Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 365 Panic (Part 1)

The kneeling general, his face full of shame, replied, "General, we fought two battles and burned about forty or fifty cartloads of grain. That's quite a lot. However, it seems we didn't injure the Pei family army's core... Ouch!"

General Zhang suddenly kicked the general squarely in the chest, sending him tumbling backward several times.

General Zhang, still not satisfied, roared, "A bunch of useless trash! I've spent money and grain to feed you, and you're worse off than a pack of wild dogs. I haven't sent you to fight in the main force, nor have I sent you to win any battles; you've only been sent to burn supplies. You can't even do this kind of job well. What use are you to me!"

The injury to my lower back and abdomen had been mostly healed after more than a month of rest. Today, I got emotional and moved around a lot, which accidentally aggravated the wound, causing a series of sharp pains.

General Zhang cursed as he panted heavily.

The general who had been kicked was one of General Zhang's trusted confidants. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been entrusted with such an important task. The general was very familiar with the general's temper, and at this moment he didn't dare to argue or get up. He just huddled on the ground in a sorry state, groaning incessantly.

General Zhang cursed for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before his anger subsided. He then summoned the military officers to his side and inquired in detail about the course of the battle.

The military officer then crawled over with a bitter face, knelt before General Zhang, and honestly recounted the events of the two battles: "...I remembered the General's instructions well, and secretly traveled for several days, deliberately circling around to the rear of the Pei family army. First, I launched a cavalry raid, and then had the infantry charge."

“The Pei family army was on guard, and the one escorting the supplies was a female general. She was meticulous and ruthless, and should be Pei Yun, the number two figure in the Pei family army.”

"The soldiers did their best, but they just couldn't win. Later, many more cavalrymen arrived. The female general leading them was dark-skinned and strong, and there was also a male general who was extremely brave and fierce in battle."

General Zhang's gaze was somewhat complicated: "It should be Pei Yan and Yang Huai."

The Pei family army has a plethora of young and valiant generals, with at least a dozen whose names are well-known.

Damn it, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. Why does Pei Qinghe have so many capable subordinates, while his men are just a bunch of useless trash?

The general lowered his head and continued, "I led the men who could run far away, and the next day, I secretly turned back, hoping to catch them off guard again. As a result, I suffered another defeat."

"The Pei family army's grain transport convoy stretched for several miles. We've probably burned less than 30% of the grain."

"I am useless, I am a good-for-nothing, I failed to complete the task entrusted to me by the General. Please punish me, General!"

General Zhang was no longer angry, and only asked one question: "Is our Bohai Navy really that much worse than the Pei family's army?"

The military general was speechless.

Before the fight even started, he was still unconvinced. The Pei family army was indeed powerful, but there was definitely some exaggeration involved. Pei Qinghe was human, not a god; did everyone become powerful simply by avoiding Pei Qinghe?
As a result, he was beaten up once, no, twice. If he hadn't run fast, he would have lost his life.

The Pei family army is just that powerful!

The Bohai Army is far inferior to Pei's Army!

Fortunately, the Bohai Army had tall city walls to defend it. If they had encountered the Pei family army on the plains, they would have been defeated!
“We still have over 70,000 troops,” General Zhang said in a deep voice. “We have the numerical advantage and the advantage of the city walls. Even if Pei Qinghe had three heads and six arms, he couldn’t break into Bohai County. Don’t panic!”

The one who's panicking is you, General!

The general silently grumbled to himself. He had killed an elder of the Pei family that day, and now Pei Qinghe was leading a large army to seek revenge. Others might have the option of surrendering and living, but the general had no choice but to fight to the death; surrender was out of the question. Wasn't the general feeling anxious?
"By my order, from this day forward, seal the city gates and strictly prohibit anyone from entering or leaving," General Zhang sternly ordered. "Furthermore, send an additional three thousand men to guard the city gates."

"Prepare plenty of catapults and boiling oil! Go quickly!" The military officer scrambled off to obey the order.

General Zhang, his body stiff, slowly lay back down with the help of his personal guards.

The imperial physician rushed over and examined the general's injuries: "The general's body has not yet fully recovered. He should rest and avoid any strenuous activity."

The Pei family army is only a hundred miles away; it would only take them two or three days to attack. How can he possibly recuperate?

General Zhang, annoyed and frustrated, waved his hand impatiently. After the imperial physician left, Zhang Yun, lying on another bed, forced himself to speak: "We are more than capable of defending the city. At worst, we can just hold out against the Pei family army for a few months until Pei Qinghe retreats!"

Zhang Yun's injuries were much more severe than General Zhang's. He had also been suffering from a persistent high fever, and the imperial physicians had to use strong medicine to snatch him back from the brink of death.

It's been over a month, and Zhang Yun still can't get out of bed. Every day, he has to be helped to sit up, and he's covered in sweat.

As for fighting the war, we can't count on Zhang Yun.

With no outsiders present, General Zhang wasn't so stubborn anymore. He sighed and said, "I really shouldn't have acted impulsively that day. I should have just let those old women curse me. Now I've made a personal grudge against the Pei family, and Pei Qinghe is leading a large army to attack me, yet I still get a good reputation for being filial and loyal. It's so infuriating and frustrating!"

Zhang Yun also regretted it, and sighed weakly, "We fell for the old women's scheme. It's too late to regret it now. We still have to think of a way to force Pei Qinghe to retreat."

General Zhang nodded in agreement.

After resting for half a day and recovering a bit, General Zhang had his personal guards carry him into the palace.

Emperor Jian'an was even more panicked than General Zhang. Disregarding the dignity of the emperor, he gripped General Zhang's wrist tightly: "General! What should we do now? Pei Qinghe has issued a proclamation to attack the Bohai Army!"

Indeed, information was scarce in the palace; Emperor Jian'an only saw Pei Qinghe's handwritten proclamation two days ago.

General Zhang's face was filled with sorrow as he sighed deeply: "Your Majesty, the Pei family army has arrived. They are only two days' journey from Bohai County."

Emperor Jian'an's face turned ashen, and his voice trembled involuntarily: "Pei Qinghe really came?"

“Yes,” General Zhang stared intently at Emperor Jian’an, “The Pei family army is about to besiege the city. Your Majesty can issue an edict ordering Pei Qinghe to withdraw his troops. If Pei Qinghe disobeys the imperial edict, he will be a traitor. At the very least, he will not stand up to moral principles.”

"Of course, His Majesty has another option. He can order that we, the Zhang family father and son, be tied up and taken out. Once Pei Qinghe has killed us, he will have vented his anger and will naturally withdraw his troops."

Emperor Jian'an was startled and rejected the second option without hesitation: "I will never abandon the Grand General."

The fact that you answered so quickly shows that you had already thought about it.

Emperor Jian'an didn't lack the desire to do so; rather, he simply couldn't. Gao Yong was gone, and Meng Liulang had also left. All the usable military officers in Bohai Commandery were General Zhang's men. If he, the emperor, were to even entertain such a thought, he himself would be the first to suffer.

……

(End of this chapter)