Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 116 Peace and Happiness (Part Two)

There are a total of 386 people who are willing to go to Peijia Village.

Leading so many women, children, and the elderly, the pace of travel suddenly slowed down considerably.

Pei Qinghe dismounted and placed the two children on the horse. Pei Yan and the others followed suit, giving their horses to the children and even holding the reins for them.

Pei Yan muttered angrily, "That family of ingrates ate our pancakes and still refused to come to Pei Family Village with us. I should have taken action just now and taught them a lesson."

Pei Qinghe glared at Pei Yan: "I'm here to win over the people, not to beat them up. They can go if they want, or stay if they don't."

"We can't save everyone. We'll reach out to those who want to live. We won't interfere with those who don't want to survive."

These words drifted on the wind into the ears of more than 300 people, young and old, in Anle County.

The mud-covered boy was quite bold and loudly chimed in, "We are all willing to follow Sixth Sister."

Pei Qinghe smiled slightly and asked the mud-covered boy, "What's your name? How old are you?"

Pei Yan also turned her head to look over.

The mud-covered boy felt a chill run down his spine when the imposing Pei Yan looked at him. He forced himself to answer, "My name is Zhai Sanlang. I am thirteen years old. My father and my two older brothers were killed by the Xiongnu. My mother and my sister are also dead. I am the only one left in the family."

"If we go to Pei Family Village, will we really be able to eat our fill every day?"

Pei Yan grinned: "Of course. We can eat our fill every meal, and sometimes we even get to eat meat."

Zhai Sanlang swallowed hard.

The children were overjoyed to hear that they would have plenty of food and meat to eat.

Even women, children, and the elderly thought the same thing: they'd go first and figure things out later. Even if they couldn't get enough to eat, one meal a day was better than nothing. They already had nothing; what else could they possibly deceive them about?

Even if human traffickers came, they wouldn't want to buy a bunch of children and elderly people who couldn't do heavy work. Miss Pei Liu had made a completely unprofitable deal. They needed to get to Pei Family Village quickly before Miss Pei Liu changed her mind.

As night fell, the group lit several bonfires along the official road. Warhorses formed a large circle, creating a natural barrier. In addition, men took turns keeping watch.

Zhai Sanlang huddled by the fire, quietly counting his warhorses. He fell asleep on the thirteenth count.

The next morning, Zhai Sanlang was awakened by the aroma of meat.

As soon as it was light, Pei Qinghe led Pei Yan and more than twenty others to the nearby mountains and forests. Hunting was one of the Pei women's specialties, and they quickly brought back several pheasants and rabbits. They skinned and roasted the meat, then heated up some dry bread and ate a hearty meal with some cold water.

After finishing a pheasant leg, Zhai Sanlang's heart completely turned to Pei Family Village. He took the initiative to speak with Pei Qinghe: "Sixth Miss, I grew up in Anle County. I know half of these three hundred-plus people. I also studied in a private school for three years, so I have an exceptionally good memory. I can remember everyone in just a few days."

"What are your orders, Sixth Miss? I'll run errands and deliver the message."

Pei Qinghe smiled and glanced at Zhai Sanlang, who was eager to participate: "Alright, during these next few days on the road, remember the appearances and names of the 386 people in Anle County. When we arrive at Pei Family Village, you will be the leader of this group."

Zhai Sanlang nodded repeatedly.

As expected, he went around asking everyone's names and ages, and then shamelessly asked Miss Pei Yan for a charcoal pencil to write them down in his notebook.

Seeing this, Feng Chang couldn't help but sigh to Gu Lian, "This Zhai Sanlang is bold and meticulous, and he can even read and write. He has already caught the eye of the Sixth Miss, and he will surely be a promising talent in the future."

Gu Lian retorted sarcastically, "Sixth Miss is wise and capable, and more and more people will follow her in the future. Many useful people will emerge. Does one Zhai Sanlang make Master Feng panic?" Feng Chang had once been a private tutor, and the nickname "Master Feng" was given to him by Gu Lian.

Feng Chang never showed any mercy to his biggest rival, and retorted with a cold laugh: "Gu Yidao isn't worried, so why should I be?"

The two men looked at each other and each gave a cold laugh.

Pei Jia and Pei Yi were the first to follow Pei Liu, and were bestowed the surname Pei. Fang Datou escorted the Pei women all the way, and there was also a bond between them. Zhao Hai was a son-in-law of the Pei family, and Doctor Bao would be sooner or later. Besides these, Feng Chang and Gu Lian were the first to join the Pei family army. Both were senior and had their own strengths, and their rivalry was the fiercest.

Pei Qinghe was aware of the situation and had given them a few open warnings. However, as long as the two didn't openly argue or quarrel, Pei Qinghe didn't interfere with their private disagreements.

When subordinates have disagreements, superiors simply need to maintain balance. Overly close relationships, on the other hand, can create numerous hidden dangers.

On the third day, they encountered a band of bandits.

This band of bandits numbered about thirty, and surprisingly, they all had horses and gleaming weapons.

The bandits, seeing the formation of hundreds of men from afar, knew they had encountered a fat sheep. Excited, they licked their lips: "Look! So many old people and children, and a whole bunch of women! Haha!"

Wait, a bunch of women!
One of the bandits, with excellent eyesight, stared intently, his expression suddenly changing: "It's a member of the Pei family! This is bad! Run!"

Upon hearing the name Pei, the other bandits' expressions changed drastically, and without a word, they rode away on their horses.

Pei Yan, who had already drawn her sword and assumed a defensive stance, was completely bewildered. She turned to Pei Qinghe and asked, "We haven't even made a move yet, so why have all these bandits run away?"

Pei Qinghe's eyes flashed with a cold light: "They are not ordinary bandits. The Guangning Army was defeated by the Xiongnu, and these should be bandits who escaped from the Guangning Army."

“They have horses and weapons. They can’t get into the county town because of the city gates. Ordinary villages will suffer if they encounter them.”

Pei Yan was furious upon hearing this and sneered, "I'll lead men to kill them and take their horses and weapons."

Pei Qinghe nodded slightly.

This is a small matter; she doesn't need to lift a finger. Pei Yan can simply lead her men there.

In order to finish the battle quickly, Pei Yan led eighty men and chased after them aggressively.

Pei Qinghe ordered everyone to dismount and rest. The dry biscuits were almost gone, so the three of them shared one, which barely satisfied their hunger. Fortunately, Pei Family Village was only a day's journey away.

After waiting for about two hours, Pei Yan and his group returned, bringing back dozens of weapons and more than thirty warhorses.

More than thirty bloody heads hung on the horse's belly.

Having experienced the fall of a city and the massacre of its inhabitants, and having collected the bodies of his family, Zhai Sanlang was unfazed by such a bloody scene. He even felt a strong longing: "Miss Pei Yan is truly amazing!"

The towering Pei Yan grinned smugly, "This is nothing. You'll only know how powerful she is once Qinghe makes her move!"

The spoils didn't stop there; there were also several bags of gold and silver jewelry, from which wealthy family had they robbed? There was also a large quantity of dried meat and provisions.

Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "We were short of dry rations, and someone kindly brought them some. Let's eat our fill before we set off!"

(End of this chapter)