Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 180 Good Horse
When General Lü cried, all the soldiers of Fanyang also started to cry.

Four thousand men came to fight the Pei family army with great fanfare, but they suffered a crushing defeat, with more than half of them killed or wounded, and many deserting. Now only a few hundred men remain, having given up everything they had to barely survive.

How can I ever hold my head high again?

How can we swallow this humiliation?

The scene of hundreds of soldiers weeping and wailing was truly appalling.

General Lü wiped his face with his sleeve: "Alright, everyone wipe your tears. A real man doesn't cry, he sheds blood. We've suffered a great loss this time. When we get back, we'll lock the gates of our camp and train hard. We'll take our revenge when we have the chance in the future."

The soldiers weren't all just brutes; one muttered, "The Pei family army has only been established for two years, and it's already this powerful. In a few years, we'll be no match for them!"

"In my opinion, we should stop messing with the Pei family army. Fanyang County is already quite large; it's enough for us to live a life of luxury."

“That’s right. Yan County is already Pei’s territory, and we’ll keep to ourselves.”

General Lü had sharp hearing and heard every word. He wanted to curse, but he barely managed to hold back.

The soldiers were terrified by Pei's army.

Honestly, even he felt a chill run down his spine when he thought of Pei Qinghe's ruthlessness in killing. He wasn't even sure if he would have the courage to seek revenge later.

"Let's go!" General Lü forced himself to cheer up the crowd: "If we walk fast, we can get back to the Fanyang camp in seven or eight days."

Few soldiers owned warhorses; infantry was the majority. They were used to marching on foot. Muttering complaints, they marched with unwavering determination.

After walking for half a day, the soldiers stopped to rest, eating dry rations and drinking cold water.

He opened the long, narrow cloth bag, grabbed a handful of dry rations, and stuffed them into his mouth. Then, one of the soldiers exclaimed in surprise, "These rations smell so good!"

General Lü scoffed, "Shallow-minded! How good can military rations be?"

and many more!

Huh? What kind of military rations are these? Why do they smell so good?
General Lü ate a handful, then another handful, drank a few sips of water, and even let out a burp.

The guards around him were also muttering to themselves, "The Pei family army's rations are much better than ours."

"Speaking of which, even during the time we were captured, the food we ate twice a day was better than what we usually eat."

General Lü: "..."

General Lü felt a deep humiliation. However, the facts were undeniable: the Pei family army was indeed well-fed, having prepared enough rations for several hundred men overnight. This was not a show of force, but rather their usual military rations.

General Lü angrily slung the grain sack over his shoulder and shouted, "I'm full, let's keep going."

……

In this battle, Pei's army also suffered heavy casualties.

More than 1,300 people died in the battle, more than 70 were seriously wounded, and countless others were slightly wounded.

The elite troops, who had trained diligently for two or three years, suffered a loss of nearly 30%.

However, the Pei family army ultimately won a great victory. Only those who survived the crucible of war were truly elite soldiers. More importantly, they gained over ten thousand taels of silver and five hundred strong warhorses.

Zhao Da, who had distinguished himself in battle, was awarded a fine horse and was overjoyed.

Zheng Xiaoying also distinguished herself in this battle, killing two soldiers. Pei Qinghe promoted her to battalion commander and gave her a horse.

Pei Yun stayed for a few days, and when she left, she took one hundred warhorses with her.

Feng Chang, shameless as ever, wrote a letter asking for a horse. Gu Lian, still lying in bed recovering from her injuries, heard about the horse and shakily wrote a letter in crooked handwriting with a charcoal pencil. After reading the letter, Pei Qinghe couldn't help but chuckle: "It seems Gu Lian's injuries are no longer serious; she already has the strength to sit up and write a letter to play the victim."

Pei Yan and the others all laughed.

Mao Hongling asked with a smile, "How many warhorses do you plan to give them?"

Pei Qinghe had already planned ahead: "When Sister Yun left, she took one hundred horses with her. Gu Lian and Feng Chang will each send fifty warhorses over."

At Pei Qinghe's command, one hundred warhorses were divided into two groups and sent to Quanzhou County and Yongnu County respectively.

Three hundred horses remained, so they stayed in Pei Family Village. All the leaders had horses, and they were all beaming with joy.

The joy of the horse-sharing ceremony was so contagious that even Yang Huai and the others who stayed in Pei Family Village as guests were infected by the excitement. When Pei Yan showed off her newly acquired black steed, Yang Huai jokingly suggested, "How about the two of us go for a ride?"

Pei Yan agreed without hesitation.

"There should be a prize in the horse race," Yang Huai proposed again. "How about this: if you beat me, I'll give you my horse. If I win, your dark horse is mine."

Pei Yan glanced at Yang Huai sideways: "Your horse is inferior; it's nowhere near as good as my black horse!"

Yang Huai was furious: "Do you even know what you're talking about! My blue horse is a genuine fine horse from beyond the Great Wall. My uncle bought it for a fortune. Your black horse looks good, but it's nowhere near as good as my blue horse."

Pei Yan immediately understood and sneered, "Oh! So you were just trying to fool me, weren't you!"

After spending a few days with Pei Yan, Yang Huai had a good grasp of her temperament. He glanced at her sideways and said, "Just tell me if you dare to compete with me!"

Pei Yan almost jumped up: "Why wouldn't I dare! Let's compete!"

Pei Yan led her newly acquired black horse to the village entrance. Yang Huai held the reins of his own blue warhorse.

In terms of appearance, both are exceptional horses. The black horse is tall, has long legs, and smooth coat, while the blue horse is even taller and has a rather domineering air when it raises its head.

A crowd followed to join the fun. Pei Xuan and Pei Feng cheered on their cousin. Yang Huai also had his personal guards cheering him on, making a great commotion.

A familiar voice rang out: "Why is it so lively here?"

The crowd immediately parted.

A pretty young woman dressed in gray cloth walked over with a smile. Beside her was the fair-skinned and handsome Steward Shi.

"Cousin Qinghe!" Pei Yan's eyes lit up and she exclaimed, "You've come at the perfect time! I want to race horses with Yang Huai, and the stakes are our respective horses. You'll be our witness!"

Pei Qinghe smiled and said "Oh," her gaze drifting to Yang Huai's face.

Yang Huai, with his dark complexion and tall, imposing figure, stood beside the burly Pei Yan, his presence no less imposing. He didn't meet Pei Qinghe's gaze, but respectfully bowed his head: "I invite Pei Yan to a horse race. Please grant me permission, Miss Pei."

Pei Qinghe smiled slightly: "There has to be a prize in a horse race. I'm betting on Pei Yan to win! The wager is one thousand shi of military rations!"

Yang Huai was immediately moved.

Grain prices are soaring. One thousand bushels of grain can buy five hundred able-bodied men.

Pei Yan was also stunned and blurted out, "What will Yang Huai use as a wager if he loses?"

Pei Qinghe smiled without saying a word, looking at Yang Huai.

Yang Huai's dark face flushed slightly, and he gritted his teeth: "I lost, and I am willing to become Miss Pei Yan's son-in-law!"

Pei Yan: "..."

(End of this chapter)