Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 19 Refugees (Part 1)

A few days later they entered the territory of Jizhou.

Upon entering Jizhou, Pei Qinghe keenly sensed that something was amiss.

Suddenly, a dozen or so ragged refugees appeared near the official road.

"Guard Gao, we're being watched."

Pei Qinghe said in a deep voice, "There are more than a dozen refugees who have been following us from a distance. When I slow down, they slow down as well. When I try to speed up, they still follow. They have been following us for two days in a row."

"They are keeping watch and gathering intelligence. Once they figure out the strength of our group, they may make their move."

The most important task for the guard was to safely escort the Pei family to Youzhou. Having traveled most of the way peacefully, his vigilance had decreased considerably, and he didn't take the words to heart: "Sixth Miss Pei, there's no need to be too nervous. A few refugees are just attracted by our grain carts. They probably just want some food."

"With us here, they won't dare to come near."

Pei Qinghe's brow twitched slightly, and her voice became more serious: "No, they are not ordinary refugees."

“They split into two groups and took turns following us. They were far away, so we couldn’t see their faces clearly, but they were exceptionally strong and didn’t look like refugees at all.”

Where did the refugees come from?

Most were people who couldn't pay their taxes or were starving due to famine, leaving them no choice but to abandon their homes and flee. Some died of hunger and exhaustion along the way. The bolder ones gathered into bandits to steal and rob others of their grain.

Of the thirteen commanderies in Ji Province, several large commanderies, including Bohai, Zhangwu, and Hejian, were relatively wealthy. However, commanderies like Julu and Anping were far less prosperous. Officials were insatiably greedy, and droughts and locust plagues were frequent, so it was not uncommon for there to be displaced people.

The refugees roamed and looted. They were often hungry, sometimes full, and emaciated were the norm. This group of refugees, however, who had been followed for two days, were all robust and moved with great speed—they were far from ordinary.

The guard's expression also turned serious: "I'll send someone to find out."

Pei Qinghe nodded: "Thank you for your trouble, Guard Gao."

The guard called over several guards from the Eastern Palace, and together they turned around, mounted their horses, and drove away the refugees.

The dozen or so refugees, seeing the tall, fine horse in the distance, scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing into the mountains and forests. Several imperial guards on horseback, unable and unwilling to venture deep into the dense forest, could only watch helplessly as the refugees fled.

Captain Sun also noticed something amiss and loudly ordered everyone to stop and rest. However, he quickly approached and asked, "What happened?"

The guard frowned and whispered, "Someone's watching us. Those refugees are here as scouts. They might make their move soon."

Captain Sun's expression suddenly changed: "Who are these people? How dare they attack the imperial soldiers!"

Escorting the families of disgraced officials was inherently a difficult task. If anything went wrong along the way, he would be the first to be implicated.

Pei Qinghe's voice rang out: "Now is not the time to discuss where they came from; we need to come up with a way to deal with them."

Captain Sun looked at Pei Qinghe, his tone revealing displeasure: "Are these people perhaps enemies of the Pei family?"

"So what if it is?" Pei Qinghe retorted coldly, "Does Commander Sun intend to abandon us and run away with his men?"

That's of course impossible.

As an escort officer, his duty was only complete when he delivered the family members of a disgraced official to their place of exile. Along the way, he was responsible for both supervising the escort and ensuring the safety of the exiled individuals. If anything happened to the Pei family, he would also suffer the consequences. His hard-earned eighth-rank military officer position would vanish instantly. Perhaps, his own head would be buried with them.

In the eyes of those in power, an eighth-rank captain was like an ant. Whether he lived or died was of no concern to anyone.

Captain Sun suddenly understood many things, his face turned extremely ugly, and he angrily spat out, "This group of people came for the Pei family."

“My father was powerful and influential in his lifetime, so it’s not surprising that he made enemies.” Pei Qinghe’s face was expressionless. “However, a smart person wouldn’t choose this time. They could have waited until we reached Youzhou before making their move. The Eastern Palace guards are gone, and the escorting soldiers are gone too. There are no more obstacles. With mountains and rivers to travel, natural disasters and man-made calamities can all be dealt with.” “Since they chose to make their move during the exile, it’s clear that these people are incredibly audacious and have no fear of the Eastern Palace at all.”

"Thinking about it more deeply, these people are here for the Crown Prince's palace."

The guard's face also looked extremely ugly.

Pei Qinghe's analysis was well-reasoned and supported by evidence.

There were only five guards in the Eastern Palace. But these five men represented the dignity of the Eastern Palace. How many people in the world would dare to disgrace the Eastern Palace?
Commander Sun can't escape, and neither can the palace guards. Now, they and the Pei family are in the same boat.

Pei Qinghe softened her voice: "We're in the same boat, so let's work together to deal with the powerful enemy."

"Easy for you to say!" Captain Sun burst forth, his anger and resentment boiling over. "We have no idea who they are, what their origins are, how many troops and weapons they have. We're in the open, they're in the shadows. How are we supposed to deal with this?"

The guard frowned.

As a palace guard, his daily duties involved protecting his master during his travels. The greatest danger he had ever encountered was slaying a few assassins. He had never experienced a large-scale battle and had absolutely no experience in dealing with them.

"Guard Gao, immediately send someone to the nearest county government office to report this." Pei Qinghe took over the command without any hesitation: "Have the county government send someone."

"Captain Sun, we are not far from Julu County. Send someone to the garrison in Julu to request reinforcements."

The guard instinctively responded with a "Yes."

He was used to following his master's orders, so he didn't feel there was anything wrong or inappropriate about following Miss Pei's arrangements.

Despite still retaining some dignity as an imperial escort officer, Commander Sun struggled to ask, "What if the Julu Army refuses to send anyone?"

Pei Qinghe coldly said, "It would be best if there were reinforcements, but it doesn't matter if there aren't. We have hands, feet, and weapons. Are we going to just stand there and wait for the refugees?"

His tone revealed a chilling, murderous intent.

A chill ran through Captain Sun as he stared at Pei Qinghe's face: "Sixth Miss Pei, aren't you afraid?"

“What’s the use of being afraid?” Pei Qinghe actually smiled. “All I know is that I must live well. Whoever dares to kill me, I will make sure they never leave alive.”

His nonchalant tone conveyed a powerful sense of confidence.

Is it youthful arrogance stemming from inexperience? Or is it the confidence and fearlessness born of formidable strength?

As if something was blocking his throat, Captain Sun tried to struggle and say a few words, vying for the authority and command that belonged to the escorting officer.

The voice of the Imperial Guard Gao rang in her ears: "We will all listen to the Sixth Miss."

Captain Sun turned his head and met the gaze of Guard Gao.

As if ignoring Captain Sun's reluctance, Guard Gao repeated, "We will obey the orders of the Sixth Miss."

Whatever!

With the Crown Prince backing up Miss Pei, what is there for him to argue about?

Captain Sun had no choice but to grit his teeth and agree: "Sixth Miss, please give your instructions."

The first tough battle is here!
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(End of this chapter)