Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 408 Melee ()

The two sides engaged in a chaotic battle over the next month.

Pei Qinghe and Pu Nu seemed to have reached an unspoken understanding: today you send two thousand cavalry to harass the people, tomorrow I'll send six thousand elite troops to fight them. Small-scale skirmishes never stopped.

In terms of victory or defeat, Pei's army had the upper hand. However, in terms of casualties, Pei's army actually suffered more casualties. As the saying goes, infantry fighting cavalry is no easy task. Otherwise, the four garrisons in Youzhou wouldn't have been helpless and forced to avoid battle when faced with the Xiongnu cavalry army's repeated defeats.

It's already quite astonishing that they can now fight to a standstill with wins and losses.

News of the battles in Liaoxi kept reaching Yan County, and then, through Prime Minister Pang's skillful writing, it was relayed to the military generals in the north.

Pei's army gained great prestige.

Among them, there are inevitably those who take advantage of the chaos.

"What? The Chang Le Army has besieged Bohai Commandery?" When the news reached Prime Minister Pang's ears, he was so shocked that he almost swore: "That bastard Xie Ji! What is he trying to do by attacking Liaoxi Commandery at this time?"

Minister Qin sighed, “General Xie has always maintained close ties with the Zhang family. Back when General Pei went to Bohai County to pay his respects, General Xie publicly provoked him and was invited to the training ground by General Pei, where he was severely beaten. He even suffered a knife wound to his right arm from General Pei.”

"General Xie lost face in public and has held a grudge ever since. Last year, when General Pei attacked Bohai Commandery, General Zhang forced the Emperor to order the generals of the north to come to the aid of the King. Two of them led troops, and one of them was General Xie!"

"General Pei is currently leading troops in Liaoxi, leaving only Pei Yun and 5,000 soldiers in Bohai County. Of these, only 1,000 are veterans, while 4,000 are surrendered soldiers from Bohai Navy, who have been training for less than half a year. It's really hard to say what their combat strength is."

Prime Minister Pang sneered repeatedly: "So, General Xie is stabbing us in the back! While General Pei is leading troops to fight the Xiongnu barbarians, he is leading troops to attack Bohai Commandery, taking the opportunity to stir up trouble. Who knows, he might be plotting to take over and become the emperor of the north."

Prime Minister Pang grew angrier with each curse: "Bah! This shameless and reckless scoundrel dares to dream of the throne!"

Vice Minister Qin was more pessimistic than Prime Minister Pang, and sighed again: "No matter how fiercely the Prime Minister scolds, he can't stop General Xie. He has led more than 10,000 elite troops and has already surrounded Bohai County. We can only hope that Pei Yun can lead his troops to defend Bohai County, and then deal with General Xie after General Pei returns victorious!"

Pei Qinghe was undefeated in every battle, and his illustrious achievements need not be listed in detail. In contrast, Pei Yun, the second-in-command of the Pei family army, was much more low-key. Outsiders only knew that Pei Yun held a very high position in the Pei family army, second only to Pei Qinghe, but her true abilities and skills were not widely publicized.

Furthermore, Pei Yun currently only has five thousand soldiers under his command, while General Xie's forces are more than twice as numerous as Pei Yun's. Regardless of their individual combat strength, the numerical advantage is obvious.

No wonder Minister Qin was so worried.

Prime Minister Pang scolded General Xie, but he was still not satisfied. So he wrote an article specifically criticizing the general and had it sent to the outskirts of Bohai County.

General Xie, who had already set up camp, was not annoyed after reading Prime Minister Pang's article. Instead, he laughed loudly, saying, "Look, they're getting anxious."

"Watch as I conquer the city and occupy Bohai County. I will then plant the Xie banner on the city wall."

The surrounding military officers all flattered him: "Pei Yun is just a woman. She only gained fame because of the Pei surname. In a real battle, she would never be a match for our General Xie!"

"Once we take Bohai County, the general will take Pei Yun into his tent and have her make the bed and warm the blankets."

The generals burst into shameless laughter.

It was as if verbally humiliating a female general was enough to achieve a true victory.

General Xie chuckled, "I will repay Pei Qinghe tenfold for the humiliation he caused me that day. Issue my order: begin the siege tomorrow!"

The generals once again responded with a resounding roar.

The following day, the Chang Le army indeed launched a fierce attack on the city.

Pei Yun, clad in soft armor, stood atop the city wall, coldly observing the situation, and continuously issued military orders: "Archers, prepare!" "Fire!"

"Prepare the boulder! Push!"

"Prepare hot water and hot oil!"

The Chang Le army's swift offensive was severely hampered in less than half a day, forcing them to retreat in disarray.

This time, the expressions of the generals in General Xie's tent were much more solemn. One of them was furious, gritting his teeth: "This Pei Yun is a tough nut to crack!"

"Being entrusted with such an important task by Pei Qinghe must mean he has some ability."

General Xie's face was grim as he glanced around: "The siege has only just begun, what's the panic? Bohai County has been the capital of the North for several years, and the city walls alone took three years to build. It's easy to defend and difficult to attack. What are you all afraid of? Do you think we can't even defeat a woman?"

The military officers smiled sheepishly; after all, they were all knowledgeable about military affairs, and they couldn't bring themselves to utter their previous boasts.

General Xie said coldly, "We will send out troops again tomorrow! Bring out all the prepared siege ladders and towers. Whoever is the first to scale the city wall will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver!"

A great reward will surely attract brave men. Under the strong incentive of a huge reward of one thousand taels of silver, some soldiers indeed withstood heavy casualties and were the first to leap onto the city wall of Bohai County.

The next moment, a gleaming blade flashed, and the first soldier of the Chang Le Army to climb the city wall was cut down and fell to the ground, turning into a pile of minced meat.

Pei Yun calmly wielded her sword, cutting down enemies while shouting in a cold voice, "Form ranks and join forces to kill the enemy!"

The enemy soldiers, trembling with fear as they leaped atop the city walls, were inspired by their commander's bravery and fierceness, and they shouted in unison. The arduous training of the past six months had indeed greatly enhanced the soldiers' combat effectiveness.

After a fierce battle, the Chang Le army was defeated again and retreated.

It goes without saying how demoralized and dejected the Chang Le army was below the city walls. Inside the city, however, there was jubilation.

In war, no amount of talk can compare to winning a real battle. Boosting morale and inspiring the troops are tangible benefits.

Pei Yun made a special trip to the wounded soldiers' camp to inspect and comfort them. Then she mustered troops to replenish the city's defenses.

……

News of the siege of Bohai County by the Chang Le Army reached Liaoxi City.

Pei Yan, furious and murderous, sneered repeatedly: "We spent half a year painstakingly conquering Bohai County, and General Xie is trying to steal the fruits of our labor."

“With Pei Yun guarding the city, there’s no need to worry.” Pei Qinghe didn’t take the Chang Le Army seriously at all: “Pass on my order to invite General Yang and the others over to discuss the war.”

The formidable female assassin Pei Yan, in front of Pei Qinghe, became as meek as a lamb, readily obeying to relay military orders. Half an hour later, Yang Hu and other military officers gathered in the military tent.

The generals expressed their anger and disdain for the Chang Le army that had robbed them of their property.

No one suggested sending troops to support Pei Yun. Firstly, Pei Yun was skilled in both fighting and defense, and secondly, the fighting in Liaoxi was frequent and intense, making it unwise to divide troops.

Just as they were discussing the next battle plan, a messenger from Yan County suddenly arrived in a hurry.

Two northern armies launched an attack on Peijia Village.

(End of this chapter)