Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 369 The War Begins (Part Two)
The generals watching from the rear kept a close watch.

The Pei family army launched a fierce attack on the city. The archers, with cloud chariots to conceal their figures, kept drawing their bows and firing arrows in unison. The Bohai soldiers on the city wall were hit by arrows and fell down one after another. Some even fell directly off the tall city wall, their bodies mangled and gruesome.

Pei Qinghe's arrows never missed their mark; one arrow after another left the bowstring, and enemy soldiers fell one by one.

General Fei was greatly shocked: "General Pei's archery skills are divine! I have never seen such a skilled archer!"

Standing next to General Fei, Song Dalang chuckled twice: "There's something even more powerful coming up, just you wait and see!"

The Pingyang army was the first to bet on the Pei family army, and the Taiyuan army was the second to send troops. The two young military generals naturally ended up on the same side. General Fei had only been there three days, but he and Song Dalang were already inseparable.

General Fei watched for a long time, observing General Pei leading his archers to firmly suppress the Bohai Navy archers on the city wall, and watching the Pei family soldiers on the other two siege ladders seize the opportunity to approach the city wall and leap onto the top. He watched as the Pei family soldiers, fearless and displaying their might, were awe-inspiring.

It made my heart flutter and my head spin.

"There really are people like war gods in this world!" General Fei murmured to himself. "My father asked me to lead troops to reinforce, but I wasn't too willing at first."

Why not live a carefree life as a local tyrant, ruling your own territory? Why get involved in the feud between the Pei family army and the Bohai Navy?
Only at this moment did General Fei understand his father's far-sighted and painstaking efforts. General Pei was unstoppable and unparalleled in bravery; sooner or later, he would conquer the north and become king. Rather than waiting to be "recruited" in the future, it was better to place his bet early and gain merit by supporting the new emperor.

Having been through similar experiences, Song Dalang clearly understood General Fei's complex emotional journey. He lowered his voice and chuckled, "Since you're already here, stop overthinking. Just focus on fighting alongside General Pei!"

General Fei nodded vigorously, his gaze still fixed on the incomparably majestic General Pei.

Pei Qinghe did not jump off the city wall, but kept shooting arrows from the cloud chariot, using up all three quiver of arrows.

The Pei family army, which had leaped onto the city walls, engaged in a chaotic battle with the Bohai navy. To put it more accurately, it was a one-sided massacre.

In close combat, when forces clash on narrow paths, the true strength of the Pei family army is revealed. The Bohai Navy, all bluster and no substance, is no match for the Pei family army!

However, the defenders did have an advantage. While the Bohai navy was physically weak, they had superior numbers. One wave of soldiers died, their bodies barely being carried away before the next wave surged forward. They managed to hold the city gates with more than three times the manpower.

Pei Qinghe blew the whistle to retreat.

Those Pei family soldiers who could still run retreated from the city wall and leaped back onto their cloud chariots. Those who were already wounded and unable to retreat fought desperately, hoping to take a few more with them before they died.

"crazy!"

"Has the Pei family army gone mad?! They're fighting like madmen!"

In this battle, the Pei family army retreated! The Bohai Navy, which had barely held the city gates, was also demoralized. After the Pei family army withdrew, the wounded soldiers of the Bohai Navy helped each other apply medicine, their faces pale and their voices trembling: "If this continues, we'll be completely wiped out!"

How many people died today?

"There's no way to count them all. Tomorrow it'll be your and my turn!"

Shh! Keep your voice down! The General is coming!

The moment General Zhang appeared, the wailing subsided considerably. However, the soldiers' dejection and despondency were clearly visible.

General Zhang was furious. He cursed these useless bastards a thousand times over, while still trying to appease and encourage the soldiers. He even gave special commendation to several soldiers who had performed exceptionally well in the city defense that day.

Unfortunately, the results were unsatisfactory, and as soon as General Zhang left, the soldiers' faces fell again. In the palace, Eunuch Shen reported the battle situation he had gathered to the Emperor.

Emperor Jian'an's expression changed repeatedly upon hearing this: "Is the Pei family army really that powerful?"

With a bitter expression, Eunuch Shen replied, "I am not clear about the specific details of the battle. However, the Pei family army did indeed breach the city walls today. It was General Pei who took the initiative to retreat."

The attacking side can both launch an offensive and retreat with ease. Even Eunuch Shen, who knew nothing about military affairs, could deduce that the Pei family army indeed had the strength to conquer Bohai County.

How could Emperor Jian'an not understand?
Emperor Jian'an's face turned pale, his heart pounding with anxiety: "Why did Pei Qinghe retreat? Why didn't he press on and continue the attack?"

If one were a loyal and capable minister, one would analyze General Pei's intentions at this point, such as whether he wanted to continue to put pressure on the Bohai Army, on the civil and military officials and the emperor in Bohai County, and on causing General Zhang to lose the hearts of the people, etc.

Eunuch Shen didn't care about any of that. What did a mere eunuch serving his master need to be farsighted for? He just needed to say what his master wanted to hear: "General Pei is not a cruel and bloodthirsty person. He is just waiting for the Emperor to hand over the Zhang family father and son, and then he will withdraw his troops."

Emperor Jian'an's complexion did indeed improve, and he remained silent without saying anything.

After considering for a moment, Eunuch Shen whispered a slanderous remark: "It's only been ten days or so of fighting. The Bohai Army is already on the verge of collapse. If Your Majesty wants to appease General Pei, you should make some preparations as soon as possible."

Emperor Jian'an remained silent.

……

"General, you have the upper hand today, why are you retreating?"

The Pei family army settled into their temporary barracks. Pei Qinghe summoned all the key military officers to discuss the upcoming battle plans.

Lu Erlang, young and impatient, was the first to speak.

Pei Qinghe smiled and glanced at the faces of the generals.

As expected, the unparalleled strategist Yang Hu immediately saw through Pei Qinghe's scheme: "General, your purpose is to kill the Zhang family, not to conquer Bohai County. The continued siege is to put pressure on the emperor and officials inside the city, causing General Zhang to lose the hearts of the people and be deserted by his followers."

“The Bohai Navy has too many troops; it’s impossible to kill them all.” The shrewd and quick-witted Li Chi chimed in, “If we can force the Emperor to hand over the Zhang family, we will have won a great victory.”

Lu Feng suddenly realized and exchanged a glance with his younger brother Lu Erlang: "No wonder the general's siege of the city has not been very fierce. It turns out he never intended to invade Bohai County!"

Pei Qinghe smiled slightly: "That's not necessarily true. If we can break into Bohai County, we can still take some action."

Pei Yun, who had already recovered from her injuries, had a glint in her eyes and volunteered to go into battle: "Please send me to attack the city gate tomorrow, General!"

Song Dalang and General Fei were both visiting reinforcements, and they didn't speak much in such a meeting. However, they couldn't shirk their responsibility for leading the troops into battle, so they took the initiative: "General, let me lead the troops!"

"Every soldier in our Taiyuan army is a hero. Please, General, send us to lead the troops!"

Pei Yan, who had been recuperating from her injuries for half a month, was so bored that she was practically falling apart. She shouted, "I'll go! The general wants me to go!"

The generals, fearless and eager to fight, marched forth. Pei Qinghe laughed: "Tomorrow, Pei Yan and Yang Huai will lead the troops to attack the city!"

(End of this chapter)