Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 151 Seeking refuge (Part 1)

Is this still Peijia Village?
A middle-aged man, having showered, shaved, and changed into clean clothes, followed Fang Datou, who had lost an arm, as they slowly wandered through Peijia Village. The more he looked, the more astonished he became, his mouth agape.

Seeing his dumbfounded and stupid look, Fang Datou grinned smugly: "Boss, what do you think of our Pei Family Village?"

Captain Sun finally closed his mouth and sighed, "In just three short years, Miss Pei has built such a foundation."

Outside the village, on the thousands of acres of fertile fields, men and women toiled diligently, their foreheads glistening with sweat, yet they showed no signs of being exploited; their faces were rosy and their expressions serene.

Captain Sun, who had been fleeing all the way, knew very well what this meant. Pei Family Village had plenty of food, and no one was starving. In such chaotic times, this was a rare and precious thing.

Inside the walled village of Peijia, there are rows of neat brick houses and thatched huts, and the roads are wide and the surfaces are sturdy.

The sound of children reading aloud could be heard coming from a house at the edge of the village. The person teaching the children to read was a beautiful and graceful woman.

"This teacher is called Jiao Niang. She was originally a pitiful person from Baihu Village. After the village was destroyed, she came to Pei Family Village and became a teacher."

Captain Sun grunted in agreement, then couldn't help but glance at it again.

"There are more women than men in Pei Family Village," Fang Datou laughed loudly. "Everyone in our Pei Family Army is literate. The children study all day long, while we train during the day and study at night."

Captain Sun was shocked: "You've studied too?!"

Is the sun coming out in the west?

Pigs can fly now?
Fang Datou can actually read now!
Fang Datou was smug, his mouth almost reaching his ears: "I've been studying for two years. I can recognize simple characters and understand letters. It's just that I'm not very good at writing."

"Boss, I remember you used to be literate. You should study more military books in the future. Don't let me outdo you."

Captain Sun reflexively kicked Fang Datou.

Fang Datou didn't dodge, and chuckled, "When Sixth Miss comes back, you can't kick me anymore."

Captain Sun realized what was happening and immediately bowed and apologized, "I'm sorry, I have a short temper, brother, please don't hold it against me."

Things are different now. In the past, Fang Datou was his subordinate; kicking him and cursing him were common occurrences. But now, Fang Datou is a confidant of Miss Pei Liu, leading a hundred men. He came seeking refuge, looking disheveled; how could he possibly have the right to flaunt his power in front of Fang Datou?
Fang Datou scratched his head with his left hand: "I originally wanted to show off a bit. Now that you've apologized, I can't help but feel good."

"Boss, get up quickly. From now on, we'll eat from the same pot, and we're all Sixth Sister's people. There's no need to distinguish between us."

Lieutenant Sun smiled with a hint of bitterness: "I wonder if Sixth Miss would be willing to let me stay."

Fang Datou said confidently, "Sixth Miss has gathered so many refugees, and even a fifty-year-old woman was given food when she came. You are a proper military officer of the court, capable of leading troops and fighting battles, and you and Sixth Miss have a life-and-death bond. How could Sixth Miss not keep you?"

Lieutenant Sun had the same idea in mind, which is why he fled a thousand miles to seek refuge with him. However, he still felt uneasy until he saw Pei Qinghe.

As the two were chatting, they heard a series of bamboo whistles.

Upon hearing this, Fang Datou's eyes lit up: "Sixth Miss is back! Let's go and welcome Sixth Miss."

Commander Sun suppressed his excitement and unease, calmed himself down, and went to the village entrance with Fang Datou.

Dozens of fast horses galloped in.

The girl leading the way had bright eyes and was full of heroic spirit. It was Pei Qinghe, whom she hadn't seen for three years.

Old friends reunite, each with their own sighs of regret.

Lieutenant Sun stepped forward to salute first. "After parting three years ago, I thought we would never meet again in this life. I never expected that Lieutenant Sun would take the initiative to come." Pei Qinghe nimbly dismounted and smiled as she reached out to help Lieutenant Sun up: "I received good news and rushed back without stopping for a moment."

Pei Qinghe returned from Changping County less than half a day after Lieutenant Sun entered Pei Family Village. This shows that she highly values ​​Lieutenant Sun.

Lieutenant Sun felt a weight lifted from his heart.

Pei Qinghe led Captain Sun into the council hall and summoned the important leaders of the Pei family army. Apart from Pei Yun and Gu Lian, everyone else came.

Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "When our Pei family was exiled, Commandant Sun escorted us all the way to Youzhou. He took great care of us along the way. I, Pei Qinghe, will never forget this kindness."

"Now that Captain Sun has taken the initiative to come to Pei's army, everyone should come and meet him."

Commander Sun hurriedly smiled and cupped his hands to the crowd, saying, "The imperial court is gone, so what kind of commander am I? Just call me Sun Cheng."

Needless to say, Pei Jia and Pei Yi were also acquainted with the women of the Pei family. Later, people like Feng Chang, while exchanging warm greetings, subtly assessed Sun Cheng's worth.

Having served as a military officer in the imperial court for over a decade, Sun Cheng was not intimidated by these leaders who came from humble backgrounds, and exchanged pleasantries with Feng Chang and the others with a smile.

Pei Qinghe smiled and called Bian Shulan over, instructing her to prepare some delicious dishes.

This kind of treatment was only given when General Meng came that day.

Feng Chang understood. It seemed that the Sixth Miss was determined to give Sun Cheng an important position.

Some of them felt a pang of jealousy and muttered to Feng Chang, "There should be a proper order of arrival. This Sun Cheng, he's lame in one leg. He only has about twenty men under him. Why does he get to be ahead of us from the start?"

Feng Chang frowned, glanced quickly at Pei Qinghe not far away, and whispered, "Shut up. The Sixth Miss has her own plans for doing this, it's none of your business to interfere."

Pei Qinghe happened to glance over at that moment.

Those who felt a pang of jealousy and were about to say something sarcastic immediately shut up.

That evening, the kitchen prepared several meat dishes. They weren't particularly elaborate, just large chunks of stewed meat to fill you up.

Sun Cheng ate with relative restraint. His twenty-odd men, like hungry wolves, devoured the food, licking the bowls clean.

Sun Cheng said with some shame, "They followed me out of the country and haven't had a proper meal along the way. I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Sixth Miss."

Pei Qinghe said gently, "Don't worry, with the Pei family army here, we won't let you go hungry."

Sun Cheng let out a sound of surprise, his eyes suddenly welling up with tears. After a long while, he said in a low voice, "When the capital fell, King Qiao set fire to the palace. The emperor and empress were both burned to death."

"Most of the Imperial Guards were killed, and the rest fled to Qin Prefecture with General Situ."

"Sixth Miss, I won't hide it from you. Actually, I initially planned to join the Bohai Army. As long as His Highness the Prince is alive, the Great Jing's empire is not lost. After all, I am a military officer of the court, and I always hope to continue serving as an official."

"When we reached the vicinity of Jizhou, we encountered the Bohai Army, who were forcibly conscripting soldiers..."

At this point, Sun Cheng sighed deeply: "Before I even revealed my identity, they started shooting arrows at us. I originally brought more than fifty people, and nearly half of them were killed by a hail of arrows. Their behavior is no different from that of rebels."

"I had nowhere else to go but to seek refuge in Pei Family Village."

(End of this chapter)