Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 460 Facing the Battle (Part 5)

"This is the famous Pei Family Army!"

"They are indeed all strong and imposing!"

"Which one is our Emperor Zhaoyuan?"

"Let me take a closer look! It must be that fierce female general! The tallest, the darkest-faced, and the most ferocious one!"

"That's not right! It should be the female general riding at the very front! Her eyes are like lightning, she's incredibly imposing!"

Whispers drifted through the crowd and reached Pei Qinghe's ears. This wasn't the first or second time such a misunderstanding had occurred. Pei Qinghe paid it no mind, smiling as she spurred her horse forward.

The prefectural governor's mansion in Mo City had already been emptied. Pei Qinghe walked straight in and, led by Pei Yun, entered the courtroom.

All the important military generals gathered in the courtroom.

Pei Qinghe sat at the head of the table, with Pei Yun and Mao Hongling on either side. Below them were Pei Yan and Yang Huai, and on the other side were General Lu and General Ge.

“The Pingyang Army and the Taiyuan Army are both on their way,” Pei Qinghe said. “Gu Lian, Sun Cheng, and Pei Feng have also led their troops to provide support. They will all be able to reunite here in a few days.”

Upon hearing that reinforcements were arriving in droves, General Lu's expression improved considerably: "Excellent! With so many reinforcements, our forces are in no way inferior to the Imperial Guards, and we can truly fight a great victory!"

The implication was clear to everyone.

Their previous defeat wasn't their fault. The disparity in troop strength was simply too great!
Pei Qinghe smiled slightly: "General Lu and General Ge have worked hard for the past two weeks. Despite being outnumbered and suffering heavy casualties, you have persevered. This victory deserves credit for both of you!"

General Ge was pleased to hear this and quickly replied with a smile, "I dare not accept Your Majesty's praise! In fact, I have always wanted to retreat. It was General Pei Yun who insisted on holding our ground here and waiting for reinforcements."

Pei Qinghe looked at Pei Yun, her eyes full of approval: "General Pei Yun did a good job! If you can stop the garrison troops, you must stop them. Otherwise, if these bandits sweep through our northern lands, even if we win the battle later, the people whose homes have been destroyed will not survive. This strategy is absolutely correct."

Pei Yun smiled and then sighed, "The casualties were indeed too heavy. If it weren't for the rigorous training and effective ideological work, they would have been completely routed long ago."

War is always a cruel thing; as long as there is fighting, people will keep dying.

Pei Qinghe paused for a moment, then said, "The North has been recuperating and developing for the past few years, and its economy has been slowly recovering. The people have also been living a more peaceful life. In my opinion, I am not in a hurry to unify the North and the South. It would be fine to divide the country along the Yangtze River."

"Now that the Imperial Guard has taken the initiative to send troops to attack the Pei family army, this national war cannot be avoided. Not only must we fight, but we must fight swiftly and decisively, and win cleanly and beautifully. Only in this way can we minimize the number of casualties."

Pei Yun's solemn expression confirmed this.

General Lu and General Ge each had their own thoughts, exchanged a glance, and then fell silent.

Pei Qinghe then said, "I have arrived. From now on, I will decide how to fight the enemy. Pei Yun, you and General Lu and General Ge should send people to take stock of the troops and report back immediately."

The three men each accepted their orders and departed.

Pei Qinghe took out a topographical map and studied it with Mao Hongling and others. As night fell, the casualties of the day were roughly tallied. The Bohai Navy had about 5,000 soldiers still capable of fighting. The Puyang Army had more than 3,000, and the Changshan Army had nearly 3,000. Adding the 10,000 elite cavalry that Pei Qinghe brought, the total force was more than 20,000.

Pei Qinghe quickly made a decision: "We can't let Situ Xi figure out our true intentions. We'll launch a night attack tonight!"

General Ge trembled at the mention of a night raid and couldn’t help but say, “Our allied forces have also launched night raids before, but the Imperial Guards were prepared. As a result, our soldiers were routed and suffered heavy casualties.”

General Lu also cupped his hands and said, "Situ Xi is a veteran general with a wealth of experience, and his military camp is heavily fortified. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider the matter of the night raid."

Pei Qinghe's eyes flashed as she looked at Pei Yan.

Pei Yan stepped forward, her loud voice making the two old generals' eardrums hurt: "Tonight, I, Pei Yan, will lead the troops in a night raid. You don't need to send any troops. Just wait here for good news."

In previous years, Pei Qinghe had always led Pei Yan in night raids on military camps. Now that Pei Qinghe had ascended the throne and become the emperor, leading troops to Mo City to confront the Imperial Guards was a matter of the emperor personally leading the campaign. Such a crucial task as leading troops to raid enemy camps was indeed inconvenient for him to do personally; this important responsibility fell to Pei Yan.

Yang Huai stepped forward and clasped his hands in a gesture of volunteering: "This humble general is willing to go with Commander Pei."

The two were inseparable, always going to war together. Pei Yan was exceptionally brave, while Yang Huai excelled at filling in gaps in defenses, making them invincible on the battlefield.

Pei Qinghe nodded slightly: "The key to a night raid is speed. It's not about how many casualties you inflict, but about getting in and out quickly, harassing the enemy camp, exhausting the enemy troops, and winning their hearts and minds. Each of you will take two thousand cavalrymen and four thousand men with you."

"Remember, just set fire to the enemy camp, and come back quickly."

……

In the central command tent of the Imperial Guard, General Situ summoned all his generals to discuss strategies for dealing with the enemy.

"The Pei family army has arrived. We will fight them right here!" a military officer boasted arrogantly.

Another military officer, however, felt a sense of dread: "Today on the battlefield, I faced the Pei family's cavalry. These cavalrymen are all formidable fighters, and their teamwork is excellent. In a head-on confrontation, I fear our Imperial Guards will be unable to withstand the Pei family's cavalry."

The Imperial Guard also included cavalry, and in large numbers. After all, it was once an elite army protecting the capital of the Great Jing Dynasty, with a substantial reserve of 30,000 cavalry. Despite the constant fighting and casualties in recent years, and the continuous recruitment of new soldiers, the cavalry battalion has maintained an astonishing number of 30,000.

It can be said that the ultimate victory over the Jiangnan rebels relied on their massive elite cavalry. These 30,000 cavalrymen were General Situ's greatest asset in his conquest of the world!
However, the cavalry battalion that once made the Imperial Guard proud was almost completely crushed when facing the Pei family's cavalry on the battlefield.

While our side is engaged in endless battles, the enemy is also on a long march and is a truly exhausted army.

Could it be that General Situ, a veteran of countless battles, really not realizes that only cavalry from the Pei family army have arrived, and that the main infantry force is nowhere to be seen?
It was because the cavalry was completely outmatched, and under immense mental shock, they immediately retreated.

At this moment, a trusted general brought up a scene from the cavalry battle, and General Situ's mood became gloomy and complicated.

The military officers were divided and unable to reach a consensus. Some clamored for a large-scale attack with their elite troops the next day, hoping to rout the Pei family army before they could regroup. Others believed they should first probe the Pei family army's strength and combat capabilities before making a decision.

General Situ was annoyed by what he heard and said in a deep voice, "Shut up! Pass down my order to strengthen the defenses of the camp and prevent the enemy from launching a night attack."

(End of this chapter)