Chapter 18: The Duty of the Personal Guard! If the Master Dies, the Guard Dies!

He came back to himself.

Zhu Ying continued extracting the martial arts he had acquired; all three were ranked.

Know this.

There is a vast difference between ranked and unranked, not just in martial arts, but also in weapons and more.

Being ranked means greater power.

First-rank is Huang Jie, then Xuan Jie, Di Jie, Tian Jie.

“Furious Dance Blade Art—ferocious and dominant. Good.”

“Divine Arrow Continuous Beads—once cultivated, it allows continuous arrow volleys, maximizing my strength.”

“Shatter Mountain Fist—also a martial art that fully unleashes my strength, even multiplying it several times over.”

“Good.”

After extracting these three martial arts, Zhu Ying was even more satisfied.

These three martial arts were undoubtedly not ordinary skills—they required cultivation to improve.

And on the battlefield, this was the best place to cultivate.

“Precious Carved Bow.”

Zhu Ying extracted again.

A black-gold longbow appeared in his hands.

Merely holding it,

he clearly felt its weight.

The moment he gripped it, the bow’s attributes appeared before Zhu Ying’s eyes.

Precious Carved Bow: Huang Jie Mid-Rank! Has armor-piercing trait—the greater the strength, the greater the power unleashed!

“No wonder it’s a ranked bow—I won’t have to worry about snapping it anymore,” Zhu Ying smiled.

He then extracted the forged steel longsword.

A cavalry-grade longsword appeared in his hands.

The hilt was iron, the blade forged from forged steel, gleaming with sharp cold light.

With one grip, Zhu Ying knew this steel blade weighed fifty to sixty jin.

“This time, good.”

“With these weapons and martial arts, I’ll be far safer on the battlefield,” Zhu Ying thought with deep satisfaction.

“Oh, right—the authority seal.”

He came back to himself.

He immediately remembered the authority seal formed on his panel.

When he was a Squad Leader, this seal already had considerable power—during the great battle, all ten soldiers under his command survived, and they were all new recruits; their survival in such a brutal battle clearly proved the seal’s value.

“Host has been promoted to [Battalion Commander]. Can now form the Battalion Commander Authority Seal. Form it?” the panel prompted.

“Form it.” Zhu Ying did not hesitate.

A Squad Leader commanded ten men, granting combat power and morale boosts.

A Battalion Commander’s authority must be far greater—if it can enhance the overall combat power of his troops, it will benefit Zhu Ying’s promotion, for after reaching Battalion Commander, personal kills no longer matter; only major battlefield achievements can earn advancement.

Personal kills are no longer key—commanding troops to kill is the core.

So Zhu Ying knew exactly how vital this authority seal was.

The next instant!

【Battalion Commander Seal】: Commands a thousand troops. Boosts troop combat power by sixty percent, morale by sixty percent, endurance by sixty percent.

“Indeed—five ranks up, combat boost rose from ten percent to sixty percent.”

“All of this will manifest on the battlefield,” Zhu Ying thought silently.

He came back to himself.

“Now, I must focus on cultivation, and wait until tomorrow to take command of the cavalry battalion,” Zhu Ying mused.

He activated 【Henglian Gong】 and began his daily cultivation.

The night passed quickly.

The next morning!

Zhu Ying ended his night-long cultivation.

He donned his battle armor and strapped on his sword.

He now wore the full attire of a Battalion Commander, clearly distinct from ordinary soldiers.

He stepped out of his tent.

Liu Lei stood outside with fifty men already waiting.

“Reporting, Battalion Commander.”

“Personal Guard Platoon Leader Liu Lei, leading fifty Personal Guards, awaits your command.”

Liu Lei bowed deeply at the front.

“Hail the Battalion Commander.”

All fifty Personal Guard soldiers knelt on the ground.

“This… is power.”

Seeing this,

Zhu Ying could not help but feel a surge of emotion.

“Rise,” Zhu Ying said solemnly.

“Thank you, Battalion Commander.”

All fifty Personal Guards chorused.

Then,

Liu Lei stepped forward, holding out a roster to Zhu Ying.

“Reporting, Battalion Commander.”

“This is the roster of Personal Guards,” Liu Lei said.

“Good.”

Zhu Ying nodded and took the roster.

At that moment!

A clatter of footsteps approached.

Chen Heng arrived, escorted by a group of Personal Guards.

“General Chen.”

Zhu Ying immediately stepped forward to greet him.

Chen Heng waved a hand, signaling no need for formalities.

“Have you selected your Personal Guards?”

Chen Heng glanced over them and asked with a smile.

“General, here is the roster,” Zhu Ying immediately offered the roster to Chen Heng.

Chen Heng took it but did not look at it; instead, he walked before the Personal Guards, his expression stern.

“All of you.”

“Do you know the duty of a Personal Guard?”

Chen Heng stared at the guards and shouted.

“We know, General.”

“As Battalion Commander’s Personal Guards, we must protect his life with all our strength,” Liu Lei shouted back.

“Correct.”

Chen Heng nodded, then scanned them and added: “The duty of a Personal Guard is bound to the officer you serve. On the battlefield, you are the ones who take the blade for your master—that is your duty! As Personal Guards, your responsibility is to protect your master! Zhu Ying is your Battalion Commander—if he dies on the battlefield, you all must die too!”

“Do you understand this meaning?”

Chen Heng’s voice carried a warning.

The words “Personal Guard” are not merely two words—once you become one, your life is no longer your own; it belongs to protecting your commanding officer.

This is also how the Emperor ensures the safety of his army commanders—on the battlefield, swords are blind. The commander’s survival is key to victory.

The purpose of Personal Guards is to protect commanders—if the commander dies and they live, that is their crime—and they will not escape death.

“We understand.”

Liu Lei and the other fifty soldiers chorused.

“Of course,”

“as Battalion Commander’s Personal Guards, you will receive one rank higher pay—that is your due,” Chen Heng added.

After concluding the Personal Guard briefing,

Chen Heng turned to Zhu Ying: “Battalion Commander Zhu, come with me to the cavalry battalion.”

“Yes.”

Zhu Ying immediately nodded.

Soon after,

under Chen Heng’s personal guidance,

He arrived at the encampment of the First Cavalry Battalion.

“Welcome, General Chen.”

Chen Heng had arrived.

The cavalry battalion was fully assembled.

Yet the original force of a thousand had been reduced to only six or seven hundred, clearly from yesterday’s battle losses.

“Let me introduce you.”

“These two are the deputy battalion commanders of the cavalry battalion: Zhang Wu and Fan Qing.”

Chen Heng pointed to the two officers before him.

Then he pointed to Zhu Ying: “This is Zhu Ying, the newly appointed battalion commander of the cavalry battalion, who will now command the First Cavalry Battalion.”

“Hail, Commander Zhu.”

Zhang Wu and Fan Qing bowed deeply to Zhu Ying.

Though they could see Zhu Ying was very young—many years younger than them—they were in the Hongwu era, where no one could rise without military merit, and Zhu Ying’s name had already spread through the encampment.

Zhang Wu and the others had heard of him.

…

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(End of Chapter)