Chapter 175: Captive
This day was like a nightmare for General Lu.
Pei Qinghe’s ruthlessness when killing was chilling.
He led several hundred personal soldiers in flight, but after running just over twenty li, they encountered an ambush. He had charged ahead the fastest and inevitably got tripped by the tripwire, falling off his horse half-dead. He nearly got trampled in the waist and abdomen by a warhorse.
In his panic, a young woman led hundreds of elite soldiers charging over, slashing wildly. To avoid death, there was only surrender.
General Lu took a saber cut to his right shoulder, blood staining half his body red, his hands and feet bound with thick rope. Like a dead pig, he was dragged by two fierce-looking, sturdy strong men before Pei Qinghe. One of the strong men was Zhao Da.
Zhao Da had joined the Pei Family Army nearly two years ago, his thugish aura replaced by the Pei Family Army’s stern temperament, fully embodying the demeanor of a Pei Family Army elite soldier.
Pei Qinghe was in a fine mood and turned to Pei Yun with a smile: “Zhao Da has finally been trained up.”
Pei Yun smiled and replied: “He’s now a battalion commander. In this ambush battle, he killed four Fanyang Army elite soldiers and earned considerable merit.”
Zhao Da looked proud, puffing out his chest.
Pei Qinghe smiled and praised Zhao Da a few words, then looked at the dejected and despairing General Lu: “I’ve long heard of General Lu’s great name, and today I finally learned from it, but meeting you is not as good as hearing of you.”
General Lu clung to his last shred of dignity, maintaining his final bit of decorum: “Sixth Sister Pei trained a massive elite force in just a few years. The Fanyang Army came from afar to attack and was no match for the Pei Family Army. You won, so you can say anything. Whether you kill or butcher me, give me a quick end.”
Pei Qinghe tugged at the corner of her mouth: “If General Lu wants a quick death, I’ll oblige him. Pei Yan, drag General Lu to north of the village, chop off his hands and feet, and hang him from a tree.”
Pei Yan chuckled, striding forward and easily grabbing the tall General Lu.
General Lu was dragged a few steps, his scalp nearly exploding, no longer caring about face: “Sixth Sister, spare my life! I don’t want to die! Please, Sixth Sister, spare me!”
Pei Yan sneered and kicked General Lu. General Lu felt excruciating pain in his chest and spat out a mouthful of blood. He continued to beg bitterly: “I really don’t want to die. Please, Sixth Sister, give me a way to survive…”
Pei Qinghe calmly instructed: “Pei Yan, invite General Lu back.”
Pei Yan acknowledged and dragged the dog-like General Lu back.
General Lu lay wretchedly on the ground, struggling to get up and kneel, kowtowing for mercy.
Pei Yan curled her lip: “There we go! He clearly fears death but insists on pretending to face it like a hero—who’s he showing that to?”
Pei Qinghe stood before General Lu, looking down condescendingly: “What does General Lu have to exchange for his life?”
General Lu’s body trembled, but he didn’t dare hesitate: “There are still four thousand soldiers in the Fanyang Army barracks, most of them dragged in this year. I’ve brought the true main force with me.”
“Defeated by Sixth Sister, I, Lu Xian, am convinced. As long as Sixth Sister lets me go back, I’ll offer up all the gold and silver in the barracks.”
“I robbed several magnates; there are over a hundred thousand in silver in the barracks. I’ll offer it all to Sixth Sister!”
Pei Qinghe looked at Shi Yan.
Shi Yan took out a red gold abacus and clicked through it: “At current grain prices, a hundred thousand silver can buy enough grain to feed everyone in Pei Family Village for two years.”
The Pei Family Army had five thousand men, and Pei Family Village had farmers tending the fields and those handling internal affairs, totaling over ten thousand. Feeding so many mouths was no easy task.
Exchanging one General Lu for two years of military rations—this deal was worthwhile.
Pei Qinghe and Shi Yan exchanged a glance, their brows relaxing as they slowly looked at General Lu: “Then please have General Lu write a letter and send someone for the silver. I, Pei Qinghe, am always credible; once I get the silver, I’ll release him.”
General Lu was moved to tears, agreeing repeatedly: “Yes, yes, I’ll write the letter right now.”
“General Lu only cares for himself and ignores the captured Fanyang Army officers and soldiers?” Pei Qinghe’s voice rang out again.
General Lu’s face paled further, enduring the intense pain in his right shoulder, responding humbly: “What does Sixth Sister want?”
Pei Qinghe smiled faintly: “That depends on how much sincerity General Lu has.” She turned to Pei Yan: “How many captives today?”
Pei Yan scratched her head: “Haven’t counted precisely yet.”
Shi Yan took over: “There are over five hundred captives in the storeroom. Miss Yun just captured over two hundred more, totaling around eight hundred.”
The Fanyang Army had come with four thousand, and after a day of fierce fighting to the death, at least fifty percent had been killed. Around eight hundred were captured, with some scattering in flight, their whereabouts unknown.
This was unavoidable. The Pei Family Army was too short on warhorses! They simply lacked the means to pursue deserters!
Pei Qinghe let a hint of regret show in her tone: “Pity, if only we had horses.”
Pei Yun smiled and chimed in: “Many Fanyang Army warhorses were killed or captured. I brought back over two hundred.”
Pei Qinghe nodded gladly: “Good, send the captured warhorses to the stables and have Zhao Hai and them feed them well.”
Hearing this, General Lu understood immediately and said: “The Fanyang Army still has five hundred warhorses; I’ll offer them all to Sixth Sister.”
Pei Qinghe immediately became amiable: “Since General Lu is so generous, I won’t refuse.” With a swing of her long saber, the blade flashed like lightning, severing the ropes on General Lu’s hands.
The gleaming blade edge reflected General Lu’s ashen face.
The gold and silver could be robbed again. But handing over these five hundred warhorses would mean losing them completely. Without warhorses, there’d be no cavalry, no raid capability. Even sending messages would be highly inconvenient. The already mediocre Fanyang Army would pose no threat to the Pei Family Army henceforth.
There were indeed several thousand soldiers left in the Fanyang Army barracks. Pei Qinghe clearly had no desire to march afar against the Fanyang Army, so she forced him to yield benefits for a way to survive.
He was fish on the chopping block. He had no confidence to negotiate with Pei Qinghe. That earlier saber stroke could have shifted slightly forward to pierce his throat, turning him into a pile of minced meat.
“General Lu’s right shoulder is injured, making it inconvenient to write.” Pei Qinghe was very considerate: “I’ll have someone treat General Lu’s external wounds. It’s not too late to write after the injury heals.”
General Lu wished to leave this damned Pei Family Village immediately and quickly replied: “I can still move; I’ll write the letter first, then treat the wound.”
Shi Yan carried a charcoal pen and paper; he took them out and placed them before General Lu.
General Lu endured the agony, barely lifting his right hand to grip the charcoal pen, scribbling a few crooked lines. Cold sweat poured down his forehead from the pain.
Shi Yan presented the letter to Pei Qinghe. She glanced at it and nodded slightly. Pei Yun immediately fetched two uninjured, intact captives.
