Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 149 Gu Lian (Part Two)

Magistrate Ji was meticulous and had already prepared lodgings and meals for Pei's army.

Gu Lian led everyone to fill their stomachs and settle down to rest, which is another story.

Inside the county government office, Magistrate Ji summoned his eldest son, Ji Junze, into his study and inquired in detail about the trip to Pei Family Village. Ji Junze, his eyes filled with admiration, recounted his observations of Pei Family Village.

Seeing is believing. Everything in Pei Family Village was refreshing and eye-opening. In particular, the daily drills of the Pei Family Army left a deep impression on Ji Junze.

Magistrate Ji looked at him intently, as if he were his son: "These past few days, it's been Steward Shi who's been with you the whole time?"

Ji Junze nodded as a matter of course: "Yes. The Sixth Miss has to train the troops every day and manage so many people in Pei Family Village. She has to take care of everything, big and small, and she has no free time. Steward Shi is also very busy. He accompanies me around the village during the day and stays up late at night to do accounts. He works really hard."

When Chief Steward Shi was mentioned, Ji Junze praised him highly: "Chief Steward Shi is only three years older than me, but he is much better than me in both speech and action. He has traveled all over Youzhou and knows everything about the outside world, big or small."

"Manager Shi holds a very high position in Pei Family Village, and the Sixth Miss trusts him completely. Wherever he goes, a bunch of people vie to talk to him. He also has an exceptionally good memory and can call out almost everyone's name."

"Unfortunately, I only stayed in Peijia Village for three days and didn't get to spend enough time with him."

Magistrate Ji looked at his dim-witted and clueless son and twitched his lips: "You admire Steward Shi that much?"

Ji Junze nodded repeatedly, his eyes clear.

Magistrate Ji suppressed the urge to sigh and asked in a low voice, "Haven't you ever thought about competing with Steward Shi?"

Ji Junze was completely bewildered: "Why do we have to compare who's better? I'm not as good as him at anything except studying."

Magistrate Ji: "..."

Magistrate Ji rubbed his forehead and shooed his son away impatiently: "I have something to discuss with my advisor. Go back to your room and rest."

After Ji Junze left, Magistrate Ji sighed to his advisor, "It seems my plans are not going to work out."

The advisor also expressed some regret: "Our young master is focused on his studies and is naive about the ways of the world. I'm afraid he hasn't grasped your intentions at all."

Even if you understand it, you still can't outwit the cunning and shrewd Steward Shi.

Even after being betrayed by Steward Shi, you still have to praise him!
These hurtful words were not something that Master Shang could utter. But how could Magistrate Ji not know them?
Magistrate Ji sighed deeply: "Junze has been devoted to his studies since childhood, and he is simple and innocent. It was fine before, but now the court is gone and the world is in chaos. There are four armies in Youzhou alone. In my heart, I would rather join the Guangning Army and then go to the young emperor of Bohai."

"But the Guangning army is far away and was defeated by the Xiongnu barbarians. Now it has few soldiers and is the weakest in terms of combat power. On the other hand, the Pei family army is close by, and the sixth young lady of the Pei family is famous and exceptionally powerful. When the bandits of Tushan fought against the Xiongnu barbarians, the Guangning army refused to confront the Pei family army head-on, preferring to exchange warhorses for prisoners."

"There is no other way for Quanzhou County but to pledge allegiance to Pei's army in order to secure its safety."

"I was originally thinking of sending Junze to Peijia Village, hoping he could catch the eye of the Sixth Miss... but let's not talk about it."

Magistrate Ji roused himself and instructed Shang, "From today onwards, the Pei family army will take over the city gates and security. Give them whatever they want."

The clerk bowed and agreed.

After resting for one night, half of Pei's army went to the city gate the next day, while the other half patrolled around with long swords.

The common people trembled with fear as they looked at the menacing and imposing Pei family army. Merchants, in particular, kept their distance.

For several days, all was well. A few thugs who had committed robbery were arrested and thrown into jail. The security was much better than before. Even the menacing-looking Pei family soldiers didn't demand money when entering or leaving the city.

A few days later, a notice was posted at the city gate of Quanzhou County, recruiting 400 people who would receive half a jin of grain for half a day of training. The people of Quanzhou County were immediately excited and rushed to sign up.

The woman with a scar on her face viciously pulled out her long knife: "Everyone, get in line."

The chaotic queue quickly quieted down.

With the precedent set by Changping County, Gu Lian followed suit, and the recruitment of people went relatively smoothly. Unfortunately, too few women from Quanzhou County signed up, and even if one came, they were all recruited, less than 10% of the women were actually recruited. Moreover, most of them were middle-aged widows.

Gu Lian accepted them all without hesitation: "They all came for the half-pound of grain a day. Taking them in gives them a way to survive. It also lets all the women in Quanzhou County see that our Pei family army needs men, but even more so, female soldiers."

The conscripted people initially underwent the simplest drill training: turning left and right on command, assembling in formation, and marching. Even this was fraught with comical situations, and it took quite a few days of practice before they began to resemble proper formations.

After the formation practice was completed, several hundred people jogged slowly along the streets of the county town early in the morning. Although the purpose of such training was unclear, it was still novel and exciting. Some curious villagers followed behind to watch the spectacle, and Gu Lian did not chase them away, but followed along with them.

Half a month later, Pei Qinghe arrived in Quanzhou County.

Magistrate Ji was overjoyed and specially brought his eldest son to welcome him.

The legendary Sixth Miss Pei made her first public appearance in Quanzhou County. The locals craned their necks to look, whispering among themselves, "Is this the Sixth Miss Pei? She doesn't look particularly fierce."

"That's right! Scarface is much fiercer."

"See that? Scarface is so respectful to Miss Pei. This Miss Pei must be even more formidable."

Miss Pei, with her keen hearing, looked over in the direction of the sound. Her clear, sharp gaze was like a razor-sharp blade.

The chattering men were startled and quickly turned away.

This Miss Pei tore apart a black bear with her bare hands, killed a bandit leader with an arrow, wiped out six bandit strongholds, and was no match for even the Xiongnu barbarians.

They were just venting their frustrations; they wouldn't dare mess with such a female killer.

……

This wasn't the first time Pei Qinghe had met Magistrate Ji.

In her previous life, the world was in chaos, and Magistrate Ji used all his own money and grain to help the people. She established the Pei family army and spent several years conquering Yan County. Naturally, she had dealings with Magistrate Ji.

Pei Qinghe treated Magistrate Ji with great respect and courtesy: "Magistrate Ji cherishes the people and is a true parent official."

Compared to Magistrate Wang, who abandoned Changping County and fled in his previous life, Magistrate Ji was a truly good official.

Magistrate Ji's smile held a hint of bitterness: "In peaceful times, I could barely govern a county and allow the people to live a peaceful life. But now the world is in chaos, and I really have no ability to protect the people. I can only beg Sixth Miss to protect the people of my Quanzhou County."

As he spoke, he clasped his hands in a deep bow.

Pei Qinghe did not avoid the gesture and accepted the salute with composure: "Now that I have sent troops, I will take charge of the safety of Quanzhou County."

"I will not concern myself with civil affairs; they shall remain in the jurisdiction of Magistrate Ji. Supporting the army requires money and provisions, and all the taxes collected in Quanzhou County are used to support the army."

(End of this chapter)