.

Pei Qinghe rested in place for two days. Their military rations were exhausted, so they slaughtered dozens of wounded warhorses. Horse meat had a strong, gamey smell and was extremely tough, requiring half a day of stewing. Alternatively, they sliced ​​it thinly and roasted it over a fire. At least that would fill their stomachs.

During this time, one or two Xiongnu tribes passed by and, upon seeing the mound of Xiongnu cavalry heads cast into the shape of skulls and the banner of the Pei family army from afar, immediately fled in terror.

Pei Qinghe did not order a pursuit. While killing Xiongnu cavalry was acceptable in battle, massacring civilians was the most despicable and contemptible method. The Pei family army disdained such lowly acts.

After two days of rest, I've recovered most of my strength.

“We’re not in a hurry to leave. Let’s wait here for the troops to arrive and gather,” Pei Qinghe said to the people around him. “In this battle, we won a great victory, killed Morton, and completely crushed the Xiongnu cavalry. There are still things to do next.”

Everyone bowed their heads and obeyed the command.

Eating horse meat all the time wasn't a good idea, so Pei Feng led several hundred men on a hunting trip. On the way, they encountered a Xiongnu tribe. The Xiongnu tribe was terrified and offered up everything edible in their tribe.

Pei Feng was meticulous and inspected all the food to make sure it was clean and free of poison before serving it to Pei Qinghe.

Barley tsampa, hot oil tea, and tangy dried cheese—it all has a unique flavor.

After waiting for a few days, Gu Lian arrived first.

Gu Lian pursued the Xiongnu cavalry, killing most of them, while the remaining few fled and scattered, posing little threat.

Gu Lian had a new wound on her face; it was shallow and had already begun to scab over.

On the battlefield, survival is the most important thing. Who doesn't have wounds? It's not uncommon to have wounds on the head and face. Pei Qinghe took out a porcelain bottle she always carried and handed it to Gu Lian: "This wound medicine was made by Physician Lu himself. Take it three times a day, and the scars will fade quickly."

Physician Lu is almost eighty years old this year. He only makes a few dozen bottles of wound medicine a year, which are specially offered to the emperor.

Gu Lian gladly thanked the emperor for his generous reward.

Two days later, Sun Cheng also arrived, with new wounds mixed with old ones.

Battles are always this brutal; wounds are inevitable when fighting the enemy. Fortunately, they are all minor injuries, and they will recover in a few days. The lists of young generals and brave soldiers who died in battle have also been submitted one after another.

Familiar names and vibrant lives are forever etched in this grassland.

He died on the battlefield, his bones buried in a foreign land.

Separation by life and death is a pain that Pei Qinghe can never let go of, yet she can't help but slowly get used to it.

Pei Qinghe buried the fallen soldiers together and erected a stone tablet for them. She stood before the tablet, bowed three times, and silently recited prayers.

"Today's bloodshed and sacrifice are for future peace and tranquility, and for the millions of people of the Republic of China."

"May your souls rest in peace in heaven, watching me completely subdue the grasslands."

Nearly 20,000 cavalrymen were reduced to 15,000 or 16,000 within half a month.

News of Morton Khan's crushing defeat and death spread like wildfire across the grasslands.

Some of the Xiongnu barbarians who had fled back secretly returned to their tribes, hiding in fear and lest they attract the pursuit of Pei's army.

Fortunately, the Pei family army stopped after killing the three cavalry groups and did not carry out a large-scale massacre. Ordinary Xiongnu herders could escape the calamity as long as they obediently raised white flags and offered provisions.

After a period of rest, Pei's army set off again, but instead of heading back, they continued north.

Wherever the banner of the Pei family army went, the herdsmen dared not approach and kept their distance. The name of Emperor Zhaoyuan, Pei Qinghe, was like a rising sun, its light illuminating the entire grassland.

"The Pei family army has already won a great victory. Our Morton Khan has been killed, and Batelxub and the others have also died in battle. Now there are only a handful of major tribes left on the grasslands. Why hasn't the Pei family army retreated yet?"

"Could it be that they're heading north all the way to the Khan's tent, intending to wipe out the Khan's entire tribe and eliminate them completely?"

Such speculation is not unfounded.

For centuries, the Xiongnu tribes relentlessly waged war, plundering and killing along the borders. They also had the atrocity of massacring entire cities. Countless Han Chinese died at the hands of the Xiongnu. Even now, large numbers of Han Chinese still serve under the leadership of various tribal chiefs.

Emperor Zhaoyuan, riding high on the momentum of his great victory, led the Pei family army on a grand march, which was not only a show of force but must also have a greater purpose.

Amidst the trembling observation of all the tribes, Pei's army marched north and arrived at Morton Khan's tent a month later.

Morton's head was treated with quicklime, and after more than a month, it did not completely decompose, and his face could still be barely seen.

Morton's Great Queen knelt on the grass with a pale face, behind her were a dozen women of different ages and skin colors, and dozens of children.

“Your Majesty, they are Morton’s wives, concubines and children.” Pei Xuan, who was in charge of sweeping through Morton’s tribe, reported with his hands clasped: “This humble general just counted them, there are a total of seventeen women and twenty-one children. The oldest is fifteen years old and the youngest is three months old.”

Pei Feng added, "There are still more than a thousand cavalrymen here. Those who refused to surrender have all been killed by us."

There are still more than 8,000 Han Chinese here.

Morton alone had more than 8,000 Han slaves.

Who knows how many more Han Chinese were captured and brought here to live on this grassland?

Pei Qinghe showed no mercy, first ordering the execution of all of Morton's wives and children. To nip the problem in the bud, there was no need for leniency.

All the surrendered Xiongnu cavalrymen were made into horse slaves and later sent to horse farms to raise horses.

Pei Qinghe issued an imperial edict, ordering all tribal leaders on the grasslands to immediately release all Han Chinese. Anyone who dares to enslave Han Chinese in the future will be considered disrespectful to Emperor Zhaoyuan and will be punished no matter how far away they are.

(End of this chapter)