Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 332 Hemu (Part Two)

Pei Qinghe remained calm and looked at He Mu again: "Do you want to raise horses, or do you want to fight a war?"

"to be frank!"

The last three words were suddenly spoken with an overwhelming aura, and the pressure pressed down on them as if they were tangible.

This is the iron-blooded, cold-blooded aura that only a general who has fought countless battles and killed countless people possesses.

Hemu, a discerning man, felt a sudden chill run down his spine and replied with his head down, "I want to fight."

Zhan Fei: "..."

Zhan Fei cursed inwardly, his face turning grim. He was determined to open the horse farm, partly for the long-term benefit of the Pei family army, and partly for the sake of the Zhan family.

Going beyond the Great Wall to buy horses is both arduous and dangerous; in just a few years, many of the Zhan family's nephews and descendants have already perished there. At this rate, it's uncertain how many will survive to the end.

Establishing a horse ranch would at least preserve some of the Zhan family's bloodline. The Pei family army needs warhorses for its battles. If the Zhan family manages the horse ranch diligently, they can rely steadily on the Pei family army as a powerful ally, and the restoration of their family's fortunes will be just around the corner.

He went to great lengths to lure Hemu and his group back, hoping to use these skilled Xianbei cavalrymen to raise truly fine horses.

Who would have thought that the seemingly rough and uncouth Hemu harbored such scheming thoughts? These thoughts only surfaced when he met the general.

Pei Qinghe said to Zhan Fei, "The horse farm will definitely open, so you don't need to worry."

Zhan Fei's furrowed brows relaxed again, and he replied with feigned embarrassment, "I apologize for my selfish motives, General."

Pei Qinghe was particularly patient with capable and talented people, and said with a smile, "Everyone has selfish motives. In recent years, the Zhan family has been working hard outside the Great Wall to buy horses for the Pei family army. I remember their blood, sweat and tears. I will not treat the Zhan family unfairly. You can rest assured."

Such a public promise was meant to reassure Zhan Fei.

Having been a flight attendant for decades, how could he not understand? He was impressed by Pei Qinghe's magnanimity and solemnly clasped his hands in gratitude.

Seeing this, Hemu became anxious and puffed out his chest, saying loudly, "Although we are few in number, every one of us is a warrior, and one of us can take on ten."

"General, if you ever go to the grasslands, we can guide you. Please accept us as your companions."

Pei Qinghe glanced at them indifferently: "Do you want to join my Pei family army? Or do you want to use the Pei family army to avenge your tribe?"

"In my opinion, he's trying to use someone else to do his dirty work. He might even be hoping to profit from the mutual destruction between us and the Xiongnu barbarians." Pei Yan snorted coldly, drew his sword with a clang, and said with murderous intent, "Those who are not of our kind are bound to have different hearts. General, don't waste your breath talking to him. Just kill him with one stroke."

Yang Huai and the others drew their sharp blades. They awaited only the general's command to chop He Mu into mincemeat.

Hemu remained remarkably calm: "I traveled a thousand miles to see the general, but I never expected that the general would not dare to detain me. It seems that the general's reputation as a war god is nothing more than a product of everyone's flattery."

These words enraged everyone.

Pei Yan roared and swung his long sword.

Pei Qinghe did not stop them, but watched coldly.

Hemu swiftly dodged. The long sword narrowly missed, slicing off a piece of his sleeve.

Pei Yan, like a fierce tiger, unleashed one strike after another. He Mu, unarmed, was naturally at a disadvantage, his movements shifting and swift as the wind.

The crowd grew increasingly alarmed. In terms of individual bravery alone, Pei Yan was easily among the top five in the Pei family army. Yet, despite his all-out effort, he couldn't defeat the unarmed He Mu.

This also shows that Hemu is no ordinary person.

Fang Datou frowned as well. Zhan Fei, who had come over at some point, whispered, "We've all been fooled by He Mu. He usually hides his true abilities, but today he revealed his real skills."

"I'm starting to doubt how much of what he told us was true and how much was false," Fang Datou said, also filled with anger.

He was a simple-minded, honest fellow. Years ago, when he was a common soldier under Sun Cheng, he was often teased and ridiculed by his colleagues. Later, after entering Peijia Village, he gradually learned to read and write, and his mind became more active. However, he still couldn't be considered particularly clever.

He is honest and straightforward, treats people with sincerity, and hates being fooled.

That year, he and Hemu spent every day together, fighting enemies side by side and teaching each other to speak. In the face of life and death, true friendship is easily forged. He considered Hemu as almost a brother.

Unexpectedly, Hemu had been hiding his true abilities all along.

Pei Yan stared coldly for a moment, then suddenly shouted, "Pei Yan, step back."

Pei Yan dodged backward.

Pei Qinghe's punches were as swift as the wind.

He Mu, who appeared to be frantically dodging but was actually calm and collected, suddenly threw a punch to block the attack.

Pei Qinghe didn't move, but He Mu's right hand trembled slightly.

Pei Qinghe flipped her palm and kicked out, while He Mu dodged and threw a punch without hesitation. The two fists collided again, producing a muffled sound.

Bang bang bang!
Hemu's expression finally changed, and he lost his footing, taking a step back.

Pei Qinghe moved forward and continued to throw punches.

Hemu was unable to hold on and retreated.

Everyone stepped back, making way for a large open space. Pei Yan watched with great excitement, and said to Yang Huai with a proud look, "Watch the general beat him to a pulp."

Yang Huai had long been completely convinced of Pei Qinghe's abilities, and readily chimed in, "For our general to personally take action, this Hemu must be quite capable."

Meng Bing stared intently and whispered to Mao Hongling, "The general has taken a liking to talent."

He personally took action to ascertain Hemu's skills and strength, and also to make Hemu submit and submit.

Mao Hongling chuckled lightly: "The general is unwilling to remain passive forever, and there will surely be a day when he will march out to the grasslands. I just don't know how capable Hemu really is."

As they spoke, Pei Qinghe delivered a flying kick, striking He Mu's right leg. He Mu staggered backward, but managed to stay upright and didn't fall.

Pei Qinghe stopped what she was doing and looked coldly at He Mu.

Hemu took a deep breath, knelt down, and said in a somewhat stiff voice, “General, I am indeed a Xianbei. My tribe was not small; it originally had more than 1,300 people. Two years ago, the Xiongnu Khan coveted my pastures and sent cavalry to raid them. Thousands of cattle and sheep were stolen, women and children were abducted, and my warriors were all killed. I escaped with more than seventy men. Later, the number of my brave warriors dwindled, and now only seventeen remain.”

"I live only to take revenge."

"On the grasslands, everyone feared the Xiongnu Khan. The Xianbei tribes would rather flee far away than be enemies with the Xiongnu."

"Only a general can defeat the Xiongnu barbarians."

"It took me a long time to find the general's caravan. It took me a year to finally arrive before the general."

"Please accept me, General. I, Hemu, am willing to be your vanguard and fight for you."

Pei Qinghe neither agreed nor refused. She looked at Fang Datou and said, "Go find a place to stay and let He Mu and his men stay there first."

"Teach them the military regulations of the Pei family army one by one. If anyone dares to violate the military regulations, there is no need to report to me; just deal with them directly."

(End of this chapter)