Chapter 216: Warfare
Hearing this number, Pei Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief: “Thank you for your hard work, Steward Shi.”
Shi Yan spent all day raising funds and grain, exhausting his mind and energy, yet never sought credit for it. Hearing this, he smiled and said: “I can’t lead troops in battle. All I can do is these things.”
Pei Qinghe gave Shi Yan a brilliant smile: “The Pei Family Army doesn’t lack those who can fight wars; what it lacks is capable people like you. One of you is worth a thousand troops.”
Shi Yan’s eyes were full of laughter: “If the General coaxes me like this, I must serve the General loyally until death.”
Pei Qinghe issued the order: “From today on, Pei Family Village will accept at most ten refugees per day. If it’s a whole family seeking refuge, prioritize those with women.”
In such worldly affairs, it is extremely difficult for women to survive safely.
Once this news spreads, those seeking to come to Pei Family Village won’t easily sell their wives and daughters. With more women, Pei Family Village will become increasingly stable.
However, unexpected things always happen. Among the refugees seeking refuge, some heard of this rule and abducted women midway, claiming them as their wives and daughters to sneak into Pei Family Village.
Those responsible for recruiting refugees were all the elders of Pei Family Village, who questioned them very carefully. If anything seemed off, they immediately separated the family for separate interrogations, reported the situation to Pei Qinghe after clarifying it.
Pei Qinghe sneered: “Too clever by half! Keep the woman, but don’t let this clever person go. Hang him under the tree north of the village to serve as a warning to others.”
That day, another strange incident occurred.
An entire village of more than two hundred people crossed several hills and came to the outskirts of Pei Family Village begging for shelter.
Pei Qinghe personally went outside the village and saw more than two hundred people kneeling on the ground. There were men, women, elderly, and children, all kowtowing and crying desperately.
The leader was a man in his forties, not tall, with dark skin and rough hands, clearly an honest and dutiful farmer.
The farmer didn’t know how many times he had kowtowed, blood dripping from his forehead: “General, we are from Zhu Family Village. I am the village chief, ranked second in the family. All the grain in the village was robbed by the soldiers. Everyone has no way to survive. Please, General, take us in.”
Pei Qinghe said flatly: “Pei Family Village only accepts ten people per day. You are more than two hundred in total; Pei Family Village cannot break the rules. If you want to enter the village, wait outside.”
Ten people per day, more than two hundred people, could enter gradually over more than twenty days. It was now spring, with no grain, but wild vegetables and fruits could fill their stomachs and tide them over.
Village Chief Zhu Er immediately said: “We are willing to wait. Today, please let the General first take in the young women from our village.”
Before coming, Zhu Er had specially inquired and knew the rules for Pei Family Village accepting refugees. They might not take men, but they accepted every woman who came.
Pei Qinghe glanced at Zhu Er, asked his name, and had someone record it in the register.
Ten women were quickly accepted into the village.
The others from Zhu Family Village settled in grass sheds outside the village. Then they joyfully discovered that every day, people from the village brought out steamed buns—not many, but one per person each day. Even if they couldn’t find wild vegetables or grass, they wouldn’t starve to death.
However, there were simply too many people coming to seek refuge in Pei Family Village. No matter how many grass sheds were built, there weren’t enough. Moreover, it was impossible to favor only the people from Zhu Family Village.
Zhu Er was decisive and gathered all the women in the village to have them register first.
Some women cried reluctantly to leave their husbands and sons; others worried that once their wives and daughters entered the village, they would abandon the family; some muttered quietly that General Pei accepted women but wouldn’t take men like them.
Zhu Er said: “In this world, saving one is saving one. Let them find a way to survive first. Even if the General doesn’t take us in the end, there’s nothing to complain about. We are all men with hands and feet; we can go deep into the mountains to seek a living.”
Under Zhu Er’s persistence, all the women from Zhu Family Village registered and were accepted into the village.
“Zhu Family Village has more than seventy women.” Pei Yan and Pei Zhi spoke of Zhu Family Village with endless praise: “They have all entered Pei Family Village. As for the remaining men, per your instruction, I haven’t taken them in yet. They have no complaints and are still obediently living in the grass sheds waiting.”
Pei Qinghe smiled and hummed in acknowledgment: “This village chief Zhu Er has some capability and good character. Let him enter the village, observe him for a while, and if there’s no issue, make him a leader.”
Among the refugees seeking refuge, capable and clever people gradually emerged. Pei Qinghe was not stingy in promoting and employing them. Those who could wield a knife and fight were usable talents; those who could farm and manage refugees were equally talents.
Spring plowing had ended, and the wasteland outside Pei Family Village had all been reclaimed. Pei Qinghe then ordered the refugees to continue reclaiming wasteland further out.
The entire Yan Prefecture was her territory. With one order from her, without needing deeds from the government office, the refugees diligently reclaimed land and farmed.
For the refugees, there were no bandit refugees, no army disturbances, no harsh taxes, no worry of wives and daughters being taken. They could farm and work peacefully every day—this was the best life.
They didn’t even need to eat their fill. Before growing grain, one steamed bun per day was enough to make the refugees grateful, revering Pei Qinghe as a god.
Early in the fourth month, the Guangning Army and several other garrisons arrived at Bohai Commandery. The rebel army’s city attack was blocked and had to withdraw troops again and shrink back into the barracks.
King Qiao saw that Tao Wudi had failed to take it for a long time and was quite angry, sending fifty thousand troops as reinforcements.
General Situ gained a foothold in Qinzhou and, taking advantage of the capital’s empty troop strength, sent troops to attack the capital city. King Qiao was furious and personally led troops to resist the Imperial Guard.
South and north were both engulfed in warfare.
At the end of the fourth month, Pei Yi led a few people in a wretched escape back to Pei Family Village.
“…We bought more than five hundred horses outside the passes. On the way back, we were ambushed.” The severely injured Pei Yi lay pale on the bed, speaking haltingly: “Those who ambushed us were people from the Liaoxi Army. They not only robbed our horses but wanted to kill us to silence us.”
“Third Master Zhan and the others were all killed. I took a knife wound and rode a fast horse to escape back.”
“General, you must avenge us!”
After Pei Yi said this, the breath he had been holding dispersed, and he closed his eyes, never waking again.
Everyone shed tears one after another.
Pei Yan was furious beyond measure and drew her knife in rage: “I want to lead troops to Liaoxi and kill Li Gouzei!”
Pei Qinghe also rarely showed her emotions, her eyes slightly red. Five years ago, on her way to exile in Youzhou, she took in two refugees. They changed their names and followed her to Changping County, first diligently farming, then wielding knives for training, always loyally following her. In her heart, Pei Yi of the Pei family had long become family.
The Liaoxi Army had clearly coveted them for a long time and set an ambush on the road Pei Yi’s group had to pass, robbing horses and killing.
Blood feud must be repaid in blood.
“Pei Yan, put away your knife. This is not the time to take the initiative to send troops.”
Pei Qinghe said slowly: “This blood feud, I will repay it tenfold.”
