Chapter 231: Injury
Entering the wounded soldier tent, Pei Qinghe finally didn’t need to force herself to remain calm and composed, revealing a look of pain.
“Lu Dongqing!” Pei Xuan shouted loudly: “Come quickly! The general is injured!”
Lu Dongqing, who had been busy with his head down, was shocked and darted over like a rabbit. The battlefield had many wounded soldiers every day, both male and female, and there was no time to worry about distinctions between men and women.
Lu Dongqing cut open the clothing at the injury, carefully examined the wound, and quickly said: “The general’s right arm is just a superficial wound, nothing serious. I can apply medicine and bandage it for the general.”
“The leg injury is rather serious.”
The right leg struck by Wu Yan was bruised black and had already swollen up.
Lu Dongqing used the golden needle to reduce the swelling, and with the bone-touching method confirmed there was no fracture, just a minor bone crack. However, Pei Qinghe had been forcing herself to stand for half a day after being injured today, so the leg was severely swollen and needed bed rest for eight to ten days.
Pei Qinghe frowned: “I need to lead troops in pursuit of the Xiongnu barbarians, where do I have time to rest.”
Lu Dongqing’s face showed little expression: “The general is so powerful, why bother having a doctor come to check.”
Pei Qinghe: “…”
Pei Qinghe was rarely left speechless.
Pei Xuan said softly: “Cousin Sister Qinghe, your injury is severe, you need to rest and recover. As long as the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood to burn. This is the principle you taught us. If you push yourself to pursue, the leg could develop a chronic problem, and you’d become a lame general in the future!”
Pei Qinghe was silent for a moment, then nodded.
Pei Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, turned her head and called two people over to carry a wooden plank.
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Pei Qinghe and Pei Yan were lying side by side in the military tent.
Pei Yan’s arrow wounds were all on her back, so she couldn’t lie on her back and could only lie prone with gritted teeth, letting out an occasional ouch.
Pei Qinghe didn’t cry out in pain, closed her eyes, and slowly fell asleep amid the pain.
Wounded soldiers came and went, with cries of pain constantly outside the tent. In such a noisy environment, Pei Qinghe actually fell into a deep sleep.
When Pei Xuan came to deliver medicine, Pei Yan gently shushed her. Pei Xuan thought for a moment, first fed Pei Yan her medicine. The other bowl was placed beside Pei Qinghe’s hand.
One blink of the eye and another, and the night quietly passed.
Pei Qinghe opened her eyes, and Pei Xuan immediately brought two portions of medicine to her lips: “Cousin Sister Qinghe, you slept deeply last night, I didn’t dare wake you. Now you have to make up for it, drink two bowls.”
Pei Qinghe hummed, drank the extremely bitter herbal medicine without even frowning. Pei Yan gave a thumbs up: “Powerful! I almost threw up just now!”
Injured like this, and still had the strength to joke around.
Pei Qinghe was both amused and annoyed, rolled her eyes at her: “Talk less, focus on recovering.”
Pei Yan chuckled, closed her mouth.
Pei Xuan brought two bowls of warm rice porridge. Pei Yan couldn’t move, so Pei Xuan fed her spoonful by spoonful. Pei Qinghe’s injury was much lighter; she was helped to sit up, and her left hand moved more flexibly than her right.
“Has the battlefield been cleaned up?”
“What movement are the Xiongnu barbarians making now?”
“Did General Yang bring people last night?”
Pei Xuan spoke nimbly: “The battlefield was cleaned all night, there are too many corpses, not all carried away yet. It will probably take another day.”
“After the Xiongnu barbarians withdrew troops last night, they left with money and grain and captives early this morning.”
“General Yang knew cousin sister was injured and needed rest, so he came last night and left.”
How to pursue next needed to be planned and decided.
Pei Qinghe instructed: “Go invite General Yang over now. Also, call Captain Sun and Tao Feng over.”
She couldn’t move now, so she had to have Yang Hu and the others come here to discuss military matters. Pei Yan had eaten her fill and was getting sleepy again. When Yang Hu and the others entered the tent, they saw the general sitting there full of spirit and Miss Pei Yan snoring away.
Everyone sat around Pei Qinghe. Pei Qinghe said: “My right leg is injured, and my right arm has a superficial wound, so I need to rest and recover for a few days. Captain Sun, you lead troops in pursuit in my place. Tao Feng and Pei Xuan will follow your command.”
Captain Sun cupped his hands and accepted the order.
Captain Sun was battle-hardened, skilled in leading troops and strategy. Tao Feng and Pei Xuan were both convinced and nodded in agreement.
Pei Qinghe then said to Yang Hu: “Please have General Yang count the warhorses and muster troops for the expedition.”
How many pursuit troops to send depended on how many warhorses could still run.
Yang Hu solemnly agreed, then spread out the Youzhou border defense map and pointed out several possible retreat routes for the Xiongnu barbarians.
To set up an ambush, they had to accurately guess the Xiongnu barbarians’ retreat route. Pei Qinghe thought carefully and pointed to one among several routes: “Set the ambush right here.”
Yang Hu’s eyes showed admiration: “The general and I thought of the same place. This route is closest to the border pass. With the Xiongnu barbarians’ commander dead, morale completely gone, they will surely take the shortest route at the fastest speed.”
Pei Qinghe’s eyes flashed, and she said softly: “Beiping Commandery is not far from this road, about more than two hundred li. I’ll immediately send someone to deliver a letter to Pei Yun, have her lead elite soldiers to reinforce!”
……
These past few days defending the city, warhorses were not used, and a batch of Xiongnu warhorses were captured. After counting, there were two thousand in total.
Guangning Army sent out one thousand men, and Pei Family Army still able to fight numbered only about one thousand. Two thousand elite soldiers, with enough military rations and water for ten days, charged out of Guangning Prefecture.
Waging war is like playing chess, no regrets after the move.
The pursuit troops were sent out, whether they could catch up to the Xiongnu troops or successfully set up an ambush for a victory was unclear. They could only wait quietly for the results!
Pei Qinghe focused on recovering from her injuries.
Pei Feng’s injury was light and healed quickly, able to walk over by himself after two days. Pei Zhi also insisted on joining in, having people carry her over. Pei Yan complained it was too crowded and noisy, and Pei Feng immediately said: “You have the loudest voice, and we haven’t complained about you yet!”
Pei Zhi nodded repeatedly: “Exactly, exactly.”
Pei Yan glared with eyes like copper bells.
Pei Qinghe watched her cousin brothers and sisters play and joke around, finding it both amusing and somewhat heartbreaking.
The Pei Family Army had fought big and small battles, but this was the first time so brutal. Almost everyone close to her was injured. Even she herself lay in bed for a full ten days before barely getting up.
The moment her foot touched the ground, there was still a slight stinging pain in her right leg.
Pei Yan, still lying prone recovering, asked nervously: “How is it? Does the leg still hurt?”
Pei Zhi could barely sit up, Pei Feng’s injury was basically healed, and he came to support Pei Qinghe: “Cousin Sister Qinghe, I’ll help you walk a circle.”
Pei Qinghe smiled and hummed, casually patted Pei Feng’s head. The twelve-year-old Pei Feng was already as tall as her.
Pei Feng didn’t dodge, whispering a bit shyly: “I’ve grown up!”
Pei Qinghe laughed: “You’re right, I won’t pat your head anymore from now on.”
Pei Yan pursed her lips: “Brat, acting like an adult.”
Pei Feng glanced back: “Talk less, and your injury will heal faster.”
Pei Feng supported Pei Qinghe for a walk around. Pei Qinghe didn’t push herself; feeling her right leg still strained, she lay down again.
Another seven or eight days passed, Pei Qinghe could walk without issue, finally left the wounded soldier tent, first patrolled around the barracks, then went to the city gate.
