Chapter 95: All Attributes Break Through 3000! The Great Merit Belongs to Zhu Ying!

Through the front-line battlefield, chaos reigned.

Lan Yu saw numerous red-armored cavalrymen furiously slaughtering Yuan troops, each one ferocious, each Yuan soldier falling beneath their onslaught.

And the man at the very front radiated overwhelming might—he had just set down his bow and now charged forward with sword in hand.

“Zhu Ying!”

“It’s him.”

Though this was his first time seeing Zhu Ying, Lan Yu recognized him at once.

Rumors about Zhu Ying had already spread through the army, along with descriptions of his weapons and his bow.

He was now the talk of the ranks.

Even if he now resented it, the battle’s outcome was clear.

Harachang had been killed by Zhu Ying’s arrow.

“Damn it.”

“How did he end up in Kaiyuan?”

“Harachang was supposed to be my battle merit.”

Lan Yu felt no joy at the enemy commander’s death—only fury.

It was like a piece of meat snatched from his grasp.

To the entire army, Zhu Ying’s breach of the city was a great merit, saving thousands of Ming soldiers’ lives—but to Lan Yu, it was outright theft of his hard-won achievement.

“You Yuan soldiers listen!”

“Your commander has been slain by me, Zhu Ying. Surrender and lay down your arms, and you shall be spared.”

“Those who stubbornly resist—will be killed without mercy.”

Zhu Ying shouted as he charged through the enemy ranks.

His battle sword swung wide.

Every strike struck fatal.

Like cutting melons and vegetables.

Like a god of slaughter.

Wherever he rode, a mountain of corpses and rivers of blood followed.

“Slain a Northern Yuan soldier: +10 Spirit, +10 days of lifespan.”

“Slain a Northern Yuan soldier...”

System prompts kept appearing.

The next moment.

“Host’s all attributes exceeded 3000 points. Reward: Tier-One Treasure Chest.” System prompt.

Then.

A sense of transcendence swept through his entire body.

Fatigue vanished.

Strength increased.

“All attributes exceeded three thousand.”

“Indeed, killing enemies is the fastest way.” Zhu Ying thought, thrilled inside.

He pressed forward, continuing to slaughter.

“Zhu Ying—that’s the Ming army’s demon.”

“Yun’an Wang died at his hands.”

“The Grand General was truly slain by this Zhu Ying.”

“Retreat! Quickly to the east gate!”

“Or we’ll be completely surrounded by the Ming army.”

“Hurry...”

Seeing Harachang truly dead, the remaining Yuan troops lost all morale.

They had no will to fight.

The army scattered in panic, fleeing in all directions through the city.

Some even dropped their weapons and knelt to surrender.

Zhu Ying’s name.

Now spread not only through the Ming army, but also among the Yuan forces.

Zhu Ying was simply too fearsome—he had slain their Yun’an Wang. Manjier was Naha’s top warrior, after all. Among the steppe tribes and the Northern Yuan, martial prowess was paramount, especially in the military.

Their foremost general, Manjier, had been cut down by Zhu Ying—and thus Zhu Ying’s reputation spread far and wide.

Unknowingly, Zhu Ying’s fame had already taken root.

“Kill!!”

Zhu Ying seized every chance to gain attributes, galloping forward to slaughter.

He kept killing.

With Zhu Ying entering the city and eliminating Harachang, and Lan Yu’s forces storming in, the city’s fate was sealed.

What followed was merely a matter of how many Yuan soldiers to kill or capture.

Time passed.

The Ming army encircled and advanced, slaughtering all along.

Zhu Ying’s troops charged wildly.

The full might of their cavalry was unleashed.

Corpses of Yuan soldiers littered every corner of the city; blood stained the entire town red.

The air reeked of sharp, cloying blood.

Time gradually slipped away.

After Harachang was dealt with,

the focus turned to clearing out the remaining Yuan troops across the city.

Soon.

After nightfall,

the brutal battle had ended.

Before the Governor’s Hall of Kaiyuan City,

numerous officers waited.

But now,

as Zhu Ying stood with his personal guards on the right,

across from them,

Lan Yu and many Huaixi elite generals stared at Zhu Ying with unmistakable hostility.

They had barely breached the city, hoping to capture or kill Harachang and claim great merit.

But Zhu Ying had stolen it from them.

This feeling was no better than Zhao Yong and the others watching Zhu Ying break through Jincheng.

“You—are Zhu Ying?”

Lan Yu fixed his gaze on Zhu Ying, voice cold.

His tone was deeply hostile.

“Who might you be?”

Though he recognized Lan Yu, Zhu Ying feigned ignorance.

“I am Lan Yu, Marquis.”

Lan Yu replied coldly.

“Oh.”

Zhu Ying feigned sudden realization, then said: “So you’re the Marquis of Yongchang. Your humble subordinate greets you, General Lan.”

As he spoke,

Zhu Ying merely clasped his fists and bowed slightly, offering a standard military salute.

“Your unit was stationed in Jincheng territory—why are you here in Kaiyuan?”

A subordinate officer beside Lan Yu, Chang Mao, demanded sharply.

“General Fu learned Kaiyuan was still under fierce siege, and specifically dispatched me to reinforce.”

“But I arrived just in time—I saw General Lan’s forces locked in a brutal assault, so I led my troops to breach the eastern gate, captured the city, and secured this victory.”

“As fellow Ming warriors, this is my duty.”

“General Lan need not thank me.”

Zhu Ying smiled and replied.

Hearing this,

Lan Yu’s eyes narrowed, his gaze toward Zhu Ying growing even more hostile.

This single sentence was unmistakably Zhu Ying’s subtle jab.

Though spoken with righteous grandeur, it was in truth a calculated insult to Lan Yu—leaving him speechless.

After all, we were all Ming soldiers; this assault broke the city and indeed eliminated the Yuan forces. Let Lan Yu lead the charge to breach the city—otherwise, Lan Yu would never have taken it so easily.

For many Ming soldiers storming the city, this was good news—but for Lan Yu and his men, it was absolutely not. The great merit had been snatched away.

Yet even so, Lan Yu had no retort, only a furious glare.

“Zhu Ying.”

“You’re shameless.”

“My army has been assaulting Kaiyuan for days, on the verge of breaching the walls—then you butted in.”

“You’re here just to steal credit.”

“I’ll kill you.”

Lan Yu was arrogant by nature, but his subordinate Chang Mao was even more so.

Now he could no longer contain his rage—he charged at Zhu Ying and swung his fist straight at his face.

But his punch, before Zhu Ying, was like a child’s swing.

Zhu Ying merely lifted his hand and seized Chang Mao’s fist.

“General Chang.”

“We’re comrades-in-arms. How dare you strike one of your own?”

“I will report this to the Grand General.”

Zhu Ying spoke with a look of pained helplessness, though inside he laughed: “These Huaixi toughs—they’re good at fighting, but they only know fighting. This must be Chang Mao. No, he can’t fight; his father Chang Yuchun could. He merely inherited his father’s dukedom. In ability, he’s nowhere near Lan Yu or Zhao Yong.”

“Weak ability, but a huge temper.”

Seeing his fist blocked as easily as if hitting stone, Chang Mao felt provoked.

“You bastard deserves to die,” Chang Mao cursed.

He raised his left fist and swung again, completely enraged.

But this time, Zhu Ying would not indulge him.

He shoved hard.

Chang Mao instantly felt an unstoppable force.

Thud-thud-thud.

He was flung backward and landed face-first in the dirt.

“General Chang.”

“You keep attacking. I merely pushed you—how are you so frail?”

“But in the army, discipline is strict. You’d better control your temper,” Zhu Ying said with a faint smirk.

“You—”

Chang Mao rose from the ground, eyes blazing, wishing to tear Zhu Ying into pieces.

Zhu Ying, however, watched calmly, utterly unafraid.

His total stats had already exceeded three thousand—he was stronger than the Western Chu Overlord and could carve his way through chaos; how could Zhu Ying possibly fear these Huaixi toughs?

To yield?

That was not Zhu Ying’s style.

After all,

If he yielded,

Yingtian would be deeply disappointed.

Zhu Ying had seen Yingtian’s purpose: to elevate officers and weaken the Huaixi faction.

Getting too close to the Huaixi would only make things worse.

“Enough.”

At that moment—

A cold shout came from behind.

Amid a group of personal guards,

Feng Sheng arrived, clad in a red cloak.

His face was dark.

Seeing who it was,

Chang Mao immediately rose, fear flashing across his face.

The surrounding officers gathered and bowed deeply to Feng Sheng: “Your Excellency.”

“Your Excellency.”

Zhu Ying, of course, bowed as well.

Behind him, Zhang Wu, Wei Quan, and other officers also bowed.

“Hm.”

Feng Sheng nodded, raised a hand.

Signaling the officers to rise.

But his gaze settled on Chang Mao.

“Chang Mao.”

“What are you trying to do?”

“Attack a comrade-in-arms in the army?”

“Who gave you the nerve?” Feng Sheng barked coldly.

“Your Excellency,”

Chang Mao lifted his head, still furious. “This Zhu Ying shamelessly stole credit. I can’t accept it. The men won’t accept it.” His eyes glared fiercely at Zhu Ying.

“Shut up.”

Seeing Chang Mao’s stubbornness, Feng Sheng roared again.

Then,

He looked at the Ming soldiers around them—bathed in blood, still dripping.

“Chang Mao.”

“Look at these soldiers.”

“Which one of them didn’t fight to the death?”

“Which one didn’t storm the city after bloody combat with the Yuan?”

“Let me tell you,”

“If Zhu Ying’s troops hadn’t breached Kaiyuan’s eastern gate, if he hadn’t led his men straight into the city to strike at the Yuan’s central command…”

“Why would the Yuan have left their western gate vulnerable? Why would they have retreated?”

“Without Zhu Ying’s troops, how many more of our soldiers would have died taking Kaiyuan?”

“Zhu’s merit was earned through sheer bloody sacrifice. Do you think our tens of thousands of soldiers deserve to be shot down by Yuan arrows? Do you think our soldiers should die just so you can claim credit?”

Feng Sheng roared at Chang Mao.

This time,

He was truly furious.

To avoid casualties and yet refuse to do so—

To force friendly troops to withhold aid for the sake of personal glory—this, to Feng Sheng, was stupidity.

Moreover,

It revealed their own incompetence as commanders.

Zhu Ying, with fewer than eight thousand cavalry, stormed and broke the city.

Lan Yu, with an initial force of one hundred thousand, had besieged Kaiyuan for nearly a month, suffering nearly twenty thousand casualties.

Compare that.

Zhu Ying originally commanded ten thousand cavalry; after breaking Jincheng and now attacking Kaiyuan, he still had eight thousand. His combat power was undeniable.

Of course,

The root was Chang Mao’s stupidity.

Feng Sheng was scolding him—but he was also saving him.

Under so many eyes,

He dared accuse Zhu Ying of stealing credit—how ignorant!

Under so many eyes,

He dared strike Zhu Ying directly?

How foolish!

If this reached Yingtian, it would be a crime.

Even if Chang Mao was the son of the late Duke of Kaiping, Chang Yuchun, he would still face punishment.

Hearing Feng Sheng’s words,

Chang Mao’s face changed.

He realized—he had gone too far.

“Chang Mao.”

“To be honest.”

If your father’s spirit knew how foolish you are, he would be deeply disappointed.

Our Great Ming soldiers fight on the battlefield to kill enemies, not to turn on their own comrades.

On the battlefield, there is no competition for glory—only killing the enemy.

Today.

As Grand General, I am fining you half a year’s salary as a warning to others,” Feng Sheng said at once.

As for this.

Chang Mao immediately knelt down: “I accept my punishment.”

Although so.

Yet Chang Mao’s hatred toward Zhu Ying did not diminish at all.

Lan Yu, standing nearby, also had a dark, furious face.

He was hot-tempered too; Chang Mao’s punishment was clearly a slap in his own face.

Only.

Chang Mao had voiced what Lan Yu had been thinking.

“General Zhu.”

“General Chang has a fiery temper—please forgive him.”

Feng Sheng turned his head and looked at Zhu Ying, his gaze filled with scrutiny and assessment.

Today.

Was Feng Sheng’s first time seeing Zhu Ying.

“Truly as the rumors say: young, and fiercely formidable in battle.”

“Perhaps—it really is true that each generation produces its own heroes,” Feng Sheng thought silently.

“Grand General, you flatter me.”

“We are all Great Ming warriors—I will not hold grudges over petty matters,” Zhu Ying replied at once, bowing.

“I’ve long heard that General Zhu was brave as a youth and skilled in command.”

“Now that I see it for myself, it’s true.”

“This campaign owes much to General Zhu for leading the assault on the eastern gate of Kaiyuan City, causing Hala Zhang to falter and lose heart—otherwise, we might not have taken Kaiyuan today.”

“This merit belongs to you, General Zhu,” Feng Sheng said with a smile of praise.

At that moment!

One of Feng Sheng’s personal guards arrived carrying a corpse.

“Grand General.”

“Here is Hala Zhang’s body.”

“Killed by an arrow through the heart.”

The lead guard respectfully reported to Feng Sheng.

Feng Sheng turned to look.

Hala Zhang’s eyes were wide open, his face twisted in pain; his armor was intact, save for a sharp arrow piercing his chest.

“Excellent archery—one shot, one kill.”

Even Feng Sheng, a battle-hardened veteran, could not help but remark.

He then scanned the crowd: “Who fired this arrow?”

As he spoke,

Feng Sheng glanced at Lan Yu and the other generals.

Yet in response to this question,

Lan Yu and Chang Mao glared with resentment, full of bitter frustration.

No one answered.

Lan Yu’s face grew even darker—he had believed he would shine in this battle, claiming the merit of breaching Kaiyuan and slaying Hala Zhang.

But Zhu Ying had stolen the spotlight. Chang Mao clenched his teeth, his hatred for Zhu Ying deepening.

Feng Sheng saw no one respond.

He turned again toward Zhu Ying’s retinue and the Danning cavalry.

“It seems this arrow was fired by a soldier of the Danning border troops,” Feng Sheng said with a faint smile.

“General Zhu, you must find out who fired this arrow.”

“Great Ming will never let any meritorious soldier go unrewarded,” Feng Sheng said.

“Your Excellency,”

“This arrow was fired by our general,”

Zhang Wu stepped forward, speaking with pride and fervor.

“Fired by General Zhu?”

Feng Sheng was startled.

“Our general always leads from the front in battle, and this arrow bears his mark,” Zhang Wu replied respectfully.

Hearing this,

Feng Sheng walked to Hala Zhang’s corpse.

He grasped the arrow piercing the chest.

Pulled hard.

On the shaft were two characters: Zhu Ying.

Seeing those two characters, Feng Sheng understood fully.

No wonder Lan Yu and the others stayed silent—they must have known who fired it.

“Wei Zhenfu.”

Feng Sheng called out loudly.

“Your servant is here.”

A general hurried over.

“Record the merit.”

“Document it truthfully and submit it to Yingtian,” Feng Sheng ordered loudly.

“Your servant obeys,” the Wei Zhenfu replied loudly.

“Also.”

“Record the merit of General Lan Yu and the other generals who led the assault on the western gate of Kaiyuan City,” Feng Sheng added.

“I will report all battle merits truthfully to the Ministry of War,” the Wei Zhenfu replied at once.

Whether it was the Wei Zhenfu or subordinate Zhenfu, all were stationed within the army but did not take orders directly from the Grand General or commanding officer—they answered directly to the Ministry of War, which stationed them to tally battle merits and prevent bias.

“Kaiyuan City is secured.”

“All generals, enter the General’s Hall for a war council.”

Feng Sheng scanned the crowd and called out.

He then strode into the General’s compound.

Lan Yu and the other Huaixi hardliners glanced at Zhu Ying—finally, they dared not act against him, glared once, then followed Feng Sheng into the Kaiyuan General’s compound.

“Wei Quan, Zhang Wu.”

“Take the men, find a place to set up camp, and treat the wounded,” Zhu Ying instructed.

“Your servant obeys.”

Wei Quan and Zhang Wu replied at once.

They immediately went to organize.

Just as Zhu Ying was about to enter the General’s Hall,

“Zhu Ying.”

A voice called out, filled with excitement.

Hearing that familiar voice,

Zhu Ying turned at once.

Before him,

Was Bu Wan.

Behind him stood Chen Heng and Liu Zhen.

Immediately,

Zhu Ying smiled and hurried forward.

“Your servant bows to the Commander.”

Zhu Ying reached Bu Wan and bowed deeply, his voice trembling with emotion.

“Hahaha.”

“Good lad.”

“It’s been over half a year.”

“You’ve brought great honor to Danning.”

Bu Wan, beaming with excitement, clapped Zhu Ying on the shoulder.

Although he was a civil official, he now clearly bore the bearing of a military general.

“General Chen, General Liu.”

Zhu Ying immediately bowed his fist to Chen Heng and Liu Zhen.

“Good lad.”

“You’ve truly brought honor to us.”

“You slaughtered the Tartars, beheaded their chieftain, breached Jincheng, slain the Northern Yuan’s Prince Yun’an, and now you’ve led your troops to take Kaiyuan and beheaded Harachang.”

“I am humbled—I truly am humbled,” Chen Heng said with deep emotion.

Now.

His gaze at Zhu Ying was no longer that of a superior looking at a subordinate, but one of admiration for a true warrior.

Liu Zhen did the same, returning the bow.

…

PS: Second chapter done—five thousand characters delivered. Brothers, please support with consistent subscriptions—don’t skip. Thank you, deeply grateful.

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(End of chapter)