Chapter 435: Heads

Though the Eight Banners Army was retreating in an extremely relaxed manner, that did not mean this ascendant force had lost its basic vigilance.

So the Eight Banners troops in the Shanwai Corridor sensed something was wrong that very afternoon.

Under normal circumstances, scout teams sent out to reconnoiter the flanks according to regulations would dispatch men back at intervals to report the situation.

Even if the mountain paths were winding, or the scouts had discovered some Ming village and were inside slaughtering and making merry, it was impossible for them to vanish for a full day. One must understand, these were three elite scouts, and among them a White Armor — how could they be so negligent?

This likely meant something had happened.

So on the morning of the second day, ten fully armed Eight Banners soldiers charged in from the mountain pass and began probing forward along the previous day's scout route.

Under normal circumstances, ten scouts were a very formidable force. In mountainous terrain where formations were difficult to deploy, these men feared no number of Ming troops — if outnumbered, they ran; if fewer, they fought. A few dozen ordinary Ming soldiers were no match for this squad at all.

In fact, throughout this year's campaign, the Eight Banners troops had never once been defeated by a Ming force smaller than their own; scenes of a handful of men chasing large numbers of Ming soldiers like herding ducks happened from time to time.

However, the Eight Banners soldiers' good fortune ended here.

The moment they entered the valley, the long-prepared trap was sprung.

Special Operations Team members lying in ambush on the ridges on both sides steadily picked off the Eight Banners scouts moving along the mountain crest with four bullets.

The six men remaining on the valley floor faced several dozen Flying Tiger Battalion cavalry surging out from the opposite side.

This time, Mei Fuxi was no longer a greenhorn. The instant he clashed with the Eight Banners soldiers, he raised his spear and steadily dropped one. Realizing the situation was dire, the Eight Banners men turned to flee, only to find that at the other end of the valley, ambushers precisely maneuvered into position by walkie-talkie had appeared.

The battle ended very quickly.

Once everything was cleaned up, the excited Ming men swiftly withdrew under orders.

With matters having reached this stage, the Flying Tiger Battalion, which had come out for live-combat field training, had satisfactorily completed all its training objectives. It was time to return to Tianjin for rest and reorganization.

On this expedition, the troops had not only familiarized themselves with the combat terrain and experienced the atmosphere of real battle; the soldiers had also personally wiped out Tartars, shattering the Tartars' long-held image of invincibility in the minds of the Ming People. It could be said the harvest was bountiful.

As for staying any longer, there was no necessity.

Not only would supply problems arise, but also, the Special Operations Team Headquarters did not wish to alert the snake before the large-scale operation.

For this field training, stealthily taking out a few scout squads was the limit.

If the retreating Eight Banners Army were to realize that a large number of elite troops were still hidden in this southern remnant vein of the Yan Mountains, the Tartars would inevitably deploy forces and numerous scouts on this flank.

That way, when the Transmigrators truly came to stir up trouble next time, it would be troublesome.

So the Flying Tiger Battalion departed lightly, taking not the clouds of the Yan Mountains, only some Tartar corpses and captured horses, leaving the mystery to the Eight Banners soldiers who would come searching afterward.

On the second day after the Flying Tiger Battalion's full withdrawal, a full three Niru of Eight Banners cavalry, totaling nine hundred men, charged into this mountain range.

After spending several days meticulously searching this mountain region, whose total area was not large and was only a hundred li thick, the Eight Banners troops found nothing apart from a few scattered mountain villages whose inhabitants had long since fled. Frustrated, they had no choice but to turn back and leave, consigning those missing scouts to the category of paranormal events.

Meanwhile, over two hundred li away, Tianjin was once again in an uproar: the Southern General, who never stayed quiet these days, had under his command a Green Jacket Army that had actually killed over ten Tartars and even brought the corpses back, letting the natives go look at them freely!

The Old Parade Ground was once again a sea of people.

In the biting cold wind, the corpses of over a dozen genuine Tartars were thrown stark naked in the middle of the parade ground for all to view, with the Tartars' clothing, armor, weapons, and waist tokens laid out beside them.

The majority of the Tianjin people who had made a special trip to see the excitement finally laid eyes on the legendary real Tartars this time.

Upon seeing the heads with dead flesh, ferocious faces, and pigtails, these onlookers who had braved the great cold to come to the parade ground could not help but let out a string of clicks of the tongue, then pulled their hands from their sleeves and gave a thumbs-up to the Vice Lord standing guard there: "True heroes! You've done Tianjin's men proud!"

From this moment on, the Flying Tiger Battalion truly became an army in the eyes of the local natives, and not a rabble playing at soldiering.

Pitifully, just the day before yesterday, the Flying Tiger Battalion, wearing its ridiculous green jackets, had still been the standard material for the young and old masters of Tianjin to mock over tea and after meals...

The impact of this change was profound. In an increasingly evident age of chaos, a power base that had both silver and the military force to protect the lives and property of its collaborators would, without a doubt, attract more attention and investment from those with intentions.

The routines of order and chaos that our countrymen have cycled through for thousands of years, the methods of surviving in chaotic times — one need not possess extraordinary wisdom; just flipping through the history books reveals everything.

Ever since the Flying Tiger Battalion was formed, these people who had been forced to shave their heads and don green jackets to earn the Southerners' military pay had become objects of ridicule for the natives.

Moreover, since the Flying Tiger Battalion merely ran about the surrounding area every day as if it mattered, showing no intention of resisting the Tartars or saving the Emperor, the young and old masters of Tianjin had already rendered their verdict on this Green Jacket Battalion: it was a useless battalion that the Southern General had raised with silver to fool the imperial court and later use as an excuse for his own cowardice in avoiding the battlefield.

These days, all kinds of envy regarding Commander Cao's wealth beyond measure and the confirmed uselessness of the Green Jacket Battalion were the two hottest topics among the natives of Jinwei.

Unexpectedly, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, the Green Jacket Battalion had this time brought back so many Tartar corpses!

The first to find this unbelievable was Tianjin's civil official system.

Since the authority to verify military merits in the Great Ming rested in the hands of civil officials, the department responsible for this matter — Military Defense Circuit Kong Peng, old chap — rushed to the parade ground the first moment he heard the news.

At this moment, personal grudges were naturally set aside for the time being.

Whether the one surnamed Cao was falsifying military merits or had truly killed Tartars, Kong Peng had to grasp the firsthand information; this was serious official business. Of course, depending on the results of the autopsy, Kong Peng would naturally adjust his personal attitude afterward.

If the Tartar heads were fake, then as Military Defense Circuit, he would certainly submit a memorial to inform the court of that Southern Barbarian Cao's various misdeeds: hesitating to advance, clinging to life and fearing death, only doing business and ignoring the Emperor, and falsifying military merits.

If the Tartar heads were real... that would require some deliberation.

After all, in this time when the divine land was being torn apart, anyone with the ability to take Tartar heads was a favorite in the eyes of the Emperor and the court grandees. As long as they did not rebel, any great crime could be forgiven, so there was no need for him to fight the Southern Barbarian to the death, right? In the final analysis, there was no irreconcilable deep hatred between them; it was all official business, official business...

It was with this attitude that Assistant Surveillance Commissioner Kong, seated in a warm sedan chair, hurried to the parade ground.

Upon arriving, he ordered his guards to drive away the commoners who had come to the parade ground to see the Tartars, then Assistant Surveillance Commissioner Kong walked with an official's gait, swaying as he arrived at the center of the parade ground.

The next moment, Master Kong, who had rich experience with the heads of various peoples, picked up the head of a green-standard Tartar and examined it face-on. He could not help but draw a sharp breath: this was a genuine Tartar, authentic and true!

The current market rate for military merits based on heads at court was as follows: proper Manchu Eight Banners were first tier, the BMWs. The Mongol Eight Banners were second tier, considered Audis. As for those Han Bondservants, these often could not even count as military merits, since they were hard to distinguish from killing innocents to falsify merit, so at most they were an Alto.

Due to differing environments, over many years, many physical traits could not be faked, at least not in the seventeenth century, which lacked the Four Great Sorceries: the heads of true Manchu soldiers differed greatly from Han People in details such as facial features, hairstyle, skin, and teeth, and could be distinguished at a glance.

Additionally, the heads of those Mongol Eight Banners who roamed the grasslands year-round also had very distinct characteristics.

After Master Kong carefully examined the heads, he had to admit that those before him were the most valuable genuine Tartars. In that moment, ripples stirred in the old master's heart.

After this, Master Kong also inspected the corpses, clothing, armor, and tokens.

After finishing, he had to admit: that one surnamed Cao had done a fine job this trip; it seemed those underlings had truly exerted themselves to the death for silver. In total, five Manchu Tartar heads and eight Mongol Tartar heads — all genuine Tartars, not a single fake or omission, and even their identities and names could be produced.

Thinking of the mountain-and-sea-like silver in that one surnamed Cao's hands, after examining the heads, Master Kong pondered for a moment right there on the parade ground, then, following the plan he had made before coming, made a gesture to ease relations between the two sides.

First, Master Kong, in his capacity as an authoritative department, released authoritative information to the commoners gathering in ever greater numbers behind him: all these on the ground were genuine Tartars, which he, this official, had examined one by one, and in a few days he would report to the court to request merit for Cao Jiangjun.

After publicly delivering these words, Master Kong expressed his wish to request a meeting with Cao Zong.

Cao Zong naturally would not refuse a meeting between the two sides; after all, no matter what, the Military Defense Circuit was the responsible unit in Tianjin for reporting military merits upward. That Kong Peng was willing to take the initiative to request a meeting was undoubtedly a good thing.

And so, host and guest, in Cao Zong's new brick-built office, feeling the warmth transmitted through from the adjacent Boiler Room and enjoying the latest sugar-water lychees shipped from the south, held talks in a friendly atmosphere.

This meeting achieved complete success on the basis of equal consultation. Both sides reached a consensus on the matter of reporting merit, which was of common concern, and unanimously declared that they would henceforth strive to advance the development between their departments, achieving mutual benefit and reciprocal advantage, convenient for both public and private affairs.

After this, when seeing Master Kong out the door, Regional Commander Cao also handed over the merit roster he had pulled from his sleeve.

The first name on the merit roster was Mei Fuxi, Young Master Mei.

Young Master Mei ranked first on the list with a kill count of two full-blood Tartars and one Mongol Tartar.

Upon learning this news, Young Master Mei was dumbfounded: the only one he had truly killed with his own hands was that one full-blood Tartar later on. As for that green-skinned Tartar from the First Time... best not to mention it.

So Mei Fuxi rushed off to find Chen Erye, wanting to ask clearly why Erye had heaped all the credit onto the head of a greenhorn like him.