Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 175 Prisoners (Part 1)

This day was like a nightmare for General Lü.

Pei Qinghe's ruthlessness when killing was terrifying.

He led several hundred personal guards in a flight, but after running only twenty miles, they were ambushed. He was charging the fastest when he was inevitably tripped by a tripwire and fell from his horse, nearly dying. He was almost trampled in the abdomen by a warhorse.

Still reeling from the shock, a young woman led hundreds of elite soldiers in a rampage, slaughtering them indiscriminately. The only option to avoid death was to surrender.

General Lü had been stabbed in the right shoulder, blood staining half his body, and his hands and legs were bound with thick ropes. He was dragged before Pei Qinghe like a dead pig by two fierce-looking, burly men. One of the burly men was Zhao Da.

Zhao Da has been in Pei Family Army for nearly two years. His former thuggishness has been replaced by the cold and stern demeanor of Pei Family Army soldiers, giving him the air of an elite force.

Pei Qinghe was in a good mood and turned to Pei Yun with a smile, saying, "Zhao Da has finally mastered the skills."

Pei Yun replied with a smile, "He is now the commander of a battalion. In this ambush, he killed four elite soldiers of the Fanyang Army, which made a great contribution."

Zhao Da stood tall with a proud expression.

Pei Qinghe smiled and praised Zhao Da a few times, then looked at General Lü, whose face was dejected and desperate: "I have long heard of General Lü's great name, and today I finally get to know him. However, meeting him is not as good as hearing about him."

General Lü, clinging to his last shred of dignity, said, "Sixth Miss Pei has trained a large and elite army in just a few years. The Fanyang army came from afar to attack, but they were no match for the Pei family's army. You won, so whatever you say is right. Kill me or torture me, just give me a quick death."

Pei Qinghe smirked: "General Lü wants a quick death, so I will grant your wish. Pei Yan, drag General Lü to the north of the village, cut off his hands and feet, and hang him under a tree."

Pei Yan chuckled, strode forward, and easily grabbed the tall General Lü.

General Lü was dragged a few steps, his scalp tingling with fear. He no longer cared about saving face: "Sixth Miss, spare my life! I don't want to die! Please, Sixth Miss, spare my life!"

Pei Yan scoffed and kicked General Lü. General Lü felt a sharp pain in his chest and coughed up blood. He continued to plead desperately, "I really don't want to die. Please, Sixth Miss, spare my life..."

Pei Qinghe calmly instructed, "Pei Yan, invite General Lü back."

Pei Yan responded and dragged General Lü, who was like a dead dog, back.

General Lü lay on the ground in a sorry state, struggling to get up, kneeling down, and kowtowing to beg for mercy.

Pei Yan pouted: "That's it! They're clearly afraid of death, but they still pretend to be fearless. Who are they trying to fool?"

Pei Qinghe stood before General Lü, looking down at him: "General Lü, what will you offer in exchange for your life?"

General Lü trembled, but dared not hesitate for a moment: "There are still four thousand soldiers in the Fanyang army camp. Most of them were just recruited this year. The real main force has been brought by me."

“I, Lü Xian, am completely convinced of my defeat at the hands of the Sixth Miss. If the Sixth Miss is willing to let me go back, I will offer all the gold and silver in the general’s camp.”

"I robbed several wealthy families, and there are over ten thousand taels of silver in the military camp. I've given it all to Sixth Sister!"

Pei Qinghe looked at Shi Yan.

Shi Yan took out his small gold abacus and quickly calculated: "At the current grain price, a few hundred thousand taels of silver can buy enough grain to feed everyone in Pei Family Village for two years."

The Pei family army numbered five thousand, and Pei family village also had farmers cultivating the land and people responsible for internal affairs, bringing the total to well over ten thousand. Feeding so many mouths was no easy task. One General Lü, in exchange for two years' worth of military rations, was a worthwhile deal.

Pei Qinghe and Shi Yan exchanged a glance, their brows relaxing. Pei Qinghe slowly looked at General Lü and said, "Then please write a letter and have someone send the money. I, Pei Qinghe, have always been a person of my word. I will release the person once I have the money."

General Lü was moved to tears and repeatedly replied, "Yes, yes, I will write a letter right away."

"General Lü only cares about himself and doesn't care about the captured Fanyang soldiers?" Pei Qinghe's voice rang out again.

General Lü's face paled even more. Enduring the sharp pain in his right shoulder, he replied in a low voice, "What does Sixth Miss want?"

Pei Qinghe smiled slightly: "Then we'll see how sincere General Lü is." Turning to Pei Yan, she asked, "How many people were captured today?"

Pei Yan scratched her head: "I haven't counted them in detail yet."

Shi Yan picked up the thread: "There are more than 500 prisoners in the warehouse. Now Miss Yun has captured more than 200 more, making a total of about 800."

Four thousand soldiers from Fanyang arrived, and after a day of fierce fighting, at least half of them were killed. About eight hundred were captured, and some scattered and fled, their whereabouts unknown.

There was nothing that could be done about it. The Pei family army was desperately short of warhorses! They simply couldn't afford to pursue and kill deserters!

Pei Qinghe's tone revealed a hint of regret: "It's a pity, it would be nice if we had horses."

Pei Yun smiled and continued, "The Fanyang army suffered many casualties among its warhorses, and a number of them were also captured. I brought back more than two hundred of them."

Pei Qinghe nodded happily: "Okay, send all the captured warhorses into the stables and let Zhao Hai and the others feed them well."

Upon hearing this, General Lü immediately understood and said, "There are still five hundred warhorses in the Fanyang army. I will offer them all to the Sixth Miss."

Pei Qinghe immediately became amiable: "General Lü's kindness is too much to refuse." With a swipe of her long sword, the blade flashed like lightning, and the ropes binding General Lü's hands were severed.

The gleaming blade reflected General Lü's pale face.

Gold and silver can be stolen again. But sending out these five hundred warhorses means losing them completely. Without warhorses, there are no cavalry, and the ability to launch surprise attacks is gone. Even sending messages becomes extremely inconvenient. The Fanyang army, which was already mediocre in combat strength, will no longer pose a threat to the Pei family army.

There were indeed several thousand soldiers still in the Fanyang army's camp. Pei Qinghe was clearly unwilling to travel a long distance to fight the Fanyang army, forcing him to give up benefits in exchange for a way out.

He was at the mercy of others, like a fish on a chopping board. He simply didn't have the confidence or courage to negotiate with Pei Qinghe. If Pei Qinghe had just stabbed him a little further, she could have pierced his throat and turned him into a pile of mangled flesh.

“General Lü has injured his right shoulder and is unable to write.” Pei Qinghe was very considerate. “I will send someone to treat General Lü’s injury. It’s not too late to write a letter after he has recovered.”

General Lü couldn't wait to leave this damned Pei Family Village, so he immediately replied, "I can still move. I'll write a letter first, then treat my injuries."

Shi Yan carried a charcoal pencil and paper with him and placed them in front of General Lü.

General Lü endured the excruciating pain, barely managing to raise his right hand, grip the charcoal pencil, and scribble a few lines of text in a crooked manner. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead from the pain.

Shi Yan presented the letter to Pei Qinghe. Pei Qinghe glanced at it and nodded slightly. Pei Yun immediately went to fetch two prisoners who were unharmed.

(End of this chapter)