Chapter 212: Warhorse
These words were spoken with such composure, such elegance.
Steward Shi, fiddling with the abacus, shone brilliantly, extremely handsome!
Pei Qinghe smiled at Shi Yan.
Shi Yan was also looking at Pei Qinghe.
Zhao Hai nearby shook off goosebumps all over the ground and quietly walked away, conveniently taking all the idle people from the stables with him.
Shi Yan’s hand reached over, Pei Qinghe chuckled lightly and held Shi Yan’s hand. Pei Qinghe had practiced martial arts for years, her palm had thick calluses. Shi Yan’s hand only fiddled with the abacus, so it was much smoother.
The two stood shoulder to shoulder, fingers intertwined, heads leaning together.
Pei Qinghe recounted all the events in Beiping Commandery: “…The register of magnates you sorted for me that day was very useful. Using the assassin incident, I killed several magnates and confiscated a large amount of money and grain. Everything went much more smoothly afterward.”
Shi Yan said in a low voice: “The Yu Clan dared to collude with the Liaoxi Army and engage in assassination. Killing just one of them was really too lenient on the Yu Clan.”
Pei Qinghe said: “Killing a few is enough. The Pei Family Army is going to take over Beiping Commandery, so it’s not suitable to kill on a large scale.”
“You’ve been gone for months.” Shi Yan sighed: “If I’d known, I would have gone with you.”
Ever since he came to Pei Family Village, they had been together almost every day, and this was the first time they had been apart for so long.
Pei Qinghe chuckled lightly: “I missed you too. However, Pei Family Village cannot do without you now.”
“Pei Family Village is the main base and the foundation of the Pei Family Army. Over ten thousand people in the village need food and drink every day. Every month, large quantities of various supplies need to be purchased, and military pay needs to be distributed. Every single matter requires your attention and management.”
“When I left, Second Sister-in-law stayed behind to guard. But you absolutely cannot leave.”
Shi Yan laughed softly: “For the general to coax me like this shows that I am indeed important.”
Their four eyes met and entangled, hearts like boiling lake water.
Pei Qinghe’s face flushed slightly, Shi Yan’s face was even redder, his voice somewhat hoarse: “Don’t look at me like that. What if I sneak into the general’s room tonight, what will the general do?”
Pei Qinghe burst out laughing: “Pei Yan would punch you out with one fist, what else could be done.”
At such a time, mentioning the mood-spoiling Pei Yan, the romantic thoughts in Shi Yan’s heart immediately flew away by more than half: “Her following you during the day is one thing, but she even lives with you at night. I want to see, when Yang Huai enters the household in the future, she…”
“What are you talking about?”
Pei Yan’s rough loud voice rang out.
Pei Qinghe quickly let go, Shi Yan sighed resentfully in his heart, unwillingly stepping back a few steps. Sure enough, the next moment, Pei Yan squeezed over and openly pushed him aside.
“Cousin Sister Qinghe, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
Pei Qinghe smiled: “I came to the stables to check on the warhorses and have Steward Shi calculate the cost of keeping the horses. You’re here just in time, go call Fang Datou and Shopkeeper Zhan.”
Pei Yan acknowledged and turned to leave.
Shi Yan smiled helplessly and approached again. After some idle talk, Fang Datou and Shopkeeper Zhan arrived.
Having slept for a day and a night, they had all caught their breath. Pei Qinghe first smiled at Zhan Fei: “This trip brought back over eight hundred good horses. Shopkeeper Zhan has rendered great service to the Pei Family Army.”
Zhan Fei’s former arrogance had been worn away by harsh reality, he humbly replied: “The general took in the Zhan Family and supported their comeback. For me, Zhan Fei, to go through fire and water for the general is my duty.”
Then, they spoke of all the major and minor events over the past year.
The two horse-buying teams split up as soon as they left the pass. The grassland was vast and boundless, with herdsmen following water and grass, their whereabouts unpredictable. There were also horse bandits who came and went like the wind.
Not many days after setting out, they encountered a group of ferocious horse bandits. If not for Fang Datou’s camp of elite soldiers accompanying them, the Zhan Family’s horse-buying team would have been defeated right then.
“That battle was indeed dangerous.” Fang Datou couldn’t help interjecting: “The horse bandits weren’t that numerous, just over a hundred men. But their horsemanship was superb, coming and going like the wind. If they couldn’t beat us, they ran. They tailed us for over half a month. In the end, it was Shopkeeper Zhan who used a stratagem to lure the horse bandits into an ambush, and we killed that group of horse bandits.”
“We lost quite a few personnel, and couldn’t bring the corpses, so we buried them on the spot.”
In war, there are no battles without deaths. Fang Datou, accustomed to life and death, sighed and continued: “Later we were extra cautious, detouring around large tribes and specifically seeking out small tribes of dozens to a hundred people.”
Zhan Fei picked up: “Tea and cotton cloth are extremely popular on the grassland. One tea brick can be exchanged for a horse. One chi of coarse cotton cloth can also be exchanged for a horse.”
“All the tea and cotton cloth we brought were exchanged for horses. On the way back, we were extra careful. Our luck was not bad, no more horse bandits encountered.”
“We did encounter a large tribe of several hundred people. This tribe’s leader had done business with the Zhan Family before and was fairly friendly. Hearing we had tea and cloth, he specially made a deal with us for next year’s horse exchange date.”
This was the Zhan Family’s advantage.
The Zhan Family’s illicit salt teams had secretly gone outside the passes several times, knew the Xiongnu language, and were familiar with the terrain outside the passes. Following the trade routes they had taken, they avoided many large tribes. There were also many old customers they had dealt with before. Others might buy horses but not be able to get them out of the grassland; the Zhan Family not only bought the horses but brought the warhorses all out of the grassland.
Pei Qinghe’s eyes shone, she smiled and said: “You first take your people to rest well, and set out again after the new year.”
She turned to Shi Yan: “Calculate at market price how much silver these over eight hundred warhorses are worth, and give Shopkeeper Zhan seventy percent of the profit.”
This had all been agreed upon beforehand.
Shi Yan nodded: “I’ll calculate when I get back, and within three days at most, deliver the silver to Shopkeeper Zhan.”
Zhan Fei did not decline, cupped his hands and thanked the general.
Buying horses outside the passes was a business where you risked your head. Many people died on this journey; the Zhan Family lost seven nephews and younger generation, and his son also died. The other route still had no news, unknown how many people were still alive returning.
Pei Qinghe said to Fang Datou: “Many people died on this journey, have you recorded them all in the register?”
Fang Datou grunted, took out a booklet from his bosom. Every battalion commander had such a booklet, listing the names of everyone in the camp. The names of those killed in battle were all crossed out with a charcoal pen.
Pei Qinghe took the booklet and flipped through it. These soldiers were all personally recruited and trained by her. Familiar names, one by one crossed with charcoal pen marks. One by one fresh lives fell quietly like meteors.
War is that cruel.
Pei Qinghe sighed silently and closed the booklet: “All those killed in battle will have consolation silver. Those with families, give it to their families.”
“Your camp now has only forty-eight men left. Take this time to recruit up to one hundred. Next spring, you will take one camp of people with Shopkeeper Zhan to buy horses.”
Fang Datou knew well the importance of warhorses to an army and solemnly agreed.
