Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 364 Military Bandits
The legendary General Pei was eight feet tall, possessed immense strength, and could decapitate a man with a flick of her longsword. An arrow, once released, was a fatality. Even the Xiongnu barbarians trembled before her.

It wasn't until she saw it with her own eyes that the girl realized how exaggerated and outrageous the rumors were.

The General Pei before her was a bit taller than her, with delicate features and a youthful, heroic air.

Those dark eyes, rumored to bring death to anyone who looked upon them, were now looking at her with unusual gentleness, and his words were calm: "What's your name?"

The girl suddenly felt less nervous and mustered her courage to answer, "My name is Xinghua."

It's a very common name for a girl from a farming family.

Pei Qinghe said gently, "You are a brave and capable girl, daring to fight bandits to the death. Don't worry, I have already sent people to deal with that scoundrel. Go back in peace, no one will dare to break into your home and bully you in the future."

Xinghua's nose tingled, and tears fell. She knelt down, trembling, placed the scissors on the ground, and kowtowed three times. When she got up, she didn't forget to pick up the scissors again.

Pei Qinghe called Pei Xuan over and asked her to take the apricot blossoms back.

Pei Xuan, that clever girl, deliberately made quite a commotion, sending Xinghua home in a grand manner. She loudly addressed the crowd of people peering out, "Our Pei family army has strict rules and forbids anyone from bullying the people. Don't be afraid. If you are bullied, immediately go to the county government and send a message; the general will definitely stand up for you."

Xinghua injured the soldier, but she was completely unharmed and was sent back safely.

Even if General Pei was just putting on an act, it far exceeded the people's expectations.

After Pei Xuan left, the neighbors swarmed over, bombarding Xinghua with questions: "Did you really see the general?"

"Is the general born with three heads and six arms?"

"The general really didn't blame you?"

Xinghua put down her scissors, wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and answered each question: "I saw him. The general is a bit taller than me, and he's both handsome and imposing! He didn't blame me; in fact, he comforted me."

Everyone exclaimed in surprise, "So, General Pei really is a great man!"

Of course, at night, the people continued to lock their doors and keep them closed, wary of soldiers and bandits coming to their door.

Patrols within the city were constant, one group after another. They successively apprehended three soldiers who intended to commit riots and evil deeds.

The bandits, caught red-handed, felt wronged and shouted before being killed, "This isn't Youzhou. We're out having some fun, why can't we..."

puff!
The long sword fell, and a head rolled to the ground amidst splattering blood, its expression forever frozen in that moment of indignation and defiance.

Lu Feng, who personally carried out the killing, was furious.

Overnight, four military bandits were captured. One was a soldier from Liaoxi, and the other three were from Fanyang. He had been utterly disgraced by these worthless scoundrels.

Lu Erlang was furious: "Brother, you've trained for a year, how come you brought out these disgraceful people?"

Lu Feng's face darkened: "Easy for you to say. Do you think these slackers are so easy to train?"

“They’re all used to being undisciplined, and I can’t kill them all. I have to discipline them slowly. They seem fine on ordinary days, but when they’re on enemy territory, they start to revert to their old habits.”

He paused, then sighed softly, "I didn't expect that even after entering Jizhou and reaching the Zhang family's territory, the general would still be so strict with the soldiers."

Lu Erlang also sighed: "Brother, to be honest, I've been in Pei's army for almost a year now, and the longer I stay, the more I realize how amazing General Pei is."

"The general himself does everything he asks of his soldiers. He leads by example in training them and eats and drinks with them. It is not easy to support so many soldiers, keep them well-fed and clothed, and ensure they receive their pay. Yet the general manages to do just that. Moreover, he does not exploit the common people and leaves a way for wealthy families to make a living."

"Such self-discipline and self-restraint, who wouldn't admire him?" "I truly believe that the general is a hero of troubled times and should be the ruler of the country."

Lu Erlang's tone was full of admiration.

Lu Feng quietly exhaled a sigh of relief, gritting his teeth and saying fiercely, "You're right. That's what I thought too. Otherwise, I wouldn't have forced Father to leave the army and let you lead the cavalry to join the general."

“These brainless bastards must be killed for breaking military regulations. Kill them until no one dares to act recklessly again.”

"I'll hang up all three heads right now so everyone can see them."

True to his word, Lü Feng hung up all three heads. The bloodied heads swayed in the cold wind, sending chills down one's spine.

Even if someone felt resentful and dissatisfied, they dared not utter a sound and obediently kept quiet.

Li Chi showed no mercy when dealing with soldiers who violated military regulations. He summoned all the officers and made them watch as the soldiers were beheaded. Then he said in a deep voice, "When you get back, tell all your men that anyone who dares to violate military regulations will die. You will all be the same."

The Guangning army was relatively well-behaved, but Yang Hu still specifically called the leaders over and gave them some instructions.

Song Dalang is both studious and exemplary.

The next day, Pei's army successfully took control of the city gates, and the people dared not go out. Soldiers carrying long swords patrolled the streets, creating a tense and murderous atmosphere.

Another day passed, and Pei Yun finally arrived with the logistics troops.

“We were ambushed again yesterday.” Pei Yun was injured, her face was pale, and her voice was weak: “They went straight for the grain supplies, and some more were burned yesterday, so nearly 20% of the grain supplies were burned in total.”

"However, they didn't fare well either. Nearly two thousand people came yesterday, and almost all of them were kept here."

Pei Yan and Yang Huai also sustained minor injuries. Some familiar faces remain forever etched on yesterday's battlefield. This shows just how fierce the battle was yesterday.

War is always this cruel.

Pei Qinghe suppressed her sadness and said in a low voice, "You are all injured. Go and heal your wounds and rest first. I will take care of the rest of the battle."

Pei Yun didn't try to be brave; she nodded in agreement and was helped away by someone with a worried expression.

Pei Yan snuggled up to Pei Qinghe and said coquettishly, "Cousin Qinghe, please reapply the medicine and bandage for me."

Pei Qinghe touched Pei Yan's dark face: "Okay, I'll bandage you up."

……

"what?"

"Sent out 10,000 men, and only 3,000 came back?"

General Zhang, who had been lying in bed, couldn't stay still upon hearing the news. He immediately jumped out of bed and exclaimed, "How could so many people be dead or wounded?"

Of these 10,000 men, 5,000 were cavalry and 5,000 were infantry, all specially selected elite troops. Their purpose was to launch a surprise attack and burn the supplies.

General Zhang knew that the Bohai Navy's fighting strength was definitely inferior to that of the Pei family's army. He didn't expect to win the battle; his goal was to burn the Pei family's supplies and force them to retreat.

Who would have thought that of the ten thousand elite troops sent out in a grand procession, less than thirty percent would return?
General Zhang was furious, practically spitting fire: "How much of the Pei family army's provisions did they burn?"

(End of this chapter)