Zhu Ying's Military Exploits Shocked the Entire Army!

"Though these Tatars were barbarians, their weapons were no longer much inferior to those of our Great Ming."

"Their ironwork and leather armor were all superbly crafted."

"Our Great Ming could no longer view them as we once viewed the Tatars."

Chen Heng spoke with a grave expression.

If it had been in the past,

the Tatars were barbarians, and their weapons could not compare with those of the Han dynasties.

But ever since the Yuan Court had once stood in the Central Plains of the Divine Land, everything had naturally changed.

The iron-forging and smelting techniques that had originally belonged to the Han people of the Central Plains had spread to the Northern Frontier as well, bringing a kind of weapons revolution to the barbarians who had once lived there.

"Yes!"

"No Tatar barbarian can be underestimated."

"This battle could also be considered a warning." Liu Zhen nodded as well.

At that moment!

"The Prefect has arrived!"

A loud shout came from outside the command tent.

At the sound,

all the generals inside the tent rose to their feet.

"Greetings, Prefect."

All the generals bowed in salute.

Though Bu Wan was a prefect, he was acting in the role of Commander, so naturally they did not dare show disrespect.

"General Chen, General Liu."

"How did the battle go?" Bu Wan smiled as he walked directly to the seat of honor and looked at the two generals with concern.

He had received a direct decree from the Crown Prince to resolve the bandit threat as soon as possible, so he naturally took the matter very seriously.

"Reporting to the Prefect."

"Our army engaged the Tatar host this time and won a decisive victory, annihilating the enemy."

"The battle report has already been compiled."

Chen Heng immediately held up a battle report and respectfully presented it to Bu Wan.

"Read it aloud."

"I would also like to hear just how valiant the soldiers of our Great Ming were." Bu Wan smiled, anticipation in his eyes.

"Yes." Chen Heng answered, immediately opening the report and reading aloud, "In this battle, our Thousand-Household Battalion engaged the Tatar host. We killed more than five thousand eight hundred enemy soldiers and captured over three thousand. Our army suffered three thousand seven hundred and eighty dead and two thousand five hundred wounded, yet emerged victorious."

"Good."

Upon hearing the report, Bu Wan smiled. "Beautifully fought. A mere small tribe of Jianzhou Tatars dared make enemies of our Great Ming—this is the price Great Ming has made them pay. Both generals have worked hard in this battle. I will personally submit a memorial to the Crown Prince and His Majesty, seeking rewards for both generals and every meritorious soldier."

"This battle has truly displayed the heavenly might of our Great Ming."

Before the fighting began,

Bu Wan had still held some concerns, but now he was completely at ease.

A decisive victory.

The Tatars had been crushed in a single battle.

"Additionally."

"There is another matter that requires the Prefect's personal decision."

Chen Heng took another battle report from his robes.

"What matter is it?" Bu Wan asked with a smile.

"One soldier of our Thousand-Household Battalion fought the enemy with exceptional valor and rendered great merit. The specific reward still requires Your Excellency's personal decision."

With a solemn expression, Chen Heng presented the battle report in both hands to Bu Wan.

Seeing how seriously Chen Heng regarded it, Bu Wan did not delay in taking the report.

He opened it and read.

Bu Wan's face abruptly changed from calm to astonished shock.

"Th-this battle report is true?"

Bu Wan looked at Chen Heng in disbelief.

"It is absolutely true. I personally witnessed him slay the Tatar commander. If not for him, I might have died under the Tatars' encirclement and assault." Chen Heng immediately replied.

Seeing Bu Wan so shocked,

the many generals in the tent were all puzzled.

Clearly,

the news of Zhu Ying slaying the enemy commander and cutting down the banner had not yet fully spread.

After all, the day's battle had only just ended, and the dead and wounded still needed to be dealt with.

"Prefect, what achievement could possibly leave even you so astonished?" Liu Zhen asked curiously.

"Read it."

Suppressing his excitement, Bu Wan handed the battle report to the personal guard beside him.

The guard accepted it and immediately read aloud, "Zhu Ying, a squad leader of the First Thousand-Household Battalion under our Thousand-Household Battalion, fought the Tatars and killed one hundred and three enemy soldiers. Of these, forty-five were shot dead with his bow, and fifty-eight were beheaded. Amid the chaotic battle, he also slew the Tatar commander Jin Guda and cut down the Tatar battle banner, rendering great merit."

As soon as those words fell,

aside from the pacification officers under Chen Heng who had tallied the military merits, every other general widened his eyes at the guard reading the report.

"One man killed one hundred and three Tatars?"

"Was that even within human ability?"

"Even Lü Bu of old could not possibly have achieved such a feat, could he?"

"What incredible strength!"

"Even King of Kaiping was famed for his astonishing prowess in his day, yet he never achieved such results."

"This man was truly formidable."

"Not only did he kill so many Tatar soldiers, he also earned the merit of slaying their commander and cutting down their battle banner. This was an enormous achievement."

"No wonder the Tatar army had already collapsed by the time we encircled them. Zhu Ying slaying their commander and banner was the reason."

"This merit was truly no small matter. It would be enough to promote him by more than three ranks."

The generals in the tent could not help discussing it in astonishment.

Even Liu Zhen, who was also a Commander of the Thousand Households, was looking at Chen Heng with an astonished expression.

"Prefect."

"This is the battle report I wished to present."

"How should such military merit be rewarded?" Chen Heng asked again.

After Zhu Ying had saved him, Chen Heng had sent people to inquire into Zhu Ying's circumstances. After all, Zhu Ying had saved his life, and with such a fierce warrior under his command, how could a Commander of the Thousand Households like him remain unmoved?

It was precisely because of this

that after the pacification officers tallied the merits, they immediately submitted the battle report to Chen Heng—and Zhu Ying alone had a separate report.

After all, this report was simply too shocking.

"When the Ming Dynasty was first founded, His Majesty had already issued an edict: no stain would be tolerated in the armies of our Great Ming. Those with merit must be rewarded, and no one would ever be treated lightly for killing enemies."

"Since Zhu Ying has rendered such great merit, he should naturally be rewarded according to Great Ming's military reward and punishment system."

"General Chen, according to Great Ming's regulations, how many ranks should he be promoted for these merits?" Bu Wan asked with a smile.

To Bu Wan,

all the generals were now gathered in the tent, and this military merit had been publicly announced. It had also been tallied by the pacification officers, so there was absolutely no room for deception.

When it came to military merits, no one dared play tricks.

After all, the Ming Dynasty's Imperial Guard was everywhere.

Moreover,

Zhu Ying's great achievement was also good news for Bu Wan. Though he was only temporarily acting as Commander, the defeat of the Jianzhou Tatars was a solid accomplishment. If he also reported Zhu Ying's dazzling military merits to Yingtian, it would make his own achievements stand out even more.

Or rather, the same was true for every general in the tent.

Defeating a small Tatar tribe on the frontier was neither a great nor a minor achievement; it was far from enough to shake the court. But with Zhu Ying's feat of personally killing a hundred enemies, slaying their commander, and cutting down their battle banner added to it, it would be enough to stir the imperial court.

These generals would benefit as well, for they might catch the attention of His Majesty and the Crown Prince.

Why would anyone refuse such a good thing?

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