Chapter 278: Ambush
The brilliant clouds at the horizon gradually faded away.
This was a vast gentle slope. Ten thousand infantry lay hidden, each tightly gripping their weapons, silently waiting.
Pei Qinghe was in the rear, with a bamboo whistle in her mouth.
Pei Yun and Yang Hu were respectively on her left and right.
The cavalry sent by the Pingyang Army were all put to use today, and Song Dalang went with them to lure the enemy.
The Fanyang Army had ultimately followed along. For this ambush, the Pei Family Army served as the main force, and all the soldiers the Guangning Army could muster had come. Lu Feng led more than a thousand infantry, lying in wait in the rear. This also meant that the Fanyang Army would only be deployed if the Xiongnu Barbarians broke through the Pei Family Army and Guangning Army.
Lu Feng did not feel humiliated; his heart was filled only with surging shame and an urgent desire to establish merit.
The ground began to tremble slightly.
Pei Yan and Yang Huai had successfully lured the enemy.
It was unknown whether Pei Yan and Yang Huai had returned safely alive.
Pei Qinghe suppressed the anxiety in her heart. In close combat, life and death could change in an instant. She could not afford to be distracted or overthink.
The tactics had been properly deployed three days ago. At this moment, no more words were needed; they would fight to the death and kill the enemy.
The sky grew darker and darker.
The Pei character flag appeared crookedly in sight. A group of people galloped wildly on horseback, like lost dogs, tightly pursued by a large force of Xiongnu Cavalry behind them.
The plan to lure the enemy had succeeded!
Now, it depended on whether the infantry she had arduously trained could cut down the Xiongnu Barbarians’ cavalry.
A sharp chill flashed in Pei Qinghe’s eyes as she blew the bamboo whistle in her mouth. The piercing whistle sounds continuously reached the ears of the infantry.
Their panicked and trembling hearts suddenly stabilized.
Most of them were refugees without food or clothing. It was Pei Qinghe who had taken them in, ensuring they had no worries about food and clothing. They had trained bitterly in Pei Family Village, and now was the time for them to fight bloody battles to the death.
The bamboo whistle sound reached the ears of Pei Yan, who was frantically riding.
Pei Yan grinned and roared wildly: “Scatter and run!”
Yang Huai was also roaring.
The cavalry fleeing back swiftly dispersed, fleeing in different directions.
The Xiongnu Barbarians grinned ferociously as they pursued.
Puff puff puff!
Warhorses in full gallop were tripped by tripwires that appeared from nowhere. The warhorses stumbled, were hit by those behind, fell down, and the Xiongnu Barbarians on them were also thrown off heavily.
Pei Yan grinned with delight.
The tripwires had been set up long ago, shallowly buried in the soil. After she led the cavalry past, the soldiers on both sides of the tripwires suddenly yanked hard, pulling the tripwires out of the earth, immediately turning them into deadly weapons.
For a moment, cries of agony filled the slope.
The Xiongnu Barbarians in the rear were highly alert. Seeing the front ambushed, they immediately slowed their horses. Some swiftly pulled bows and shot arrows.
The soldiers pulling the tripwires were shot down one after another.
However, more Xiongnu Barbarians were shot down. Archers appeared from nowhere, continuously shooting arrows. Arrows fell like rain, crazily reaping the lives of the Xiongnu Barbarians.
Only then did the Xiongnu Barbarians realize they had fallen into the Pei Family Army’s ambush circle.
However, they were not panicked. All they could see were infantry. They were warriors on horseback who fundamentally did not fear infantry. Worst case, if they really could not win, they could just ride away.
Wait!
Where did this drifting smoke come from?
Waves of pungent, foul-smelling odor soon made the warhorses frantic. Several Xiongnu Barbarians were directly thrown off their horses and then trampled to death by the maddened warhorses.
The Xiongnu Barbarians finally panicked and shouted frantically. All the leaders in the Pei Family Army had been diligently learning the Xiongnu language; those with sharp ears excitedly shouted: “The Xiongnu Barbarians are going to run.”
Lu Dongqing had made a great contribution!
Pei Qinghe relaxed her brows.
This was the strategy offered by Lu Dongqing: medicine packets made from a dozen kinds of herbs. The smoke from burning them would drive warhorses mad. This smoke actually harmed humans somewhat too. But with the great battle at hand, they could not worry about such minor flaws. After this battle, everyone could boil herbs and drink them for a few days to recuperate.
Pei Qinghe continued to blow the bamboo whistle.
Pei Yun led six thousand infantry and charged up.
Pei Yun fought bravely, no less than Pei Yan. She shouted sharply, and the infantry behind her quickly formed a military formation. The Xiongnu Barbarians, thrown into chaos by the frenzied warhorses, had to dismount to survive. Before they could catch their breath, Pei Family Army soldiers wielding various weapons surrounded them.
On one side strictly arrayed and waiting, on the other caught off guard and without the advantage of warhorses, the Xiongnu Barbarians were engulfed by the Pei Family Army like a tidal wave.
Pei Qinghe blew the bamboo whistle again, and Yang Hu also led three thousand infantry to charge up.
Pei Qinghe usually led troops in charges and assaults; this was the first time she stayed in the rear to command the battle.
This was also due to the strong requests of Pei Yun, Yang Hu, and others. Infantry fighting cavalry were naturally at a disadvantage, with astonishing battle damage. Being in the midst was like being swept into surging giant waves, liable to be shattered to pieces at any moment.
“I’ll lead the charge; you command from the rear. The Pei Family Army exists because of you. Whoever of us dies won’t affect the big picture, but you cannot have the slightest mishap.”
“Even if we lose this battle, as long as you live, the Pei Family Army’s flag won’t fall. With your prestige, you can recruit new soldiers at any time and rise again.”
“Your life now belongs not just to you, but to all the common people of Youzhou. Only you can oppose the Xiongnu Barbarians and protect the common people.”
Pei Qinghe was silent for a moment, then nodded.
She was in the very rear, deliberately standing on high ground to oversee the entire battlefield. Once the infantry and Xiongnu Barbarians engaged in close combat, she stopped the bamboo whistle.
Waging war was like playing chess; she had racked her brains to set up the board, and all the pieces were in position. Next, they just had to wait for the battle results.
Lu Feng led a thousand infantry, surrounding Pei Qinghe. Watching the front turn into a melee, Lu Feng’s blood surged, and he grew restless.
He occasionally glanced at Pei Qinghe, but she was focused on the battlefield and showed no intention of sending the Fanyang Army into battle.
The sky had completely darkened.
“Lu Feng, light the fires.”
Pei Qinghe instructed in a deep voice.
Lu Feng’s spirits lifted; he responded loudly, quickly lit the torch in his hand. The thousand Fanyang Army soldiers all lit their torches and, at Lu Feng’s command, spread out in all directions like fire dragons, illuminating the battlefield.
The Pei Family Army usually had plenty of salt in their diet; in the firelight, most could see clearly. They had also trained for night battles.
Many Xiongnu Barbarians had blurred vision at night. With this shift in advantage, the Pei Family Army completely gained the upper hand.
“We’re going to win this battle.”
Excitement gleamed in Lu Feng’s eyes.
But Pei Qinghe said: “No, the real tough battle is just beginning.”
Lu Feng was stunned and looked at Pei Qinghe.
In the firelight, Pei Qinghe was expressionless, her voice deep and steady: “I used cavalry as bait to set an ambush and lure the Xiongnu Cavalry here. Pu Nu is no fool; by now, he must have sensed something wrong.”
“He might already be leading elite Xiongnu soldiers here.”
No sooner had the words fallen than the ground trembled again.
