Daning Prefecture's Blades Stir!

"Though Huai West excels at war, it does not excel at hiding."

"They show their edge too openly." Lu Ben gave a cold laugh.

"Father means that His Majesty intends to foster generals outside Huai West, using them to weaken Huai West's influence within the army." Lu Hao understood as well.

Lu Ben nodded. "Exactly."

"His Majesty holds imperial power and rules the Ming Dynasty. Naturally, he cannot permit any single faction to monopolize power. Huai West's generals dominate the army, with their followers spread everywhere."

"His Majesty has long found them displeasing."

"Fostering rising generals has always been His Majesty's intention. It is only that, over these past years, there have been no truly outstanding commanders. Though the Central Plains have been pacified, powerful enemies still surround the Northern Frontier, the southern border, and Liaodong. Huai West's generals are still needed to exert themselves."

"This Zhu Ying is young and bold, so naturally he has won the regard of His Majesty and the Crown Prince."

"Perhaps he may one day become a great general in the army." Lu Ben spoke with deep feeling.

The view was naturally different depending on where one stood.

"That lot from Huai West, especially Lan Yu, show my younger sister no respect at all."

"And they look down on Yun Wen as well. Whenever they speak to their subordinates, it is always 'born of a concubine' this and 'born of a concubine' that."

"His Majesty's dissatisfaction with Huai West is good news for us." Lu Hao smiled.

"Just watch and see."

"The court is no longer what it once was. Everything must be handled with restraint and caution. How much power did Hu Weiyong once wield? How many followers did he have? Yet in the end, did it not all come to nothing?"

"Your sister now holds victory in her grasp, and Yun Wen is the Crown Prince's eldest son. That position will surely belong to Yun Wen in the future."

"As long as we follow the imperial will, our Lü Family will certainly prosper." Lu Ben said slowly.

"Father is wise." Lu Hao smiled and flattered him.

Huizhou City!

Many corpses still lay before the city walls, not yet hauled away.

Besides the scattered arrows, the battlements bore countless marks blasted out by cannon fire.

It was clear that the Yuan army's previous assault had been exceptionally fierce.

Firearms and cannons.

They had gradually begun to rise in this era.

They had also been introduced onto the battlefield, especially in siege warfare.

Zhu Yuanzhang understood the power of firearms and attached great importance to cannons, ordering the Ministry of Works to devote all its efforts to their development.

It could be said that this measure was entirely correct.

"Great General."

"The Yuan army's fifty thousand troops launched repeated fierce assaults. Our soldiers defended the city with valiant courage, and the Yuan army could not seize it. Once the Ming Dynasty's main army arrived, the Yuan army received word and swiftly withdrew." Bu Wan respectfully reported to Feng Sheng.

"All Daning Border Army soldiers who defended Huizhou City have rendered merit."

"Pass down this general's order. Record all their merits, and reward them accordingly." Feng Sheng said.

Those words—

Recording merit naturally meant it would be reflected in their pay.

"This subordinate accepts the order." Bu Wan immediately replied.

"Great General."

"Now that the entire army has arrived, is it not time to send out troops?"

A middle-aged general clad in armor looked at Feng Sheng and asked, a fierce fighting spirit in his eyes.

He was Lan Yu, Marquis of Yongchang, the most proud and unruly of Huai West's generals.

"We should have sent troops long ago."

"Now that the Yuan army knows our forces have arrived, they fear us as they would a fierce tiger. We should strike while the iron is hot and kill our way out at once." Chang Mao, Duke of Zheng, spoke directly, appearing exceedingly reckless to outsiders.

Feng Sheng glanced at the two of them, then asked, "Has the army been reorganized?"

"Reporting to the Great General, it has been reorganized."

"The two hundred thousand troops have been divided into two forces. Marquis of Yongchang and I each command one." Fu Youde, Duke of Ying, immediately clasped his fists and replied.

"Pass down this general's order."

"The Yuan army fled back to Liaodong in great haste."

"Send ten thousand cavalry ahead in pursuit to scout along the way. If they encounter the enemy, they are not to linger in battle. Scouting is the priority."

"Additionally, Marquis of Yongchang will lead his troops toward Liaodong." After pondering for a moment, Feng Sheng issued the order.

"This general accepts the order." Lan Yu's eyes lit up as he immediately answered.

"As for General Fu, this general orders you to lead your hundred thousand troops forward by the side route."

"Naha Chu controls Liaodong, with nearly two hundred thousand armored troops and at least a hundred cannons. We must not underestimate him," Feng Sheng added.

"This subordinate accepts the order." Fu Youde accepted with evident pleasure as well.

"Go."

With a wave of Feng Sheng's hand, Lan Yu and Fu Youde successively withdrew from the city walls.

"Naha Chu has occupied Liaodong and built several cities to shield Liaodong City."

"Though our Ming Dynasty has made ample preparations for this battle, it is bound to be a hard fight," Feng Sheng said slowly.

"With the ferocity and courage of our Ming Dynasty soldiers, we can certainly wipe out Naha Chu."

"Besides, didn't the Great General have three hundred cannons transported with the army this time? With so many cannons, this official does not believe the Yuan army can withstand them," Bu Wan said with a smile.

Feng Sheng nodded. "First, investigate the Yuan army's true strength. Then we can decide on a strategy for deploying troops."

"In this old man's view,"

"the Yuan army's assault on our Daning having failed, they must have withdrawn into Kaiyuan City."

Bu Wan nodded. "The Great General is wise."

"However, Prefect Bu,"

"the reason Daning was able to hold out this time until the arrival of our court's main army was largely due to Zhu Ying's contribution."

"If he had not used a mere few thousand cavalry to hold back the Jianzhou Tatars, preventing them from joining forces with the Yuan army, the Daning Border Army could never have held fast for nearly a month," Feng Sheng said slowly, his tone full of praise for Zhu Ying.

"This subordinate naturally understands the Great General's meaning."

"It is only that Zhu Ying is still in the north. When he was ordered to remain on the Northern Frontier to hold back the Tatars, it was made clear that once he delayed them until our court's main army arrived, his task would be complete. And if he could no longer hold on, he could withdraw at any time."

"Now, we do not even know his current situation." Bu Wan spoke with great helplessness.

"Now we can only see what plans Zhu Ying has."

"After all, the Northern Frontier is vast. Sending men to find him would be like fishing for a needle in the sea." Feng Sheng also wore a helpless expression.

As for Zhu Ying, he could be said to value him immensely.

As a military commander and a founding meritorious official of the Ming Dynasty, seeing such a young and outstanding talent as Zhu Ying, he naturally wished to nurture him.

At that moment!

"Report!"

"Reporting to the Great General!"

"An urgent message has arrived from Yingtian!"

A personal guard came before Feng Sheng.

"Bring it over."

Feng Sheng raised a hand.

The captain of the personal guards immediately handed the urgent message to Feng Sheng.

Feng Sheng accepted it and read it, and a look of surprise immediately appeared on his face.

"Zhu Ying has earned the Emperor's and the Crown Prince's favor this time."

"The Emperor has issued an edict conferring upon Zhu Ying the hereditary title of County Baron."

Feng Sheng smiled as he spoke to the generals around him.

The moment those words fell, Bu Wan's expression jolted, and he too was stunned by the news.

"A hereditary County Baron?"

"That is a noble title."

"The Emperor is showing such immense favor." Bu Wan was deeply shaken inwardly.

"Great General."

"The urgent message states that the Imperial Envoy from the court is already on the road," the captain of the personal guards promptly reported again.

"Mm."

Feng Sheng nodded, a faint smile appearing on his face. "To receive a noble title at only sixteen years old—this is the first case in the Ming Dynasty."

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