Chapter 732: Triumph

"Dragon battle in the field!" Bai Lang let out a sharp shout; the celestial dragon, its claw and scale armor fully manifested, emitted a long howl and, like the earlier blood tiger, surged into the heavy cavalry formation, while Bai Lang gripped his Miao blade with both hands and struck, the blade itself shattering completely, yet the released blade light stretched for several zhang, its power naturally waning with distance— even though Bai Lang had reached the apex of this world, his power ended here.

Meanwhile, that dragon‑tiger was also rapidly draining, its size shrinking quickly, and after slaying more than ten people it vanished entirely. Yet at that moment everyone had already taken Bai Lang for a deity, and An Da simply fled, dropping the great banner and running with it; lifting it made him unable to run fast, so he even resolutely cut off the lower half of the banner pole.

Since An Da fled, his army naturally began to crumble, especially when Bai Lang turned to charge— An Da's elite heavy cavalry losses of half his forces pained him greatly, and when fleeing he also dispatched a messenger unit to have the other cavalry withdraw quickly. If he were to lose tens of thousands of troops here, his position as the chief of the Tumote Tribe would likely become unstable.

Bai Lang ordered his subordinates to pursue, but chasing cavalry with infantry was a thankless, arduous task, and in the end they only beheaded over a thousand ranks. Though they beheaded over a thousand, An Da's army suffered casualties far exceeding a thousand; Bai Lang, being a veteran war general, estimated that after An Da fled and gathered the remaining troops, the losses would still be about three to four thousand, already amounting to serious injuries.

The captured armor, banners, and military flags were also numerous; their own losses were about ten percent, and in loss ratio they were actually comparable to An Da's, but in absolute numbers they were far fewer. In any case this counts as a great victory— because after the first battle An Da's forces fled far away, even the nearby Mongol tribes scattered in retreat; if one were to restore the Dongsheng Guard at the proper time, even Ban Sheng City would likely fall in one push. qqxδnew

"Then we can restore the Han's Yunzhong and Jiuyuan." Bai Lang ordered his generals to report the victory, while the main army gradually withdrew, preparing to return to Datong— if the subsequent immigration and other measures lag behind, his presence there would be of no use, and he would be accused by high officials of wasteful grain expenses. The cabinet elders of the Jiajing reign, together with the emperor himself, possessed only this much resolve.

"If we don't let An Da break through, it's Amitabha, and then we push back? One can't say it's impossible verbally, but when it comes to action they instantly claim no money." Bai Lang thought, where did the money go? Naturally it was spent by the passing wealth gods and the greatest cultivator among them. This Eight Hundred Li Lu Bu report of victory once again shook the world; Datong Governor Bai Lang shattered An Da's hundred‑thousand‑strong army at Dongsheng Guard, a feat unmatched since the Yongle era.

This wasn't Bai Lang's bragging, but the court's own boasting— these people, including Jiajing, are extremely cunning, truly thinking they don't know what good deeds they've done? Now that there is a great event, this military merit will certainly be recorded in the histories, and can even be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, where they can shamelessly insert their own "leadership" achievements.

Isn't that just leadership? Who appointed Bai Lang as Datong Governor? Of course everyone from the governor to the cabinet to the emperor himself contributed. Bai Lang certainly deserves special honors; the cabinet debated granting him the title of Prince's Junior Protector, while that not‑so‑kind rascal suggested simply making him a Senior Pillar of State— based on his battle achievements and bravery, Bai Lang merits it.

As for the post, of course he would be given the title of Minister of War and appointed as governor; wherever there's tension they'll send him. Everyone knows that the frontier's tangled interests are hard to manage, so a guy like him is perfect for cleaning things up— moreover, most of the senior officials are southerners, and even the northerners are rarely from frontier garrisons, so there's little conflict of interest.

Difficult to handle doesn't mean impossible; the Six Ministries and the lower officials have many entangled interests, but currently the cabinet elders have no personal stakes. Moreover, after the Capital sent someone to assume the governorship of the Nine Borders, who would want to do such dirty work? Who would dare? Aren't they afraid of sudden illness and death?

The locals would certainly not cooperate— from officials to clerks to the guard posts, and even the local gentry all refuse to cooperate and keep filing petitions, only a powerhouse like Bai Lang can turn a blind eye. Even the cabinet, spiteful as Yan Song, knows that continuing this way would be a death‑blow to the Ming Dynasty's frontier defense, and Bai Lang is the savior.

The Senior Pillar of State proposal was obviously ill‑intended and was uniformly ignored by the cabinet, but the titles of Prince's Junior Protector and Minister of War could be granted, and they even plan to transfer Bai Lang to Shaanxi as Governor of the Three Borders. Bai Lang then received a letter, "That guy Linghu…", the rascal apparently intends to settle long‑term in Nagasaki, Ri Ben, perhaps enjoying life there to the point of forgetting home.

He has indeed studied many of Ri Ben's so‑called sword methods, and the letter he sent came with a handwritten book— the merchant who delivered it dared not be reckless, as forging a connection with a court‑renowned master is costly. Bai Lang examined Linghu Chong's handwritten sword manual, "This guy concealed a breathing technique, simplifying the sword art; the question is, what school is this? Flying Sky? Why did he write this thing?"

Linghu Chong, that drunkard, is unreliable by nature; concocting a "Flying Sky" school is entirely plausible. That trouble‑making fellow— where did the undefeated Eastern one go? No one really knows, but Bai Lang thinks he went west, and when Bai Lang returned to Datong he felt wholly uneasy, a sense of constant mismatch everywhere.

"Alas, even an extra half‑step can't be tolerated," the fellow sighed, "this world truly is…." That feeling tells him he must return to his place; after all, Bai Lang directly manifested divine innate true‑Qi— not just hundreds or thousands saw it, and after being hailed as a deity even the Capital demanded he report victories and duties— presumably the Jiajing emperor wants something from him.

This true Qi, with its divine technique, can already be passed down as the method of a terrestrial immortal. Other Innate Experts cannot achieve it; as for the old Taoists who answered Jiajing's inquiries, they also have explanations— because historically someone truly could do it, marking the genuine first step onto the path of transcendence. Afterwards, longevity and far‑seeing are merely scenery on the road, and becoming a Heavenly Court divine general is a natural progression.

Isn't that Zhang Tianshi of Dragon‑Tiger Mountain? Hence the eunuch delivering the decree had long been beaming with smiles, congratulating the White Ministry of War, and before Bai Lang even set out, the palace was already sending someone almost daily to urge him to hurry to the Capital. "The emperor is truly delusional," Bai Lang sneered, "the problem is I fear I may not be able to return to the Capital to guide this emperor into the Dao."

For a guy like Jiajing, it would be best if he died in a few years; after all he's already turned the entire court into a complete mess...