Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 109 Changping (3)

Before dawn the next day, long queues had already formed outside Huifeng Grain Shop and Guangyuan Grain Shop.

There weren't many people outside the oil and salt shops. A lack of oil and salt wasn't a big deal, but a lack of grain could truly kill people. Even those with stored grain at home still lined up outside the grain shops to buy it.

Magistrate Wang personally visited the grain shops yesterday and issued a strict order. Neither of the two grain shops raised prices today; the prices remained the same as usual, and each person was limited to buying two jin per day.

Some clever people among the villagers lined up separately, young and old. Soon, they were reported and exposed by their familiar neighbors.

What if you buy too much and I can't get any? At times like these, everyone wants to buy more food. Anyone who buys too much will be envied.

The two households initially argued across the distance, but the argument quickly escalated into a physical fight.

Magistrate Wang, who hadn't slept all night and had dark circles under his eyes, arrived with a stern face and his constables, angrily saying, "Take both families to the county office, and I will hold a trial."

The common people were terrified of going to court, and the two families who had been arguing and fighting immediately knelt down, weeping and begging for mercy. Magistrate Wang's stern rebuke intimidated all the people in line. The two families were still taken away by the yamen runners, their cries for mercy drifting back from afar.

The people queuing up next were much more obedient and well-behaved.

After inspecting Huifeng Grain Shop, Magistrate Wang went to Guangyuan Grain Shop and arrested several people who were breaking the rules. He then toured the oil and salt shops, and finally inspected several main streets.

Magistrate Wang usually spent his days drinking and making merry in the back hall of the county office, leaving all the trivial matters to Clerk Li. He had never done such menial work before. After half a day, his calves were almost cramping, and his throat was parched. He had drunk half a pot of tea and was still smacking his lips.

Like a thief, Master Li looked around to make sure no one was watching before whispering, "I'll quietly go get a pot of wine. Sir, have a sip or two to satisfy your craving for alcohol."

Magistrate Wang was caught in a painful struggle.

Pei Qinghe warned him yesterday that he could not drink another drop of alcohol.

But now, Miss Pei is guarding outside the city gate, not at the county office. He secretly takes a sip to satisfy his craving; Miss Pei won't know…

Magistrate Wang remained silent, but Li, the clerk, understood immediately and scurried away like a mouse to the wine cellar.

As a result, they were stopped at the entrance of the wine cellar.

“Master Li, please wait,” a young woman with a scar on her face said with a half-smile, “Sixth Miss has instructed that these wines are of great use and no one is allowed to touch them.”

Master Li chuckled and said, "I'm not going into the wine cellar, I'm just taking a stroll. With Miss Gu Lian guarding the wine cellar, I'm at ease."

Gu Lian watched Li Shiye's dejected figure and let out another cold laugh.

A chill ran down Li's spine, and he darted back to the back room as fast as the wind could carry him.

Magistrate Wang sighed deeply: "Sixth Miss has a brilliant plan. She deliberately left people in the county office. Every move I make is under her watchful eye."

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. To survive, you can't drink a drop of alcohol. You have to pull yourself together and continue doing your job as Miss Pei instructed.

The unfortunate Magistrate Wang continued to patrol the county town in his official robes. The results were indeed remarkable.

Ordinary people didn't know who the prefects and governors were, nor did they know who the new emperor was, who was thousands of miles away. In their eyes, the county magistrate was the sky above them. In the past, the county magistrate never showed his face, but now he personally led his yamen runners around the county town with a stern face, and even the hooligans and thugs didn't dare to show their faces.

"This Magistrate Wang isn't just a good-for-nothing; he actually has some ability." The restless Pei Yan went to investigate: "Nothing's happened in the county town these past three days."

Pei Qinghe smiled casually: "With a little encouragement, even the laziest donkey can pull the millstone."

Pei Yan grinned: "If Magistrate Wang knew he was being compared to a donkey pulling a millstone, I wonder what he would think." Mao Hongling smiled: "Of course, he would admire the Sixth Miss's discerning eye for talent to the extreme."

After exchanging a few jokes, Pei Qinghe went up the city wall to inspect the various sentry posts.

Three days ago, Pei Qinghe took over Changping County, and the original eighty city gate guards were also put to work under his command. At first, a few were not entirely convinced and made dissenting remarks in private, but after witnessing Pei Qinghe shoot down an eagle hundreds of meters in the air with a single arrow, they all became obedient.

Previously, there were only a few people on the city wall making a show of it, but now there are ten sentry posts, two people at each post. No matter which direction there is any situation, they can be alerted immediately.

"Sixth Miss!" Feng Chang hurriedly reported, "There's someone shouting down below the city. Should we let them in or not?"

Pei Qinghe glanced at it.

Beneath the city gate, a man on horseback frantically waved his hands, his expression anxious.

The city gates were sealed, so Pei Qinghe ordered a side gate to be opened, large enough for one person to pass through. The man dismounted in a panic, rushed to the gatekeeper, knelt down with a thud, and wailed, "Anle County has been captured by the Xiongnu! They've burned, killed, and looted! The night before last, those beasts even set fire to the city. I don't know how many people have died. I escaped in the chaos! You all must run! The Xiongnu are coming to Changping County!"

The city gate official panicked and quickly stepped aside: "Sixth Miss Pei is here. If you have something to say, quickly report it to her."

The messenger, weeping bitterly, raised his weary face, then his pupils suddenly widened.

The bandits in Yanshan were all wiped out, and Pei Liu's fame spread far and wide. This messenger had also heard of her.

However, it was unexpected that the infamous Sixth Miss Pei was so beautiful and spirited.

Pei Qinghe lowered her head and asked coldly, "How many Xiongnu are in this group?"

The messenger looked bewildered: "I don't know either. It could be five or six hundred, or it could be two or three thousand."

Pei Yan wanted nothing more than to kick this idiot in front of her away: "Five or six hundred versus two or three thousand, the difference is huge. Just how many people are there?"

The messenger cried again: "On the day the city fell, I hid in the cellar and later secretly ran out. I only know that there were many Huns, but I never counted the exact number."

Pei Qinghe's eyes flashed with coldness: "He was lucky to escape from the Xiongnu and deliver the message. Take him away and settle him down to rest."

"The Xiongnu have burned Anle County and are already heading towards Changping County. They are on horseback and very fast; they may arrive in the next moment."

"Everyone, listen to my command and immediately set up defenses."

At Pei Qinghe's command, everyone sprang into action. Some went to the county government to deliver messages, some patrolled the entire city to keep the people indoors, and some went to the city walls.

The messenger, wiping away tears, was stunned by the agile movements of hundreds of people, his mouth agape. He was then dragged into a tent, where someone brought him two steamed buns and a bowl of water. The messenger ate and immediately fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was already dark.

The earth trembled slightly, and a muffled thunderous sound reached my ears.

That sound was the noise of a large number of warhorses galloping.

The Huns have really come.

(End of this chapter)