May, 20th Year of Hongwu!
Daning Prefecture!
A dark stretch of forest.
Over a hundred soldiers in red armor, armed with War Sabers and spears, spread out as they cautiously advanced deeper into the woods.
"Be careful, everyone."
"Veterans in front, recruits in the rear."
"These bandits are no easy prey."
The centurion leading them, clad in armor and carrying a War Saber, spoke in a low voice as he walked in the middle.
"Yes."
The soldiers answered in unison.
The veterans carried blades at the front.
The recruits held bows and arrows at the rear.
"Zhu Ying."
"Everyone has a first time."
"When you see the bandits later, ignore everything else. Just aim your bow at their heads and shoot."
"Every one you kill counts as military merit."
An old soldier kindly reminded a new recruit.
"Old Zhang, don't worry."
"I'm not afraid."
A somewhat youthful-looking recruit immediately replied.
He was not very old, appearing only fourteen or fifteen, still bearing the look of a boy. He was rather handsome, though he seemed somewhat frail and scholarly.
Though he spoke calmly,
his expression was still somewhat tense.
After all, he had enlisted less than two months ago. This was his first time on a bandit-suppression battlefield.
Although Ming Dynasty laws were strict and imposed heavy restraints on bandits and criminals, the Grand Ming Empire was simply too vast. No matter what kind of empire it was, there would never be a shortage of people who committed crimes.
There were even more who became outlaws.
"Damn it."
"Shen, just you wait."
"If I ever make it back, you'll be the first one I kill."
As he looked at the forest, which carried an air of slaughter and eerie danger, Zhu Ying cursed inwardly.
Enlisting in the army?
This was not where Zhu Ying had wanted to be. Someone had set him up.
In the current Hongwu Era of the Ming Dynasty, military service was hereditary. There was Military Household Registration, and soldiers were recruited only when there was a shortage.
Zhu Ying was not listed under Military Household Registration and should not have needed to enlist. But Daning Prefecture happened to be recruiting new soldiers to quell the bandit problem, requiring them to be at least sixteen years old. Zhu Ying had been naturally framed into joining them. More importantly, he was not even sixteen yet; his information had been completely falsified before he was entered into the Military Registry.
However,
aside from cursing inwardly, Zhu Ying had no other choice at the moment.
He could only stare ahead, bow in hand, and cautiously follow the veteran before him.
Deep within the forest,
as Zhu Ying drew closer,
he could see more than a dozen thatched huts scattered within, along with chevaux-de-frise and wooden fences.
This was clearly the bandits' lair.
Once the hundred Ming Army soldiers approached,
"Government troops are here!"
"Brothers, grab your weapons and slaughter these bastards!"
"Kill!"
"Kill these Ming Army scum!"
"Kill..."
At that moment!
Angry roars came from within the thatched huts.
First, more than a dozen arrows shot out at the government troops.
Caught off guard,
several soldiers were struck by arrows before they could react. Their arms and thighs were pierced, blood streaming down.
Cries of agony immediately rang through the forest.
"Damn it."
Zhu Ying cursed inwardly, fully aware that bandit suppression could cost lives.
"Archers!"
The centurion shouted.
The thirty archers in the rear, Zhu Ying included, immediately drew their bows and nocked arrows.
They aimed at the bandits behind the fence.
A volley of arrows flew out.
"Ah... Ah..."
Screams also rose from within.
Several of the bandits' archers fell at once.
"Archers, hold the line!"
"Spearmen, charge with me!"
"Spread out and surround them!"
"Leave no bandit alive!"
The centurion shouted, drawing his War Saber and pointing it forward.
"Kill!"
"Kill!!"
Over a hundred government soldiers roared.
Seventy of them, armed with long spears, immediately charged toward the bandits.
In a battle like this,
weapons were truly a case of the longer, the stronger.
"The government troops have surrounded us!"
"Fight them to the death!"
The lead bandit shouted, waving a long blade.
The forty or fifty bandits around him immediately rushed out and clashed with the government troops at close range.
However,
the government troops had the advantage of long spears, as well as the protection of armor. The instant they collided, a bloody melee began.
Zhu Ying held his bow and fixed his gaze on a bandit.
He drew the bow with all his strength.
With a whoosh,
the arrow struck the bandit accurately, piercing through his throat. He fell to the ground and struggled for a moment before he stopped moving.
"Killed one Tatar. Collected 20 Strength points."
A notification suddenly sounded beside Zhu Ying's ear.
Immediately after,
Zhu Ying could clearly feel his strength increase somewhat.
"This is... my Golden Finger?"
Zhu Ying froze, then his heart pounded wildly as delight flooded his face.
It had already been six years since he had been reborn into the Hongwu Era of the Ming Dynasty.
When he had first arrived,
Zhu Ying had imagined whether he possessed a Golden Finger that would allow him to live comfortably during the Hongwu Era, if not become enormously wealthy.
As for becoming an official, Zhu Ying had never considered it.
This was the Hongwu Era.
Emperor Taizu of Ming, Zhu Yuanzhang, was still alive.
Being an official was practically seeking death. Not only was the salary extremely low, but if anything went wrong, Zhu Yuanzhang would not show mercy.
Killing officials
was commonplace for Zhu Yuanzhang.
Later generations had said that serving as an official during the Ming Dynasty's Hongwu Era was no different from carrying one's head on one's belt.
Thus, Zhu Ying had never considered becoming an official.
Even joining the army had only happened because he had been set up, with someone intending to get him killed.
But now,
killing enemies allowed him to collect attributes?
This stirred Zhu Ying's heart. He now had something to rely on for survival, and even for revenge.
With this, Zhu Ying could not only rapidly collect attributes and grow stronger, but also gain power and rise through the army ranks. When he one day returned to the Shen Family, Zhu Ying would make them pay the price.
After calming down,
Zhu Ying's nervousness from his first bandit-suppression battle also subsided. He looked at the bandits—or Tatars—waving blades as they fought the government troops.
Daning Prefecture bordered the Jianzhou Tatars.
These bandits were certainly one link in their raids against the Ming Dynasty.
Killing Tatars
was even more satisfying.
"Kill!"
Zhu Ying roared as he drew an arrow from the quiver on his back.
His gaze locked onto another bandit.
He drew his bow.
After collecting 20 Strength points, drawing the bow now seemed much easier for Zhu Ying.
He released the arrow.
With a whoosh,
the arrow once again pierced through a bandit.
"Killed one Tatar. Collected 20 Strength points." The notification appeared again.
Zhu Ying once more felt his strength rise.
"Shen Family."
"You framed me into joining the army and wanted me to die at the hands of bandits, but this time, I should thank you instead." Zhu Ying sneered inwardly.
The danger of enlisting had now become an opportunity for Zhu Ying.
"Brothers!"
"Fight our way out!"
"The officer leading the government troops is over there! Follow me and kill him!" the bandit leader roared.
He waved his War Saber and charged forward, the other bandits following after him.
A bloody battle and chaotic melee erupted.
The bandit leader swung his War Saber and cut down a government soldier.
His blade rose and fell.
Another government soldier was slain by him.
He was exceedingly fierce.
"Dog official, die!"
The bandit leader roared.
He charged straight at the centurion.
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