Chapter 201: Battle Situation
More than a month later, Captain Sun sent someone back with a letter.
The letter contained only a few sparse lines.
“Our brothers will not return to Beiping Commandery. Please have General Pei send troops to provide protection for the safety of Beiping Commandery. The brothers left behind by the Beiping Army that day, please have General Pei take them all in.”
Captain Sun had expended who knows how much effort to get the letter into Bohai Commandery amid constant warfare, and also sent back Meng Dalang’s handwritten letter.
In addition, Captain Sun sent back the latest battle report.
The fierce and gutsy Beiping Army withstood the rebel army’s incessant attacks and held the city gate. Casualties were extremely heavy. Just a few days ago, Emperor Jian’an finally issued an order for Zhang Father and Son to send out troops. The Bohai Navy went up the city wall, and the Beiping Army finally withdrew.
Of ten thousand Beiping Army soldiers, more than half were killed in battle, and the remaining three thousand plus almost all had injuries of varying severity. Meng Liulang was also wounded. It was truly tragic!
The rebel army suffered even more and worse casualties. However, the rebels had many men and could barely hold on. Now deserters were beginning to appear one after another. Tao Wudi had failed to take the city after a long siege and had lost face, so he was already irritable. He captured the deserters and boiled them alive in public, making everyone share the food.
This bloody and cruel method quickly deterred the rebel army’s crumbling morale and stopped the fleeing in disorder.
After the Bohai Navy went up the city wall, Tao Wudi personally led the main army to attack the city.
The Bohai Navy’s combat power was far inferior to the Beiping Army’s. Fortunately, the rebel army had been fighting continuously for more than two months, with low morale and greatly reduced combat power. When they clashed, it was quite fierce. For the moment, no winner could be seen.
Pei Qinghe gave both the letter and the battle report to Pei Yun.
After reading them, Pei Yun’s eyes shone brightly: “We’ve waited so long, and finally we have a response from the Meng Brothers. We can set out for Beiping Commandery now.”
Mao Hongling and the others also had faces full of joy.
Taking Beiping Commandery without bloodshed doubled their territory and more. It also meant they could support more soldiers in the future. Powerful strength was the confidence for the Pei Family Army to stand firm steadily.
“Cousin Sister Qinghe, if the Meng Brothers are unwilling, what will you do?” Pei Yan asked curiously.
Pei Qinghe smiled faintly: “Meng Dalang is a smart man; he won’t be unwilling.”
In fact, whether the Meng Brothers nodded or not, Pei Qinghe could lead troops there. She had deliberately waited more than a month, going after communicating the news, out of respect for the Meng Brothers and the Beiping Army.
Meng Dalang would be happy to do this convenient favor.
“The troops are already assembled, and the money and grain are all prepared.” A gleam flashed in Pei Qinghe’s eyes: “Pass this general’s order: set out tomorrow!”
……
The next morning, Pei Qinghe rode out of Pei Family Village on horseback, with Pei Yun and Pei Yan following closely behind. Next came four hundred cavalry riding warhorses. Behind them were eight hundred infantry.
Taking over Beiping Commandery was a major matter; Pei Qinghe had to go personally. Half of these four hundred cavalry would stay in Beiping Commandery. The other half would return with Pei Qinghe.
Infantry marching sixty li per day was already considered fast.
Yan Prefecture was more than four hundred li from Beiping Commandery; a fast horse could get there in three days. For infantry walking the whole way, it would take at least eight or nine days.
During a stop to rest, Pei Yun couldn’t help sighing: “It’s a pity; we still have too few warhorses.”
The Fanyang Army’s warhorses had all been plucked clean, but it was still far from enough. Every army was short of horses.
Pei Qinghe also sighed: “I sent the Zhan Family brothers outside the passes to buy horses. They’ve been gone more than half a year; there were messages before, but now there has been no news for three straight months.”
“Whether the Zhan Family people live or die doesn’t matter. I’m just worried about Pei Yi and Fang Datou. I privately instructed them that if the situation was truly critical, they could abandon the Zhan Family people and escape back.”
Pei Yi and Fang Datou were the earliest to follow Pei Qinghe; their capability in leading troops in battle was certainly not as good as Tao Feng or Captain Sun, and they were also a bit inferior to Gu Lian or Feng Chang. However, they were more loyal and reliable, and trusted more by Pei Qinghe.
“Fang Datou is silly and stunned, while Pei Yi is much more quick-witted.” Pei Yun’s evaluation was very fair: “If they encounter danger, Pei Yi will definitely drop the Zhan Family people without a word and run. It’s harder to say for Fang Datou. If there are warhorses, he will fight to the death to bring them back.”
Pei Yan eagerly chimed in: “If they bring back a few thousand horses, our Pei Family Army will be set!”
Pei Qinghe laughed in exasperation: “Are you daydreaming here? Being able to buy a few hundred horses would be great. If there really were a few thousand horses, how would they bring them back? Do you really think the barbarians outside the passes are dead?”
After some idle talk, everyone continued marching on the road.
There had long been no mountain bandits in Yan Prefecture; the official road was very peaceful. In the fields along the official road, common people were farming and working. Seeing the mighty Pei Family Army, the common people showed no fear at all, even curiously peering out to look.
“Quick, look, that’s our General Pei!”
“The Pei character flag is really nice. Our General Pei is even more beautiful.”
From a distance, they actually couldn’t see clearly which one was Pei Qinghe, let alone her features. However, this did nothing to affect Pei Qinghe’s sky-high status in the hearts of the people of Yan Prefecture.
These years, everywhere was at war, and nowhere was peaceful. It was the Pei Family Army providing protection to Yan Prefecture that allowed the common people to farm and live steadily.
The Pei Family Army had strict military discipline and never harassed the common people. They also did not increase taxes.
In the hearts of the people of Yan Prefecture, Pei Qinghe was the sky above their heads.
A few days later, after leaving Yan Prefecture and entering Beiping Commandery, it was a completely different scene.
“These fields are all fallow; they’ve probably not been farmed for two or three years.” Pei Yun frowned slightly, feeling quite pained to see good farmland abandoned.
Pei Qinghe said indifferently: “Once the Beiping Army left, the magnates refused to stay obedient and raised private guards, forcibly seizing commoners’ fields—no different from bandits. Prefect Shen couldn’t suppress them at all and was frazzled every day. Otherwise, why would he take the initiative to surrender to us? He wants to borrow the Pei Family Army’s sharp blade to deal with the magnates and stabilize the people’s hearts in Beiping Commandery.”
Pei Yan curled her lip: “So Prefect Shen isn’t any good either.”
“Whether he’s good or not doesn’t matter.” Pei Qinghe raised her brow with a smile: “What I want is Beiping Commandery. If Prefect Shen knows his place, let him continue as prefect. If he dares make any underhanded moves, just replace him with another prefect.”
Pei Yun nodded in agreement.
With the Pei Family Army’s such momentum and array, petty thieves and bandits didn’t dare show their faces at all. Occasionally, some bold ones would tail them from afar. At Pei Qinghe’s order, Pei Yan led men to kill them all cleanly, piling the corpses by the official road. This iron-blooded method chilled hearts and froze guts; no one dared probe the Pei Family Army’s movements anymore.
They arrived peacefully at Beiping Commandery just like that.
Prefect Shen led a group of officials, standing respectfully outside the city gate. The family heads of the great clans in Beiping Commandery had also all come.
The fluttering Pei character flag came into view first, and the ground trembled slightly.
Then, the clear-featured, heroic, and majestic General Pei appeared before everyone.
Prefect Shen hurried forward, bowing deeply: “This official respectfully welcomes General Pei!”
Everyone bowed together, shouting in unison: “Respectfully welcoming General Pei!”
