Chapter 83: Zhu Ying Again Plays the Yin-Yang Game!

Inside the tent.

No outsiders present.

Chen Heng burst into loud laughter.

Listening to Chen Heng’s words.

Bu Wan and Liu Zhen also wore smiles, clearly delighted.

“Pity we can’t drink in camp, or we’d truly celebrate today.”

“Zhu Ying has truly brought honor to our Danning forces,” said Bu Wan, a civil official now speaking with boldness.

“Bu Da Ren speaks truly.”

“Brought honor.”

“For this entire time, Lan Yu has had us doing menial tasks, giving our Danning frontier troops not a single chance to earn merit.”

“But now?”

“The greatest battlefield achievement has fallen to our Danning frontier troops.”

“Did you see Lan Yu’s face just now? Pure misery,” Liu Zhen laughed.

“Lan Yu and those Huaxi tough generals are masters at eliminating rivals, watching us like hawks—but they still couldn’t stop Zhu Ying.”

“Yet.”

“Precisely because they act this way, Ying Tian grew resentful toward them.”

“In short.”

“Whether they watch us or not, we must avoid entangling ourselves with them,” Bu Wan sternly warned.

“Rest assured, Bu Da Ren.”

“Not only do we not wish to associate with them—even if we did, those Huaxi generals would never let us.” Chen Heng sneered.

“With Zhu Ying’s recent merit.”

“He will surely face even greater exclusion and targeting from the Huaxi faction.”

“When we meet Zhu Ying, we must warn him,” Bu Wan said solemnly.

“Indeed.”

“Previously, Zhu Ying’s many battlefield achievements in the northern frontier already earned him fame in Yingtian. Now, by breaching Jincheng and securing the first kill against Naha Chu, he has directly stolen the Huaxi faction’s glory.”

“There is no doubt the Huaxi will target him,” Chen Heng nodded.

“Open spears are easy to dodge; hidden arrows are hard to guard against.”

“But now Zhu Ying has caught the Emperor’s eye—they dare not go too far,” Liu Zhen smiled.

…

Eyes turned back!

Jincheng!

As time passed,

the chaos within the city was fully quelled.

Some remnants of Yuan troops may have shed their armor and uniforms to hide, but they could only hide for a while, not forever.

As long as Jincheng remained under Great Ming control, they would all be dug out.

“Greetings, General Fu.”

Before the Jincheng Garrison Commander’s residence.

Fu Youde arrived, guarded by a group of personal guards.

Zhu Ying and his subordinate officers bowed in greeting.

“Stand easy.”

Fu Youde smiled, his gaze toward Zhu Ying filled with approval.

“Thank you, General Fu,” Zhu Ying replied.

“General Zhu, you’ve worked hard.”

“I never expected you’d actually breach Jincheng,” Fu Youde said with a smile.

…

“As a Great Ming warrior, it is my duty to give my all for the realm.”

“This is merely my responsibility,” Zhu Ying replied calmly.

Before Zhao Yong and Wang Bi and the other Huaxi tough generals, Zhu Ying had no patience to flatter them—he openly mocked them and gave them no courtesy.

But Fu Youde was different.

He was his direct superior; though Huaxi, he was not one of the Huaxi tough generals, and had shown him kindness.

When Zhao Yong and others had set traps for him, Fu Youde had spoken up to defend him.

That was a debt of favor.

“Zhu Ying.”

“You’ve done well.”

“No wonder you’ve ridden the northern frontier for months, slaying tens of thousands.”

“Rest easy.”

“I’ve already reported your battlefield merit to General Feng. It will reach Yingtian soon—the Emperor will surely reward you handsomely,” Fu Youde said, clapping Zhu Ying on the shoulder.

“Thank you, General Fu,” Zhu Ying replied.

Then,

he took from his waist two severed heads.

One was Man Jier’s.

The other was the head of a Yuan general he had slain during the city’s chaos.

“General Fu.”

“This is the head of Yun’an Wang Man Jier.”

“This one is the Yuan commander, seemingly called Sali Dawen.”

Zhu Ying tossed the two heads onto the ground.

“Good.”

Fu Youde glanced and immediately praised: “Sali Dawen—he was one of Naha Chu’s fiercest generals.”

“Du Zhenfu.”

“Did you record it?”

Fu Youde called out.

“Yes, General.”

“Recorded already,” Du Zhenfu replied at once.

“General Fu.”

“Though I’ve secured the breakthrough of the city, the other soldiers in the army also fought bravely.”

“I only gained this breakthrough because Generals Zhao and Wang recommended me.”

“I am deeply grateful to both generals for their recommendation.”

Zhu Ying smiled, turning his gaze toward Zhao Yong and the other, scowling officer.

Hearing this,

Fu Youde gave Zhu Ying a thoughtful look but said nothing further.

After all,

he understood the situation between Zhu Ying and Zhao Yong’s faction.

Zhao Yong and the other, hearing Zhu Ying’s subtle jab, grew even more sullen.

They had expected Zhu Ying to fail, suffer heavy losses, and never breach the city.

Yet Zhu Ying not only succeeded—he succeeded brilliantly. Now they regretted it so deeply they wanted to slap themselves.

“Great Ming never neglects any meritorious soldier.”

“Du Zhenfu.”

“Have your men swiftly tally the battlefield merits and distribute rewards accordingly.”

“Also,”

“record the casualties of each unit clearly,” Fu Youde said gravely.

“Your orders are received,” Du Zhenfu replied respectfully.

“All generals.”

“Come with me to the garrison commander’s hall for the war council,” Fu Youde said to the surrounding officers.

He then strode toward the blood-splattered commander’s residence.

“Let the men rest well,”

Zhu Ying told Wei Quan and Zhang Wu behind him.

Then he followed Fu Youde into the residence.

Not long after,

the commander’s residence.

Inside the great hall.

Compared to the bloodshed outside, the corpses were piled up.

Inside the general’s hall, however, it was much cleaner.

Above sat a tiger-skin throne, below which were various chairs.

Fu Youde glanced at the throne but did not sit; instead, he signaled to the commander of his personal guard.

The latter immediately brought a chair and placed it at the foot of the steps.

Fu Youde then sat directly on that chair.

The throne.

It represented too much.

If Fu Youde dared to sit on it, news of that would reach Yingtian soon.

After all, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was everywhere.

Whether ministers, the princes enfeoffed by Zhu Yuanzhang, or generals.

Each of them surely had Embroidered Uniform Guard agents among their retinue.

“Stop standing around like fools.”

“Sit down.”

Fu Youde waved his hand toward the officers in the hall.

“Thank you, General.”

The officers bowed and took their seats.

Except for Zhu Ying.

Most of the officers here were from Huaixi; they sat down without hesitation, ignoring Zhu Ying entirely, who was pushed to the very last seat on the right.

As for this,

Zhu Ying merely watched calmly, saying nothing.

Such exclusion was a petty trick, unworthy of notice.

Zhu Ying didn’t care at all; he had already earned great merit this time. Regardless of anything else, this battle achievement alone would at least earn him a promotion.

Above Assistant Commander, he would become Deputy Commander, commanding twenty-five thousand troops and five Garrison Commander battalions.

…

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(End of Chapter)