Duty of the Personal Guard! The Commander Dies, the Personal Guard Perishes!

He came back to his senses.

Zhu Ying continued to extract the martial skills he had obtained. All three were ranked.

It was important to know.

There was a vast difference between unranked and ranked, not just for martial skills but also for weapons and other items.

Ranked items possessed greater power.

The lowest rank was Yellow Tier, followed by Mysterious Tier, Earth Tier, and finally Heaven Tier.

"Frenzied Dance Saber Technique, powerful and domineering, not bad."

"Divine Arrow Volley, once I cultivate this, I can shoot arrows in volleys, maximizing my strength."

"Mountain Collapse Fist, this martial skill also allows me to fully unleash my own strength, even multiplying it several times."

"Excellent."

After extracting these three martial skills, Zhu Ying was even more satisfied.

These three martial skills were undoubtedly not ordinary abilities; they required Zhu Ying to cultivate them to improve.

And being on the battlefield was the best place for cultivation.

"Treasure Eagle Bow."

Zhu Ying extracted again.

A black and gold longbow appeared in his hand.

Just holding it, Zhu Ying could clearly feel its substantial weight.

The moment he gripped it, the attributes of the Treasure Eagle Bow appeared before his eyes.

Treasure Eagle Bow: Yellow Tier Mid-grade! Possesses Armor Piercing properties. The greater the strength, the greater the power unleashed!

"As expected of a ranked treasure bow, I no longer have to worry about breaking it when I draw it," Zhu Ying chuckled.

He then extracted the Fine Steel Saber.

A long saber used for cavalry combat appeared in his hand.

The hilt was made of iron, and the blade was forged from fine steel, exuding a sharp, cold glint.

Just by gripping it, Zhu Ying knew this steel saber weighed fifty to sixty jin.

"This time was good."

"With these weapons and martial skills, I'll be even safer on the battlefield," Zhu Ying thought to himself, very pleased.

"Right, the Authority Seal."

Zhu Ying snapped back to attention.

He immediately thought of the Authority Seal condensed by the system panel.

Even when he was a Junior Officer, the Authority Seal had been quite useful. During a fierce charge, all ten of his soldiers had survived, and they were all new recruits. Their survival in such a major battle showed the significant role the seal played.

"Host has been promoted to [Battalion Commander], you can condense the Battalion Commander's Authority Seal. Do you wish to condense?" the panel prompted.

"Condense," Zhu Ying said without hesitation.

A Junior Officer commanded ten men, with enhancements to combat power and morale.

A Battalion Commander would surely have greater authority. If it could enhance the overall combat power of his subordinates, it would be more beneficial for Zhu Ying's promotion. After all, once promoted to Battalion Commander, personal kills were negligible; one needed to achieve great military merits for further advancement.

Personal kills were no longer the key; commanding an army to kill was fundamental.

Therefore, Zhu Ying was very clear about how significant the Authority Seal's effect was.

The next moment!

[Battalion Commander's Authority Seal]: Commands a thousand soldiers. Increases subordinate soldiers' combat power by sixty percent, morale by sixty percent, and endurance by sixty percent.

"As expected, a five-level promotion, the combat power increase went from ten percent to sixty percent."

"All of this can be demonstrated on the battlefield," Zhu Ying mused inwardly.

He came back to his senses.

"Next is to cultivate properly and wait to take over the Cavalry Battalion tomorrow," Zhu Ying thought.

He circulated the [Iron Body Cultivation Method] and began his daily required training.

The night passed quickly.

The next morning!

Zhu Ying stopped his all-night cultivation.

He put on his armor and buckled his saber.

He was already dressed as a Battalion Commander, a stark difference from ordinary soldiers.

He walked out of the military tent.

Liu Lei was waiting outside with fifty men.

"Reporting to the Battalion Commander."

"Your personal guard, Junior Officer Liu Lei, awaits with fifty personal guards."

Liu Lei, leading the way, bowed directly.

"Greetings, Battalion Commander."

All fifty personal guards knelt on the ground.

"This, is power."

Seeing this scene, Zhu Ying couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

"Rise." Zhu Ying said solemnly.

"Thank you, Battalion Commander."

All the personal guards said in unison.

Afterward, Liu Lei stepped forward, holding a roster, and presented it to Zhu Ying.

"Reporting to the Battalion Commander."

"This is the roster of personal guards," Liu Lei said.

"Good."

Zhu Ying nodded and took the roster.

Just then!

A sound of footsteps could be heard.

Chen Heng, escorted by a group of personal guards, approached Zhu Ying.

"General Chen."

Zhu Ying saw him and immediately stepped forward to greet him.

Chen Heng waved his hand, signaling no need for excessive formality.

"Are the personal guards all chosen?"

Chen Heng glanced around and asked with a smile.

"Reporting to the General, this is the roster." Liu Lei immediately handed the roster in his hand to Chen Heng.

Chen Heng took it but didn't look at it. Instead, he walked in front of the personal guards, his expression stern.

"Everyone."

"Do you know the responsibilities of a personal guard?"

Chen Heng stared at the personal guards and said loudly.

"Reporting to the General."

"As the Battalion Commander's personal guard, we are obligated to protect the Battalion Commander's safety with all our might," Liu Lei replied loudly.

"Correct."

Chen Heng nodded, but after scanning them, he added, "The duty of a personal guard is bound to the Battalion Commander they serve. On the battlefield, personal guards are there to take a blow for the person they serve; this is the duty of a personal guard! As personal guards, your responsibility is to protect the master you serve! If Zhu Ying, the Battalion Commander, dies on the battlefield, none of you will survive!"

"Do you understand this?"

Chen Heng's voice carried a tone of warning.

The term "personal guard" was not just two words. Once one became a personal guard, their life was no longer their own; it was dedicated to protecting the superior officer they served.

This was also a form of assurance given by the current Emperor to the generals leading the army. On the battlefield, swords and spears were blind. The survival of the generals was crucial to the army's victory.

The existence of personal guards was to protect the generals. If the generals they protected died, and they were still alive, then this would be their crime, and they would inevitably face death.

"This subordinate understands."

Liu Lei and the fifty soldiers said in unison.

"Of course."

"As personal guards to the Battalion Commander, you will receive a higher level of salary, which is what you deserve," Chen Heng added.

After settling the matter of the personal guards, Chen Heng turned to Zhu Ying and said, "Battalion Commander Zhu, come with me to the Cavalry Battalion."

"Yes."

Zhu Ying immediately nodded.

A short while later, Led personally by Chen Heng, Arrived at the First Cavalry Battalion's encampment.

"Welcome, General Chen."

Chen Heng arrived.

The cavalry battalion had already fully gathered.

However, out of the original thousand-strong force, only six to seven hundred remained, clearly casualties from yesterday's great battle.

"Let me introduce you."

"These two are the Deputy Battalion Commanders of the cavalry battalion, Zhang Wu and Fan Qing."

Chen Heng pointed to the two officers in front of him.

Then he pointed to Zhu Ying and said, "This is the newly appointed Battalion Commander of the cavalry battalion, Zhu Ying, who will be in charge of the First Cavalry Battalion from now on."

"Greetings, Battalion Commander Zhu."

Zhang Wu and Fan Qing bowed to Zhu Ying.

Although they could see that Zhu Ying was very young, many years younger than them, it was the Hongwu era, and one could not hold a position without military merit. Moreover, Zhu Ying's name had already spread throughout the encampment.

Zhang Wu and the other man had heard of him.

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