"By my reckoning."
"We've been in this foreign land of the Northern Frontier for nearly a month."
"The main force of our Ming Dynasty army should have entered Daning by now."
"Our mission is already complete."
Zhu Ying smiled as he spoke to the Battalion Commanders and Deputy Battalion Commanders beside him.
"Garrison Commander."
"At first, I thought staying behind in this foreign land with you meant certain death."
"Now I see that this subordinate was wrong."
"The Garrison Commander has led us to forge a world-shaking achievement." Wei Quan said excitedly, his reverence unmistakable.
"Indeed."
"This subordinate greatly admires the Garrison Commander's skill at commanding troops and his fierce courage."
The other Battalion Commanders also spoke up one after another.
Everyone genuinely revered Zhu Ying from the bottom of their hearts.
"Brothers."
"Before we return to the Ming Dynasty, do you dare to pull off something big with me?" Zhu Ying's expression turned slightly solemn, though it carried a hint of madness.
They exchanged glances, then declared in unison, "We swear to follow the Garrison Commander unto death."
Zhu Ying took out a map from his robes and beckoned. Everyone immediately gathered around.
"I obtained this map after killing a Tatar general. Though it isn't especially detailed, it marks the locations of many Tatar tribes. The Northern Frontier is vast, and over this past month, we've been completely lost within it. Fortunately, this map gave us some guidance. These days, I've been leading the Tatar army in circles. It may have looked as though we were attacking their tribes, but in truth, I was using it to pinpoint the location of their tribal court."
"Now, more or less, I already know where their tribal court is." Zhu Ying smiled, certainty in his voice.
"Garrison Commander."
"Are we going to raid the Tatar tribal court?" Zhang Wu's eyes lit up.
The others were much the same.
Had they only just begun following Zhu Ying, they never would have believed it. They would have thought it a suicidal attempt. With their forces, attacking an entire tribe's court was simply too reckless.
But now...
They no longer thought so at all. Their Garrison Commander had already led them through many great battles, and every time they had returned victorious. They now held absolute trust in Zhu Ying.
"How many Tatar tribes have we slaughtered during this time?" Zhu Ying asked with a smile.
"A full fifteen. This subordinate has kept count." Liu Lei immediately cut in.
"Do you know why I attacked those Tatar tribes? And why I kept attacking without pause?" Zhu Ying looked at them and asked in return.
All the generals fell silent in thought.
But Zhang Wu quickly came to his senses and immediately replied, "The Garrison Commander was drawing the Tatars' attention, forcing them to scatter their forces. First, to search for our army's whereabouts; second, to encircle and suppress us; third, to send troops to protect those smaller tribes. In this way, the Tatars' army, which numbered only several tens of thousands to begin with, would be spread even thinner, leaving their tribal court with fewer defenders."
"Perhaps the Tatars believe that our force of only a few thousand men would never dare attack their tribal court, and could only deal with their smaller tribes."
Hearing Zhang Wu's words, Zhu Ying smiled in satisfaction.
"Zhang Wu truly deserves his reputation as a famed general in history. He will also be a meritorious official in the future Jingnan Campaign. It seems that is indeed the case—he has the talent to command troops." Zhu Ying thought to himself.
"Correct."
"Just as Battalion Commander Zhang said."
"That is precisely why I led the army in raids against the Tatar tribes." Zhu Ying nodded with a smile.
"Garrison Commander, what do we do next?"
"Please give the order, Garrison Commander. We subordinates swear to follow you unto death." Everyone immediately said.
Zhu Ying's gaze returned to the marked location of the Tatar tribal court.
"We should currently be here."
Zhu Ying placed his finger on the map, though it was only an approximate location.
The Northern Frontier was simply too vast. Several thousand men scattered within it were like a swarm of ants. Zhu Ying had led the army charging and fighting so many times that they had often lost their way. Fortunately, they had warhorses and Tatar tribes to serve as supplies; otherwise, they truly would not have been able to hold on.
Yet as they dealt with those Tatar tribes, killing as they went, Zhu Ying had also relied on this map to barely determine their position.
"As for the Tatar tribal court, it is here, less than forty li from our army."
"At our army's speed, we can reach it in one shichen."
"I intend for us to approach the Tatar tribal court under cover of darkness tonight and launch a surprise attack before dawn. After we cut through their tribal court, kill whoever can be killed, seize whatever can be seized, burn whatever can be burned. In short, destroy everything we see that can be destroyed."
"Just as when we cut through that Tatar tribe before, we must not linger. We will charge through their tribal court with all our strength. Once we break out, we head directly east. We cannot push any farther north."
"Of course, every warhorse we seized this time must be put to use as well. With ten thousand horses thundering forward, we are sure to achieve remarkable results." Zhu Ying sneered as he laid out the strategy for what came next.
Hearing this.
Everyone's eyes lit up.
"This subordinate accepts the order," they answered in unison.
"Alright. Night has only just fallen. We can still rest for about two shichen. Let the brothers rest well and conserve their strength. The same goes for you."
"And one more thing."
"Tell the brothers that once this battle is over, I'll take them home," Zhu Ying said in a deep voice.
"Yes."
They answered in unison.
Then they withdrew one after another to relay Zhu Ying's orders.
Zhu Ying, meanwhile, calmed his mind and lay directly on the ground, silently chanting in his heart, Attribute Panel.
Host: Zhu Ying Age: 14 Internal Breath: 456 Martial Artist Internal Breath. The higher the value, the stronger the Internal Breath. Strength: 1685. One point corresponds to one jin of force. Speed: 1523 points. Fifteen times faster than an ordinary person. Physique: 1362 points. Thirteen times the physique of an ordinary person. The stronger the physique, the stronger the defense and the faster the recovery from injuries. Endurance: 1332 points. Thirteen times the endurance of an ordinary person. The higher the endurance, the more inexhaustible one's energy and the more abundant one's stamina. Spirit: 1263 points. The higher the Spirit, the clearer the mind, the stronger the perception, and the ability to sense killing intent within a thousand meters. Lifespan: 112 years, 210 days Storage Space: 19 cubic meters Cultivation Method: Iron Body Cultivation Method
"These attributes really do rise quickly from killing enemies."
"With one punch, even Xiang Yu probably wouldn't be able to take it. And I can even reinforce it with Internal Breath."
"And there's my lifespan. It was originally eighty-eight years, and now it's already one hundred and twelve—an increase of a full twenty-four years. Eternal life is no longer a dream."
Looking at his Attribute Panel, Zhu Ying was naturally extremely satisfied.
After all his attributes had surpassed a thousand earlier, they had now undergone another huge increase.
Of course.
The greatest increase was still his lifespan.
As long as he kept picking things up in the future, eternal life would be no delusion at all.
"Right."
"There are still treasure chests I haven't opened."
"One ordinary treasure chest, and one Tier 1 treasure chest." Zhu Ying came back to his senses.
He remembered the treasure chests he had kept forgetting about these past days.
At that thought.
Zhu Ying immediately began to look forward to it.
"Open all treasure chests."
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