Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 405 The Army (Part 1)

The morale of the troops inside Liaoxi City was high, and the city was well-equipped. Yang Hu lived up to his reputation as a wise general, constantly issuing various military orders. He made Liaoxi City an impregnable fortress.

Before nightfall, the Xiongnu barbarians had no choice but to sound the retreat, leaving behind a field of corpses.

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the city wall.

Yang Hu's tense breath relaxed: "All the wounded should go and get treatment. Have the kitchen send food to the city walls so the soldiers can have something hot to eat."

Li Chi bowed and accepted the order, then quickly went to make arrangements.

After dinner, Yang Hu and Li Chi inspected and comforted the wounded soldiers. They then went to find Meng Liulang and Lü Feng to discuss strategies for defending the city.

Meng Liulang had guarded the city gates of Bohai for several years and had extensive experience in city defense. He pointed out several shortcomings. Yang Hu humbly accepted his advice and nodded repeatedly.

The Xiongnu army had set up camp outside the city, eyeing Liaoxi City covetously. Several young generals, each with their own temperament and high aspirations, who were initially at odds with each other, put aside their pride and prejudices and joined forces to defend the city.

The next day, the Xiongnu barbarians attacked the city again, but returned empty-handed once more.

On the fifth day, the Xiongnu barbarians did not attack the city but retreated on their own initiative.

Yang Hu and Li Chi looked out from the city wall, while Lü Feng and Meng Liulang, who were still recovering from their injuries, also came up with the help of their personal guards.

Smoke billowed, the earth trembled, and a sound like muffled thunder preceded the approaching army. Experienced generals knew that a large army was coming.

The vanguard battalion, carrying large banners, arrived at the city walls first, their black banners bearing the character "Pei" waving incessantly.

"General Pei has arrived!" Yang Hu breathed a sigh of relief: "Open the city gates immediately to welcome him!"

Li Chi nodded, loudly ordering the soldiers to open the city gate, and quickly descended the city wall with Yang Hu. Lü Feng hurriedly followed. Meng Liulang, whose right leg was injured, walked with a limp, but his speed was by no means slow.

The sturdy and thick city gate was slowly pushed open.

Yang Hu and his three companions were the first to exit the city gate.

The thunderous footsteps gradually ceased. A vanguard of five hundred cavalrymen arrived at the city walls first. The leader of the vanguard was none other than Sun Cheng, a capable general under General Pei. Sun Cheng dismounted and bowed to Yang Hu and the others.

Immediately, several fine horses galloped over.

Leading the charge was General Pei, clad in soft armor. The long march had taken its toll, leaving him somewhat weary, his face dusty, but his eyes remained bright and sharp.

Yang Hu, suppressing his excitement and joy, was the first to bow and greet the crowd: "The general has finally arrived!"

Pei Qinghe dismounted and stepped forward, smiling slightly: "General Yang, you've worked hard."

Lu Fengyi saluted and grinned, saying loudly, "General, we've fought several battles these past few days, and all of them have been victories. This defense of the city has also held off the Xiongnu army. We haven't disgraced you!"

Pei Qinghe smiled again: "General Lü is in good spirits, which shows that winning battles is the most inspiring thing for morale."

Everyone laughed.

Pei Qinghe's gaze fell on Meng Liulang, who was wrapped in bandages: "You're injured?"

Meng Liulang subconsciously straightened his chest and replied proudly, "It's just a minor injury."

Pei Qinghe turned and summoned the accompanying military doctor, Lu, instructing him to examine and treat Meng Liulang's injuries, and to take good care of him. Doctor Lu bowed and accepted the order. Finally, Pei Qinghe turned to Li Chi: "These past few days have been the most stressful for you. Now you don't need to worry anymore, I'm here!"

Li Chi felt a lump in his throat and bowed, replying, "Actually, General, there was no need for you to lead the troops here personally. The four garrisons in the north are all here, and together they can surely defend Liaoxi City. I am truly uneasy about delaying your enthronement ceremony."

Pei Qinghe said, “The four of you each have your strengths and are all outstanding young military generals. As long as you work together, you will definitely be able to defend Liaoxi City. However, I want more than just defending the city. The Xiongnu barbarians regard Liaoxi as their own, coming and going as they please. They slaughter innocent people in villages and towns. I want them to never return! I want them to never dare to invade Youzhou again!”

"It doesn't matter if the coronation ceremony is delayed by a few months. We can do it after this battle is over."

Such lofty spirit, such composure and confidence.

In this world, only Pei Qinghe could speak so calmly about how the Xiongnu barbarians would never return!

Yang Hu, Li Chi, Lü Feng, and Meng Liulang were all invigorated and greeted Pei Qinghe into the city with open arms.

Behind Pei Qinghe were Pei Yan, Yang Huai, Pei Zhi, Pei Xuan, Pei Feng, and Pei Yue, along with other capable subordinates such as Gu Lian, Feng Chang, and Tao Feng. Meng Liulang's elder brother, Meng Bing, was also present.

Meng Bing walked over to Meng Liulang and quickly looked him over: "Are your injuries serious?"

Meng Liulang was always stubborn: "It's just a minor injury. I can go back to battle tomorrow." As he turned to take a step, he aggravated his injury, wincing in pain.

Meng Bing was both amused and annoyed. She reached out and helped Meng Liulang up, whispering, "Take good care of your injuries. Wait until you're healed before fighting again. General Pei has many fierce generals under his command; he doesn't need another one like you."

That's true. Pei Qinghe has at least a dozen renowned generals under his command. Pei Yan is no less brave than him, Yang Huai is both intelligent and courageous, and Gu Lian and Feng Chang are also formidable generals. He can now recuperate at his leisure.

With Pei Qinghe's arrival, not only did Meng Liulang breathe a sigh of relief, but Yang Hu, Li Chi, and Lü Feng also gained a pillar of support.

It took the 40,000-strong army half a day to enter the city. Settling so many people in the city was no easy task. Fortunately, the army had ample supplies and logistics.

It's springtime now, the weather is warm, and the nights aren't too cold.

The group found an open space in the city and set up simple military tents, still ten men per tent. The tents of the same battalion were all in one place, which made it convenient to mobilize and deploy troops.

The army carried a large amount of military rations. They had consumed about half along the way, and the remaining rations were enough to last for over a month. There were several large granaries in Liaoxi City, but with so many soldiers in the city these days, the supply had to be increased to ensure the soldiers were well-fed and ready to fight. The rate at which the rations were being consumed was alarming. Li Chi couldn't say for sure how much was left and how long it would last.

The accompanying chief of staff, Shi Yan, took on the important task without hesitation, and led Dong Dalang to the granary with an abacus to take stock of the stored grain.

Pei Qinghe convened a military conference in his tent. Those qualified to attend such a war conference were all prominent figures, totaling more than twenty people.

“Yang Hu,” Pei Qinghe called out Yang Hu’s name first, “tell me about the previous battles.”

Yang Hu nodded and recounted the previous battle in detail.

Upon hearing that the Liaoxi Army had taken the initiative to attack, Pei Qinghe was clearly surprised and glanced at Li Chi.

Even Li Chi, with his thick skin, blushed slightly and said in a low voice, "General Meng was the first to send out troops, and I was half a day late."

It was unusual for Meng Liulang not to publicly ridicule Li Chi.

Pei Qinghe said gently, "The Liaoxi Army has suffered many defeats, and almost suffered a complete rout before. It's perfectly normal for the veterans to be afraid of the Xiongnu barbarians. You don't need to feel ashamed or blame yourself."

Li Chi almost burst into tears upon hearing this.

(End of this chapter)