Chapter 17: Open All the Treasure Chests!

“Damn.”

“Battalion Commander.”

Liu Lei was stunned into silence.

Just months ago, when they wiped out the mountain bandits, Zhu Ying was a raw recruit with less than three months in the ranks; he earned his promotion to Platoon Leader by slaying bandits—but now he had been appointed Battalion Commander, a military officer commanding a thousand men.

Others might not grasp the magnitude of this leap, but Liu Lei understood it perfectly.

“Big Brother Liu.”

“Just now, General Chen told me that a Battalion Commander may form a personal guard of fifty.”

“The ten men I originally commanded—I want them transferred into my personal guard,” Zhu Ying said with a smile.

Though all ten were new recruits, Zhu Ying knew them well; personal guards must be trusted allies, not strangers.

“Zhu Ying, what about me?”

Liu Lei suddenly looked at Zhu Ying with serious intent.

“Big Brother Liu, what do you mean?” Zhu Ying asked, surprised.

“With my rank as Company Commander, I should be fit to serve as your personal guard’s Platoon Leader,” Liu Lei said cheerfully.

“Big Brother Liu.”

“Are you serious or joking?” Zhu Ying’s expression turned odd.

“I’m completely serious.”

Liu Lei smiled, then his face grew solemn and grave; suddenly, he knelt before Zhu Ying: “Company Commander Liu Lei pledges allegiance to Battalion Commander Zhu. I beg you to accept me as your personal guard.”

The surrounding soldiers stared in astonishment; many eyes glowed with longing.

Seeing this,

Zhu Ying realized Liu Lei was sincere.

“If Big Brother Liu is willing, I accept.”

Zhu Ying’s tone turned solemn.

“Liu Lei vows to serve you with his life.”

Liu Lei bowed his head in a full kowtow.

Personal guard. Personal army.

These were the true close attendants of officers above Battalion Commander, the most loyal, sworn to die shielding their commander—even higher-ranking officers—from harm.

Once he became Zhu Ying’s personal guard,

he served Zhu Ying alone.

And their fates were bound: rise together, fall together.

The higher Zhu Ying rose, the higher his personal guards rose; if Zhu Ying fell, they would be dragged down with him.

“Personal guard” was no empty title.

“Rise.”

Zhu Ying stepped forward and helped Liu Lei up.

“Thank you, Battalion Commander.”

Liu Lei dared not overstep; he bowed again immediately.

“Then so be it.”

“From now on, Big Brother Liu is my personal guard’s Platoon Leader. Aside from the ten men I originally commanded, select another forty for me,” Zhu Ying immediately entrusted this task to Liu Lei.

“Your order is received,” Liu Lei bowed with delight.

“I’ll rest for a while.”

“I leave it to you, Big Brother Liu.”

Zhu Ying chuckled and walked toward his tent.

With his promotion of five ranks, Zhu Ying felt immense anticipation—not just for the authority, but for the treasure chests, which promised great power gains.

Watching Zhu Ying’s back, Liu Lei’s eyes shimmered with excitement.

He knew Zhu Ying’s future was limitless; though becoming a personal guard seemed like a demotion from Company Commander, it was in truth a far better path ahead.

From his own promotion record, he lacked Zhu Ying’s ferocity and could never kill a hundred enemies; rising to Battalion Commander would be nearly impossible, even if it took years—or decades.

But by staying beside Zhu Ying as his personal guard’s Platoon Leader, his own status would rise with Zhu Ying’s.

“Brothers.”

“From today, I, Liu Lei, will serve as Platoon Leader of Battalion Commander Zhu’s personal guard.”

“Besides the ten men already under Battalion Commander Zhu’s command, we need forty more personal guards. If you wish to join, report to me—I’ll select the best.”

Beneath the night sky,

Liu Lei shouted to the soldiers of his Company.

Hearing this,

the soldiers erupted in excitement.

“Me, I’ll join!”

“I’ll join too!”

“Commander, take me!”

“I want to become a personal guard under Battalion Commander Zhu...”

Soldiers shouted eagerly; even troops from other companies gathered around.

Everyone could see Zhu Ying’s boundless potential; becoming his personal guard was a golden opportunity.

Inside the tent!

Zhu Ying set down his armor and sword.

“No wonder he’s a Battalion Commander—this armor is far heavier than a common soldier’s, with far better defense.”

“And the sword is a sharp iron blade.”

Zhu Ying glanced, drew the blade, and couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.

Power’s influence was clear even in armor and weapons.

“One hundred taels of gold.”

“Not bad.”

Zhu Ying immediately stowed the gold chest into his storage space.

“Promoted to Battalion Commander.”

“Treasure chests.”

Zhu Ying’s anticipation surged.

“Host’s rank elevated.”

“Promoted to Platoon Leader: reward—[Common Treasure Chest].”

“Promoted to Acting Company Commander: reward—[Common Treasure Chest].”

“Promoted to Company Commander: reward—[Common Treasure Chest].”

“Promoted to Deputy Battalion Commander: reward—[Common Treasure Chest].”

“Promoted to Battalion Commander: reward—[Common Treasure Chest].”

The interface displayed the prompts.

“Ten treasure chests total.”

“With this luck, I’ll definitely get something good,” Zhu Ying’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.

Immediately,

“Open all treasure chests,” Zhu Ying ordered.

“Command accepted. Opening all treasure chests.”

“Acquired skill: [Hundred Paces Piercing the Poplar].”

“Acquired Huang-Class Mid-grade: [Precious Carved Bow].”

“Acquired: [Fine Steel Longsword].”

“Acquired Huang-Class Low-grade: [Furious Dance Blade Art].”

“Acquired Huang-Class Low-grade: [Minor Restoration Pill].”

“Acquired Huang-Class Low-grade martial art: [Divine Arrow Chain].”

“Acquired Huang-Class Low-grade: [Shatter Mountain Fist].”

“Acquired: [500 taels of gold].”

“Acquired: [Fine Steel Refining Method].”

“Acquired: [Premium Gunpowder Refining Method].”

Interface prompts flashed continuously—all ten treasure chests opened.

Zhu Ying scanned the results, a smile spreading across his face.

“Not bad.”

“Skills, ranked martial arts, ranked weapons.”

“My luck is truly exceptional.”

“This fine steel refining method—this process far surpasses the era’s standards. And this premium gunpowder? It exceeds the era’s gunpowder.”

“Good. I’ll keep them.”

"The world is vast; once I gain enough strength, I can expand beyond the Great Ming and become an emperor." Zhu Ying smiled.

He naturally accepted every treasure chest he opened—every one of them belonged to him.

"First extract the archery skill; it should be just like horsemanship—a skill that integrates directly." Zhu Ying thought.

He directly extracted the [Hundred Steps Piercing the Poplar] archery skill.

As a soft glow settled over him, Zhu Ying’s grasp of archery shifted from intermediate to advanced—he now possessed a profound insight, surpassing ordinary people in this art.

"Hundred Steps Piercing the Poplar: first strength, second eyesight, third intuition."

"So that’s how it is."

Zhu Ying understood.

…

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(End of Chapter)