Chapter 45: Visitors
The air seemed to freeze in an instant.
Meng Liulang was caught right in the front, stunned speechless by this eerie scene, with cold sweat dripping down his back.
The soldiers also felt their throats tighten.
Pei Qinghe’s unhurried voice rang in everyone’s ears: “These mountain bandits are all from the Black Bear Stockade. They usually burn, kill, and loot, committing all sorts of evil deeds. Killing them besides them can be considered acting on behalf of heaven. I don’t want to alert the authorities and cause all sorts of trouble, so I dug pits and buried the corpses to settle the matter.”
“Young General Meng came at just the right time today. If anyone asks later, I’ll say it was Young General Meng who took action and eliminated the Black Bear Stockade for us Pei Family Womenfolk.”
Meng Liulang hadn’t come back to his senses yet and subconsciously replied: “How could I steal your military merit.”
“The Pei Family Womenfolk were exiled to this place, and being able to survive safely is already a great fortune. Where would military merit come from.” Pei Qinghe said seriously: “Moreover, the Black Bear Stockade has lost so many people, they must harbor resentment and will come seeking revenge later. It’s safer to completely uproot the Black Bear Stockade.”
Meng Liulang hesitated a bit and turned to look at the soldiers.
The soldiers’ eyes lit up, all eager to try: “Young Master Liu, just agree!”
“The general instructed us to look after Pei Family Village. Now that Pei Family Village has run into big trouble, we naturally have to step in.”
“With a live captive to lead the way, we’ll head into the mountains and suppress the Black Bear Stockade. Once the authorities and the Imperial Court know it was the Beiping Army who did it, they won’t suspect Pei Family Village.”
“Well said! We’re definitely helping with this!”
Ready-made military merit must be seized.
Meng Liulang was stirred up by the soldiers, hot blood surging to his head. He turned to look at Pei Qinghe: “Sixth Sister Pei, rest assured. Leave the rest to us.”
With a ready scapegoat to take the blame, Pei Qinghe was in a very pleasant mood: “Chop off the heads of these corpses, process them with quicklime, and they can be taken back to the barracks to claim merit.”
Chopping off heads was standard procedure on the battlefield.
With Sixth Sister Pei being so understanding, the soldiers were overjoyed and immediately said: “Leave this kind of drudgery to us.”
Pei Qinghe swept her gaze over, and Mao Hongling and the others all stepped aside.
Dozens of soldiers stepped forward, drew their long sabers, and chopped off the mountain bandits’ heads. Then they dug the pit three feet deep and threw all the corpses in to bury them.
This kind of heavy physical labor was indeed best suited for the soldiers.
At Pei Qinghe’s command, all the mountain bandits who had been hung for days and nights were let down. The first batch of five had all starved to death.
Good heads couldn’t be wasted, so the corpses were thrown into the pit together. The second batch of three were barely breathing, with faint intake but no exhale. The four who had just been hung up yesterday still had some vitality.
Pei Qinghe pointed at the short, ugly, and dark one: “This is the Third Boss of the Black Bear Stockade. With him leading the way, we can reach the Black Bear Stockade in one day.”
“Most of the mountain bandits in the Black Bear Stockade have been killed. There are still about ten mountain bandits left in the stockade along with a bunch of women and children. The personnel Young General Meng brought is more than enough.”
Meng Liulang had entered the barracks at age ten and stayed in the Beiping Army Camp for six years. He had also followed his father and brother onto the battlefield and prided himself on being well-informed. However, arriving at Pei Family Village today, every single thing far exceeded his knowledge.
He asked with a complicated gaze: “Aren’t you coming along to suppress the Black Bear Stockade?”
Pei Qinghe said: “These days, I’ve consecutively killed three groups of mountain bandits and am truly exhausted.”
She was very used to fighting and killing. But with someone to charge into battle, she didn’t need to lift a finger, which was of course the best.
Meng Liulang looked at Pei Qinghe’s spirited black eyes and was speechless. After a moment, he suddenly said: “My name is Meng Ling.”
Pei Qinghe smiled: “My given name is Qinghe.”
Qinghe, Pei Qinghe.
Meng Ling gave her a deep look, then strode to the soldiers’ side: “Everyone, move faster. Once we’re done here, we’ll head into the mountains to kill mountain bandits.”
An hour later, Meng Ling led dozens of soldiers into the mountains.
At dusk, more than twenty grain transport carts entered Pei Family Village.
“So much grain! Enough for us to eat for half a year!” Wu Xiuniang finished tallying all the grain, her eyes shining with excitement: “Qinghe! This General Meng is too generous!”
Mao Hongling softly picked up: “No relatives or ties, yet suddenly sending so much grain, there must be some reason.”
Pei Qinghe smiled: “This is the Crown Prince looking after us Pei Family. With the Beiping Army backing us, we can stably settle here.”
Grain enough for half a year, stored silver in a cellar, horses, bow and arrow, weapons, and more than two hundred clansmen full of energy, stamina, and unity.
This kind of start was far stronger than her previous life.
“What should we do next?” Pei Yun’s beautiful eyes flashed with hope and expectation for future life.
Pei Yan eagerly grabbed the conversation: “No need to ask! Reclaim good fields on one side, continue training troops on the other.”
It was rare for Pei Yan to say something so insightful.
Pei Qinghe raised her brow with a smile: “Pei Yan is right. It’s good to have someone to look after and assist, but having our own hard fists is more important. Starting tomorrow, morning training at dawn.”
The next day at the fifth watch, the bamboo whistle sounded, and dozens of thatched huts stirred with movement.
Several large iron pots simmered thick porridge, paired with pickles and steamed buns. After eating their fill, they formed ranks, left the village, and morning trained at the edge of the wasteland.
Pei Qinghe occasionally blew the bamboo whistle.
The bamboo whistle was loud and crisp, with a clear rhythm. The crowd’s steps gradually synchronized.
Pei Jia led the mule to plow the fields and occasionally looked up, full of pride and self-satisfaction: “Our Sixth Sister is truly powerful.”
Pei Yi held the donkey’s reins and chuckled: “No need to say it. Look, in just a few days, she killed three groups of mountain bandits, seized a bunch of money and grain. Now the Beiping Army is delivering grain to us!”
“Following Sixth Sister, we eat our fill and stay warm every day. Even if driven away now, I’d refuse to leave.”
The two of them were refugees who fled the famine; their fates had been either starving to death or dying from illness or exhaustion.
Who could have thought they could live such good days now.
Pei Jia had been skinny as a skeleton before and had now gained a full circle of weight. Pei Yi had also become sturdy, his features actually quite handsome.
The village now had two iron plows. Pei Jia and Pei Yi got up early every day to pull the plows and farm, without feeling the least bit tired.
Fang Datou, who had lost his right arm, and cart driver Zhao Hai were busy tending to the warhorses.
Zhao Hai was a bachelor with no parents or wife; he could settle anywhere. After driving a thousand li to Pei Family Village, he stayed without a word.
He knew how to raise mules and donkeys and drive carts; raising and feeding horses was similar enough, and he’d learn it quickly.
And Doctor Bao brewing medicine in the thatched hut—the adult men in Pei Family Village were just these five.
The ones who killed the mountain bandits were the Pei Family Womenfolk; these five men had all hid in the thatched huts at the time. There was nothing shameful about it. With Sixth Sister Pei leading the Pei Clan female dependents invincible, these five charging up would only cause chaos.
In the evening, Pei Qinghe led the clansmen back to the village.
The crowd didn’t return empty-handed; they brought back a few wild rabbits and one roe deer. They also dragged back more than ten logs with ropes.
