Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 216 Farewell
A large group of Bazhou army soldiers began to cross the river.

The frozen river surface was trampled by soldiers so many times that a layer of black ice debris appeared on the ice.

Pei Yuan reined in his horse and stopped by the river. Behind him were Cheng Leixiang, Chen Toutie and Jiao Yaner who was riding on a horse wearing a veil.

Several commanders of the Bazhou Army, who had known about this for a long time, hurried over from their respective armies to see him off.

Liu Liu and Liu Qi rode over together, and Zhao Sui and Qi Yanming also came over one after another.

When they saw Pei Yuan reining in his horse in front of the river, they all felt a little regretful, but they still stepped forward and asked, "Brother Pei, are you leaving now?"

Pei Yuan sighed and nodded.

"If we cross the river, we have to come back again, which will only cause more trouble. It's better for us to say goodbye here."

Thinking of the days when they would lose their brother Pei in the future, the big leaders of the rebel army in Bazhou felt sad.

In the past, before this guy came, they just felt that they could roam around in this world as much as they wanted, and they still felt that the world was limitless.

When this guy came, he drew a line on the ground with his knife and defeated them with just a few words.

Originally, they looked around and saw hope everywhere. Now, when they look around, all that is left is the line that Pei Yuan drew for them.

This is probably what growth is.

Can not go back……

Pei Yuan saw that it was still early, so he chatted with a few leaders.

He said to Liu Qi, "I think the ice is not very hard. Tell your soldiers to be careful."

Liu Qi said, "I have given the order."

He felt lucky as he spoke, "I didn't expect it. The river froze until May last year, but it's only February this year and there are signs of thawing. If it had been stuck in the south for a little longer, maybe things wouldn't have been so smooth this time."

"Hmm." Pei Yuan looked into the distance and asked casually, "Have the cavalry passed? Be careful that the government troops may attack them halfway across the river. We can't deploy troops on this icy surface."

Liu Qi said, "It's over."

Pei Yuan added, "If I were the government army, I would dismantle all the heavy artillery guarding the city, and when half of the Bazhou army has passed, I would order the heavy artillery to fire at the ice surface."

"The ice is already not solid, and with so many people walking on it, it will collapse with a few rounds of volleys at most. By then, the Bazhou army will be split into two parts, and by the time they find a way to cross the river, the team that crossed the river first will probably have been severely damaged."

Liu Qi's face changed, and he ordered his men, "Move those elite soldiers who are left behind to the front, let them cross the river first, and leave the baggage and the old and young behind. Also tell Xing Lao Hu who has already crossed the river to gather the cavalry together, don't scatter, and be ready to meet the enemy at any time."

Pei Yuan watched calmly.

Lu Ting and Bai Yu probably don't have many elite soldiers under their command, so it is almost impossible for them to ambush the Bazhou rebels directly.

If they want to achieve victory, the best way is to attack those auxiliary troops.

In this case, the elite troops of the Bazhou Army must be placed in the front.

When they cross the river and are eager to leave the battlefield, these elite soldiers will gradually become separated from the auxiliary troops.

Pei Yuan did not expect Lu Ting to make great contributions. He just wanted him to win a small victory and give an explanation to all parties.

Pei Yuan looked back at "Da Jin Gang", "Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Yide" and "Kan Po Tian" and said to them, "Let's say goodbye now. I'm afraid the days ahead may not be as smooth as we wish. I think you three have the merit of saving the master, so if you encounter danger, you must protect the generals first."

The "Kan Po Tian" wondered, "We are all leading our own troops at the back. If something happens, I'm afraid we may not be able to make it in time."

Pei Yuan smiled and said, "Just saying it casually."

He really just said it casually.

These early small leaders are now gradually being marginalized, and there is a high probability that they are leading auxiliary troops, that is, the troops that may be attacked by Eunuch Lu.

Pei Yuan never imagined that this method alone could cause the attacked rear army to scatter, but as long as there was some shaken movement, it was considered a gain.

Pei Yuan glanced at Cheng Leixiang.

Cheng Leixiang understood and slowly turned his horse's head.

Chen Toutie also turned his horse's head.

Liu Qi noticed the two's movements and asked Pei Yuan, "Are you leaving?"

Pei Yuan said "hmm" and turned his horse around.

He pointed at Chen Toutie and Cheng Leixiang and said, "These two are my confidants, one is called Chen Toutie and the other is called Cheng Leixiang. If there is any communication in the future and I can't spare time, they will come for me. If you brothers need me, you can ask them to pass on the message."

Liu Qi understood and knew that Pei Yuan was referring to the matter of exchanging supplies for salt.

Thinking that they would be able to keep in touch with Brother Pei in the future and listen to his opinions from time to time, several leaders felt relieved.

Qi Yanming saw Pei Yuan looking at him intentionally or unintentionally from time to time. Although he knew that the previous incident had aroused a lot of suspicion, he still said, "Then I will send Captain Pei off."

Liu Qi said, "Very good."

After saying that, he waved his hand, and several men came over with trays. Liu Qi dismounted and reached out to lift the red cloth on the tray.

Unexpectedly, Pei Yuan also got off his horse at the same time and pressed the red cloth with his hand.

Liu Qi smiled heartily and said, "It's just a small token of my appreciation."

Zhao Sui, however, reinforced his words, "The entire Bazhou Army has only this little bit of good gold, and it's all here."

Gold is easy to carry and easy to hide.

The Bazhou Army fought wars everywhere over the past year and robbed a lot of silver, but didn't get much gold.

They were fighting on the move and did not have much energy to search carefully.

This time, in order to see Pei Yuan off, several leaders pooled together several thousand taels of gold, thinking that this guy loved money.

however……

Pei Yuan didn't dare to take it.

After he refused in every way, he could only say to Liu Qi, "In that case, please keep it for me. One day, when I have a clear conscience and a reason to take the gold, I will send someone to take it. How about that?"

Several leaders looked at each other, with joy in their eyes.

This shows that the future of the Bazhou Army is still on Brother Pei’s mind.

Liu Qi said generously, "Okay, then keep it for Brother Pei."

Liu Liu asked someone to bring some wine.

Several people poured wine and drank it, then Qi Yanming called a team of cavalry to see Pei Yuan off for the last time.

Several riders walked slowly through the messy group of Bazhou soldiers waiting in line to cross the river.

Pei Yuan observed and found that many of those placed at the back were ordinary people who had no home and had to rely on thieves.

A considerable proportion of people don't even have decent weapons.

Going further south, we saw that the troops were stationed more and more sparsely, and there were groups of refugees gathered together, discussing something in a low voice.

Pei Yuan looked at it for a while and said, "It seems that these people don't want to go north."

Qi Yanming glanced at them and didn't care, "Let them go, the Bazhou Army has plenty of people."

Pei Yuan felt more and more relieved. If they raided the rear of the Bazhou army, it should not be difficult for Eunuch Lu to gain credit.

Thinking of Eunuch Lu, Pei Yuan looked at Qi Yanming and asked with a smile, "Do you still remember Lu Ting?"

How could Qi Yanming not remember this name? He still remembered the words Pei Yuan said to him.

Last time, Pei Yuan was able to foresee the situation and saw through Lu Wan's scheme at once. After the reputation of the Bazhou Army soared, Qi Yanming fell into an extreme contradiction.

The more accurate Pei Yuan's predictions were, the clearer the hopeless future became before him.

Pei Yuan looked at Qi Yanming, his eyes fixed on his. "You must remember this name. This man will soon be promoted to the governor of military affairs for his meritorious service. If you are trapped by the government troops, shout Lu Ting's name. He will give me face and spare your life."

Seeing Pei Yuan still saying this, Qi Yanming said again with a firm mind, "I've said before, I, Qi Yanming, will either live honorably or die honorably, and I will never do anything to let down the Bazhou Army."

Pei Yuan smiled and said, "Just remember this. I said I would protect you."

Qi Yanming felt very upset.

No, brother, this is somewhat against the man's personal wishes!
Pei Yuan still ignored that, reined in his horse and looked at Qi Yanming and said, "There will always be a time to part, we will meet again someday."

After saying this, he rode his horse south in a very cool manner.

Jiao Yan'er rode carefully to catch up, while Chen Toutie and Cheng Leixiang fell behind.

As they walked further and further away, Chen Toutie quickened his horse's speed and caught up with Pei Yuan. He whispered, "Captain, no one is following us."

Pei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good!"

This way, Pei Yuan no longer had to pretend to be calm.

He jumped off his horse and came to Jiao Yaner's horse.

Jiao Yaner's horse was a docile mare, and was safe to ride, but its speed was too slow if she was in a hurry.

Jiao Yan'er had never learned how to ride a horse, so she could only let the horse carry her for a jog.

Fortunately, the horse equipment was complete, and Jiao Yaner's physical fitness had improved a lot after half a year of running around, so she was able to stay on the horse.

Pei Yuan held the saddle and reached out to Jiao Yan'er. Jiao Yan'er stretched out a hand, wanting to help Pei Yuan step down from the stirrup, but her body swayed and she rolled directly into Pei Yuan's arms.

Pei Yuan laughed, picked up the little beauty, and walked to his big horse.

Pei Yuan's horse is a rare good horse in the Bazhou army. It not only has a large frame and strong endurance, but also has a fast sprint speed.

Pei Yuan first put the little beauty on the horse, and then got on the horse himself.

Cheng Leixiang went to take Jiao Yaner's horse and hung the reins behind the horse. Then Cheng Leixiang and Chen Toutie both changed into their own Jinyiwei uniforms.

Afterwards, the group of four rode quickly south.

Pei Yuan held the beautiful Jiao in his arms, feeling quite charming.

The bumps and bruises along the way also made Pei Yuanhao very excited.

Miss Jiao had never seen such a scene before. She curled up in Pei Yuan's arms with her pink ears red.

These days, Miss Jiao has slowly accepted the fact that she will become someone's concubine.

Pei Yuan is tall and big, and he looks good.

If it weren't for her good-looking face, Mei Qinniang, a woman of the world, wouldn't have suddenly remembered that she had a regret in her life before she died.

In addition, Pei Yuan, as a captain of the Jinyiwei, was able to make plans and tactics among the rebels in Bazhou, and command the bandit leaders as easily as using his own arms. This made Jiao Yan'er feel incredible and she also felt that Pei Yuan was extremely talented.

Moreover, Pei Yuan was a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and becoming his concubine would at least mean that she wouldn't have to worry about her future life.

So Jiao Yaner convinced herself layer by layer, and finally she accepted her fate.

What if she doesn't accept her fate?
She no longer had the chance to set foot in that scholarly family.

So, facing Pei Yuan's vague offense, Jiao Xiaomei could only bite her lip and endure it, trying hard to imagine the happy days in the past.

Pei Yuan naturally couldn't do anything right away.

But looking at that sweet and soft beauty, I just couldn't help myself.

At this time, Cheng Leixiang suggested from behind, "Captain, since the Bazhou army is not chasing us, the back is safe. Chen Toutie and I will go to the front to take a look, so as not to encounter the imperial court's troops and wash away the Dragon King Temple."

Jiao Yan'er immediately held Pei Yuan's big hand tightly.

When Pei Yuan saw Jiao Yaner's pale face, he knew that this clever girl must have guessed something.

Pei Yuan felt amused.

This little beauty comes from a scholarly family. Even if she were to be someone's concubine, there is no reason for her to have an affair outside of the law.

Pei Yuan liked her very much and naturally didn't want her to be humiliated.

So he laughed and said, "No need to do that. I'll see which big water dares to touch a living dragon like me!"

Having said that, he rode his horse forward.

For two consecutive days, we were on the road in a hurry.

Pei Yuan knew that many of the troops in the Huai'an area were border troops and Beijing troops, and they seemed to be somewhat lawless.

He was too lazy to provoke them, so he took the three of them and headed towards Taoyuan.

On the way, Pei Yuan stopped several couriers and finally learned the military situation at the front line.

Sure enough, the very next day after he left, just as the rear guard of the Bazhou rebels had crossed the river, imperial troops from nowhere launched a fierce attack on the rear guard of the Bazhou rebels.

Those who stayed behind were mostly young and strong civilians who were brought here from several counties of Huai'an Prefecture.

Many people did not want to leave their homeland, but they were afraid of the bandits of the Bazhou Army and could only follow reluctantly.

When the imperial army began to attack, many people saw that they could not take care of the Bazhou bandits for the time being, so they just ran south along the glacier.

As a result, one after another, it eventually led to a major collapse.

When the governor-general Bai Yu saw that the Bazhou army was so easy to deal with, he became very energetic and personally led his selected servants to attack.

The only ones left behind by the Bazhou rebels were some old and weak auxiliary soldiers.

Bai Yu had been in the imperial prison for a while, and was now eager to redeem himself with merit. Under his fierce attack, the rebels in Bazhou soon showed signs of exhaustion.

Then some troops began to flee and move closer to the front.

The remaining people also lost the confidence to form a formation and wait, and fled completely.

Seeing this, Bai Yu became even more brave and even forgot his previous plan of quitting while he was ahead, and continued to pursue the fleeing soldiers.

By the evening, the defeated army caught up with the main infantry force of the Bazhou Army under Liu Liu.

The main force of the infantry, which was setting up camp, was first stunned by the charge of its own fleeing soldiers, and then was attacked fiercely by the imperial troops.

After a whole winter of hard work, these soldiers of the Bazhou Army finally broke through the government army's northern defense line. They were most tired of war and eager to return home.

Now the government troops suddenly caught up with them again, making them feel like a bucket of cold water was poured over their heads.

As a result, with morale plummeting, this main infantry force actually began to flee along with the fleeing soldiers who were left behind.

The two sides shouted and chased each other in the wild, and the beating of gongs and drums could be heard from time to time.

Although no actual fighting took place, the noise and disturbance actually caused several camps stationed nearby to roar.

The governor-general Bai Yu led the army to chase for a night, defeated 30,000 enemies and killed six in battle!
(End of this chapter)