Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 431 Kindness and Power (Part 1)

"Did Jiang Huan really get a beating?"

“It’s real. They were carried out of the prefect’s mansion and carried all the way back. Countless people saw it with their own eyes.”

"General Pei got really angry, and the Song father and son both suffered the consequences."

"Hiss, the Song family and the Pei family are related by marriage. General Song is considered an elder. How could General Pei not give him any face at all?"

"It wasn't just a lack of respect. Afterwards, General Pei even sent someone to deliver a booklet of Pei Family Army's military regulations to General Song. He explicitly demanded that the Pingyang Army should also organize its camps according to the rules of Pei Family Army in the future."

General Lu of the Puyang Army frowned and stroked his beard, while General Ge of the Changshan Army sighed repeatedly: "This show of force is being used against the Song family father and son, and it's meant to be seen by you and me. The northern lands are truly about to change."

General Lu sighed deeply: "After a few years of carefree living, now that there's a new emperor, we both need to be more vigilant and careful in our actions. Otherwise, we might end up like the Song father and son, being made an example of by General Pei and humiliated!"

General Ge nodded in agreement: "Brother Lu is right."

The change of rulers in the north is an unstoppable trend. Both of them had taken the initiative to send troops to help Pei Qinghe fight against the Bohai Army last year. No matter how much effort they put in, they had at least made a bet and earned the merit of supporting the new emperor.

Pei Qinghe led his army to a great victory over the Xiongnu cavalry and ascended the throne in the glory of this triumph. Generals Lu and Ge, without hesitation, arrived in Yan County immediately upon receiving the news, only two or three days later than the Song family.

Then, the two complacent generals were dealt a harsh blow by the fact that the Song family had been tricked and defeated. When they got together, they couldn't help but sigh and lament.

“Brother Ge,” General Lu said solemnly, “The North has changed. You and I are as close as brothers. From now on, we should form a protective alliance and help each other.”

General Ge readily agreed with a smile: "It's a deal."

The next day, General Ge secretly went to see Pei Qinghe.

Isn't it a coincidence that General Lu arrived a step earlier?

General Lu wasn't embarrassed. He chuckled, cupped his hands in greeting to General Ge, and was then led into the house by Pei Yan.

As General Ge waited in the hall while sipping tea, he inwardly cursed General Lu for his lack of martial ethics. Hadn't they agreed to advance and retreat together? He'd actually come ahead of him without even a greeting.

This wait lasted for almost half an hour.

General Ge drank a whole pot of tea and got up to use the restroom twice. Only then did he receive General Pei's summons.

"General Ge, please sit down," Pei Qinghe said with a smile, without getting up.

General Ge bowed in greeting before sitting down. Before Pei Qinghe could ask any questions, he took the initiative to explain his purpose: "I heard that General Song received a copy of the military regulations bestowed by General Pei. I have come today to request a copy from you, General, so that I may read it carefully and study it diligently."

Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "What a coincidence. General Lu, who arrived before you, is also here to request the Pei family army's military regulations booklet. Could it be that the two of you have already made a private agreement?"

General Ge laughed and said, "I dare not lie to you, General. General Lu and I did have a couple of drinks together yesterday. We both expressed our admiration for the Pei family army. They are an army with strict discipline, obeying orders without question, and their fighting power is even stronger on the battlefield. So I shamelessly came today. I never expected that General Lu and I would be on the same page."

There is absolutely no such thing as collusion.

Pei Qinghe didn't delve into the matter further, and said with a smile, "General Ge is very thoughtful. Rectifying military regulations is the first step; we also need to train the troops diligently. I think we should implement both military regulations and training methods simultaneously. What does General Ge think?"

General Ge's eyes lit up, and he eagerly cupped his hands in thanks: "General Pei is magnanimous and willing to pass on his military training strategies to us. It is our good fortune. Thank you, General!"

The Pei family army is full of elite soldiers and fierce generals; who wouldn't be envious and jealous?

Even learning just a fraction of it would greatly enhance the army's combat effectiveness. This is a tangible benefit. How could General Ge, a man of such expertise, not be delighted?
Pei Qinghe smiled slightly and said, "The military regulations booklet is readily available. General Ge, take a copy back and take a look at it carefully. As for the training booklet, I will start writing it today, and once it's ready, I'll have someone send it to General Ge."

General Ge was overjoyed, bowed again to express his gratitude, and patted his chest to express his sincere support.

After seeing General Ge off, Pei Yan returned and said, "General Lu and General Ge must have conspired in private; they even said almost the same things."

Pei Qinghe twitched the corner of her mouth: "They only pretended to be convinced, but they're still hesitant in their hearts. At least they've put on a show of submission, which is not bad."

Completely controlling them is no easy task; it requires a combination of kindness and severity. Implementing the Pei family army's military regulations is a form of severity, while implementing the Pei family army's training strategies is a form of kindness.

Next, we'll have to use some more methods.

Pei Qinghe pondered the matter as she picked up her brush and began to write.

Pei Yan immediately came over to grind the ink, chattering incessantly: "Cousin Qinghe, you spent eight or nine years training elite troops. Now you're just going to tell them all about your training strategies? Isn't that a bit too generous?"

Pei Qinghe glanced at the pained Pei Yan with a smile: "Just because you tell them, do you think they'll do it exactly as you say? If that's the case, the Guangning Army should have been trained long ago."

The fact is that the Guangning army was indeed much stronger, and there was still a significant gap compared to the Pei family army.

Pei Yan seemed to understand: "That's true. Li Chi and Lü Feng both put in a lot of effort, but the soldiers they trained were just a little lacking."

“The commander-in-chief is the true soul of an army.” Pei Qinghe continued writing with his head down: “Don’t worry, they can’t catch up with me.”

"I hope they all train hard and will be of great use in the future."

"Oh!" Pei Yan gave up on the troublesome task of thinking and focused on grinding the ink.

Pei Qinghe spent two days compiling the Pei family army's training strategies, totaling five pages and forty-five points, with over a thousand words.

The task of copying was entrusted to Pei Yue. Pei Yue had been learning calligraphy since he was five years old and had developed excellent handwriting. With Pei Xuan and Pei Feng each leading troops in the field, such trivial matters naturally fell to Pei Yue.

"How many copies do you want?" Pei Yue asked.

Pei Qinghe said, "There are twenty armies in the north, so you can make twenty copies."

Twenty copies would require more than 20,000 words.

Pei Yue copied for five whole days, his wrists almost breaking from copying.

Pei Qinghe first sent out three copies, one each to General Song, General Lu, and General Ge.

General Fei and his son from the Taiyuan army could no longer sit still and together requested an audience with Pei Qinghe.

On the day of the attack on the Bohai Navy, General Fei did not move his troops but sent his son to lead them. With this merit, Pei Qinghe naturally had to give face to the father and son. As soon as General Fei asked, Pei Qinghe readily rewarded him with two thin booklets.

General Fei was overjoyed and repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

General Fei was somewhat envious, his gaze frequently drifting towards the training manual.

Pei Qinghe suddenly smiled and looked over: "Fei Lin, I plan to form a personal guard battalion after I ascend the throne. Would you be willing to come?"

(End of this chapter)