Chapter 799: Chapter Forty‑Four

The Ming Dynasty has always recorded military merit by the number of heads taken, and now the heads of the Jianlu are counted as the highest merit. Bai Lang, alone on his horse, kills people as if cutting grass; thousands of eyes above and below the city watch clearly. Such a peerless fierce general, no one would greedily claim his deeds; a small share of the spoils is normal. Bai Lang himself doesn't care about this—he isn't a Ming military officer, his ability to command troops is essentially zero, and if he had his own troops, their only use would be to follow him and help cut heads.

After returning to the city, Bai Lang had the Commander and Prefect write the battle report, while he himself searched the bodies of 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 proficient with bows and arrows, but the one‑stone bow used by the white‑clad 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, and he is now savoring the feeling of his Internal Force circulation and force control during the recent killing. "Only when killing does one have the best chance to adjust," he thinks. While searching for loot, he also gently uses Internal Force to twitch his muscles, feeling his skill with the double halberds 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, and Bai Lang brandishing such a thing in formation would be the world's top god‑strength general— even the civil official Prefect Deng knows this clearly. "This …" Prefect Deng's battle report isn't for the Commander's cross‑checking, it's just for him to see— the official conclusion is that, and soldiers need not say more.

Nevertheless, the officials praised him, "Truly a scourge of this age; even the might of a king cannot compare." The Commander also nodded in agreement— in fact everyone was pleased; holding the city was the primary merit, and repelling the true Tartar army and beheading over a hundred already counted as an extraordinary feat. Those present, civil or military, could each be promoted a level or two without issue; exceptional promotions are entirely possible.

"Beheading over a hundred, since the Eastern Barbarian incident, how many have achieved such a tally? Probably not even five fingers' worth," the Commander lamented. "This white warrior's single beheading feat, if recorded, could even qualify him for a thousand‑household garrison— a single battle turning Bai Lang from a commoner into a fifth‑rank court official…" The crowd nodded, reminding that he must be protected, lest a tall tree in the forest draws jealousy.

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

Bai Lang was also quite pleased, because he got what he wanted—a fine cotton armor worn by the Tartar, completely intact and unsoaked with blood, and of course an iron armor that fit perfectly and could be used after some repair. "If only I had a mountain‑pattern armor it would be best, but none is available." Even though some sneaked 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 army is now very troubled; failing to earn merit beneath Yanzhou City has dealt a blow to their morale, especially after encountering such a monster—Baya La and Ge Bu Xian Chao Ha soldiers died in droves, which is what truly pains the Qing officers. Under Bai Lang none were wounded; they were all slain, and even the bodies could not be reclaimed… "Everyone, discuss how to deal with the brave among the Ming army?" Even Abatai had to convene the generals for deliberation.

Because as long as they retain normal military sense, they can foresee a problem—if Bai Lang wears double‑layered armor, brings several horses, and conducts night raids behind them, what then? The Qing forces have no warriors capable of confronting such a fierce general; should he trample their camp, it would be a nightmare. The deliberation concluded with sending out scouts far ahead; if they encounter him they must report immediately, and they also suspect Yanzhou City will not allow such a fierce general to leave freely.

The discussion eventually returned to Bai Lang's valor: "A fierce general's double halberds must be at least as thick as a duck egg; swinging a single‑handed iron rod weighing dozens of jins into a charge would probably even defeat Ao Bai… and he also has that cross‑training skill, impervious to swords and spears, surely that cross‑training!" Bai Lang had indeed guessed wrong; this world does have martial arts and Internal Force, but truly cultivated practitioners are few—none among the Ming army he has met.

But that was only Yanzhou City; elsewhere there should be such martial‑arts masters. Bai Lang could be said to possess the god‑strength that comes from training in that world; perhaps the world's high‑level cultivators could also achieve this—but on the battlefield he has indeed never seen it.

Now Shandong has been invaded by Qing troops; amid the chaos it is hard to submit merit reports, so they must wait until the situation clears to understand the Qing movements. Bai Lang directly petitioned, "I wish to go and scout the Tartar's movements; it need not be many, a few three or five willing companions suffice, and if the Tartar's movements are fully uncovered they can return with news." Yet city officials found this improper—such a brave general is better kept nearby; what if he goes out and the Qing kill him with a returning cavalry lance?

Although the court's reward has not yet been issued, the city's Prefect Deng and others have already promoted Bai Lang to a Thousand‑Commander and allocated several hundred‑household posts to him. Bai Lang has not yet asked whether the city has a mountain‑pattern armor, but Prefect Deng and the Commander have already gone to the armory and retrieved one—remarkably without needing any bribe first. It's fortunate that there indeed is a mountain‑pattern armor here, though after a long time it needs some repair, so they immediately ordered military craftsmen to fix it, and the city's wealthy families and prominent households also began to boast.

"Whatever, if I were to accept every request, by now within a month I'd have three meals a day provided for me, and those delicate young ladies would already number five or six," Bai Lang chuckled. However, accepting meals is no problem, but the young ladies can be dismissed. Though it wasn't said that the Golden Bell Shield must be practiced with child cultivation, Bai Lang is actually only seventeen, and he feels he isn't yet at the age to start eating meat.

Moreover, those young ladies don't really suit him—contemporary beauty standards favor a petite, flat‑chested, skinny figure, but Bai Lang thinks a slightly larger chest and hips look better, and being short is uninteresting…