Chapter 101: News reaches Zhu Ying!

For the Shen family at this moment!

In their hearts, it was absolutely impossible to admit that the Zhu Ying who had been appointed as a general and granted a title was the same Zhu Ying they had framed.

Beyond the fact that in their eyes Zhu Ying possessed no ability, at the root of it, they simply did not want to believe it.

Even if it were true!

They would still refuse to believe it.

But at this moment!

Shen Wansan's complexion was extremely unsightly.

He knew very well.

If this Zhu Ying was truly the Zhu Ying they knew, then his Shen family was in deep trouble.

If it really was him.

To be granted a generalship and a title for military merit at such a young age, his future prospects were bound to be limitless.

Moreover, to be so highly valued by the Emperor in Ying Tianfu made it even more rare.

After all.

If it were merely a generalship.

Relying on the military and the Ministry of War to promote based on merit would suffice.

But only the current Emperor could grant a title; a title was an honor bestowed by imperial power, signifying nobility.

Watching his several sons in the hall arguing incessantly, although they all claimed it couldn't be that Zhu Ying, their anxiety was clearly displayed.

After a moment of contemplation, Shen Wansan spoke.

"It won't be such a coincidence."

"You all know very well what kind of person Zhu Ying is."

"He has mediocre ability and no martial arts skills. It is impossible for him to have survived on the battlefield."

"This Zhu Ying absolutely cannot be him."

"Furthermore, if there were no one paving the way for such a speed of promotion, it would be absolutely impossible to achieve; I suspect he comes from the imperial clan," Shen Wansan said slowly.

Once these words fell.

His many sons nodded in succession.

Shen Wansan had risen from humble beginnings to possess countless wealth, relying on the merchant's pursuit of profit and, even more, on his speculation of human nature and power.

In his view.

If one were merely a commoner entering the military, it would be impossible to be promoted so quickly, and so many great achievements could not possibly be accomplished by the strength of one person alone.

In short.

Shen Wansan did not believe that the Zhu Ying who grew up under his nose could have such ability.

In this era.

There are those skilled in battle.

There are those with great strength.

There are those skilled in commanding troops.

But it could never be Zhu Ying.

"Father is absolutely right."

"It must just be the same name and surname."

"This Zhu Ying just happens to share his name."

"Indeed."

"That is absolutely the case."

"..."

Shen Wansan's words received the agreement of his sons.

Perhaps they were uneasy in their hearts, also suspecting that this Zhu Ying was the one they had framed, but deep down, they naturally held onto the greatest hope.

"Of course!"

Shen Wansan spoke again, his aged face bearing a look of calculated planning: "Whether this Zhu Ying is that Zhu Ying still needs to be investigated clearly."

As he spoke.

Shen Wansan's gaze fell upon the steward.

"No matter how much money it costs, no matter what arrangements need to be made."

"Find out for me exactly who this Zhu Ying is," Shen Wansan said in a deep voice.

"This old servant obeys."

The steward replied immediately.

However, after a moment of thought, the steward asked anxiously: "Master, if this Zhu Ying really is that Zhu Ying, then... what should we do?"

"He harbors monstrous hatred for our Shen family; if it really is him, now that he has gained power, he will surely deal with our Shen family one day."

"This..."

After these words fell.

Shen Wansan's brows furrowed tightly, and a hint of killing intent appeared in his squinted, aged eyes.

"Everything, let's find out clearly first," Shen Wansan said slowly.

…………

Liaodong!

"Kill."

"Kill all these Tatar bastards."

"Kill..."

Cavalry galloped.

Like a long dragon.

At the front.

Great Ming archers in red armor were firing forward, while the cavalry, like a long dragon, was rapidly encircling them.

And in front.

Was a small city in Liaodong.

These Tatar soldiers were currently fleeing in panic toward the city.

"Retreat... retreat quickly."

"This is the subordinate of that Ming Kingdom god of slaughter."

"Retreat..."

Several thousand Tatar soldiers fled in panic.

The city gate was wide open.

Even though the Tatar general in the city had ordered the gate to be closed, there was ultimately no opportunity, because the gate had been blocked by the routed Tatar soldiers and could not be closed at all.

In the rear.

Zhu Ying was in his battle armor, holding a tiger-headed broadsword.

Wufeng charged forward with all its might.

The battle sword guarded him.

He charged directly into the routed troops.

Swinging and slashing wildly.

One Tatar soldier per slash.

"Killed a Northern Yuan soldier, gained 10 points of strength, gained 10 days of lifespan."

"Killed a Northern Yuan soldier, gained 10 points of true qi, gained 10 days of lifespan."

"..."

The panel notifications were constant.

With the battle sword guarding him, he charged into these routed Tatar soldiers.

Zhu Ying was like the sharpest tip of a long spear, thrusting out, incomparably keen.

The soldiers behind him followed, slashing at the enemy crazily.

Very quickly.

Zhu Ying alone was the first to reach the city gate.

Facing the Great Ming soldiers and the routed Tatar soldiers mixed together, the power of the few Tatar arrows on the city tower was also divided, making it almost impossible to block.

Looking at the crowded city gate ahead.

Zhu Ying gripped the battle sword in his hand, his gaze fixed sharply; the next moment, he channeled his true qi to his arm, and all his strength was added to it.

The moment Wufeng continued to charge in, with only a few steps left.

"Power-Accumulating Slash!"

Zhu Ying shouted in his heart.

The blade contained a powerful force of true qi; although it could not be released externally, it could be added to weapons, fists, and feet, and the explosion of true qi was also extremely powerful.

The blade slashed down!

An instantaneous explosion of nearly ten thousand jin of force.

There was also an invisible blade qi that burst forth.

"Ah... ah..."

At the city gate.

A dozen Tatar soldiers let out shrill screams.

In an instant.

Countless Tatar soldiers fell.

Some were slashed directly in two by the blade, some were beheaded.

Some died from having their internal organs shaken by his invisible blade qi.

The city gate was instantly piled with a dozen corpses.

"Killed a Northern Yuan soldier, gained 10 points of speed, gained 10 days of lifespan."

"Killed a Northern Yuan soldier..."

With one slash, the panel notifications were constant.

And Zhu Ying had been fighting on the battlefield for so long, the enemies he had slashed already exceeded three thousand; he felt no ripples at all regarding these corpses.

"Giddyap!"

Zhu Ying shouted.

Wufeng stepped on the corpses of the Tatar soldiers and charged into the city.

And Zhu Ying's battle sword swung incessantly, still crazily killing the enemy.

"Swear to follow the General to the death."

"Follow the General and kill!"

"Kill!"

In the rear.

Four hundred personal guards roared, the cavalry leading the way.

They followed Zhu Ying into the city.

Behind the personal guard battalion.

"Soldiers, kill."

"Our Daning border army is not inferior to anyone."

Chen Heng roared excitedly, waving his long sword, riding his horse, and charging toward the front of the city.

Behind him.

There were five thousand infantry soldiers rapidly charging over.

"Kill, kill, kill..."

Every Great Ming soldier let out a deafening roar, extremely invigorated.

Very quickly.

The Tatar flag on this small city was slashed down.

The Great Ming banner was planted on the city gate, moving in the wind.

In the city's general mansion!

"As expected."

"Except for that Man Jier who didn't have time to take the gold and silver from the mansion, everything else is empty."

"If we want to make another haul, we can only go to Liaoyang."

After searching the general mansion, there wasn't much value, and Zhu Ying was also very disappointed.

"Report to the General."

"Qingcheng has been secured."

"In this battle, we killed over two thousand enemies and captured over three thousand."

Chen Heng and Wei Quan came over quickly and reported excitedly.

Especially Chen Heng, whose expression revealed excitement that had been suppressed for a long time.

Before Zhu Ying took command, his Daning border army was under those fierce Huaixi generals; although there was constant warfare, they only did some logistical chores, and it was never their turn to go to the battlefield, so they had no opportunity to compete for military merit.

But with Zhu Ying in command.

The Daning border army received Feng Sheng's order to split forces and move separately from Huaixi.

Under Zhu Ying's leadership.

In just ten days.

The Daning border army had already consecutively broken through three Liaodong cities.

The soldiers who originally longed to build merit and establish a career finally had the opportunity to go to the battlefield to kill the enemy and earn merit.

At this moment.

For those Great Ming Daning border soldiers who longed for military merit, Zhu Ying's prestige was extremely high.

"Good."

Hearing the battle results, Zhu Ying nodded and smiled.

Afterward.

He looked at Chen Heng: "General Chen, the old rules still apply: leave one thousand brothers to guard the city, leave two thousand logistical brothers to take care of the wounded and clean up the corpses, and the rest of the soldiers will rest for half a day before moving out immediately."

"This subordinate obeys."

Chen Heng replied immediately, his face full of excitement.

"General Chen."

"I wonder if you've had a good time killing these past few days?" Wei Quan asked with a smile.

"Very good, extremely good."

"Before General Zhu came, we spent our days doing logistical chores, and the border army brothers all longed to build merit but had no opportunity."

"Now that the General has come, we have consecutively broken through three cities and captured so much military merit."

"The brothers' morale is high, and they are very happy," Chen Heng said with a smile.

From his performance, it could be seen that he was indeed very invigorated.

One must know.

Winning military merit on the battlefield is the only way for soldiers to be promoted; even if they didn't kill the enemy to earn merit, when the great war ended, as long as they had the merit of breaking the city belonging to the same army, the imperial court and even the Ministry of War would have various rewards.

Those who participated in the great war would naturally see it reflected in their military pay.

Those who risked their lives to be soldiers in the army were not mostly from wealthy families.

Eight or nine out of ten were from poor backgrounds, and they also needed the pay to support their families.

This is why soldiers long to earn merit on the battlefield; besides getting ahead, it is even more to support their families, to fight for themselves and for their whole family.

Previously, they had no opportunity to go to the battlefield or earn merit, so the Daning border soldiers naturally had complaints; now that Zhu Ying had come and led them to break through three cities in a row, Zhu Ying had already become the hero in their hearts.

"By the way."

"Where is the Pacification Commissioner?"

Zhu Ying shouted hurriedly.

"This subordinate is here."

The army Pacification Commissioner immediately came before Zhu Ying.

With Zhu Ying's change in status, a Pacification Commissioner was naturally allocated to the army, responsible for counting military merit and casualties, and reporting to the Ministry of War.

And the Pacification Commissioner under Zhu Ying's command was named Luo Miao, the Deputy Pacification Commissioner of the army guard.

"Quickly compile the roster of soldiers who killed the enemy and earned merit."

"Even more critical is the roster for the compensation of the fallen."

"These two matters are also the most critical priorities," Zhu Ying said seriously.

"This subordinate obeys."

Luo Miao bowed immediately.

"Where have Lan Yu and the others advanced their troops now?" Zhu Ying asked.

"Reporting to the General."

"Although they have an advantage in troop numbers, their speed of advance is not as fast as our army; now they have only captured two cities," Wei Quan said with a cold laugh.

"Their troop numbers are over fifty thousand more than our Daning border army, so their speed of advance will definitely be faster than our army."

"To break through Tieling before them, we must rely on the power of the cavalry's advance."

"Only in this way can we take the lead," Zhu Ying said in a deep voice.

"Please rest assured, General."

"The brothers are ready to obey the General's orders at any time," Zhang Wu replied immediately.

"Let the brothers have a good rest first," Zhu Ying said in a deep voice.

"Yes."

Chen Heng and Zhang Wu replied respectfully.

Just at this moment!

"Report."

"A squad leader of the county soldiers from Huizhoucheng has come to request an audience, stating that he has an urgent matter to report to the General."

A personal guard came into the hall and reported respectfully to Zhu Ying.

"Huizhoucheng?"

Zhu Ying was stunned and looked at the personal guard in confusion.

After a moment of thought.

He couldn't think of what matter it could be.

Huizhoucheng was the border city between Daning and Liaodong; before moving troops to recover Liaodong, it had suffered many days of fierce attacks from the Tatar army.

It was also the Daning border army that swore to defend it, which kept the city from falling.

However.

Zhu Ying had never been to Huizhoucheng and couldn't think of any other matters.

"Send him in."

Zhu Ying said immediately to the personal guard.

"Yes."

The personal guard retreated immediately.

Before long.

A squad leader in border army battle armor came before Zhu Ying.

When he saw Zhu Ying, his eyes became fervent.

"This subordinate pays respects to General Zhu."

Xiao Han bowed to Zhu Ying.

"No need for formalities," Zhu Ying raised a hand.

"Thank you, General Zhu," Xiao Han replied excitedly.

"I wonder what matter this brother has?" Zhu Ying asked in confusion.

Now that Bu Wan was in the army, he was just a general in the army, so there shouldn't be any political matters to find him for; furthermore, if there were any matters, Bu Wan would find him directly.

"Dare I ask General Zhu."

"In your ancestral hometown, is there a steward? And a young lady you are familiar with?"

Xiao Han asked very anxiously.

"How do you know?" Zhu Ying was slightly stunned and asked hurriedly.

And hearing Zhu Ying's words, Xiao Han's face immediately filled with joy, and he said immediately: "General Zhu! A few days ago, a person calling himself Lin Fu, and a young lady named Shen Yuer, came to Huizhoucheng looking for a person named Zhu Ying. This subordinate happened to hear the General's name, and upon comparison, discovered it might be the General, so I specially kept those two at the Huizhoucheng post house, and received instructions from the Battalion Commander to come and report to General Zhu."

"Uncle Lin and Yuer have both come to find me."

"That's great."

"They are safe."

Hearing this news, Zhu Ying's face also hung with a hint of joy.

He had been enlisted for nearly a year.

Having been framed and brought to Daning Prefecture, thousands of miles away, Zhu Ying had always been worried that the Shen family would take action against Uncle Lin; now that he heard the news again, Zhu Ying was also at ease.

Having arrived in Daning Prefecture, then they were safe.

"What is this brother's name?"

Zhu Ying asked with a smile immediately.

"Reporting to General Zhu."

"This subordinate is Xiao Han, belonging to the Huizhoucheng prefecture soldiers of the Daning border army system."

Xiao Han replied with a face full of excitement.

For him, there was no doubt that this was his opportunity to change his fate.

"Brother Xiao, thank you for your arrangements."

"The two people you mentioned are indeed my relatives," Zhu Ying immediately clasped his fists and thanked Xiao Han.

Seeing Zhu Ying's way of thanking him, Xiao Han was full of excitement and even somewhat fearful.

"General Zhu."

"You are the great hero of our Daning; how can this subordinate accept such a great gift from you? It must not be done."

Xiao Han immediately clasped his fists and bowed.

"There is nothing that must not be done."

"Those two are my relatives, and even more, the most important people in my life; that you were able to settle them well is a kindness to me."

"If Brother Xiao has anything you need me, Zhu Ying, to do, I, Zhu Ying, will never refuse," Zhu Ying said with a smile.

Hearing this.

Xiao Han knelt down immediately and said with a serious face: "Please give this subordinate an opportunity to stay by the General's side."

"The General is a hero of the world; if I could follow by the General's side, that would be this subordinate's honor."

Watching Xiao Han's serious and determined appearance, Zhu Ying also revealed a look of surprise.

Regarding this matter proposed by Xiao Han, Zhu Ying was also slightly surprised.

A favor he promised, now in Daning, was no small thing.

He only asked to stay by his side.

However!

This also made Zhu Ying think even more highly of Xiao Han.

"Brother Xiao Han, are you serious?"

"I, Zhu Ying, fought my way out of the army, and the places I have experienced are also dangerous battlefields; if you follow by my side, you will be my personal guard, and it will be even more dangerous than being an ordinary soldier," Zhu Ying said seriously.

But Xiao Han's gaze remained determined.

"The General is the God of War of our Daning Prefecture, and your prestige shakes the northern frontier."

"If I could follow under the General's command, even if I died on the battlefield, this subordinate would have no regrets," Xiao Han said with a firm face.

Seeing this!

Zhu Ying nodded and then said: "Pacification Commissioner! What is needed to transfer someone from the prefecture soldiers?"

"Reporting to the General."

"In wartime, all soldiers under the Daning Prefecture military system can be mobilized."

"It only requires transferring the military registration."

The Pacification Commissioner Luo Miao on the side replied immediately.

"Very good."

Zhu Ying nodded and looked at Xiao Han: "Brother Xiao, since you want to follow me, I accept your favor and will naturally agree."

……

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 102 =====