Chapter 273: Popular Support
Today at the city gate, many common people gathered spontaneously.
In these times, it is common for common people to lack clothing and food. At a glance, they all looked skinny and emaciated. Pei Qinghe sighed inwardly and said warmly, “Everyone has come to help out. This general is very gratified. Line up first and do not crowd.”
The noisy common people quieted down the moment they saw General Pei, becoming as docile as sheep, and soon formed two long lines.
Pei Qinghe said to Yang Hu, “I must trouble General Yang to make the arrangements.”
Yang Hu cupped his hands and accepted the order, calling over a dozen quick-witted and sharp-tongued soldiers. The common people were divided into groups of ten, with each group of soldiers leading one to transport stone and wood. Any occasional disturbances were quickly resolved without affecting the overall situation.
With many hands, in just half a day, the city gate was raised higher. The dilapidated city walls were also repaired in many places one after another.
By noon, people from the kitchen carried dozens of bamboo baskets to deliver food.
The aroma of mixed flour steamed buns and braised horse meat mixed together, making the hungry common people swallow their saliva. They were quite self-disciplined, having brought their own dry rations in the morning. The soldiers lined up to get food, while they squatted to the side, preparing to gnaw on dry biscuits and drink cold water.
Pei Qinghe smiled and said, “You all come over to get food too.”
They also have food?
The common people’s eyes lit up one after another. A bold Zhang Kou asked, “General, how many steamed buns can we get? Is there horse meat too?”
“Two steamed buns, two pieces of horse meat.” Pei Qinghe answered patiently, “If you have a big appetite, you can get one more steamed bun. If you can’t finish, you can take it home.”
The common people were overjoyed. They felt grateful for General Pei’s kindness. Today they had mustered the courage to come to the city gate to do hard labor. They had not expected the general to give them lunch as well.
Suddenly they thought of the “King of Liaoxi” who had exploited them relentlessly in the past… Bah! What King of Liaoxi! He was not fit to carry General Pei’s shoes!
The common people lined up happily, without greed, each getting two steamed buns and two pieces of horse meat. The steamed buns were the size of an adult fist, the horse meat the size of a palm, and each person also got a bamboo tube of vegetable soup.
Fighting requires fighting to the death, and reinforcing the city gate and repairing the city walls is heavy physical labor. Everyone must be well-fed. Military rations had been consumed rapidly these past few days.
Pei Qinghe also lined up to get food and ate lunch together with all the soldiers. The Pei Family Army was already used to it. Brothers Yang Hu and Yang Huai followed suit. Song Dalang of the Pingyang Army was recovering from injuries. The one who felt it most deeply was Lu Feng of the Fanyang Army.
Which general in the barracks does not drink soldiers’ blood? The big soldiers cannot fill their stomachs, while the commander eats and drinks well in the military tent. This is all very normal.
But in the Pei Family Army, Pei Qinghe eats and lives together with the soldiers, charging ahead in battle. She cherishes the soldiers and pities the common people.
How could such a general not win morale? How could she not win popular support?
The Fanyang Army was far inferior to the Pei Family Army. Not to mention anything else, just looking at the commanders, it was a total defeat.
Lu Feng took his steamed buns and horse meat with a complicated mood, carrying his bamboo tube, and sat with the Fanyang Army soldiers. He ate and drank silently. For some reason, he could not taste the flavor of the steamed buns and horse meat.
Several confidants gathered around Lu Feng, also eating and drinking silently. After filling their stomachs, one said in a low voice, “Young General! If Xiongnu barbarians come again, we will also fight to the death against the barbarians with knives!”
“We must let General Pei see that the Fanyang Army is not cowardly, and we have men who will fight to the blood!”
“Right! We must earn back our face!”
Lu Feng exhaled, his eyes regaining their spirit: “Good, next time I will volunteer to fight!”
……
Pfft!
The sharp curved saber slashed down, and the Xiongnu barbarian’s head fell to the ground, rolling a few times.
The Xiongnu commander with curly hair and red eyes slashed at the person who had fled back in panic, then glared viciously at the other few Xiongnu barbarians kneeling on the ground: “My brave soldiers all died outside Tuhe County Town, and only you few escaped back?”
The few Xiongnu barbarians were pale-faced and trembling as they replied, “It was that Pei Qinghe, the Pei Qinghe who killed General Wu Yan! She led several thousand cavalry out of the city. No matter how we ran, we could not shake her off.”
“Her soldiers are not as good as ours, but she is too ferocious! We are no match for her!”
“She killed our leader, and the others were surrounded by the military formation. We few luckily escaped back to report to the general.”
“Please, general, send troops immediately to avenge us!”
Xiongnu commander Pu Nu’s ferocious face twitched.
The name Pei Qinghe had already become famous among the Xiongnu tribes. Last year, Wu Yan was slain on the battlefield by Pei Qinghe, and the Xiongnu brave soldiers suffered an unprecedented major defeat. Over a thousand Xiongnu brave soldiers who fled back to the grassland would tremble three times at the mention of Pei Qinghe’s name.
Pu Nu and Wu Yan were both fierce generals under the Khan’s account, usually hostile to each other over the position of top fierce general. Wu Yan had died at Pei Qinghe’s hands, and Pu Nu had secretly rejoiced in his heart, feeling no regret or sympathy.
This year the Khan sent him to lead troops to attack Youzhou, and he avoided the Pei Family Army and Guangning Army, specifically coming to attack the Liaoxi Army.
He had not expected Pei Qinghe to take the initiative to lead troops here! With one strike, she annihilated two thousand Xiongnu brave soldiers!
Pu Nu had achieved his position today not by being a brainless brute. He would certainly not despise the opponent like Wu Yan.
“We cannot send troops!”
Pu Nu said coldly, “Continue to besiege the Liaoxi Army, destroy the Liaoxi Army first.”
The few Xiongnu barbarians kneeling on the ground grew anxious: “All our tribe’s brave soldiers died at the hands of the Pei Family Army. Why does General Pu Nu not send troops to avenge us?”
Pu Nu sneered and cursed in anger: “If we send out the main army, we fall right into Pei Qinghe’s scheme. She wants to lure us to attack Tuhe to relieve the siege of Liaoxi Commandery. This is the Han people’s military strategy of besieging Wei to save Zhao!”
“No one can match us in horse combat. No matter how powerful Pei Qinghe is, she does not have that many warhorses and cavalry. To annihilate your cavalry unit, her Pei Family Army must have paid a heavy price. Her Pei Family Army must have even more dead and wounded.”
“We will not attack Tuhe, we continue to attack Liaoxi Commandery. Whoever cannot stay calm loses the first move.”
Those few Xiongnu barbarians kept wailing and crying nonstop.
Pu Nu impatiently swung his saber, hacking to death those who angrily shouted, leaving only two who wisely stayed silent. Then he carefully inquired about the battle details, his expression growing more grave the more he heard.
“General Pu Nu!” A Xiongnu barbarian hurried over, reporting indignantly, “Outside Tuhe City, they built a jingguan with the brave soldiers’ heads. The brave soldiers’ corpses were also burned in a big fire.”
The Xiongnu have the custom of sky burial. Grinding to ashes is the most miserable end for Xiongnu people.
Flames of fury burst from Pu Nu’s eyes, curses pouring from his mouth nonstop. He swung his curved saber a few times, hacking the last two into bloody gourds as well: “Pass this general’s military order: immediately send troops to attack Liaoxi Commandery. I will use the King of Liaoxi’s blood to sacrifice to our brave soldiers!”
