Chapter 65: Another Appointment as [Assistant Regional Commander]

"Baron Zhu."

"The imperial decree has arrived, so I shall now return to Ying Ying Tianfu to report back."

The Company Commander of the Imperial Guard, responsible for promulgating the imperial decree, cupped his hands toward Zhu Ying.

"Thank you for your hard work." Zhu Ying immediately cupped his hands in response.

"Duke of Ying, I take my leave." The Imperial Guard Company Commander bowed respectfully to Fu Fu Youde once more.

"Safe travels."

Fu Fu Youde smiled, making no move to detain him.

These envoys from Ying Ying Tianfu had been in Daning for a long time, waiting for Zhu Ying to return so he could be enfeoffed. After all, the conferral of a title was different from a promotion in official rank; it was a grace bestowed upon a subject by the current Emperor, an honor granted by the Imperial Clan, and it had to be carried out by someone sent personally by the Emperor himself.

Once the Imperial Guards had departed.

Zhu Ying scanned the interior of the command tent. It seemed his official rank was the lowest here; besides the various Regional Military Commissioners, there were Vice Prefects, Assistant Regional Commanders, and Pacification Commissioners of the various subordinate armies.

At this moment, he was the only Garrison Commander to have entered this tent.

"General Fu."

"I wonder if there are any further instructions. If not, I shall take my leave." Zhu Ying asked, cupping his hands toward Fu Fu Youde.

Clearly.

Zhu Ying possessed self-awareness.

Everyone here held at least the rank of Assistant Regional Commander and commanded ten thousand troops.

It seemed he was overstepping his bounds by being here, so it was better to leave.

Moreover.

After being enfeoffed as a Baron, Zhu Ying could clearly feel many unfriendly gazes directed at him.

"Zhu Ying."

"The surprise I mentioned is not just this one."

Fu Fu Youde smiled, then took another imperial decree from the table.

However, this one was not proclaimed by the Imperial Guards sent specifically from Ying Ying Tianfu.

Clearly, this was not a conferral of a title, but an appointment of official rank.

It could be proclaimed by a general within the army.

"The Emperor's decree, Zhu Ying, listen to the conferral." Fu Fu Youde said loudly.

"There is more reward?"

Zhu Ying's eyes lit up, and his heart was immediately filled with anticipation: "It seems the military merit I established on the northern frontier was truly dazzling enough; the rewards are endless."

"Subordinate Zhu Ying listens to the conferral."

Zhu Ying bowed, filled with anticipation.

"By the mandate of the Crown Prince, it is said!"

"Daning border army Garrison Commander Zhu Ying has established merit for the country, raided the enemy's tribal court, beheaded the enemy leader, severed the enemy's harassment of our Great Ming territory, guarded the peace of the land, and protected the people of Great Ming. His toil is great, and his military merit is outstanding."

"I am deeply proud."

"Garrison Commander Zhu Ying's military merit is outstanding. According to our Great Ming military merit system, he deserves a heavy reward."

"Now."

"Promote Garrison Commander Zhu Ying by one rank, elevating him to 【Assistant Regional Commander】, commanding ten thousand troops! And bestow one thousand gold, armor, a sword, a bow, and a red cloak!"

"I hope Zhu Qing will continue to perform his duties faithfully and establish new merit for Great Ming."

"I hope that one day I may see Zhu Qing's heroic bearing in Ying Ying Tianfu."

As the words reached this point.

Fu Fu Youde's reading came to a halt.

"First, he received a title from the Emperor, a noble rank bestowed upon him."

"Now the Crown Prince has promoted him by another rank and even bestowed a red cloak—this is a symbol of authority and status reserved for those above the rank of Regional Military Commissioner."

"Both the Emperor and the Crown Prince value this young man highly."

"For a long time, we Huaixi generals have sworn to fight for the imperial court, but now a young boy has appeared who is so highly valued by the Emperor. This clearly means our Huaixi faction is to be sidelined."

"This boy is definitely being used by the Emperor to weaken our influence in the military..."

Looking at such a heavy reward.

Not only armor, a sword, but also a red cloak—the key point being this cloak, which only those above the rank of Regional Military Commissioner could wear as a symbol of status. Yet now, Zhu Ying, a Garrison Commander—no, an Assistant Regional Commander—had received it.

One could see the magnitude of the honor!

"This was written by Crown Prince Zhu Biao."

"My goodness."

"History calling Zhu Biao the most stable Crown Prince is indeed correct. Now, even as a Crown Prince, he can directly issue imperial decrees."

"Truly the number one person in the status of Crown Prince."

Hearing the words on the decree, Zhu Ying immediately realized that this was not written by Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang, but by the Great Ming Crown Prince, Zhu Biao.

For a Crown Prince to issue an imperial decree in the name of the mandate of heaven would invite suspicion from his father in any other dynasty, but in the current Great Ming, before the current Emperor Zhu Zhu Yuanzhang, such a thing simply did not exist.

"Subject Zhu Ying thanks the Emperor for his great grace, and thanks His Highness the Crown Prince for his great grace."

Zhu Ying came to his senses and bowed.

Fu Fu Youde smiled: "Bring the rewards."

At the sound.

A group of soldiers walked into the command tent.

One was holding a set of brand-new battle armor, true general's armor with stronger defense, along with a battle helmet.

There was also a sword, a bow, and a red cloak.

"This armor, bow, sword, and cloak are all bestowed by the Crown Prince."

"As for the one thousand gold, the one thousand gold bestowed by the Emperor has already been arranged to be sent to your tent. You may arrange for people to transport it away, or dispose of it as you see fit." Fu Fu Youde walked forward and placed the imperial decree in Zhu Ying's hands.

As the decree landed in Zhu Ying's hands.

The system prompt sounded once again: "Host has received the imperial decree, rewarded with one ordinary treasure chest."

"Host has been promoted to 【Assistant Regional Commander】, rewarded with one First Rank treasure chest."

The system prompted.

"Thank you, General Fu."

Zhu Ying immediately expressed his gratitude.

"And this red cloak, this is the imperial grace bestowed upon you by the Crown Prince. In the army, only those with the rank of Regional Military Commissioner and above may wear a cloak. The Crown Prince bestowing this authority upon you also highlights his regard for you. I hope you will not disappoint the Crown Prince's expectations." Fu Fu Youde said earnestly.

Zhu Ying immediately replied: "Please rest assured, General Fu, this subordinate will never disappoint the imperial grace."

Zhu Ying had now been promoted to Assistant Regional Commander, commanding ten thousand troops!

Commanding ten thousand troops made one a general.

One could refer to oneself as 'this subordinate' when speaking to superiors.

"Alright."

"Take your seat."

Fu Fu Youde smiled, pointing to the last seat in the third row on the left.

"Yes."

Zhu Ying cupped his hands to acknowledge the order and walked toward that position.

Now promoted to Assistant Regional Commander, he was indeed qualified to be seated.

"Zhu Ying."

"You have now been promoted to Assistant Regional Commander, commanding ten thousand troops!"

"The military unit still belongs to the Daning border army."

"You currently have fewer than three thousand soldiers under your command. Do you have any thoughts on the formation of your Assistant Regional Commander's ten-thousand-man camp?" Fu Fu Youde asked, looking at Zhu Ying.

"Replying to General Fu."

"This subordinate will follow all arrangements, but I hope that my old brothers can all remain together, and I hope that the warhorses obtained from beheading the Tatars can be put to full use." Zhu Ying replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Hearing this.

The expressions of the many generals in the tent changed.

Clearly, they all understood what Zhu Ying meant.

He wanted to form a cavalry camp under an Assistant Regional Commander, with everyone being cavalry.

"Good boy."

"Your appetite is quite large."

"The original Daning border army only had ten thousand cavalry, and they were supported by the entire Daning Prefecture, divided among multiple Assistant Regional Commander camps."

"Now you want to form an Assistant Regional Commander's cavalry camp all by yourself." Fu Fu Youde said with a smile.

"Replying to General Fu."

"This is just this subordinate's suggestion; the specifics will be decided by the General." Zhu Ying replied immediately.

PS: Brothers, I am begging for your continued reading. During the new book period, there are two updates every day. Once it is listed, there will definitely be more updates. I ask for your support, thank you.

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(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 66 =====