Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 493 Extra Chapter: Night Battle

Within ten miles of the military camp, the five thousand cavalrymen were spotted.

The Xiongnu army had set up camp here, and cavalry patrolled the camp day and night. Tonight was no exception. No matter how quietly Pei Yan and his party moved, they were still 5,000 cavalrymen, and it was impossible for them to completely avoid the Xiongnu cavalry.

This patrol of Xiongnu cavalry consisted of about twenty men.

Pei Yan grinned and waved his hand. Yang Huai led five hundred cavalrymen and charged forward aggressively, swallowing up more than twenty Xiongnu barbarians in a single encounter.

In the dead of night, the sounds of battle carried exceptionally far, alarming the remaining Xiongnu barbarians patrolling nearby. Some rushed towards the source of the fighting, while others ran to the military camp to warn of a potential night raid.

Pei Yan ignored the Xiongnu barbarians charging towards her and led the way, with the elite soldiers of the Pei family army following her at breakneck speed.

Five miles outside the Xiongnu camp, they encountered another group of Xiongnu barbarians. Song Dalang and Fei Lin immediately ordered their men to engage in battle. Pei Yan continued onward.

Three miles away, the entire military camp had been alarmed, and shouts of anger and alarm could be heard one after another.

Pei Yan continued to advance swiftly.

This was the rear of the Xiongnu camp; no matter how vigilant they were, their forces were no match for those at the front. It was the dead of night, and only a few hundred men were guarding the back gate.

Pei Yan led five thousand cavalrymen in a charge, sweeping through the enemy like a raging torrent, swiftly chopping the hundreds of Xiongnu barbarians guarding the rear gate of the camp into mincemeat. They then breached the rear gate and stormed into the Xiongnu camp.

Pei Yan had conducted numerous night raids on enemy camps and was highly experienced. Instead of immediately drawing her sword, she spurred her horse to charge the military tents. The Xiongnu barbarians, frantically dressing and searching for weapons, were thrown about by the powerful horses, some trampled to the ground, unable to rise again.

Taking advantage of the Xiongnu barbarians' confusion, Pei Yan searched around and quickly located the granary. The daily grain consumption of 70,000 to 80,000 cavalrymen was an astonishing figure. The granaries, which stored the grain, were usually built behind the camp, tall and large, and hard to miss.

Pei Yan took a special torch from the horse's back. This torch was the latest invention of the Ministry of Works, soaked in kerosene for a long time, so it could be lit by a single spark and burned for a long time.

The Pei family soldiers who launched the night raid each carried two of these torches. They could simply touch the nearest fire to ignite it instantly. Or they could light it with a tinderbox, in the blink of an eye.

Torches were thrown out one by one, landing around the granary, and the scattered flames quickly merged into one. Soon, the fire was blazing, with crackling sounds filling the air.

There were at least dozens of granaries, and this was only the first one to be burned. Pei Yan continued to lead the Pei family army to set fire to the grain and fodder.

More Xiongnu barbarians were awakened, shouting angrily as they rushed to put out the fire with water. Some even charged over with weapons.

Pei Yan swung his sword and killed one of them, then shouted, "Everyone, stop fighting and keep setting fire to the grain."

Their mission tonight is not to kill, but to burn supplies and demoralize the Xiongnu barbarians.

From the current perspective, these two tasks are more than half completed.

Once the granary is truly on fire, there's no need to worry about it anymore. What's the use of a few buckets of water? They won't put it out at all.

Pei Yan, caught up in the excitement of setting the fire, unknowingly rushed deep into the Xiongnu camp. At this moment, more and more Xiongnu barbarians were awakened and charged forward with sharp weapons.

Yang Huai was covered in sweat and shouted sharply, "Pei Yan, run!"

A night raid on the enemy camp is not difficult; the difficulty lies in escaping safely after burning the supplies. The entire Xiongnu camp is now in turmoil, like a man-eating monster awakening from a dream. One wrong move, and they will all be swallowed up.

Pei Yan, caught up in the excitement of the battle, was awakened by Yang Huai's shouts. She quickly calmed down and turned her horse around to run away.

All the Pei family soldiers who could keep up were desperately trying to converge behind Pei Yan. Only by working together as one could they have a chance to break through. When Pei Yan finally broke out of the enemy camp and ran for several miles, the sweat on her back dried in the cool breeze. She slowed down slightly and turned to look.

There were only a few hundred people behind him.

Yang Huai was covering her rear, and was not among them.

Pei Yan's heart sank, but she didn't stop, nor did she lose her mind and rush back to save people: "Keep running, run to the nearest county town, and everyone can rest and heal their wounds."

Completely escaping the Xiongnu pursuers was virtually impossible. Before the night raid, Pei Yan and the others had agreed that after a successful raid, they would hide in a nearby county town to avoid the pursuers. As long as Yang Huai escaped the enemy camp, they would definitely be able to find him.

Pei Yan suppressed her panic and continued to urge her horse on. The Xiongnu pursuers were only four or five miles away; if she relaxed even slightly, they would catch up.

They had been running for over forty miles when dawn broke. The pursuing troops behind them had become much quieter.

Pei Yan rushed to the county town gate and unfurled the banner of the Pei family army. The garrison guarding the town immediately opened the gate, allowing Pei Yan and his party to enter.

Pei Yan dismounted after entering the city, sat down against the city wall, and gasped for breath. She had two wounds on her body, which were still bleeding. She hadn't felt them while riding away, but now she felt dizzy and lightheaded.

The rest of Pei's army suffered varying degrees of injury; almost everyone was wounded. Fortunately, they all carried medicine kits with them, and a military doctor and three other physicians from the county town were summoned to treat Pei Yan and his group.

"Someone else is coming."

Pei Yan perked up: "How many people came back?"

"About two hundred."

Pei Yan opened her eyes expectantly. Among the two hundred-plus people, there were many familiar faces, but unfortunately, Yang Huai was still not among them.

Pei Yan's heart sank again, but she didn't show it on her face. She said to the Pei family soldiers who had escaped, "We succeeded in our night raid to burn the grain supplies. It's a blessing that we escaped with our lives. Those who are wounded should quickly bandage and treat their wounds."

In the following half day, two more groups of people escaped back.

Yang Huai was not among them.

The battlefield is the cruelest place. No matter how skilled you are, a fatal blow means death. The Pei family army, established for over a decade, has fought countless battles, large and small. The number of those who have died on the battlefield is simply too great. There are over twenty generals whose names can be counted. From Pei Jia and Pei Yifang Da Tou of yesteryear, to Lü Feng and Feng Chang of later years, and then Li Chi, who died less than half a month later…

No one can guarantee that they will always be safe and sound.

Last night's raid was undoubtedly successful. Much of the grain and provisions were burned, the morale of the Xiongnu army was shaken, and many were killed. The Pei family army suffered extremely heavy casualties. Of the five thousand cavalry, only a little over a thousand have returned.

If we wait another day or two, those who still haven't returned will most likely never come back.

Pei Yan, who had never known sadness or grief, had her eyes quietly redden.

Not wanting anyone to see her weakness and loss of composure, she turned her head to the wall.

A heavy breathing sounded, and the man, covered in blood, was helped to sit down: "Pei Yan! I'm back."

(End of this chapter)