Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 91 Taking Down the Stronghold (Part Two)

The bandits of White Tiger Stronghold were stunned by the slaughter.

Without the slightest disturbance, they had been eating and drinking heartily the night before, and suddenly in the middle of the night, they were slaughtered in a bloodbath.

The head of the gang leader, Luo Hu, was raised high.

A demonic voice resounded in my ears and in my heart.

In the darkness and carnage, the terrified bandits threw down their weapons and knelt down.

Some bandits refused to surrender and charged outwards. Torches were lit, and a cold, girlish voice rang out: "Kill all those who refuse to surrender."

After more than a dozen bandits had their heads chopped off, none of the remaining bandits dared to resist.

Bang, bang, bang!

The weapons were taken away and thrown into one place.

The bandits kneeling on the ground had their hands and feet tightly bound with ropes. The weeping women and children were also found and their hands and feet were bound as well.

At this moment, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

Only two hours had passed from sneaking into White Tiger Stronghold to achieving a great victory.

They won just like that?!

Pei Yan grinned, beaming with pride. Mao Hongling's eyes sparkled, and the corners of her lips turned up in a smile.

Pei Qinghe's voice came over: "Stop grinning like an idiot, come over here."

There's still so much to do!
First, take stock of your own casualties. The first-aid kit you carry comes in very handy; it can be used to stop bleeding and bandage wounds.

Then came the search and finishing blows, beheading the bandits. These were things the Pei women were used to doing, and they were very efficient. The bloodied heads piled up like a small mountain.

More than two hundred bandits were captured.

Mao Hongling loathed these bandits and suggested in a low voice, "Let's kill them all! These scumbags are just a waste of food to keep alive."

Pei Qinghe said, "Keep them; they'll be useful in the future."

Mao Hongling never questioned any decision Pei Qinghe made, and nodded in agreement.

Next, they would gather the women from the mountain stronghold.

The women had all been abducted into the mountains, but not all of them were willing to be rescued. A beautiful young woman of about twenty years old stared at Pei Qinghe with hatred in her eyes.

Pei Qinghe raised an eyebrow and stepped forward to remove the cloth from the woman's mouth. The woman spat and cursed incessantly.

Pei Yan sneered and threw a punch, leaving the woman with a bruised and swollen face. Another punch sent blood gushing from her mouth.

Pei Qinghe gestured for Pei Yan to stop, then turned to another young and beautiful woman and asked, "Is she one of Luo Hu's people?"

“Yes… her name is Rouge, and she has been with Luo Hu for three years. We are all under her control.” The young woman was much more timid, her voice trembling and her body shaking incessantly: “I… I was abducted into the mountains. I have not done anything wrong, please, Miss Pei, spare us.”

Pei Qinghe raised an eyebrow: "You know me?"

The young woman lowered her head, her voice trembling: "Sixth Miss Pei has been in Changping County for over a year, and she wiped out Black Bear Village and Wolf Fang Village. She is renowned. Although I have never met her, I know that in this world, only Sixth Miss Pei can easily kill Luo Hu."

"Please, Miss Pei, spare my life! I am truly an innocent citizen..."

Rouge, whose two teeth had been knocked out, suddenly looked up, her hateful gaze shooting out like arrows: "You're also Luo Hu's woman, but you never managed to compete with me. You've given Luo Hu plenty of advice and even killed people, and now you're acting like a law-abiding citizen. Bah! Have you no shame!"

The young woman did not argue or quarrel with Rouge; instead, she kowtowed and begged for forgiveness while shedding tears.

Pei Yan scratched his head vigorously and came up with an idea: "Why don't we just kill them all!" Mao Hongling frowned and objected: "Let's find out the truth first."

The recruited refugees had various motives, but women were the main force that Pei Family Village recruited. If all sixty or seventy women in front of them could be recruited, the Pei family would have a large number of capable people.

Pei Qinghe gave Mao Hongling an approving look, then turned to glare at Pei Yan: "Use your brain more when things happen, and learn from your second sister-in-law."

Pei Yan was used to being scolded, so she chuckled.

Pei Qinghe separated the captured women and ordered them to be questioned one by one. After confirming their identities, Rouge and the young woman were killed. The rest were temporarily imprisoned.

The interrogation by the bandits was much simpler and more brutal.

Pei Qinghe, wielding a long sword, killed one person for every question asked. After killing seven in a row, the remaining bandits completely collapsed, scrambling to reveal the location of the White Tiger Stronghold's warehouse where weapons and provisions were stored.

Pushing open the warehouse door, one sees bags of grain piled up like mountains.

Clearly, this was the grain they had stolen from the Shi family. It took five or six hundred bandits several days to transport all the grain into the mountains.

Besides grain, there was also a large quantity of bows and arrows. This was an unexpected bonus. The Beiping army had provided longswords and armor, but no bows and arrows. Today's captures amounted to more than fifty.

Mao Hongling said with lingering fear, "Luckily, we entered the village in the middle of the night and caught them off guard. If we had attacked the village head-on, they would have been on high ground and defended with sharp arrows. We don't know how many of our men would have died in vain."

Pei Qinghe anticipated the enemy's moves at every turn and achieved a great victory with minimal casualties.

Mao Hongling didn't think about why, she just exclaimed in amazement, "Qinghe, you are really amazing."

Pei Qinghe smiled and continued to count the spoils of war.

There were quite a few swords, spears, axes, and halberds. No wonder they escaped from the military camp; their weapons were far superior to those of Black Bear Stronghold and Wolf Fang Stronghold.

The refugees gathered in Peijia Village can now be gradually equipped.

Gold, silver, and jade are actually the least practical things. In times of chaos, even silver can't buy food.

However, few were as calm and rational as Pei Qinghe. The Pei women were already overjoyed at the sight of the chests of gold and silver.

"Taking down White Tiger Stronghold will be enough for our Pei Family Village to eat and drink for a long time." Zhou was not good at fighting, but she was quick-witted. She happily calculated the accounts: "Including the refugees we recruited, it will be enough to support us for one or two years."

No wonder Pei Qinghe came to Youzhou with such confidence; it turns out he had already planned to rob the mountain bandits.

Pei Qinghe casually said, "That's not how you calculate it. The most important thing to feed so many people is to have enough food. In times of peace, gold and silver are useful. But when chaos comes, who will be willing to give up their food?"

Therefore, having a powerful grain merchant as a backer is extremely important.

This campaign to annihilate White Tiger Stronghold wasn't solely for revenge against the Shi family. Showing their fangs to intimidate and intimidate, they also served as practical training, seizing supplies, weapons, and capturing bandits and women – a significant gain in itself.

After taking stock of the harvest, Pei Qinghe was in a very good mood and instructed Wu Xiuniang and the others to start a fire and cook.

Pei Qinghe led his men to guard the White Tiger Stronghold, while Pei Yan led his men down the mountain to deliver a message.

A few days later, Pei Jia, Pei Yi, Feng Chang, Gu Lian, and others led several hundred refugees into the mountains.

The refugees carried grain, weapons, gold, and silver, their bodies bulging with riches. The prisoners had their hands bound, and a sack of grain was also strapped to their backs.

As they descended the mountain, Pei Qinghe set a fire, and the mountain of corpses was quickly engulfed by the flames.

"Won't the village be burned down?" Pei Yan's fluffy head came closer.

Pei Qinghe habitually reached out and rubbed it: "Keep it! In case anything changes in the future, this village can be a safe haven."

(End of this chapter)