48: Chapter 48 Beautiful women have always had tragic fates (19)

19

After the Beirong Army general Tuva was killed, the Xuanjia Army opened the city gates, and the Beichuan Army drove straight in. The two sides joined forces to kill the Beirong Army soldiers within the city and captured over five thousand prisoners of war.

With this, the Beichuan Army recaptured Qinzhou City.

During the twenty-plus days it was occupied, Qinzhou City was in a state of chaos and devastation. Since the Beirong Army broke into the city, they had looted shops, wantonly slaughtered the people of Qinzhou, committed arson, and stopped at nothing to do evil.

Zhao Yan paced the streets with a heavy expression; it was said that this had once been the most prosperous street in Qinzhou City.

On the main street, there were survivors who had escaped the disaster weeping in each other's arms; there were also those with sorrowful expressions, mourning their unfortunate deceased loved ones. But more numerous were those who, with the arrival of the Northern Expedition Army, had rekindled hope for life, picking up the pieces of their broken homes and starting their lives anew.

"General, General..." Suddenly, she heard a crisp call. She looked down and saw a tiny child holding a bowl of steaming congee with both hands, stumbling toward her.

"Slow down." Zhao Yan reached out to steady the child.

"General, this is the grain I received. Thank you for saving me on the city wall." The little one obediently handed the rice congee to her, her innocent face beaming brightly.

Zhao Yan smiled at her and said, "I am not a general."

"But in my heart, you are a great general. You saved Shuangxi's life and drove the bad guys away for us; you are a great hero." The little one's voice was clear, filled with a child's innocence, and her eyes were clear, brimming with admiration and worship. "This bowl of congee is what Shuangxi saved for you, General. Please, warm yourself up."

When she didn't take it, the little girl stubbornly held it out in front of her. After a while, the girl looked a bit aggrieved, her eyes turning red.

Zhao Yan pursed her lips and smiled slightly, then reached out to take the chipped bowl and took a sip.

The little girl's eyes immediately lit up, and she asked eagerly, "Is it good?"

Zhao Yan nodded: "It's good."

Then, she squatted down, brought the bowl to the girl's lips, and carefully fed her: "I have already eaten; you hurry up and eat."

Only then did the little girl take small sips of the congee from her hand. She felt so happy she could burst; such a formidable General was actually so gentle, feeding her congee with her own hands.

When the bowl of congee was finished, the little girl's parents came looking for her. Seeing her being half-held in Zhao Yan's arms, they hurriedly reached out to take her, panicked, "You child, how could you tire out the General? Hurry, get down!"

"Thanks to the General's rescue today, otherwise, otherwise this girl Shuangxi..." The woman said, covering her face and weeping.

Shuangxi stretched out her clumsy little hand to wipe her mother's tears and comforted her softly: "Mother, don't cry. Shuangxi is fine. When I grow up, I want to be like the General, learn martial arts, join the army, defend the country, protect you, protect the people of Qinzhou, and drive all those bad guys out of Liang State."

"You are just a girl, what nonsense are you spouting?" The woman chided her.

Zhao Yan reached out and patted her head, "That's ambitious. Who says women are inferior to men? Heroines can hold up half the sky. Study hard and practice martial arts; I will wait for you in Yandu, Liang State."

The little girl nodded solemnly at her and was carried away by her parents.

Afterwards, she went to check on the Xuanjia Army. Because it was a sneak attack, the Beirong Army had little preparation, and the Xuanjia Army, with their superior strength and having held back for nearly three years, simply crushed them in this battle.

The Xuanjia Army suffered no deaths, only dozens of injuries, and all wounds had been treated. The surviving commoners helped one after another; those with medicine brought medicine, those without brought food, and some warmly invited the soldiers to recuperate in their homes.

However, the Xuanjia Army and the Beichuan Army strictly adhered to military orders: do not enter civilian homes or disturb their peace, so the soldiers declined them one by one. But they couldn't stop the enthusiastic commoners from delivering whatever they had in their homes, such as eggs, warm quilts, clothing, and so on.

Zhao Yan, who had walked all the way, had also gained quite a lot, and Hong Yun and Ye Chen behind her even more so.

Even if you said you couldn't take it, they would insist on shoving it into your hands, then turn and run, disappearing into the alleys in a flash, not even a shadow left to be seen.

The three of them looked at each other, their faces full of helplessness.

The three of them were holding a pile of things like this, and when they were about to reach the City Lord's Mansion, Zhao Yan looked up and her gaze happened to meet Pei Ji, who was standing at the entrance.

Pei Ji was surrounded by many old people, women, and children, and they also held a large pile of things. But Pei Ji just stood there, exuding an aura of killing intent, and not a single person dared to give anything to him. Just then, seeing Zhao Yan and the others approach, the crowd seemed to find a target, rushing toward them and forcefully stuffing the things in their hands into hers.

"No need... no..." The words of refusal were stuck in her throat. Who could resist the enthusiasm of these grandfathers and grandmothers?

Pei Ji stood with his hands behind his back, his cold lips curving imperceptibly. The woman before him was flustered, her eyes filled with indulgence as she looked at the commoners. It was a far cry from the decisive, lethal figure on the East City Wall just a moment ago.

Zhao Yan, holding the things in her arms, was swaying from side to side. Glancing over, she saw Pei Ji still watching her, so she mischievously curled her lips. When passing by him, she dumped all the things in her arms into his, saying with feigned flattery: "The Prince is the true hero. Since the commoners dare not give them to the Prince, let me pass them on. This is the sincere gratitude of the commoners; the Prince must not refuse."

Now the flustered one was him. For the first time in his life, Pei Ji had received such treatment. By the time he managed to transfer all the things on him to his guards, that person had already strode into the City Lord's Mansion.

Pei Ji stared at her back in a daze. No wonder she said those things at the banquet. If he had seen this appearance earlier, he might also have been prejudiced, focusing on her face rather than her talent. It was no wonder Liu Wenying said Liu Shi was bringing humiliation upon herself; it was incredibly fitting.

However, she was bold. Nowadays, she was not even afraid of him, acting so casually.

When Pei Ji stepped onto the second floor, he saw her standing in front of the desk in the study, looking at something.

The original City Lord of Qinzhou, when the Rong people attacked Qinzhou, had led all the defending soldiers of Qinzhou City to resist fiercely, refusing to submit, and fighting to the very end.

All the defending soldiers of Qinzhou City died in battle, and the original City Lord had led the charge. At the moment the city gates were breached, the City Lord's elderly mother, his wife, and their children all hanged themselves.

Afterwards, the Beirong Army occupied this City Lord's Mansion, using it as the residence for their general.

This was where Tuva lived while he was alive.

Pei Ji came here to see if there was anything of value left, and Zhao Yan had obviously thought of the same thing.

Zhao Yan looked up, saw who had come, and handed over the letters in her hand.

"Tuva already sent a request for reinforcements to Beirong?" Pei Ji raised an eyebrow.

"Judging by this, it's not just one letter; several have been sent recently. According to the reply, calculating the marching speed of the army, in just three or four days, the reinforcements should be able to reach Qinzhou City." Zhao Yan deliberated for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Prince, the Beirong Army prisoners in Qinzhou City haven't been killed yet, right?"

Pei Ji looked up and asked, "What do you want to do?"

"Strip off their clothes and then kill them. As long as we kill them cleanly and thoroughly, leaving no survivors, do you think the Beirong reinforcements will know that we have already taken the city?"

Zhao Yan murmured to herself, "They won't know at all. After all, in just half a day, how could we possibly have recaptured Qinzhou City?"

"The reply says to have Tuva's garrison coordinate with them to pincer the Beichuan Army from front and back. Why don't we turn their own scheme against them? Tomorrow, let the Xuanjia Army change into the Beirong people's clothing and armor. When the Beirong reinforcements arrive, pretend to join them in attacking the Beichuan Army, but in reality, lure the enemy deep, and have the Beichuan Army and Xuanjia Army join forces to encircle the Beirong reinforcements. How about that?"

"Distinguishing the Xuanjia Army wearing Beirong armor from the real Beirong Army is also very simple. I have observed carefully: the Xuanjia Army's boots are black leather boots, while the Beirong Army's boots are brown riding boots. Just inform the Beichuan Army."

"What does the Prince think of my idea?"

Pei Ji seemed not to have heard her question and asked back, "What did you just say? How to deal with the Beirong prisoners?"

"Kill them."

His gaze fixed on her face, as if trying to detect something unusual, but this person was using the gentlest voice to say the most cruel words.

"Don't you think that's cruel?"

Zhao Yan's look at him became strange. What madness was this person having? He was talking to her about cruelty?

"When the Beirong Army was brutally murdering my innocent people, they had no humanity or principles. Did my people of the Central Plains beg for mercy? They certainly did, but did they ever spare them? No."

"Then why should I spare their lives?" Zhao Yan asked back, "When they raised their butcher knives against my people of the Central Plains, they should have thought that before long, the big knives of our Central Plains soldiers might be aimed at their heads. Since they had the guts to do such things, shouldn't they bear the consequences?"

"And I am only killing those Beirong soldiers who were the culprits; I am not killing their innocent Beirong commoners, so where does the cruelty come in?"

Moreover, there was a bloody example right there. Back then, Pei Ji slaughtered nearly ten thousand Beirong prisoners, scaring the Beirong so much that they hadn't made a move for eight years. It showed that the Beirong people were not unafraid of death; they were afraid. So, let's make them fear it even more thoroughly, so they would never dare to mess with the Central Plains again.

Pei Ji pondered carefully and found that her logic was clear, and her argument was actually very reasonable.

Pei Ji suddenly laughed heartily and said, "The world says I am a wanton killer, bloodthirsty by nature, and I never argue. Today, I only learned that killing prisoners of war could have such an explanation. Miss Bai is simply my soulmate."

Zhao Yan: ...

Who is your soulmate? I don't like cutting off people's heads.

"What other ideas do you have?"

"Whether you want to cut off heads and hang them on the city gates, pile the corpses into a mountain, or set them on fire, I have no objection. However, don't hang the heads for too long. When you take them down to bury them, remember to cover them with thick soil to prevent the spread of plague."

Zhao Yan paused and then added, "It would be best to erect a huge stone tablet right next to the mass grave, instructing someone to carve clearly the time, location, and how many Beirong soldiers are buried here, and carve the big words 'Those who offend the Central Plains, no matter how far, shall be punished,' and set up our Great Liang flag next to the stone tablet."

"If the Beirong come once, we dig one mass grave; if they come twice, we dig two... Let's see how many mass graves their soldiers can fill."

"In the future, their descendants will also be able to see this tablet, deterring their descendants and making them remember this bloody lesson."

The more Pei Ji listened, the brighter the light in his eyes became. This was simply a great treasure; she could think even better than him.

How many days can heads hang on the city gate? Eventually, they have to be taken down. Taking them down to fill a mass grave and erecting a tablet as a warning can be remembered for decades, or even centuries, constantly deterring the Beirong.

This idea is truly brilliant!

The Bai Clan is indeed worthy of its reputation; they are just not the same as ordinary scholars. Not only is their mind sharp, but they are also not bound by worldly views, and they are surprisingly compatible with him.

Subsequently, Pei Ji immediately ordered people to make arrangements according to Zhao Yan's instructions.

Once everything was packed up, the Beichuan Army retreated outside the city gates and set up camp. Pei Ji himself also moved to the outside camp; when putting on a show, one must do it thoroughly.

Everything is ready, all that's missing is the east wind.

This east wind arrived on the morning of the fourth day. The Beirong reinforcements arrived, travel-worn, at the East City Gate and launched an attack on the Beichuan Army camp.

Immediately, the two armies stood against each other, neither yielding.

Just as the Beichuan Army was going all out to deal with the Beirong reinforcements, the East City Gate suddenly opened wide. The "Beirong Army" inside the city shouted and rode out on horseback, each looking murderous and fierce.

The reinforcements were overjoyed, and the two armies quickly converged, shrinking the encirclement, delusional in their attempt to surround and annihilate the Beichuan Army.

Unexpectedly, the garrison from inside the city that had converged suddenly turned against them, charging and killing their own people. The Beirong reinforcements were confused by this scene. What on earth was going on? Their formation was scattered, and they were thrown into chaos all at once.

The reinforcement general Dalu looked carefully at the group of Beirong garrison soldiers who had charged out and discovered the clue. These were not their Rong people at all; they clearly had the appearance of Central Plains people. They were just wearing armor and helmets, so it wasn't very clear, but upon close inspection, it could still be distinguished.

No matter how slow he was, he knew that they had fallen into a trap. He feared that the garrison in Qinzhou City had long been captured, and Qinzhou City had been taken back by the other side.

At this moment, it was likely not him and Tuva's garrison force encircling the Beichuan Army, but the Beichuan Army encircling him.

Dalu waved his big sword, hacking at the Beichuan soldiers around him while quickly searching his mind for a way to save himself. Now, the only thing to do was to break out quickly, clear his head, and then make further arrangements.

Outside the city gate, the sounds of fighting rose all around. The Beichuan Army and the Beirong reinforcements were locked in a chaotic battle. Both sides had excellent armor, sharp weapons, and were well-trained. However, the Beirong reinforcements were fighting especially hard. Originally, they were fighting well against the Beichuan soldiers, evenly matched, when they saw a companion coming to help out of the corner of their eye. They felt happy, but before they could be happy, they were slashed on the arm by the other person. They couldn't understand what was going on at all. Could it be that someone in their Beirong Army had rebelled?

This situation happened so often that the Beirong reinforcements didn't even dare to let their own people get close to them, for fear that these "own people" would suddenly stab them in the back!

In the crowd, on the Beichuan Army side, Pei Ji was holding a big sword, riding his horse forward. He stabbed his sword fiercely into the heart of a Beirong soldier blocking his path, pulled it out, and swung it horizontally, clearing the obstacles on his left flank. His eyes, deep and dark, stared at the person straight ahead, his gaze incredibly fierce, like a lone wolf stalking its prey.

Dalu had just hacked a Beichuan soldier beside him to death when he suddenly felt a chill on his back. Turning around, he met a pair of bloodthirsty eyes. He couldn't help but shudder. Pei Ji! Pei Ji had actually come in person to lead the army.