Chapter 43

The Ming Dynasty has always recorded military merit by the number of heads taken, and now heads taken from the Jianlu count as the highest merit. Bai Lang, on his own horse, kills people like cutting grass; thousands of eyes in the city, both up and down, watch clearly. As such a peerless fierce general, coveting his achievements is impossible; a small share of the spoils is normal. Bai Lang doesn't care about that—he isn't a Ming military officer, his ability to command troops is essentially zero, so if he had his own unit its only use would be to follow him and help him cut off heads.

After returning to the city, Bai Lang had the Commander and Governor write the battle report; he himself searched the Qing soldiers he had killed and dragged back for loot. He cared little for silver and valuables, and he didn't mind that the soldiers who hauled the corpses, desperate for money, had already rummaged through the bodies. He was looking for suitable armor; he wasn't skilled with bows and arrows, but the one‑stone bow used by the white‑armored troops seemed to him a soft bow that would snap as soon as it was drawn.

Bai Lang knows exactly how strong he is in this world; he is now savoring the feeling of his Internal Force circulation and strength control during the recent killing. "Only when killing does one have the best chance to adjust," he thinks. While searching for loot, he subtly uses his Internal Force to flex his muscles, feeling his skill with the double hammers becoming smoother and more fluid.

A 64‑jin single‑handed weapon does exist, but it is meant for training strength and technique, not for battlefield deployment. When Bai Lang brandishes that thing in battle, he is unquestionably the era's top god‑strength general—something even the civil official Deng Zhi Fu knows clearly. "This…" Deng Zhi Fu's battle report wasn't for the Commander to cross‑check; it was just for his eyes— the official conclusion is as stated, and soldiers should keep quiet.

Still, the officials praised, "Truly a scourge of this age; even the might of a tyrant is no more than this." The Commander nodded in agreement—everyone was pleased. Holding the city was the primary merit, and repelling the true Tartar army and beheading over a hundred counted as a remarkable feat. Whether civil or military, promoting each person a level or two is no problem; exceptional promotions are entirely possible.

"Beheading over a hundred—since the Eastern Barbarian incident, how many such beheading feats have there been? Probably not even five." The Commander sighed, "This white warrior's beheading alone, by merit calculation, could qualify him for a thousand‑household garrison command—one battle turning his humble self into a fifth‑rank court official…" Everyone nodded, reminding to protect him, lest a tall tree in the forest attracts jealousy.

As for who would be jealous? Ah… there must be someone.

Bai Lang was also pleased, because he had gotten what he wanted—a fine cotton armor worn by the Tartar, completely intact and unsoaked with blood, plus a perfectly fitting iron armor that could be used after some repair. "If only I had a mountain‑pattern armor, that would be best, but I don't." Even though someone had furtively taken some silver from the corpses, Bai Lang still collected about a hundred‑plus taels of patterned silver; he disregarded other valuables and gave them all to the Ming soldiers who dared to chase out of the city and haul the corpses for him.

The Qing troops are now very troubled; failing to earn merit beneath Yanzhou City has dented their morale, especially after encountering such a monster—Baya La and Ge Bu Xian Chao Ha soldiers died in droves, which deeply pained the Qing officers. Under Bai Lang none were wounded; they were all killed, and even their bodies couldn't be retrieved… "Everyone, discuss how to deal with this brave Ming warrior," they said, and even Aba Tai had to convene the generals for deliberation.

Because any officer with a normal military mind would see a problem—if Bai Lang wears double‑layered armor, rides several horses, and launches night raids from behind them, what then? The Qing have no warrior capable of confronting such a fierce general; being trampled by him would be a nightmare. The conclusion was to post scouts far away, and if they encounter him, report immediately; they also surmise that Yanzhou City is unlikely to let such a fierce general leave at will.

The discussion eventually returned to Bai Lang's valor, "A fierce general like this wields double hammers at least as thick as an egg; swinging a single‑handed iron rod weighing dozens of jin into a charge would be beyond even Ao Bai… and he also has that cross‑training skill—nothing pierces him, surely it's cross‑training!" Bai Lang truly realized that this world does have martial arts and Internal Force, but truly cultivated practitioners are few—among the Ming troops he has met so far only …

However, that's only Yanzhou City; elsewhere there should be such martial‑arts masters. Bai Lang can be said to possess the divine strength that comes from training in that world, and perhaps this world also has profound martial arts… but on the battlefield he has indeed never seen it.

Now Shandong has been invaded by Qing troops; amid the chaos it will be difficult to submit the merit documents, so they must wait until the situation clears up a bit before proceeding, at least to figure out the Qing movements. Bai Lang directly petitioned, "I wish to go and ascertain the Tartar's movements; it doesn't require much—if three or five people are willing to go with me, that's enough. If the Tartar's movements are fully discovered, I can have them return to report."

Although the court's reward has not yet been issued, the officials in the city, including Deng Zhi Fu, have already recommended Bai Lang for the rank of a thousand‑household commander and allocated several hundred‑household posts to him. Bai Lang had not yet asked whether the city possessed a mountain‑pattern armor, but Deng Zhi Fu and the Commander went to the armory and retrieved one—remarkably without needing to bribe first. It was fortunate; indeed there was a mountain‑pattern armor, though it showed wear and needed repair, so they immediately ordered military craftsmen to refurbish it. Wealthy households and prominent families in the city all tried to retain Bai Lang, even inviting him to meals…

"If I accepted every offer, within a month I'd have three meals covered and perhaps five or six delicate young ladies," Bai Lang chuckled, but declined the meals and the young ladies. Though it wasn't said that the Golden Bell Shield must be practiced with childhood cultivation, Bai Lang is truly only seventeen, and he feels he's not yet at the age to start…

Moreover, these young ladies don't suit his taste—contemporary beauty standards favor petite, flat‑chested, skinny figures, but Bai Lang thinks a slightly larger bust and hips look better, and being short is uninteresting…