Zhu Ying's Victory Report Shocks Feng Sheng!

After Bu Wan accepted the military dispatch, he was just about to open it.

But then he remembered that Feng Sheng had arrived. With Feng Sheng's arrival, as commander-in-chief of this campaign against the Northern Yuan, all the troops of Daning Prefecture now fell under his command. Bu Wan naturally did not dare overstep his bounds, and immediately presented the dispatch in his hand to Feng Sheng with due respect.

"Please review it, Duke," Bu Wan said.

Feng Sheng nodded, took it at once, and opened it.

The moment he looked—

Feng Sheng's expression immediately changed.

By the time he had finished reading, even a flicker of astonishment showed in Feng Sheng's eyes.

"Good, good, excellent!"

"It seems this old man truly has grown old. I underestimated Zhu Ying."

"Who would have thought he was so capable?"

"Feinting east and striking west, raiding the camp by night, catching the Tatars completely off guard."

Feng Sheng suddenly burst into laughter, evidently shocked by the military dispatch in his hand.

Seeing Feng Sheng so exhilarated, the many generals all turned to look at him, their faces filled with curiosity and surprise.

"What did Zhu Ying do to make the Duke so pleased?" Marquis of Nanxiong Zhao Yong asked with a smile.

This time, Zhu Yuanzhang had issued an edict to subdue Naha Chu. Not only did the army number more than two hundred thousand troops, but the lineup of generals was also formidable.

Duke of Song Feng Sheng served as Great General.

The left and right deputy generals were Duke of Ying Fu Youde and Marquis of Yongchang Lan Yu.

There were also four left and right assistant generals: Marquis of Nanxiong Zhao Yong, Marquis of Dingyuan Wang Bi, Marquis of Dongchuan Hu Hai, and Duke of Zheng Chang Mao.

These were the most battle-hardened Huaixi generals. The Huaixi faction might have been overbearing, but few could match their ability to command troops and wage war. They were all great meritorious officials who had lived through the founding of Great Ming, the expulsion of the Yuan Court, and the restoration of the Han homeland.

Could it be that Zhu Ying succeeded in raiding the Tatar tribe? Bu Wan thought, slightly startled.

"This old man underestimated Zhu Ying."

"You read it aloud."

With a smile, Feng Sheng handed the military dispatch to the commander of his personal guards beside him.

The latter accepted it respectfully.

"This subordinate, Zhu Ying, respectfully reports to the Commander."

"Today."

"Our five thousand soldiers have entered deep into Tatar territory. According to our scouts, the Tatars are gathering troops at their Blue Banner Tribe, while the Yuan Court also intends to send forces to reinforce them."

"To the Tatars and the Yuan Court, five thousand troops are but a drop in the ocean. Once we are entangled by the Tatars, annihilation will be inevitable."

"Yet Great Ming's main forces have not arrived. If we merely launched simple harassment, the Tatars would surely make a large-scale incursion into Daning, attacking from both sides in coordination with the Yuan Court. That would surely ruin Great Ming's plan to destroy the Yuan."

"Therefore, this subordinate had to hold the Tatars in place, whatever the cost."

"This time."

"This subordinate investigated the Blue Banner Tribe's strength. It had deployed more than thirty thousand troops. Only a surprise attack could throw the Tatars' arrangements into disarray and disrupt them."

"Thus, this subordinate divided the army into two. Thousand-Household Commander Li Tao, who was unwilling to obey military orders, was assigned to harass the Tatar Southern Tribe, while this subordinate led four thousand soldiers around to the Tatar Northern Tribe and launched the first assault..."

"In this battle."

"This subordinate led four thousand soldiers into the Tatar Northern Tribe. The enemy had been completely lax in their defenses, and our surprise attack achieved remarkable results, killing more than ten thousand enemy troops! Though we suffered some injuries and losses, not a single man was left behind in the Tatar tribe. It was a great victory."

Feng Sheng's personal guard commander read the report aloud in a ringing voice.

Upon hearing those results, everyone in the hall stared in astonishment, evidently finding the outcome hard to believe.

"Zhu Ying actually succeeded in his surprise attack? And he led four thousand soldiers out of the Tatar tribe with only injuries and no deaths?"

How is that possible? Bu Wan was inwardly astonished as well.

But what followed was a surge of wild joy.

Zhu Ying, that kid, is truly impressive. He's brought us glory.

With Duke of Song here this time, such results are even more a merit of Daning. Bu Wan thought excitedly.

Zhu Ying was now a general under his command. Having rendered such great merit, Bu Wan naturally shared in the glory and the credit.

"Zhu Ying."

"That boy is truly extraordinary."

"It was not only the Great General who underestimated him. We all did."

"With four thousand cavalry, he raided a Tatar tribe and returned after killing ten thousand enemies. Even if he had lost a thousand men, it would still have counted as a great victory. Yet he managed to lead every one of them out—without a single death."

"If battle reports did not require joint verification by the accompanying Thousand-Household Commander, and forgery were not punishable by death, this subordinate truly would not dare believe it."

"Yes."

"Zhu Ying's ferocity lies not only in himself; he is even more skilled at commanding troops. Under his command, these four thousand cavalrymen were able to unleash such fighting strength. Though the Tatars' lax defenses were a factor, Zhu Ying's ability to lead troops was the greater reason."

The generals in the hall all spoke with heartfelt amazement.

Clearly, they too had been shocked by this battle report.

They were all Great Ming's foremost war commanders. They could also raid an enemy camp at night and cut straight through it, but to emerge without a single casualty—that was simply impossible.

Of course, the root of it all was the effect brought by Zhu Ying's Authority Seal, which increased the morale, combat strength, and even endurance of the soldiers under his command by sixty percent.

Moreover, when Zhu Ying commanded them, his men seemed bound to him by an invisible connection.

Orders were carried out without fail—such was Zhu Ying's strength in commanding troops.

"Marquis of Nanxiong, have you seen why Zhu Ying split his forces into two routes?" Feng Sheng turned to Zhao Yong and asked.

"Zhu Ying was very clever."

"Perhaps the Tatars believed that if Great Ming attacked, we would strike from their front—from the Southern Tribe that faced Great Ming. If we instead circled behind their tribes, we would be placing ourselves in danger, at risk of being surrounded and annihilated. Thus, they were lax in guarding the northern tribes and instead concentrated their forces in the south."

"Zhu Ying first launched a surprise attack on their northern tribes, then had one Thousand-Household Battalion feign an attack on the Southern Tribe. That way, even when the Tatars received word that the Northern Tribe had been attacked, they would not take it seriously. They would only assume the northern tribes were a deliberate distraction, while the south was Great Ming's main assault, and would concentrate even more troops to defend the south. That is why Zhu Ying achieved such results in slaying the enemy." Zhao Yong said with a smile.

Having served as a general for many years, he naturally saw through Zhu Ying's scheme at a glance.

Of course, this was also a case of those involved being blinded, while onlookers saw clearly.

"Hahaha!"

"Indeed."

"This is precisely where Zhu Ying's brilliance lies." Feng Sheng laughed heartily.

Clearly, he was extremely satisfied with Zhu Ying's performance.

Afterward, Feng Sheng looked at Bu Wan. "Prefect Bu, Daning Prefecture has truly produced a capable general."

"To receive such praise from Your Grace, Zhu Ying will surely be overjoyed when he hears of it." Bu Wan immediately replied with a smile.

But in the next moment, Feng Sheng seemed to recall something, and his expression immediately darkened.

"Judging from this battle report of Zhu Ying's, the military report we received earlier—the one claiming that the Thousand-Household Office had withdrawn to Ansha County—was false. It even smeared Zhu Ying's name." Feng Sheng said coldly.

The moment these words fell, Bu Wan's expression changed as well.

Indeed.

After seeing that earlier report, they had truly believed it completely.

But now that Zhu Ying's report had arrived, the truth had come to light.

Li Tao had disobeyed military orders and feared death.

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