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

Chapter 246 Establishing Prestige
The troops of Xuzhou Wei had clear orders to escort Gu Dayong back to Beijing.

Xu Feng happened to meet the right opportunity and was unfortunately recruited by Lu Ting.

These two parties cannot escape their responsibilities at all.

Besides, Pei Yuan only had more than twenty Jinyiwei and Jianghu people in his command.

Even if Xu Feng wanted to hide behind Pei Yuan, he couldn't.

Pei Yuan ignored him at all, but Xu Feng was not too disappointed.

His idea is also very simple.

Give it a try.

What if the other person is a fool?
Seeing that Pei Yuan did not accept the challenge, Xu Feng selected another strong centurion to lead the troops as the vanguard.

The Jinyiwei led by Pei Yuan huddled together and protected Gu Dayong at the back of the entire team.

Sun Keding stayed with Gu Dayong, trying to curry his favor along the way and bridge the gap between the two sides.

Out of respect for Captain Pei's military prowess, Xiao Yan shamelessly took his son with him and followed the Jinyiwei people in their march forward and retreat.

After the march began, Pei Yuan keenly noticed a problem.

The large amount of property carried by Gu Dayong, Xiao Yan, and Pei Yuan himself seriously slowed down the march.

This cast a shadow over Pei Yuan's plan from the very beginning, with the possibility that it might not be as good as expected.

However, the four words "people die for money" are vividly reflected in the three most powerful people in the entire team.

Not only did they tacitly agree not to blame each other for this, but when Xu Feng came to complain, they also worked together to make him return empty-handed.

That one percent of luck, by sticking together, turned into one hundred percent persistence.

After the team had walked three or five miles, they saw Xu Feng hurriedly coming again with some cavalry.

Before they got close, Commander Xu shouted at the top of his voice from afar, "The scouts have encountered bandits!"

Everyone had expected this, and instead of being surprised, they felt a sense of relief.

According to Captain Pei's action plan.

The first step is to lure this small group of bandits into a decisive battle as soon as possible, and try to defeat it head-on.

Because the cost of eliminating the enemy head-on is much less than being harassed and torn apart by this small group of bandits.

Once we are slowed down by their harassment and the main forces of "Big Tiger" and "Starry Sky" catch up, the price we have to pay will be even greater.

Pei Yuan didn't care about anything at this time, and said decisively, "Let the soldiers of Xuzhou Guards put on armor and be ready to meet the enemy. Give the bows and shields to the auxiliary soldiers, and temporarily put the baggage carts together to form a formation. All the cavalry follow me to take a look."

As he said this, he waved his hand, signaling Chen Toutie to hand him the armor.

Pei Yuan had the armor and golden hammer given by Han Qianhu, but they were more suitable for foot combat. When riding a horse, he had to sit astride, so the hard armor suitable for foot combat standing posture would not fit him well.

Xu Feng was in a panic, but when he saw Pei Yuan starting to make arrangements, he felt as if he had found a backbone.

He quickly said, "Okay, I'll take Qianhu over there."

Seeing Xu Feng's cowardly look, Pei Yuan felt that his previous plan had hit nothing.

How dare this kind of person go to the eunuch in charge of military affairs and report me?
Pei Yuan scolded angrily, "What about the other things I just mentioned? You stay here and organize the troops. Give me the cavalry in your hand first, so that I can go over and take a look."

Xu Feng was not completely indifferent. When he saw Pei Yuan coming up and asking for cavalry, he couldn't help but hesitate.

Pei Yuanzheng paused while putting on his armor, raised his eyebrows and said angrily, "Why don't you go?!"

Xu Feng thought about charging into battle, but immediately changed his mind and said awkwardly, "That's not the case. Captain Pei should go."

Having said that, Xu Feng hurriedly called the leader of the cavalry and asked him to follow Pei Yuan's orders.

The troops dispatched by Xuzhou Guard this time were mainly infantry, with only a few dozen cavalry. In contrast, Pei Yuan's twenty or so Jinyiwei all carried horses.

These dozens of cavalrymen are considered the most capable group of fighters among the Xuzhou guards.

What made Pei Yuan a little embarrassed was that the leader of the cavalry team was also a thousand-man commander.

This captain had no say before and could only temporarily serve under the command of Xu Feng, a third-rank commander. Now that he saw Pei Yuan, who was also a captain, coming to lead them, he immediately glared at Pei Yuan defiantly.

Pei Yuan put on his armor, climbed onto his horse, and asked Xu Feng, "What's his name?"

Xu Feng was no stranger to such scenes. He was not deliberately hindering the others, but subconsciously wanted to see them do bad things. He did not try to persuade them, but just said, "His name is Ding Hong, and he is a captain of the Xuzhou Guard."

Cheng Leixiang handed the spear over with both hands. Pei Yuan grabbed the spear, frowned, and hit the captain named Ding Hong hard.

Ding Hong was surprised.

Fortunately, he had some combat experience and quickly blocked the attack with the whip in his hand.

With the crisp sound of the wooden handle of the whip breaking, the spear hit Ding Hong and knocked him off his horse.

Ding Hong was quite popular among the soldiers. As soon as he fell off his horse, the cavalrymen who surrounded him became noisy and ready to move.

Pei Yuan was holding back on his strength, knowing that Ding Hong was not seriously injured.

Seeing Ding Hong trying to get up from the ground angrily, he directly hit him on the shoulder with the heavy spear.

Ding Hong was startled at first and dodged subconsciously.

However, the sharp blade of the spear had no intention of cutting his throat. Instead, an unparalleled force was transmitted from the spear.

When Ding Hong was halfway up, he was forced to his knees by a huge spear.

After realizing this, Ding Hong's first reaction was to be a little confused.

After he came to his senses, his face turned red and he immediately grabbed the spear handle with all his strength, trying to snatch the weapon from the hateful Qianhu.

However, it was not known whether it was because Captain Pei was born with supernatural powers, or because he was on a horse and used his own weight to press down on the spear, but not only did Ding Hong fail to move the spear away, his waist was even bent by the pressure.

Ding Hong was shocked.

When I looked up, my eyes met Pei Yuan's.

The ferociousness of choosing someone to eat was so strong in Pei Qianhu's eyes that Ding Hong's heart skipped a beat for a moment.

Ding Hong suddenly had a feeling that he was like a weak animal that encountered a natural enemy that was about to eat him.

He quickly shouted in fear, "I am wrong!"

Pei Yuan held the spear in both hands, pressing Ding Hong tightly. With a gloomy expression on his face, he continued to output fear to Ding Hong, "Where did you go wrong?"

Ding Hong was a little hesitant, but he felt the strength on his shoulders growing stronger and stronger. Then he thought, wouldn't it be even more embarrassing if he was pinned down here by a huge spear?

He didn't care about his face anymore and said hurriedly, "I was disrespectful to Captain Pei. I am guilty. I am guilty of a serious crime!"

Ding Hong immediately felt a sense of relief on his shoulders.

The sudden loss of balance almost made him fall to the ground.

Ding Hong quickly got up and knelt in front of the horse, still saying with lingering fear, "I am guilty, I am guilty."

Pei Yuan didn't waste time with him. He just stared at him and shouted, "I won't bother with you. Just do your job well. If you have any achievements, Eunuch Gu will recommend you."

Ding Hong escaped death and shouted, "Yes, yes, yes, I obey your command."

Pei Yuan saw that the cavalrymen around him were still angry, and he didn't care what they thought.

His standard for employing people has always been simple and crude. As long as they can be useful for a while, he doesn't care about the rest. When Pei Yuan recruited Cheng Leixiang and Chen Toutie to form a basic team, he also coaxed and deceived them, and was also prepared to give up at any time or be stabbed in the back.

Pei Yuan didn't care.

He only cares about whether he can solve the problem at hand, and then solve subsequent problems one by one.

Ding Hong is unruly, which makes his command ineffective.

He must suppress Ding Hong.

Only by suppressing Ding Hong and having this person as a buffer can the confrontation be prevented from being transmitted to the people below.

No matter whether they are willing or not, as long as they can be used temporarily, Pei Yuan will be satisfied.

Pei Yuan looked at Ding Hong and threatened directly, "I am the captain of the army, so I don't need another captain. From now on, you will be demoted to deputy captain, and wait for Eunuch Gu to give you another promotion and reward later."

Ding Hong didn't dare to protest at this time, so he could only answer fearfully, "Yes, I obey your command. I am willing to serve as the deputy commander of the Pei Commandery."

Seeing this, Gu Dayong also stepped forward to help out.

"Deputy Captain Ding, follow Captain Pei and do your job well. When I return to the capital and meet the emperor, I will definitely recommend you."

Ding Hong had nothing else to say at this moment, so he could only honestly say, "My skills are not as good as others, so I am willing to entrust my life to Captain Pei, and I don't ask for any promotion or reward."

Pei Yuan was very satisfied with Ding Hong's attitude. He glanced at the cavalrymen who had been making a commotion before and asked, "Did you all hear that?"

The cavalrymen looked at each other, and perhaps relying on their numbers, no one said a word.

Pei Yuan glanced at Ding Hong coldly.

Ding Hong's back was sweating. He immediately yelled at the cavalrymen with a red face, "Are you deaf or dumb? Didn't you hear what Captain Pei said?"

The cavalrymen then responded in a muffled and unison manner.

Pei Yuan snorted, not caring at all.

He kept Ding Hong because he wanted to use Ding Hong to solve the problem.

As for the morale of the army?

What do I need their military spirit for when they don't even know the difference between longevity and short life?
Pei Yuanyi waved his head to signal Ding Hong, "Get on the horse and follow me to take a look."

Ding Hong then climbed onto the horse carefully.

Only when I was about to sit down did I realize that the muscles on the inside of my knees were still trembling.

Pei Yuan extended his hand to Cheng Leixiang again, and Cheng Leixiang quickly handed him a helmet.

Pei Yuan put on his helmet and said to Ding Hong, "Let's go."

Ding Hong had recovered a little by now, and hurriedly said carefully, "I will lead the way for the captain."

As he spoke, he urged his horse forward and led the way for Captain Pei.

Xiao Yan had been witnessing what had just happened.

If he had not met those Bazhou bandits, he might have been worried about Pei Yuan's powerful presence, but now he felt relieved.

Having such a strong man in charge of the current situation is much more reliable than the helpless Xu Feng.

He thought for a moment and said, "I'll go take a look too."

Xu Feng was standing by and quickly reminded him in a low voice, "Captain Xiao, don't be careless. You haven't encountered those Bazhou thieves yet and you don't know their strength. It's better to wait and see for a while."

Xiao Yan said, "Eunuch Lu and I once followed the governor and the deputy governor Bai Yu and fought against these people. We have a good idea of ​​their level."

After saying that, he added silently in his heart that he had also fought with the Jinyiwei led by Pei Yuan.

It’s just that one was chasing the enemy to the north, defeating the rear troops of the Bazhou bandits, while the other was severely beaten by Pei Yuan and ran away to negotiate peace in shame.

Putting aside the comparison of the military forces currently in the hands of the Vice Governor Bai Yu and Pei Yuan, just based on the different psychological positions of the two in his heart, Xiao Yan would look up to Pei Yuan.

Besides, if you don’t see the situation clearly, you won’t have a clear idea whether to leave or stay.

Xu Feng still hoped that Xiao Yan, the new backer, would be alive and well, so he urged him earnestly, "Qian Hu, why don't you reconsider it? The situation on the battlefield changes rapidly. The son of a wealthy family should not sit idle."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan paused in turning his horse's head.

Xu Feng thought he had convinced Xiao Yan and was about to continue to reason with him.

Then Xiao Yan warned, "I am a deputy commander under Eunuch Lu. I didn't care about your nonsense in the past. Next time, think carefully before you speak, and don't disrupt the laws of the court."

Xu Feng was speechless when he heard this, but he also understood that his new backer might feel a little intimidated when facing Captain Pei.

Pei Yuan went to inspect the front army without bringing any of the Jinyiwei with him.

Xiao Yan also tacitly left his son behind again.

Xiao Yan rode his horse a short distance and saw the place where the scouts ahead had been attacked.

I saw dense forests on both sides of the road ahead. In the middle of the road, there was a scout who had been shot by several arrows and was wailing.

The other party's tone was full of warning. They could have killed the scout with one arrow, but they still let him scream and struggle there.

Pei Yuanzheng, with Ding Hong and a small number of cavalry, rode their horses back and forth on the road trying to rush forward.

Xiao Yan knew some skills of leading troops and knew that Pei Yuan was repeatedly pulling to lure out the ambushers, wanting them to release their arrows so that he could accurately determine the number and position of the ambushers.

Unfortunately, this little trick didn't seem to have any effect.

Pei Yuan thought about it, then stretched out his hand and said to Ding Hong, "Give me the bow and arrow."

Pei Yuan's own long bow was broken by him last time.

Ding Hong had obviously heard of Pei Yuan's reputation as a "superb archer" and quickly handed over the bow and arrow.

Pei Yuan pulled the bow casually and felt that the power was okay, so he held the bow in one hand and the arrow in the other and slowly rode towards the scout.

Pei Yuan estimated the distance and found that it was still far away, so he suddenly raised his hand and aimed at the woods on the side of the road as if he was about to shoot.

There was an immediate commotion in the forest; apparently many people recognized the archer from yesterday.

Then, before Pei Yuan could shoot his arrow, dozens of arrows were shot at him in a disorderly manner.

Pei Yuan felt relieved.

That's it?

Come to think of it, these rebel soldiers don't know how to maintain bows and arrows. Maybe they won't even take off the bowstrings after the battle. It's already good enough for them to have these long-range weapons.

Pei Yuan figured out the depth of the arrow and decided not to waste his time, so he shot the arrow into the depths of the forest.

Just as he was about to ride his horse back, he suddenly heard a cry from the forest, "Leader, leader has been shot by an arrow!"

What the hell!

Pei Yuan's mind went blank for a moment.

On the contrary, Ding Hong reacted the fastest. He was trying to curry favor with Pei Yuan, and he shouted loudly, "Mighty Qianhu, mighty Qianhu!"

He rushed up directly with his men.

(End of this chapter)