Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 136 Military Camp
"Won't this provoke the Guangning army?"

Amidst the cheers, only Pei Yun frowned: "If we act rashly and make enemies with the Guangning Army, I'm afraid it will be a losing proposition."

Pei Qinghe's eyes flashed: "The Guangning army was defeated by the Xiongnu and has lost its fighting spirit. General Yang is also a cautious and prudent man. He will not send troops without a military order."

Sending troops would offer no real benefit. The Pei family army is a tough nut to crack, capable of defending Changping County and fighting the Xiongnu barbarians. Given General Yang's cautious and timid nature, why would he agree to come?

"Otherwise, let Yang Huai and the others go back," Pei Yun said in a low voice. "It wouldn't look good if word got out that the Guangning Army had to pay money and grain to ransom them."

Pei Qinghe patiently explained, "We want to make an example of Yang Huai, to make the Guangning Army suffer heavy losses. In the future, anyone who wants to provoke the Pei family army will have to think twice about their own strength."

"It can also give the powerful and wealthy families of Youzhou a scare."

Shi Yan picked up the thread and put it more bluntly: "More than 6,000 people need to eat and drink, and we will need to recruit more in the future. The wealth we have accumulated from fighting bandits is far from enough. It is not appropriate to actively plunder, as it will not only damage our reputation but also cause us to lose manpower. It would be best if a wealthy family offered us money and provisions. Just like Quanzhou County and Yongnu County, who wanted the protection of the Pei family army and offered generous gifts."

Pei Yun then realized what was happening and sighed with a smile, "I never thought of that."

Pei Qinghe smiled and patted Pei Yun on the shoulder: "It's good to have your own ideas. I'm only human, and my thoughts may have oversights. If you feel something is wrong, just speak up and remind me."

More than thirty people were bound hand and foot and put on an oxcart. In the blink of an eye, more than thirty fine horses appeared.

Pei Yan grinned and said, "Such a good thing should happen every day."

Pei Qinghe raised an eyebrow and smiled, leading everyone into the Beiping military camp.

Calling it an air force camp wouldn't be entirely accurate. When Meng Liulang left that day, he left behind more than ten soldiers to guard the camp.

These dozen or so soldiers, some nearing fifty, others wounded and of mediocre fighting ability, spent their days loitering in the barracks. When they had nothing to do, they would throw dice to pass the time.

There were no guards on duty, and the gates of the military camp were locked with iron chains. After calling out several times without response, Pei Qinghe swung his sword and chopped off the iron chain: "Come in with me."

This was Pei Qinghe's second time entering the Beiping military camp.

The once solemn and imposing military camp is now empty and overgrown with weeds.

Pei Yun frowned and said in a low voice, "How did the military camp become like this?"

Pei Qinghe said, "With General Meng dead, the morale of the army has been greatly shattered. Those left here are practically abandoned. They have no intention of cleaning up and organizing the camp."

The sound of horses' hooves finally alerted the soldiers hiding in the camp.

The soldiers threw down the dice, cursing and swearing as they went out with their knives: "Which blind thief has come today?"

“In the past, within ten miles of our Beiping military camp, even flies would have to avoid it.”

"Why bring up that old history? Our general's body is long gone. The Beiping army has been decimated, and those who survived are guarding the new emperor in Bohai County. They won't be coming back. The rest of us might as well just stay in the barracks and wait to die."

These last words left the soldiers sighing repeatedly, their fighting spirit completely extinguished.

The moment the spirited young woman on horseback came into view, the soldiers' dejection vanished. They sheathed their swords and bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Miss Pei Liu!"

Some of them had accompanied Meng Liulang to Pei Family Army, while others had followed Meng Dalang into Yanshan to suppress bandits. Even those who had never met Pei Qinghe knew that the Beiping Army and Pei Family Village had close ties. Now that the Beiping Army camp was empty, these abandoned soldiers were filled with anxiety. Upon seeing Pei Liu, they all felt a sense of warmth and joy.

Pei Qinghe dismounted with a smile: "Get up, everyone!"

His gaze swept across the area and landed on a somewhat familiar face: "Such a large military camp, and there are only a dozen or so of you left. You neglected your defenses. You didn't even know we were entering the camp. It's fortunate that we arrived first; if the Guangning army had gotten there first, I would have been left to collect your corpses."

This soldier was named Hu Da. He had been a personal guard of Meng Liulang. He was seriously wounded when he went into the mountains to suppress Black Bear Village and stayed in Peijia Village for three months. Later, after his injury healed, his left leg was basically useless.

Hu Da was both shocked and furious. He and the other soldiers rushed to the oxcart and unleashed a torrent of foul language at Yang Huai and the others.

Yang Huai's hands and feet were bound, and his mouth was gagged. He was so angry that his eyes almost popped out of their sockets as the soldiers kept cursing his ancestors.

After venting his anger with a string of curses, Hu solemnly thanked Pei Qinghe.

Pei Qinghe said, "I sent someone to Bohai County, and General Meng sent word back, asking me to take care of the military camp. Are you willing to obey my orders?"

Hu Dayi puffed out his chest: "When I was seriously injured, I was recuperating in Peijia Village. Sixth Sister gave me old ginseng to prolong my life. I, Hu Dayi, will always remember Sixth Sister's kindness."

"From now on, I will follow Sixth Sister."

The other soldiers echoed his sentiments.

The Beiping army isn't returning, and these old and weak soldiers don't have the strength to trek hundreds of miles to Bohai County. They're just living one day at a time. Now that Sixth Miss is willing to take them in, how could they possibly refuse?

Pei Qinghe smiled slightly: "Alright, from now on you will all be my people, Pei Qinghe's people. With me here, I will make sure you have enough to eat and wear."

The soldiers beamed with joy and readily agreed.

Pei Qinghe instructed, "Where is the storeroom? Take me there first."

Hu Da eagerly led the way. When they arrived at a row of warehouses, Hu Da took a long bunch of keys from his belt and deftly unlocked the first warehouse: "The general took most of the military rations that day, and later the Sixth Young Master took a lot more. This is all that's left for the ten or so of us who ate for a year."

The warehouse storing military rations was empty, with only a few dozen bags of grain remaining. Even with careful rationing, it wouldn't last more than two months. The fate facing Hu Da and his men was such that to avoid starvation, they either had to become bandits robbing civilians or thieves stealing from wealthy families. This was the real reason they so readily sided with Miss Pei.

Pei Qinghe smiled and promised, "You continue to guard the camp. Starting next month, I will have people send food and silver over."

Hu Da rubbed his hands together, and after a long pause, he finally managed to say, "I will definitely guard the camp for the Sixth Miss."

Pei Qinghe glanced at Hu Da with a smile: "The barracks are overgrown with weeds. From now on, you'll spend half the day training and the other half cleaning up the barracks. You also need to guard the gate properly. Don't let anyone sneak into the barracks without you even knowing."

Hu Da was a little guilty: "Yes, yes, don't worry, Sixth Miss, we were just wasting our time before. We will never do that again."

He hurriedly opened the second storeroom, showing off his treasure like a precious gem: "Sixth Miss, look quickly. The true wealth of the Beiping Army is all here."

Even Pei Qinghe, with her composure, paused for a moment.

Pei Yan was overjoyed, her eyes shining, and she rushed inside, exclaiming, "Wow! Wow! Wow! So many weapons! We're rich!"

(End of this chapter)