Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 83 Growth
General Meng said calmly, "When there are any damaged long weapons in the military camp, I will send some over."

Pei Qinghe quickly thanked her with a smile.

General Meng left with his hands behind his back. In the following days, when Pei Qinghe invited him to the training ground again, he refused. His reason was perfectly valid: the Pei family's military training was a secret, and outsiders shouldn't disturb them.

Pei Qinghe felt a little regretful that she couldn't continue to take advantage of the situation.

Five or six days later, news came back from the Beiping army that had gone into the mountains to suppress the bandits. Langya Village turned out to be a tough nut to crack, and many soldiers and civilians were killed or wounded during the capture of the village.

General Meng's expression darkened slightly. He didn't ask if his sons were injured, but simply ordered, "Take down Wolf Fang Stronghold. Take everything you can down the mountain, and burn the rest."

Three days later, the Meng brothers led their men down the mountain.

Five hundred elite soldiers went, but only a little over three hundred returned. Several were seriously wounded, and many others were slightly injured. Fortunately, they brought enough medicine and bandages, so no one died on the way.

Meng Dalang had been slashed in the left arm, but Meng Liulang was unharmed. He knelt down with a face full of shame, his eyes red as he begged for forgiveness: "Brother took a knife to save me, please punish me, Father... Ouch!"

He was kicked hard, and the pain made him break out in a cold sweat.

Pei Yan, who had been watching the commotion from the sidelines, shrank back.

Pei Qinghe didn't say anything and stood quietly to the side.

Meng Dalang forced himself to speak up for his younger brother: "Father, please calm down. Liulang was at the forefront of the battle and was the bravest in killing the bandits. It's inevitable that he would be injured in the fighting. Don't blame him."

General Meng said coldly, "Charging recklessly and endangering others is not bravery, it's being brainless."

"Before entering the mountains, I repeatedly warned that there were still many bandits in Langya Village, and that the area was strategically advantageous, easy to defend and difficult to attack, so we should not underestimate them."

“He was reckless and impulsive, and led his men to attack the camp without understanding the situation. You are his elder brother, so taking a blow for him is nothing. So many soldiers have lost their lives because of him. No matter how many tears he sheds, the dead cannot be brought back to life.”

"Kicking him once was too lenient. When we get back to the barracks, I'll teach him a lesson he won't forget."

Meng Liulang trembled, knelt on the ground, and didn't dare to lift his head.

Pei Yan lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.

Pei Qinghe waited until General Meng had vented his anger before speaking softly, "First, settle the soldiers down and re-bandage and apply medicine."

General Meng nodded slightly.

Doctor Bao was prepared; he brought out a box of wound medicine and two baskets of boiled white cotton cloth.

Pei Qinghe directed more than ten nimble young women to clean, apply medicine, and bandage the wounded soldiers. Several clean rooms were also prepared for the wounded soldiers to settle in and recuperate.

Pei Yan, who is usually so smug and lively, was absent-minded all day, keeping her head down and doing her work in silence.

For dinner, I only ate three steamed buns.

Pei Qinghe glanced at her: "Were you provoked today?"

Pei Yan looked dejected and gave a muffled "hmm": "I wanted to take people into the mountains before, but you stopped me, and I'm still resentful."

"Now that I think about it, if it had been us who went, I don't know how many people would have died."

"Thinking like that is a bit selfish. The soldiers of the Beiping Army are also living, breathing human beings. But I am selfish; I just want the Pei family to live well."

Pei Yan sniffed, her voice slightly choked, "Cousin Qinghe, you're right. I've been too rash and impulsive. I'll definitely change in the future." She looked up and saw Pei Qinghe gazing at her gently, "Pei Yan, you've finally grown up."

Pei Yan stopped crying and started laughing.

Pei Qinghe reached out and wiped away Pei Yan's tears: "Alright, stop crying. Who isn't impulsive and hot-blooded when they're young? But you really need to be calm and composed on the battlefield. Don't let your passion cloud your judgment."

Pei Yan leaned her fluffy head closer, and Pei Qinghe hugged her cousin, who was a head taller than her.

After a while, two more furry heads squeezed in.

Pei Qinghe smiled and stepped aside slightly. Pei Xuan moved quickly, snuggling into her cousin Qinghe's arms first. Pei Feng pouted, leaning against Pei Yan with a wronged expression.

Pei Yan pinched Pei Feng's handsome face angrily: "You're acting all wronged now. If you don't want to lean on me, get out of the way."

Pei Qinghe watched the crowd joking around, a smile blooming in her dark eyes.

……

The Beiping army suffered heavy casualties in this battle, but the results were quite good. Langya Village was wiped out, with two hundred heads taken down the mountain, along with a large amount of money, grain, and weapons. More than thirty women and children were also captured.

The next morning, General Meng led his soldiers and the captured money and grain back to the camp. The wounded soldiers stayed in the village to recuperate, the women and children were all given to Miss Pei, and half of the weapons were left behind.

Pei Qinghe called Gu Lian over: "You are in charge of the women and children in Langya Village. Keep a close eye on them, and kick out Pei Family Village if they are unwilling to stay."

Gu Lian answered with great enthusiasm. As she walked past Feng Chang, she raised an eyebrow and the corner of her eye.

Feng Chang remained calm and waited for Gu Lian to leave before stepping forward and whispering, "After this battle, our Pei Family Village will be famous far and wide. Sixth Miss, let's take advantage of this great opportunity to go into the mountains and gather the refugees."

Last year, when Black Bear Stronghold was wiped out, Meng Liulang happened to be there, though the timing was somewhat ambiguous. Most people assumed it was the work of the Beiping army, and Pei Family Village remained relatively low-key.

This time was different. Scarface Wolf led his bandits down the mountain and died a clear death at the hands of Miss Pei. Several days later, the Beiping army finally entered the mountains to suppress the bandits and capture their stronghold. Miss Pei's formidable reputation quietly echoed throughout the Yanshan Mountains.

"Pick some loyal and clever men to come with you into the mountains," Pei Qinghe instructed in a low voice. "Wang Erhe is good; you can take him. Pei Jia and Pei Yi will also bring some men. You will split into three groups and go into the mountains."

He paused, then added, "No matter when or where, always prioritize your own safety. Make sure you come back safely."

Pei Jia and Pei Yi felt a warmth in their hearts upon hearing this, and Feng Chang's heart also warmed. He cupped his hands in agreement.

With Pei Jia, Pei Yi, Feng Chang, and the others gone, the displaced farmers who were tilling the fields couldn't help but feel restless.

While tilling the land, someone muttered complaints under their breath: "We all came here together, so why is it that Feng Chang gets to stand out and be favored by the Sixth Miss? And that Wang Erhe, he has a pair of thieving eyes and ears, always sneaking around reporting things. We are all upright men, how are we inferior to them?"

"Oh, and those sons-in-law who married into the family, spending their days in bed serving women, and they have the nerve to be so smug. Bah, they don't even have a shred of manhood."

“Those women are all from the mountain stronghold, and they're not exactly clean either. If you're going to be a live-in son-in-law, you should look for a woman from the Pei family. Someone like Bian Shulan, she's beautiful and gentle.”

"Pah, you're really getting high and mighty. Look at your pointy face and monkey cheeks, even people from the mountain stronghold wouldn't look at you. You were trying to curry favor with Gu Lian the other day, and you got slapped for it! Does your face still hurt?"

Enraged by the laughter of the crowd, the monkey-faced man, whose sore spot had been touched, threw down the reins and was about to strike.

"Shut up! The Sixth Miss is coming!"

The group of refugees immediately shut up and buried themselves in their work, becoming extremely diligent.

(End of this chapter)