Recaps

Zhu Ying questioned captured Tatar scouts and learned that the Blue Banner Tribe had over thirty thousand soldiers and expected reinforcements from Great Yuan. After scouting revealed the tribe’s defenses, he ordered Li Tao to harass the southern section while giving reluctant commanders the option to withdraw.

• Liu Lei brought two captured Tatar night scouts to Zhu Ying, who killed them after questioning them about the tribe’s forces and plans.
• Zhu Ying learned that the Blue Banner Tribe had over thirty thousand soldiers, nearly a hundred thousand people, and expected troops from Great Yuan to reinforce it.
• A scout Banner Commander reported that the tribe was divided into four sections positioned around the main tribe, able to support one another.
• Zhu Ying rejected Li Tao’s proposal to simply roam and withdraw, and ordered him to harass the southern tribe in one hour to draw out its forces.
• Li Tao chose to withdraw after completing the harassment, while Wei Quan, Luo Hua, Zhang Wu, and Zhuang Wei pledged to follow Zhu Ying.

Zhu Ying led four thousand cavalry toward the northern Tatar tribe while Li Tao prepared a limited attack from the south. Zhu Ying’s raid began under cover of darkness, and his men struck the tribe’s sleeping sentries.

• Li Tao decided to harass the southern Tatar tribe and withdraw once the time limit expired, refusing to risk his troops in a larger attack.
• Zhu Ying rallied his soldiers, explained that Li Tao’s southern attack would draw the Tatars away, and ordered his cavalry to raid the northern tribe.
• Zhu Ying commanded his troops to press forward without stopping and set fires once they entered the enemy camp.
• Zhu Ying led four thousand cavalry silently toward the northern tribe, where the guards were lax and many watchmen had fallen asleep.
• A Tatar sentry noticed movement near the tribe, and Zhu Ying’s archers shot several watchtower guards dead.

Zhu Ying led four thousand Ming cavalry in a surprise attack on the Tatar Northern Tribe, breaking through its gate and slaughtering its people. Agunu sent troops to reinforce the Northern Tribe, then learned the Southern Tribe was also under attack.

• Zhu Ying and the Ming cavalry launched a night assault on the Northern Tribe, killing Tatar sentries and soldiers with arrows.
• Zhu Ying shattered the tribe’s gate and led his troops inside, where they killed the Tartars they encountered.
• Zhu Ying’s Authority Seal strengthened his soldiers’ combat ability, morale, and stamina as they advanced through the tribe.
• A messenger told Agunu that the Northern Tribe was under attack, and Agunu ordered five thousand troops to reinforce it.
• Another messenger reported that the Ming Army was also attacking the Southern Tribe.

Zhu Ying led several thousand Ming soldiers in a night raid that devastated the Tatar Northern Tribe, while Agunu realized too late that his forces had been misdirected. After escaping more than twenty li, Zhu Ying halted his cavalry on the Northern Frontier and ordered a headcount.

• Agunu canceled his order to reinforce the Northern Tribe and sent more troops to defend the Southern Tribe, believing the Ming Army planned to attack the south.
• Zhu Ying and several thousand Ming soldiers stormed the Northern Tribe, killed many Tatars, and set the tents ablaze.
• Agunu learned that the Ming Army had attacked the Northern Tribe and rushed there with his army, finding the tribe devastated and more than ten thousand people dead.
• Agunu ordered Nu'alin to pursue the Ming soldiers and swore revenge.
• Zhu Ying halted his bloodstained cavalry more than twenty li from the Northern Tribe and ordered the soldiers counted by hundred-household units.

After Zhu Ying’s army destroyed a Tatar tribe, he reported their victory and Li Tao’s misconduct, then prepared his exhausted troops for an expected counterattack. He gained a martial skill and Diarrhea Powder from treasure chests, while an old general arrived in Daning Prefecture.

• Zhu Ying learned that all four thousand soldiers had survived the raid, with wounded men among them, and ordered patrols, treatment, and rest.
• Zhu Ying told Wei Quan to report the raid’s gains and Li Tao’s actions truthfully, warning that the Tatars would soon encircle them.
• Zhu Ying checked his improved attributes and opened two treasure chests, gaining the Tiger Roar Skill and ten packets of Diarrhea Powder.
• Zhu Ying reviewed the battle report, added a message promising to hold back the Tatars, and sent it by carrier pigeon before inspecting the camp.
• An old general arrived in Daning Prefecture, where Bu Wan greeted him outside the Prefectural Yamen.

Feng Sheng arrived in Daning and learned that Zhu Ying had been left in the Northern Frontier to delay the Tatars. After receiving a worrying report that Zhu Ying had launched a reckless attack, Feng Sheng learned that Zhu Ying had sent a carrier pigeon message, suggesting he was still safe.

• Bu Wan reported that the Yuan Court was attacking Huizhou and that Great Ming forces had split their troops to strike Liaodong and hold back the Jianzhou Tatars.
• Bu Wan told Feng Sheng that Zhu Ying had devised the plan and taken command of five thousand troops to delay the Tatars.
• Bu Wan received a report from Ansha County claiming Zhu Ying had rashly attacked the Tatar camp with four thousand cavalry, prompting Feng Sheng to fear the force would be destroyed.
• Feng Sheng ordered Bu Wan to try to contact Zhu Ying and tell him to withdraw, while noting Great Ming's main army would arrive within ten days.
• A soldier delivered a carrier pigeon message from Zhu Ying, and Feng Sheng took it as a sign that Zhu Ying was unharmed.

Feng Sheng and the generals were astonished by Zhu Ying’s report that his four thousand soldiers had raided a Tatar tribe, killed more than ten thousand enemies, and suffered no deaths. Feng Sheng concluded that an earlier report accusing Zhu Ying’s forces of retreating was false and that Li Tao had disobeyed orders and feared death.

• Bu Wan handed Zhu Ying’s military dispatch to Feng Sheng, who praised Zhu Ying’s surprise attack after reading it.
• Feng Sheng’s guard read Zhu Ying’s report stating that his four thousand soldiers had attacked the Tatar Northern Tribe and killed more than ten thousand enemies without losing a man.
• Zhao Yong explained how Zhu Ying’s feint against the Southern Tribe had distracted the Tatars and left their northern defenses vulnerable.
• Feng Sheng praised Zhu Ying’s command and told Bu Wan that Daning had produced a capable general.
• Feng Sheng recognized that the earlier report claiming the Thousand-Household Office had retreated to Ansha County was false and had smeared Zhu Ying.

Feng Sheng took command of Daning Prefecture’s defenses and ordered the armies to gather at Huizhou as he prepared to destroy Naha Chu. Meanwhile, Zhu Ying’s four thousand cavalry formed up to meet the pursuing Tatars, and he opened the battle with a volley of arrows.

• Bu Wan condemned Li Tao for defying military orders, and Feng Sheng left Li Tao’s punishment to him.
• Bu Wan reported Daning Prefecture’s defenses and the Tatar assault on Huizhou to Feng Sheng.
• Feng Sheng ordered the armies to converge at Huizhou within ten days and sent a report to Yingtian praising Zhu Ying and the Daning Border Army.
• Liu Lei reported that up to five thousand Tatar cavalry were pursuing Zhu Ying’s force, and Zhu Ying vowed to leave them all behind.
• Zhu Ying rallied his four thousand soldiers and formed them into an attacking formation with bows ready.
• When the Tatar cavalry charged within a hundred paces, Zhu Ying gave the order to attack and killed the five leading riders with his arrows.

Zhu Ying led the Ming Army against a much larger Tatar cavalry force, using arrows and overwhelming strength to break their attack. After he killed the Tatar commander and the army fled, Zhu Ying continued killing Tatars and received a treasure chest for exceeding 500 kills.

• Zhu Ying and the Ming soldiers fired into the charging Tatar cavalry, killing hundreds before the armies met.
• Zhu Ying charged with Zhang Wu and the First Thousand-Household Battalion, cutting down Tatar soldiers while the Ming Army advanced.
• Zhu Ying charged into the Tatar rear and killed the Tatar commander of five thousand, then cut down the soldier carrying the command banner.
• Zhu Ying announced the commander's death, causing the Tatar army's morale to collapse and its soldiers to flee.
• Zhu Ying pursued the fleeing Tatars and received an ordinary treasure chest after exceeding 500 kills.

Zhu Ying led his Ming cavalry to destroy a Tatar detachment, then gathered the wounded, fallen, horses, and arrows before continuing north. Tatar reinforcements arrived after his withdrawal, discovered the battlefield and a message on their flag, and sought someone who could read it.

• Zhu Ying and several thousand Ming soldiers routed the Tatars, and the panel rewarded him when his attributes surpassed 800 and 900 points.
• Zhu Ying stopped his soldiers from pursuing the fleeing enemy and ordered them to treat the wounded and bring their fallen comrades home.
• Zhu Ying ordered Zhang Wu and Wei Quan to collect the Tatar horses and arrows, guard against enemies feigning death, and withdraw before reinforcements arrived.
• Zhu Ying led his mounted troops north after they gathered their equipment and casualties.
• A Tatar commander of ten thousand arrived with several thousand cavalry, questioned a surviving thousand commander about the defeat, and ordered his men to search for survivors.
• A Tatar soldier presented the commander with a battle flag bearing Han characters, and the commander called for someone who could read them.

Li Tao was demoted for fleeing the battle after Zhu Ying's raid on the Tatar Northern Tribe proved successful. Zhu Ying's forces shook off their pursuers and rested on the northern frontier after inflicting heavy losses on the Tatars.

• The Tatar Commander of Ten Thousand read Zhu Ying's threat and ordered his forces to continue pursuing the Ming soldiers.
• Bu Wan's order stripped Li Tao of his Battalion Commander post and demoted Deputy Battalion Commanders Wang Wu and Liu Wei after the Third Cavalry Battalion fled.
• Commander Chen told Li Tao that Zhu Ying had breached the Tatar Northern Tribe, killed over ten thousand enemies, and drawn the Tatars' attention away from the Yuan Court.
• Li Tao blamed Zhu Ying for his demotion and vowed that the matter was not over.
• Zhang Wu reported that the Tatars had been misled by scattered hoofprints, while Wei Quan reported at least four thousand enemy dead, 257 Ming soldiers killed, and 480 wounded.
• Zhu Ying ordered his men to rest and said he would stand watch that night.

Zhu Ying prepared his troops to pursue the Tatars and considered striking their tribal court, then opened three treasure chests and gained supplies and equipment. He gave hemostatic powder to the wounded, learned Charged Saber Slash, and put on protective inner armor as the Ming Dynasty prepared to shift from defense to offense.

• Zhu Ying ordered his exhausted soldiers to rest and said they would report their victory after dealing with the Tatar cavalry pursuing them.
• Zhu Ying studied a captured Tatar map and resolved to strike at the Tatar tribal court when the opportunity came.
• Zhu Ying opened three treasure chests and obtained protective inner armor, Charged Saber Slash, and ten bottles of premium hemostatic powder.
• Zhu Ying gave Liu Lei five bottles of hemostatic powder to use on wounded soldiers whose bleeding could not be stopped.
• Zhu Ying learned Charged Saber Slash, tested the protective inner armor, and put it on beneath his uniform.

After reflecting on the gains from battle, Zhu Ying inspected his exhausted soldiers while the Shen Family plotted to have him killed and prevent their adopted daughter from returning. On the northern frontier, Zhu Ying prepared an ambush intended to cripple the pursuing Tatar cavalry, and waited for them to arrive.

• Zhu Ying counted the attributes and lifespan he had gained from killing enemies, then checked on the night watch as his exhausted soldiers slept.
• Shen Rong told Shen Wansan that Shen Rong's adopted sister and Zhu Ying's steward had disappeared, and the two agreed to search for them and ensure Zhu Ying died.
• Shen Rong reported that the Shen Family had sent people to Daning and arranged a marriage alliance with the Lü Family; Shen Wansan said the family would sacrifice anything to preserve its power and wealth.
• A scout told Zhu Ying that Tatar cavalry was less than four li away, and Zhu Ying ordered his four thousand-household battalions to hide along the hills.
• Zhu Ying waited with the Treasure Eagle Bow as the Ming soldiers prepared to attack the Tatars in the valley he had chosen as an ambush site.

Zhu Ying ambushed Mainuha’s pursuing Tatar cavalry in a valley and led the Ming Army to annihilate nearly all of them. The last Tatar force in the region was destroyed, with fewer than a thousand escaping.

• Mainuha ignored a warning about the valley and led more than six thousand Tatar cavalry in pursuit of Zhu Ying’s troops.
• Zhu Ying shot Mainuha dead with the Treasure Eagle Bow, triggering the Ming soldiers’ ambush and a barrage of arrows against the Tatar rear ranks.
• Zhu Ying led the First, Second, and Fourth Thousand-Household Battalions in a charge while the Fifth Thousand-Household Battalion and nearly a thousand soldiers fired from high ground.
• The Ming Army overwhelmed the trapped Tatars, and Zhu Ying ordered his soldiers to kill the remaining survivors who begged for mercy.
• Wei Quan reported that fewer than seven or eight hundred Tatars had escaped and that the rest of the cavalry had been wiped out.

After Zhu Ying's forces annihilated the Tatar cavalry, he discovered that all his attributes had surpassed a thousand and gained a Tier 1 treasure chest. As he collected spoils from the battlefield, he found a new attribute, Internal Breath, and began to feel it circulate through his body.

• Zhu Ying ordered his commanders to treat the wounded, count casualties, gather the warhorses, secure the mountain, and leave no Tatar survivors.
• Zhu Ying told his soldiers that destroying the Tatar cavalry would let Ming cavalry move freely through Tatar territory, and Liu Lei asked when to report their victory.
• Zhu Ying's attributes surpassed a thousand, earning him a Tier 1 treasure chest, and his Attribute Panel showed Internal Breath at zero.
• Zhu Ying began collecting attributes from the corpses and noticed that each corpse yielded fewer points than before.
• Zhu Ying picked up points of Internal Breath, felt a warm current move from his dantian into his meridians, and stored arrows as he continued gathering battlefield spoils.

At court in Ying Tian, Zhu Yuanzhang received a military report praising Zhu Ying’s victories in the Northern Frontier. The report described Zhu Ying’s campaign against the Jianzhou Tatars, but its account was still unfolding when the chapter ended.

• A courier delivered a military dispatch from Daning Prefecture to Zhu Yuanzhang in Fengtian Hall.
• Zhu Yuanzhang was delighted to see Zhu Ying named in the report and asked Yun Qi to read it aloud.
• Feng Sheng reported that 230,000 Ming troops had gathered at Huizhou City after the Yuan army withdrew from its attack.
• Feng Sheng credited the Daning Border Army with holding Huizhou and described how Zhu Ying split his forces to delay the Yuan and Jianzhou Tatar armies.
• Feng Sheng reported that Zhu Ying had destroyed the Tatars’ Blue Banner Tribe, beheaded ten thousand, and later wiped out another ten thousand Tatar cavalry.

After Zhu Ying’s victories against the Jianzhou Tatars were reported at court, Zhu Biao proposed granting him a hereditary county baron title. Zhu Yuanzhang supported the proposal, and the ministers unanimously agreed.

• Yun Qi read a report stating that Zhu Ying had tied down the Jianzhou Tatars and inflicted heavy losses while keeping more than three thousand of his four thousand cavalry alive.
• The ministers marveled at Zhu Ying’s success in destroying Tatar cavalry and operating deep in enemy territory.
• Zhu Yuanzhang asked Zhu Biao for his assessment, and Zhu Biao praised Zhu Ying as an outstanding young general.
• Song Ne and other ministers called for Zhu Ying to be richly rewarded for his service in Daning Prefecture.
• Zhu Biao proposed granting Zhu Ying the title of Hereditary County Baron, and Zhu Yuanzhang backed the proposal.
• The ministers voiced unanimous support for Zhu Biao’s recommendation.

Zhu Yuanzhang granted Zhu Ying a hereditary county barony and discussed how Zhu Biao could command the Huai West generals. At the Lü residence, Lu Ben arranged his eldest son’s concubine marriage and considered Zhu Ying’s rise as part of a larger court strategy.

• Zhu Yuanzhang awarded Zhu Ying a hereditary county barony and another hundred gold for his service.
• Zhu Biao told Zhu Yuanzhang that Zhu Ying was a promising young commander, and Zhu Yuanzhang said Biao could use the Huai West generals as his future military strength.
• Lu Hao reported that the Shen Family had delivered a lavish dowry, and Lu Ben instructed him to arrange for the Shen girl to enter the household without a grand banquet.
• Lu Ben urged Lu Hao to support his sister’s position in the Eastern Palace and keep his younger brothers from causing trouble.
• Lu Hao questioned Zhu Ying’s new title, and Lu Ben rebuked him before suggesting the emperor’s favor toward Zhu Ying served the court’s dealings with the Huai West commanders.

Lu Ben and Lu Hao discussed the Emperor’s efforts to weaken Huai West’s influence, while Feng Sheng organized the Ming army’s advance toward Liaodong after the Yuan forces withdrew. The chapter ended with news that Zhu Ying had been granted a hereditary County Baron title at sixteen.

• Lu Ben told Lu Hao that the Emperor intended to cultivate new generals to counter Huai West’s military influence.
• Feng Sheng praised the Daning Border Army for defending Huizhou City and ordered its soldiers’ merits recorded and rewarded.
• Feng Sheng sent Lan Yu toward Liaodong and ordered Fu Youde to advance by a side route, while warning that Naha Chu had a large, well-armed force.
• Feng Sheng and Bu Wan praised Zhu Ying for holding back the Jianzhou Tatars, though they did not know his current situation.
• A message from Yingtian informed Feng Sheng that the Emperor had granted Zhu Ying a hereditary County Baron title, and that an imperial envoy was on the way.

Zhu Ying’s cavalry destroyed another Tatar tribe, bringing their tally to fifteen, then marched north as Agunu’s forces arrived too late to stop them. The soldiers pledged their loyalty to Zhu Ying, who promised to lead them through the campaign and never abandon a brother; the chapter ended with the exhausted army resting by bonfires.

• Zhu Ying ordered his soldiers to behead Tatar men taller than a cart wheel, poison the tribe’s water, and burn its supplies before riding north.
• Agunu arrived with more than ten thousand Tatars, found the tribe devastated, and vowed to keep pursuing Zhu Ying despite his depleted cavalry and lack of reinforcements.
• Wei Quan, Zhuang Wei, and Zhang Wu celebrated the destruction of fifteen tribes and reminded the soldiers to keep the ears they had taken as proof of their military merits.
• Zhu Ying’s soldiers swore to follow him, and he promised he would lead from the front and never abandon them.
• Zhu Ying led the cavalry on a forced march, then had them rest at night beside bonfires with dry flatbread and water.

Zhu Ying planned to raid the Tatar tribal court before dawn and promised his men he would take them home afterward. As he rested, he checked his increased attributes and remembered two unopened treasure chests.

• Zhu Ying told his commanders their mission was complete and asked if they would join him in a final major attack before returning to Ming.
• Zhang Wu identified how Zhu Ying’s raids on fifteen Tatar tribes had drawn away defenders and weakened the tribal court.
• Zhu Ying ordered the army to attack the Tatar tribal court that night, destroy and seize what they could, then ride east without pushing farther north.
• Zhu Ying promised his soldiers he would take them home after the battle, then checked his attribute panel and noted his lifespan had risen to 112 years.
• Zhu Ying remembered one ordinary treasure chest and one Tier 1 treasure chest, then ordered them all opened.

After opening two treasure chests, Zhu Ying stored a high-grade Heart-Protecting Pill and an Azure Rainbow Sword. At the Tatar tribal court, Aha Chu agreed to let Agunu lead an encirclement against the Ming forces, while refusing to consider breaking with Great Yuan.

• Zhu Ying opened an ordinary chest and a Tier 1 chest, obtaining an Azure Rainbow Sword and a Mysterious Tier High-grade Heart-Protecting Pill.
• Aha Chu condemned Agunu for the losses caused by the Ming Army, but Agunu begged for another chance to avenge the dead clansmen.
• Agunu claimed he had spread forty thousand troops across the tribes to encircle the Ming soldiers, and Aha Chu agreed to trust him again.
• Aha Chu heard that Zhu Ying was a newly risen Ming commander and discussed the difficulty of gathering intelligence on the Ming Army.
• Aha Chu ordered his men to tell Naha Chu to wait for reinforcements until the Tatars dealt with the Ming force in their territory.
• A commander urged Aha Chu to consider submitting to the Ming Kingdom, but Aha Chu refused, fearing Great Yuan's retaliation.

Zhu Ying led the Ming Army in a night assault on the Jianzhou Tatar tribal court, using ten thousand stampeding horses to smash through its defenses. The gates fell and the soldiers charged into the settlement, where the battle had only just begun.

• Aha Chu ordered Agunu to destroy Zhu Ying's force and gave him the tribe's remaining two thousand personal-guard cavalrymen.
• Zhu Ying and Wei Quan gathered ten thousand warhorses near the Jianzhou Tatar tribal court without alerting its guards.
• Zhu Ying ordered the horses to charge the settlement while the Ming soldiers followed behind them.
• The Tatars raised the alarm and fired arrows at the stampede, but the horses continued toward the gates.
• The warhorses smashed through the palisades and camp gate, trampling many Tatars as the Ming soldiers charged in.

Zhu Ying led a night assault on Aha Chu’s tribal encampment, using ten thousand stampeding horses to overwhelm its defenses while his soldiers killed and burned their way through. Aha Chu survived the stampede behind shields and torches, but Zhu Ying’s troops were closing in on the remaining defenders.

• Zhu Ying ordered his three thousand soldiers to attack the Tatar encampment behind ten thousand charging horses, killing fleeing Tatars and overrunning their defenses.
• Zhu Ying told his soldiers to bypass ordinary combat and target the main tent, while he gained lifespan and other rewards for killing enemies.
• Aha Chu learned that the Ming Army had attacked with ten thousand horses and ordered his personal guards to retreat.
• Zhu Ying’s soldiers set fire to the Tatar tents as they continued their assault through the encampment.
• Aha Chu’s several thousand guards formed a defensive ring and fired arrows, but the stampede trampled most of them before a few hundred used shields and torches to protect him.

Zhu Ying led a Great Ming cavalry raid on the Jianzhou Tatar tribal seat and cut through the guards protecting their chieftain. He killed Aha Chu and announced the chieftain’s death, leaving the fleeing Tatars convinced their tribe was finished.

• Zhu Ying spotted Aha Chu among the Tatar guards and charged toward him with three thousand Great Ming cavalry.
• Zhu Ying cut down the Tatar spearmen and guards as his troops and commanders joined the attack.
• Aha Chu turned to flee, but Zhu Ying caught up and beheaded him.
• Zhu Ying received a reward from the panel and hung Aha Chu’s head from his waist as proof of his military merit.
• Zhu Ying declared that he had slain the Jianzhou Tatar chieftain, and the Tatars’ morale collapsed.