Chapter 135: Conflict
Over thirty warhorses sped up, approaching from afar.
Pei Yan gave a cold snort and picked up her bow and arrow.
Pei Qinghe opened her mouth to stop her: “Don’t act, wait for them to get closer.”
Pei Yan acknowledged and lowered the bow and arrow, gripping the long saber in her hand tightly, watching alertly.
Pei Yun and the others did the same, each drawing their long sabers, the blade edges flashing with chilling light and killing intent under the sunlight.
Even Zhao Hai and the other cart drivers had weapons in hand.
Shi Yan, sitting on the ox cart, pulled a dagger from his bosom. This was specially given to him by Pei Qinghe for self-defense in emergencies.
Dong Erlang, who was accompanying them, also had a saber in hand. Dong Erlang had followed his own master traveling far and wide, encountered refugees, and fought mountain bandits. He was not the least bit afraid of such a scene and even felt inexplicably excited: “Young Master, when the fighting starts in a bit, let’s also fight hard and kill a couple.”
Shi Yan chuckled softly: “With Sixth Sister Pei here, where is there any need for you and me to act.”
Dong Erlang followed his master’s gaze and looked together at the figure of the girl on horseback, sincerely agreeing: “Young Master is right.”
Pei Qinghe’s prestige had been earned stroke by stroke with her saber. In Pei Family Village, no one did not admire her.
This group of people seemed to also know her power and stopped dozens of meters away. Only one horse came forward, and the young man on it was about twenty-one or twenty-two years old, with dark skin, a sturdy body, and sharp eyes. He cupped his hands in salute and said: “Guangning Army’s Yang Huai has come to pay respects to Sixth Sister Pei.”
Pei Qinghe’s gaze swept over Yang Huai’s angular face: “What is your relationship with General Yang?”
Yang Huai respectfully replied: “General Yang is my uncle.”
Beating a tiger requires close brothers; on the battlefield, father and son are soldiers. Having connections in the barracks is common. General Yang had no sons, and Yang Huai was General Yang’s consanguineous nephew with considerable status in the barracks. He was often respectfully called Young General Yang.
Yang Huai had originally been someone with eyes on his forehead and arrogant pride, the type who was not too convinced by anyone he met. Over these past two years, Pei Qinghe had risen to fame, and Yang Huai had not taken her seriously at first. It was not until Pei Qinghe wiped out all the mountain bandit strongholds in the Yan Mountains that no one dared to call Pei Qinghe by name directly, and all respectfully called her Sixth Sister Pei.
Later, when the Xiongnu barbarians invaded and the Guangning Army suffered a crushing defeat with heavy casualties, Sixth Sister Pei had led eight hundred people to defend Changping County.
The strongest is respected; strength is the hard truth. Yang Huai had no choice but to bow his head.
Pei Qinghe asked indifferently: “This is the Beiping Army Camp. What are people from your Guangning Army doing here?”
This was the Beiping Army Camp; what were people from Pei Family Village doing here?
Yang Huai internally complained to himself but showed nothing on his face, being very polite: “The Beiping Army is now stationed in Bohai Commandery, and the barracks are empty. The weapons and equipment in the storeroom have been left idle for too long and are prone to rusting. My uncle sent me to take a look.”
Sure enough, they had come to scrounge.
More precisely, they wanted to take advantage of the Beiping Army’s absence to grab a haul.
Pei Qinghe curled her lip in a cold smile: “Young General Meng of the Beiping Army has entrusted me to look after the barracks. There is no need for people from the Guangning Army to worry. Young General Yang, please go back!”
“I was sent by my uncle’s order and cannot return empty-handed. Let us enter the barracks together; we can each take half of the weapons in the storeroom, how about that?” Yang Huai said mildly in negotiation: “It can also count as forming a good relationship between the Guangning Army and Pei Family Village.”
Pei Qinghe said indifferently: “No. Turn your horse around immediately and take your people back to the Guangning Army. Otherwise, do not blame my long saber for not recognizing people.”
Her tone was firm and not polite at all.
No matter how good Yang Huai’s temper was, he changed expression, sneering as he said: “I respect Sixth Sister Pei’s fierce bravery and have been especially polite in my speech. Sixth Sister Pei should not go too far. The Guangning Army’s six thousand elite soldiers are not something the refugees in Pei Family Village can compare to.”
“No matter how powerful one person is, they cannot stand against thousands of troops. For some weapons and equipment, Sixth Sister Pei would fall out with our Guangning Army—it is not worthwhile.”
Pei Qinghe sneered: “The Guangning Army was badly defeated by the Xiongnu barbarians, with deserters fleeing everywhere and harming innocent common people. And you have the face to boast in front of me. What six thousand elite soldiers! Do you even have three thousand now?”
Yang Huai was poked in the sore spot, his face turning ugly.
“Whether the refugees from Pei Family Village are powerful or not can’t be decided by empty words.” Qinghe said coldly: “Your Guangning Army can come and try.”
Yang Huai was pushed to this point, unable to save face, he shouted loudly, and the more than thirty men behind him spurred their warhorses forward.
Yang Huai still wanted to hurl threats, but Pei Yan had long lost patience, she drew her long saber with a swish: “Cut the crap! If you want to fight, just come at us!”
The saber momentum was swift, heading straight for the chest.
Yang Huai was startled, he twisted his waist to evade, his long saber swinging out in turn, clashing squarely with Pei Yan’s long saber. Yang Huai’s hand shook, nearly falling off his horse.
Pei Yan showed no mercy and continued her aggressive assault.
Yang Huai dodged in a sorry state, trying to find an opening to counterattack, but Pei Yan’s saber strikes were like a sudden downpour, leaving him almost no time even to catch his breath.
Seeing this, the soldiers of the Guangning Army each roared in anger and raised their weapons to attack.
The Guangning Army prided itself as elite troops, second only to the Beiping Army. Now the Beiping Army had been crippled and followed the young Son of Heaven to Bohai Commandery. In Youzhou, who could still match the Guangning Army?
With this kind of lineup, Qinghe didn’t even need to make a move. Pei Yun led her people and charged forward. For the past two days, Pei Yun had wanted to “loosen her muscles and bones,” and today she finally got the perfect opportunity.
“Don’t go too hard on them.” Qinghe’s voice rang out: “Give them a lesson and drive them away.”
Pei Yan and Pei Yun each responded loudly.
This kind of arrogant humiliation was something no one could swallow.
Yang Huai was so furious that his temples throbbed, he swung his saber while shouting loudly: “Don’t hold back, everyone, give these women a taste of our strength… ow!”
His abdomen was kicked hard, sending him flying several meters, his long saber also flying out of his hand.
Pei Yan sneered as she stepped forward, pressing her long saber against Yang Huai’s neck: “You can’t even beat a woman, what kind of man are you. How about I castrate you with one slash and send you to Bohai Commandery to serve the Emperor.”
The cold blade edge reflected Yang Huai’s pale face.
Their own young general had been beaten down, the rest of the soldiers were beaten scattered and broken, and the morale that hadn’t even risen yet quickly dispersed.
Qinghe walked forward unhurriedly: “Confiscate their weapons and warhorses, tie up their hands and feet.”
Yang Huai was both shocked and angry: “What do you want to do? Kill us to silence us?”
His bluster hid inner weakness, his voice revealing panic and guilt.
Qinghe smiled slowly: “That depends on whether General Yang values this nephew of his.”
Yang Huai was somewhat dazed.
Qinghe turned her head and called Shi Yan over. Shi Yan got down from the ox cart and hurried over, carefully sizing up Yang Huai. Yang Huai suddenly felt like he was a fish on the chopping board, being flipped over to see where to cut.
“Leave this errand to me.” Shi Yan grinned: “I’ll write a letter to General Yang and see what price General Yang is willing to pay to redeem them.”
Yang Huai: “……”
