Chapter 19: Refugees
A few days later, they entered Jizhou territory.
As soon as they entered Jizhou, Pei Qinghe keenly sensed something was wrong.
Suddenly, more than a dozen ragged refugees appeared near the official road.
“Guard Gao, we’ve been targeted.”
Pei Qinghe said in a deep voice: “There are more than a dozen refugees who have been following us from afar. When I slow down, they also walk slowly. When I deliberately speed up, they still follow. They’ve been following us for two consecutive days.”
“They are scouting and probing, waiting to figure out our group’s troop strength before making a move.”
Guard Gao’s most important task was to safely escort the Pei family members to Youzhou. Having traveled more than half the journey peacefully, his vigilance had lowered considerably. He dismissed it upon hearing this: “Sixth Sister Pei need not be overly nervous. Those few refugees must have been attracted by our grain carts. They probably just want to beg for some grain.”
“With us here, they won’t dare to approach.”
Pei Qinghe’s brows twitched slightly, her voice growing more solemn: “No, they are not ordinary refugees.”
“They’ve split into two groups, taking turns following us. They’re too far to see their faces clearly, but their bodies are exceptionally sturdy, nothing like refugees.”
Where do refugees come from?
Most are common people who can’t pay taxes or are facing famine and starvation, forced to abandon their homes and flee. Some starve or die of exhaustion midway. The bolder ones band together as bandits to steal and loot others’ grain.
Among Jizhou’s thirteen commanderies, major ones like Bohai Commandery, Zhangwu Commandery, and Hejian Commandery are still prosperous, but places like Julu and Anping Commanderies are far worse off. Officials are greedily corrupt without limit, droughts and locust plagues are constant—refugees are hardly surprising.
Refugees wander everywhere looting. Going hungry one meal and full the next, with sallow faces and skinny bodies as the norm. Yet this group that has been tailing them for two days consists of individuals with sturdy builds and swift steps—far from ordinary.
Guard Gao’s expression also grew grave: “I’ll send someone to scout them out.”
Pei Qinghe nodded: “Thank you, Guard Gao.”
Guard Gao called over several Eastern Palace Guards, turned their horses around together, and drove off the refugees.
Those dozen or so refugees, upon seeing the tall fine horses from afar, scattered like startled birds and beasts, fleeing into the mountain forest. The several Eastern Palace Guards on fine horses found it inconvenient and dared not pursue deep into the dense woods, so they could only watch helplessly as the refugees escaped.
Captain Sun also noticed something amiss and loudly ordered everyone to halt and rest. He strode over quickly: “What happened?”
Guard Gao furrowed his brows and whispered: “Someone has targeted us. Those refugees were scouts. They might make a move soon.”
Captain Sun’s face changed abruptly: “What kind of people are these, daring to attack imperial court officers!”
Escorting the family of a convicted official was already a tough errand. If anything went wrong along the way, he would be the first to be implicated.
Pei Qinghe’s voice rang out: “This is not the time to discuss their origins. We need to come up with a method to deal with them.”
Captain Sun looked at Pei Qinghe, his tone revealing dissatisfaction: “Could these people be enemies of the Pei Clan?”
“So what if they are?” Pei Qinghe countered coldly: “Does Captain Sun plan to abandon us and lead his men to flee first?”
This was of course impossible.
As the escort officer, he could only complete his errand after delivering the family of a convicted official to the place of exile. Along the way, he had to both guard the exiles and ensure their safety. If something happened to the Pei family members, he would suffer misfortune too. The eighth-rank military general official position he had struggled so hard to obtain would be gone in an instant. Perhaps his head would follow suit.
In the eyes of those in power, an eighth-rank captain was like an ant. No one cared whether he lived or died.
Captain Sun instantly understood many things, his face extremely ugly as he spat out angrily: “This group is coming for the Pei Clan.”
“My father was prominent and successful in life, so it’s no surprise he made enemies.” Pei Qinghe’s face showed no extra expression: “But smart people wouldn’t choose this moment—they could easily wait until we reach Youzhou to strike. Once the Eastern Palace Guards leave and the escort officers leave, there are no more obstacles. With remote mountains and distant waters, natural disasters or man-made calamities are easy to arrange.”
“Since they’ve chosen to strike midway during the exile, it shows these people are audacious and utterly unafraid of the Eastern Palace.”
“Thinking deeper, these people are targeting the Eastern Palace.”
Guard Gao’s face was also extremely grim.
Pei Qinghe’s analysis was logical and well-founded.
There were not many Eastern Palace Guards, only five. But these five represented the Eastern Palace’s face. How many in the world today dared to challenge the Eastern Palace’s banner?
Captain Sun couldn’t run, nor could the Eastern Palace Guards escape—now, they and the Pei family members were all grasshoppers on the same rope.
Pei Qinghe softened her voice: “We’re in the same boat, so let’s unite to face the strong enemy together.”
“Easier said than done!” Captain Sun’s pent-up anger and resentment erupted: “We don’t know who the enemy is, their origins, how many troops or weapons they have—nothing. We’re in the open, they’re in the shadows. How are we supposed to deal with that?”
Guard Gao’s brows were tightly furrowed.
As an Eastern Palace Guard, he usually protected the masters in the Eastern Palace during outings; the greatest danger he’d faced was executing a few dead-stalwart assassins. He had no experience with proper large-scale battles or how to cope.
“Guard Gao, immediately send someone to the nearest county office to report.” Pei Qinghe was not polite at all, naturally taking command: “Have the county office send people.”
“Captain Sun, we’re not far from Julu Commandery. Send someone to the barracks there to request reinforcements.”
Guard Gao subconsciously replied in the affirmative.
He was accustomed to following his master’s orders, so taking directions from Sixth Sister Pei now felt perfectly natural.
Captain Sun still had some dignity as an imperial escort officer and struggled: “What if the Julu troops refuse to send anyone?”
Pei Qinghe said coldly: “Reinforcements are best, but if none come, no matter—we have hands, feet, and weapons. Are we just going to stand there waiting for the refugees?”
Her tone conveyed icy killing intent.
Captain Sun inexplicably felt a chill in his heart as he stared at Pei Qinghe’s face: “Isn’t Sixth Sister Pei afraid?”
“What’s the use of being afraid.” Pei Qinghe actually smiled: “I only know I want to live well. Whoever dares come to kill me will not return.”
Her light, casual tone revealed powerful confidence.
Was it the reckless arrogance of youth untouched by the world? Or the fearless confidence born of formidable strength?
Captain Sun’s throat felt blocked, wanting to retort a few words to reclaim the escort officer’s authority and command.
The voice of Guard Gao from the Eastern Palace rang in his ears: “We’ll all follow Sixth Sister’s lead.”
Captain Sun turned his head and met Guard Gao’s gaze.
Guard Gao seemed oblivious to Captain Sun’s unwillingness and repeated: “We’ll follow Sixth Sister’s orders.”
Fine!
With the Eastern Palace backing Sixth Sister Pei, what was there to contend for?
Captain Sun could only grit his teeth and agree: “Please give your instructions, Sixth Sister.”
The first tough battle had arrived~~
