Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 495 Side Story: The Rout (Part 1)

"Which Xiongnu cavalry unit is this?"

Surrounded by thousands of elite cavalry, Pei Qinghe stood calmly beneath the Pei-branded military flag. Several miles ahead, a fierce cavalry battle raged, billowing dust and the sounds of battle echoing everywhere. Even from this distance, she couldn't make out the enemy's banners, so she turned to the man beside her and asked.

This man, who was over forty years old, with brown eyes and curly hair, was Hemu, who had been raising horses in Quanzhou for ten years.

Hemu played a crucial role in the Pei family army's large cavalry force. Quanzhou is now the largest horse farm in the new dynasty, producing tens of thousands of warhorses annually. In addition, there is a steady stream of fine horses obtained from the Xianbei tribes in exchange for tea, salt, cotton cloth, and iron pots.

This time, the Xiongnu Khan personally led his troops south, and Pei Qinghe was determined to fight a real national war, so he brought Hemu along as well.

Hemu had a blood feud with the Xiongnu, and dreamed of destroying them. He knew the various Xiongnu tribes like the back of his hand. After examining them carefully for a moment, he answered confidently, "It should be the cavalry of Batel and Xubu's tribes. The Xiongnu Khan Modun is the youngest son of the old Khan, and Batel and Xubu are both Modun's elder brothers. They must be dissatisfied with their younger brother's succession."

"Morton launched a large-scale military campaign, firstly to seize money, grain, and slaves from Youzhou, and secondly, it should also be intended to weaken the strength of Batelxub."

This makes sense.

Pei Qinghe nodded slightly, indicating her agreement with Hemu's deduction.

What Morton thinks is his business. For Pei Qinghe, there's no reason not to swallow a piece of meat that's been offered to him. This Xiongnu cavalry force, which had voluntarily retreated to return to the grasslands, numbered less than 20,000. Defeating them would be like cutting off Morton's leg.

The vanguard cavalry constantly patrolled the battlefield, relaying the latest military intelligence and orders.

"Your Majesty, General Li Si has personally beheaded a Xiongnu general! The morale of the Xiongnu cavalry has collapsed, and some have already begun to flee."

Pei Qinghe's eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth turned up: "Good! Li Si has made a great contribution! Issue my military order, commanding General Meng to lead the cavalry to attack!"

Having rested for several days, the Beiping army, like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath or a tiger descending a mountain, fiercely pounced on the battlefield.

On one side were the Xiongnu cavalry eager to escape back to the grasslands, and on the other side were the Pei family army, their fighting spirit surging, relentlessly clinging to the Xiongnu barbarians and refusing to let go.

The battle was almost entirely in Pei's favor. Victory was assured; the only question was how many Xiongnu barbarians they could kill and annihilate this time.

Unable to contain himself, Hemu cupped his hands and volunteered for battle: "I also wish to lead troops into battle, please grant my permission, Your Majesty!"

Pei Qinghe nodded in approval: "Don't let your temper get the better of you! Go!"

Hemu's eyes lit up, and he bowed to accept the order.

The Quanzhou horse ranch had been continuously expanding, growing its manpower from a couple hundred initially to two thousand now. Many of these men were Xianbei cavalry recruited over the years. These men naturally all came under Hemu's command. For this great battle, Hemu left five hundred men at the horse ranch and brought fifteen hundred cavalry. Now, having mustered his troops, he shouted in fluent Han Chinese, "Brothers, follow me to kill the Xiongnu barbarians!"

A group of cavalrymen, brandishing their sharp blades, shouted, "Kill the Xiongnu barbarians!"

The addition of this new force completely crushed the fighting spirit of the Xiongnu barbarians.

In fact, the defeat of the Xiongnu barbarians was already destined from the moment Xubu was beheaded by Li Si.

Countless Xiongnu barbarians suddenly spurred their horses and fled towards the grasslands. They knew that turning their backs on the enemy was a cardinal sin on the battlefield, tantamount to abandoning their armor and weapons to be slaughtered, but with their comrades all running away, who would be willing to stay and fight to the death?
Run! Run fast! Run back to the grasslands!
The Xiongnu barbarians, galloping wildly on horseback, soon succumbed to despair. The Pei family army pursued relentlessly, like a pack of wolves chasing its prey.

Pei Qinghe left behind 5,000 cavalrymen and sent out the rest of the army.

The battlefield, a chaotic melee of ten thousand horses, had completely descended into disarray. At this point, transmitting military intelligence and orders was impossible. The only recourse was for the generals to lead their cavalry in pursuit. The specific results would have to wait until after the battle to be tallied.

Pei Qinghe calmly rode his horse and led five thousand cavalrymen back to Beiping City.

That evening, Meng Liulang led his troops back first.

The next day at noon, Li Si returned. The brutal baptism of the battlefield had rapidly matured the young and passionate Li Si, replacing the hatred in his eyes with resilience.

Pei Qinghe said gently to Li Si, "You personally killed Xubu, avenging Li Chi. The Liaoxi army is now completely loyal to you. From now on, you will lead the Liaoxi army and guard the border."

Li Sisu's appearance should be correct.

Pei Qinghe sighed softly again: "You have suffered three injuries. Go and ask Doctor Lu to treat your wounds. Now, just focus on recovering."

Li Si was helped away to receive treatment. His injuries to his waist, abdomen, and left shoulder were relatively minor, but his leg injury was the most severe. If he didn't recover properly, he would end up like Sun Cheng, a lame general!
Li Si didn't try to be brave; instead, she obediently went to recover from her injury.

Another day passed before Hemu returned. Of the more than one thousand cavalrymen he had brought, about thirty percent had been lost. However, his achievements were remarkable; he had captured Batel alive.

Batel, in his fifties, had his right hand chopped off, and his left hand and legs were bound. He was thrown back on a warhorse, his face deathly pale, barely breathing.

Pei Qinghe smiled and praised Hemu: "You captured Batel alive, a great achievement. After the war, when rewards are distributed, I will appoint you as a general!"

Hemu performed the standard cupped-hand salute to express his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Regarding how to deal with Batel, the generals all offered their opinions.

Pei Feng suggested, "Kill Batel with one strike and use him as a sacrifice to the flag!"

This suggestion was unanimously approved. Killing the enemy general on the battlefield would boost the morale of their own troops and deliver a heavy blow to the enemy, causing unrest and turmoil within the Xiongnu army. A win-win situation!
Pei Xuan had even more ideas and suggested, "Why don't we have Batel write a letter to persuade Morton to surrender?"

That's so mean!
Pei Qinghe glanced at Pei Xuan with a smile: "Bater's right hand has been cut off, and he's currently unconscious and on the verge of death. How can he write a letter?"

Pei Xuan laughed and said, "We captured quite a few Xiongnu barbarians in this battle. We'll find one of Batel's men and have him write it down for us. The main purpose is to humiliate and anger Morton, so that he'll take the initiative to leave the camp for a decisive battle!"

Yang Hu, Meng Liulang, and Lü Sheng all expressed their approval.

Pei Qinghe agreed: "Pei Xuan, this was your idea, so I'll leave this matter to you."

Pei Xuan gladly accepted the order.

She found five prisoners and spoke to them in fluent Hunnic: “I need someone to write a letter for Batel and deliver it to Morton in the Hunnic camp. Whoever is willing to go will live. Anyone who is unwilling will be executed immediately.”

Those who didn't die on the battlefield and became prisoners were mostly cowards who clung to life. No sooner had Pei Xuan finished speaking than two Xiongnu barbarians eagerly volunteered.

Pei Xuan executed the other three prisoners who were a step behind, and ordered the two prisoners who spoke first to each write a letter urging surrender. He selected the best letter and then ordered the two prisoners to send it to the Xiongnu camp.

(End of this chapter)