Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 137 Harvest
The spacious warehouse contained three rows of sturdy wooden shelves, filled with weapons, mostly commonly used knives and spears in the military.

The brand-new weapons were all taken away, leaving behind mostly used weapons, some with mottled rust. However, for the Pei family army, which was always short of weapons, this warehouse of weapons was simply priceless.

Pei Yan was excited and overjoyed, and Pei Yun was also filled with happiness as they went inside and looked around.

Pei Qinghe turned around, casually drew a long sword, and examined the notch on the blade.

Shi Yan also came over to take a look: "Let the blacksmith fix it up, it can still be used."

A father and son, both blacksmiths from Changping County, now specialize in repairing weapons for Peijia Village.

Pei Qinghe nodded.

Hu Da chuckled and said, "Sixth Miss, there are some good things over there."

The "good stuff" Hu Da mentioned consisted of some worn-out armor and siege equipment. The armor could be repaired and used as is, while the equipment was scattered and piled up, looking like a junk.

Fearing that Pei Qinghe would find it objectionable, Hu Da hurriedly said, "These things haven't been used for a long time, and they look messy piled up here. After cleaning them and assembling them, we found several catapults and several siege ladders. When the general left, he couldn't take these heavy tools with him, so he left them all behind."

The Beiping Army was an elite garrison, backed by the Eastern Palace, and the Ministry of War had consistently prioritized allocating military pay and equipment to them over the years. General Meng took away a large number of weapons, but the "family fortune" he left behind was still substantial, roughly enough to equip an army of nearly a thousand men.

No wonder the Guangning army was greedy; such a large quantity of weapons and equipment would have been the foundation for starting a business in a chaotic world.

Pei Qinghe accepted them all without any hesitation, saying with a smile, "They're all good stuff, take them all back to Pei Family Village."

……

Pei Qinghe and his group rested briefly in the military camp before setting off back the next day.

A dozen or so oxcarts were piled up to the brim, slowing their journey by more than half compared to when they arrived. Yet no one uttered a single complaint; everyone was all smiles.

The oxcart was piled high with weapons. Yang Huai and the other prisoners had their ropes untied and were strung together with a long, thick hemp rope. They followed behind the oxcart, huffing and puffing as they walked.

Some people had tried to resist before, but the moment they moved to run, they were beaten until their noses bled profusely by the burly girl who was as tall as a black tower. They were only given one meal a day, and their legs were too weak to move from hunger.

Yang Huai received no special treatment and was just as hungry, his vision blurred. After walking for several days without food, he even wanted to rush up and nibble on the leaves of trees he saw.

An endless expanse of fertile fields came into view. Next, a long and sturdy wall stretched out before them.

Yang Huai's mouth was stuffed with a wad of cotton cloth, so he couldn't utter any exclamations of "oh" or "ah," and his eyes were wide open.

A sharp bamboo whistle rang out from the wooden building, and a cute little girl with a round face and big eyes excitedly jumped down from the building: "Cousin Qinghe is back!"

Immediately afterward, a handsome young boy rushed over with a beaming smile.

"Pei Xuan, Pei Feng," Pei Qinghe said with a smile, ruffling their hair, "I've been gone for so many days, has anyone in the village been causing trouble?"

Pei Xuan laughed and said, "Two people who stole grain tried to escape, and we also caught a spy who was spreading the news. They all had their hands and feet chopped off and were hung up in the north of the village."

Pei Feng added coldly, "They also caught someone peeping at women bathing, castrated him with one stroke, and kicked him out."

Yang Huai's scalp tingled from hearing this.

Pei Xuan curiously peeked out and asked, "Where did they come from? Are they going to have their hands and feet cut off and be hung from the tree too?"

Pei Qinghe glanced at Yang Huai, who was pale and had lost all his arrogance, with a smile: "Don't talk nonsense. This is General Yang of the Guangning Army, a distinguished guest I specially invited."

"You two take some men and keep an eye on them."

Pei Xuan and Pei Feng should be together.

Behind the wall lies a completely different world. Neatly built brick houses, sturdy and flat roads, and people coming and going, regardless of gender, are all robust, with rosy complexions and full of energy.

Yang Huai must possess genuine ability to be valued by General Yang. The more he looked, the more alarmed he became. The Guangning Army was a regular imperial army; while its fighting strength was not as good as the Beiping Army, it was stronger than the Fanyang Army and the Liaoxi Army. The men he saw were even stronger and more spirited than the soldiers in the Guangning Army camp.

How could Peijia Village have such a large territory and so many people? And with such strict discipline, it's practically a military camp.

Pei Qinghe led everyone to move the weapons, armor, and equipment into the storeroom, inventorying, arranging, and registering them—everything was tedious and troublesome. Fortunately, Shi Yan took over, and the Dong brothers, Da Lang and Er Lang, were also busy as bees.

Yang Huai and more than 30 others were locked in a large room.

Their legs and feet were bound again, and they were huddled together like rice dumplings.

Pei Feng warned, "Don't make any noise."

Then he reached out and pulled the cotton cloth from Yang Huai's hand.

I was at their mercy, and besides, after being starved for days, I had no strength left to shout.

Yang Huai said weakly, "Young Master Pei, we won't make a fuss or run away. Please bring us some food."

The rest of the soldiers pleaded with eager, expectant eyes.

Pei Feng turned to Pei Xuan and asked, "Should we go get some mixed grain steamed buns?"

Pei Xuan counted: "There are thirty-six people in total. Go and get eighteen steamed buns. Each person can have half a bun."

The ropes binding their hands were tight, and they awkwardly held half a steamed bun to their mouths. However, no one cared about that at the moment; everyone was wolfing it down.

In the blink of an eye, half a steamed bun was gone.

Even hungrier.

When the food was gone, each person was given a bamboo bowl of cold water.

After finishing eating, he continued to stuff his mouth with a cloth.

At night, they were given a dozen or so old cotton quilts, and the soldiers huddled together, wrapped in the quilts.

Yang Huai silently counted the days in his heart. After waiting for five or six days, Miss Pei finally showed up.

"Pei Xuan, quickly untie General Yang's ropes." Pei Qinghe instructed gently, "Have someone prepare some food so that General Yang can eat his fill before he leaves."

Clearly, General Yang was "very sincere." Finally, Miss Pei agreed to release them.

Yang Huai, seething with anger and resentment, forced himself to stand up despite his weak legs and limbs. With a cold face, he declared, "This is our parting today. When we meet again, we will be enemies, not friends. I, Yang Huai, will avenge my capture sooner or later."

With a cold laugh, the temperamental Pei Yan kicked Yang Huai to the ground, knocking him to the ground. She also kicked away the young general's courage in the process: "Remember, it was Pei Yan who beat you up."

"If you want revenge, just come find me."

Pei Qinghe lightly reprimanded, "General Yang sent fifty warhorses; Young General Yang is a truly distinguished guest. Go and help Young General Yang up."

Pei Yan roughly picked up Yang Huai, as if he were a chick.

Yang Huai was ashamed and angry, but he finally remembered the lesson and kept his mouth shut like a clam shell.

Of course, I ate heartily during the meal and didn't skimp on anything.

After being starving for half a month, I finally had a full meal, and I was so happy I wanted to cry.

Upon returning to Guangning Army, Yang Huai knelt before General Yang, his face filled with shame, and pleaded guilty with red eyes: "I failed in my duty and even caused you to exchange fifty fine horses for me. Please punish me, Uncle!"

(End of this chapter)