Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 255 Alliance (Part 1)

Isn't it?

Anyone with eyes could see how happy Song Xue was. Thinking back, for the past two weeks, Song Xue had been inseparable from Pei Qinghe every day. Pei Feng had also been with his cousin, which led people to mistakenly believe that Song Xue was constantly clinging to him…

Is it possible that he misunderstood from the beginning?
The person Song Xue wanted to be close to was always her cousin Qinghe.

Pei Feng felt a surge of inexplicable embarrassment and annoyance, and pursed his lips without saying a word.

Pei Xuan never tolerated his bad temper: "I have to go see Miss Song draw up blueprints. You can go or not, it's up to you."

Who said he's not going?

"Wait, I'm going too."

Forging weapons is of paramount importance in any army. The rapid expansion of the Pei family army means that there will never be a shortage of weapons. If some iron could be saved to forge lighter and sharper weapons, it would undoubtedly be a great and exciting development for the Pei family army.

Holding a fine charcoal pencil, Song Xue skillfully drew the shapes of a long sword and a bow and arrow on the paper, marking the dimensions of each part and the specific steps for forging it.

Pei Xuan peeked out, and Pei Yan and Pei Zhi came to watch the excitement.

Pei Feng hesitated for a moment, then joined in to listen to Song Xue explain the key points of forging the new weapons.

Bian Shulan, having received the order, diligently prepared several delicious dishes and thoughtfully sent over a pot of fruit wine.

Pei Qinghe, who never drinks, was in a good mood today and offered Song Xue a toast.

The fruit wine has a low alcohol content and a subtle sweetness.

Song Xue blushed, and boldly glanced at Pei Feng before smiling at Pei Qinghe, "From now on, can I call the General my cousin?"

Pei Qinghe chuckled and glanced at Pei Feng.

Pei Feng blushed as well. However, at this moment, a man could not back down or back down. He mustered his courage and said, "Of course."

Pei Qinghe's eyes flashed with a smile as she said gently, "In a few days, Pei Feng and I will escort you back to formally pay your respects to General Song."

That day, Pei Qinghe went to Guangning Army to propose marriage for Pei Yan. Now that it was Pei Feng's turn, Pei Qinghe couldn't show favoritism. For the sake of the alliance with Pingyang Army, she had to go herself.

Song Xue wasn't shy or embarrassed at all. Her bright eyes were fixed on Pei Qinghe: "After Pei Feng and I get engaged, I'll come to Pei Family Village for a short stay."

Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "You can stay as long as you want."

……

After dinner, Pei Qinghe smiled and instructed, "Pei Yan, go and invite Chief Yang over immediately."

The "Chief Yang" that Pei Qinghe mentioned was Yang the blacksmith from Changping County. In recent years, the Pei family army's territory had grown larger and larger, and they had recruited more and more blacksmiths. Yang the blacksmith, the most senior, became the chief, specifically responsible for forging and repairing weapons for the Pei family army.

After a short while, Blacksmith Yang arrived. Having forged iron for decades, Blacksmith Yang's eyes lit up as soon as he saw the blueprints. He examined them repeatedly, carefully inquiring about the specific steps. Then he said to Pei Qinghe, "General, give me these blueprints. I'll go back and test them first, and I'll deliver the finished new weapon to you in two days at most."

Pei Qinghe nodded slightly.

The Pei family army had a special place for forging weapons, with the furnaces burning all day long. After returning home, Yang the blacksmith called his son and several other blacksmiths over, gave them some instructions, and then began forging iron blanks and practicing sword making.

Two days later, the first newly forged longsword of the Pei family army was delivered to Pei Qinghe.

Pei Qinghe picked up his longsword, brandished it a few times, and then entered the training ground. The Xiongnu barbarians, who had been baring their teeth and grinning menacingly, trembled and cowered at the sight of Pei Qinghe.

Without hesitation, Pei Qinghe went straight for the most skilled of the Xiongnu barbarians. The other Xiongnu barbarians secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Then, they watched with schadenfreude as their companion was forced to retreat repeatedly by General Pei's longsword, his weapons knocked from his hands, and the sharp, gleaming blade pressed against his neck.

The tall, strong, and ferocious Xiongnu barbarians looked like lambs to the slaughter, their faces ashen.

Pei Qinghe certainly didn't kill anyone. These Xiongnu barbarians were perfect for training the Pei family army. During this time, their martial arts skills and courage had improved rapidly. They were all important "resources" for the Pei family army and couldn't be "wasted" carelessly.

Pei Qinghe sheathed his knife and blew on the blade with satisfaction: "Well done, Chief Yang will be rewarded with three meals of meat."

Yang the blacksmith grinned so hard his teeth were showing.

Eating meat is a joyous occasion, but being praised by the general in public is an even greater joy.

Pei Qinghe said with a gentle smile, "The Ironware Battalion will be busy and working hard to forge new weapons. I will instruct the kitchen to prepare more meat for the Ironware Battalion. They will also receive an extra pay next month."

Yang the blacksmith thanked him repeatedly with a smile.

The next top priority was to propose marriage and form an alliance with the Pingyang army.

Pei Qinghe summoned Shi Yan to discuss the preparation of betrothal gifts: "How about we prepare the same betrothal gifts as when we went to Guangning Army to propose marriage?"

Every army is short of rations these days, and two thousand shi of rations is enough to show the Pei family's sincerity in forming an alliance.

The Pei family army needs to support its own troops, allocate grain to Beiping County, and provide occasional relief to the Guangning Army. Now, with the addition of the Pingyang Army, their demand for food is enormous.

Shi Yan has been working tirelessly day and night to procure food and supplies, and has lost a lot of weight recently. However, he never complains about his hardships in front of Pei Qinghe, and only nods.

Pei Qinghe knew all too well how hard Shi Yan had worked. She held Shi Yan's hand and whispered guiltily, "Thank you for your hard work."

Shi Yan chuckled softly, "The general rejected many marriage proposals for my sake, and even refused to become a concubine. What do I have to do?"

The two chatted and laughed in hushed tones for a moment before continuing their serious discussion.

"Besides the military rations, I also want to prepare a gift," Pei Qinghe said with a smile. "The Pei family army has been practicing military formations and tactics to deal with the Xiongnu barbarians. I plan to make a copy and send it to General Song."

“Miss Song gave us two sets of weapon blueprints, so we should indeed return the favor.” Shi Yan smiled and continued, “In fact, we are the ones who benefit. After Pei Feng marries Song Xue, we can hand over the management of the Pei family army’s ironware battalion to Song Xue.”

Pei Qinghe relaxed her brows: "That's what I was planning to do too."

Shi Yan seemed to have thought of something, and his gaze suddenly became somewhat complicated and subtle: "I have a feeling that Song Xue came for you from the very beginning."

Pei Qinghe chuckled: "What? Is Chief Steward Shi jealous?"

Shi Yan smiled helplessly: "Not only do I have to be wary of the young masters of this family and that family, but I also have to be wary of Miss Song who suddenly appears. How can I not feel jealous?"

The women in Pei's army kept their distance from Shi Yan, fearing that he might cause even the slightest misunderstanding from their general.

The number of men who admire Pei Qinghe is countless. More and more wealthy and influential families are sending their sons and nephews to her. And now, there's Song Xue, who's constantly pestering Pei Qinghe!

Pei Qinghe smiled again: "You are unique in my heart, and no one can replace you."

Shi Yan was soothed that his brows relaxed and he grinned: "You go to sleep first, I'll continue with the accounts and allocate two thousand shi of military rations."

(End of this chapter)