Chapter 19: Not Enough

Helin City's baked mantou is indeed very fragrant.

Shiniu squatted by the street, ate six in a row, then patted his belly and stood up; he's been coming here to eat often these past two days.

Wang Gui stood nearby, swallowing his saliva, and said, "Shiniu, your belly… really is a bottomless pit."

"Delicious." Shiniu gave a goofy smile, sesame still clinging to the corner of his mouth.

Chang Yuchun walked out of the city garrison, followed by Lan Yu and a group of commanders.

He glanced at the Ming troops sweeping the battlefield across the street, then looked at Shiniu and waved, "Shiniu, hurry over."

Shiniu brushed the crumbs from his hands and walked over.

Chang Yuchun pulled a metal plaque from his chest, thrust it into Shiniu's hand and said, "Take this; it's my Vanguard Order. From now on, you are our Vanguard Officer, commanding five hundred cavalry."

The plaque was heavy, bearing the character "Chang" engraved on it.

Shiniu, holding the plaque, asked a bit bewildered, "General, Vanguard Officer… what does that entail?"

"It means you go at the front; when you meet the enemy, you charge first; when you face dangerous terrain, you blaze the trail. Understand?" Chang Yuchun patted his shoulder and said.

Shiniu nodded, "Understood."

Lan Yu laughed beside them, "General Chang is using you as a spearhead, but Shiniu, your knife… is indeed sharp enough."

The commanders all laughed.

In the following days, Helin City gradually settled down.

The Ming troops cleared the remnants, tallied the spoils, and guarded the captives in batches.

Chang Yuchun wrote a battle report and sent someone on Eight Hundred Li Urgent to deliver it to Yingtian Prefecture.

On the seventh day, the court's reply arrived.

The messenger, dust‑caked, rushed into the city garrison, knelt on one knee and said, "General Chang! His Majesty has issued an edict: Northern Yuan has collapsed, Helin has been captured, the main army shall immediately return to Kaiping, prepare for standby!"

Chang Yuchun took the Imperial Edict, read it, and told the commanders, "His Majesty's intention is to have us return to Kaiping first; the Grassland is vast, the Yuan Emperor's whereabouts are unknown, pursuit is futile. Issue the order: in three days, break camp and return to the main army!"

The commanders received the order and departed.

Shiniu still didn't grasp what "return to the main army" meant, so Wang Gui explained, "It means go back to Kaiping City; the campaign is over, it's time to return."

Shiniu scratched his head and asked, "Oh! Then… are we still fighting?"

"Not for now; go back to receive rewards! You've earned a great merit this time; His Majesty will surely grant abundant honors!" Wang Gui laughed.

Three days later, the main army broke camp.

Shiniu led five hundred Vanguard cavalry, marching at the front.

These five hundred were personally selected by Chang Yuchun as elite; each rode with superb skill, fierce and battle‑ready.

Their gazes at Shiniu mixed awe and admiration, for this Vanguard Officer was the monster that smashed Helin City's gate with a single hammer.

The column left Helin City, heading southeast.

Autumn arrived early on the Grassland; the grass had already begun to turn yellow.

The wind blew, and the grass waves rose and fell like a sea of gold.

Shiniu rode his horse, bearing the Double Hammers, eyes scanning all around.

It was his first march on the Grassland, and everything seemed fresh.

After half a day's travel, a stretch of hills appeared ahead.

Wang Gui spurred his horse closer and warned, "Shiniu, be careful; this terrain is prone to ambushes."

Shiniu nodded, squeezed the horse's belly with his thighs, and his reddish‑brown horse accelerated, charging toward the hills.

Just upon entering the hills, Horn Sound erupted from both sides.

The ambushing Northern Yuan troops surged out from behind the hills, about a thousand strong, appearing to be remnants of the defeated forces at Helin, aiming to cut down the Ming army here.

"Enemy attack…" someone in the Vanguard shouted.

Shiniu's eyes lit up.

He was finding the journey boring.

He swung the Double Hammers, the horse's speed not only held but increased, charging straight into the enemy formation.

The Northern Yuan troops, seeing this death deity charge, were terrified to the core; the single hammer that smashed Helin City had already become their nightmare. Yet now there was no retreat, so they forced themselves to fight.

Shiniu surged into the enemy ranks.

The hammer rose.

The first Northern Yuan soldier, along with his horse, was smashed into the air, dying mid‑flight.

The hammer fell.

Three surrounding Northern Yuan soldiers were pulverized into mush.

He was like a stone roller over a wheat field; wherever he passed, only shattered corpses remained.

The five hundred Vanguard cavalry followed behind, scarcely gaining any spoils; the enemies were all cut down by Shiniu alone.

A quarter of an hour later, the battle ended.

Over a thousand Northern Yuan troops suffered more than half casualties; the remainder scattered in flight.

Shiniu tightened his reins, looked at the bodies strewn about, and said with slight dissatisfaction, "Too few, not enough to fight."

The Vanguard soldiers exchanged glances.

One whispered, "Vanguard Officer… a thousand men still not enough?"

Shiniu shook his head, "One hammer only slays three or four, still not satisfying."

The others: "…"

The column continued onward.

In the following days, they encountered several scattered Northern Yuan detachments, some numbering a few hundred, others only a few dozen.

Each time, Shiniu was the first to charge, the Double Hammers sweeping, and the fight usually ended within a few breaths.

The Vanguard soldiers went from initial shock, to later numbness, and finally even began to wager: "Guess how many strikes the Vanguard Officer will need to resolve this?"

"I guess five strikes."

"Three strikes! Bet a round of Wine!"

Shiniu heard it, turned back with a goofy look and asked, "What are you betting on?"

The others quickly fell silent.

Wang Gui laughed, "They're betting how powerful you are."

Shiniu thought for a moment and said, "Then… should I fight more slowly, so you can keep betting a while longer?"

The crowd burst into laughter.

Yingtian Fu, the palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat behind the imperial desk, holding a battle report just delivered from the north.

This was already the third one; the first reported the Kaiping great victory, the second the pursuit of the Yuan Emperor, slaying Yesu in battle, and this third was the Capture of Helin.

Empress Ma sat beside him, stitching, her eyes occasionally glancing at the battle report in Zhu Yuanzhang's hand.

Zhu Biao stood before the imperial desk, reporting on Jiangnan tax matters.

His speech was clear and orderly, his tone gentle, yet each suggestion hit the crux.

"…Last year Suzhou Prefecture concealed thirty thousand mu of fields; your son has already ordered the Imperial Censor to investigate thoroughly, finding seven implicated officials, with solid evidence."

Zhu Biao paused and said, "According to the Ming Code, they should be beheaded."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked up and asked, "Behead?"

"Yes."

Zhu Biao lowered his head and said, "But your son thinks that among the seven, three were coerced by superiors, their crimes not warranting death; they could be dismissed and exiled, their property confiscated. Of the remaining four, the mastermind should be beheaded, the accomplices conscripted."

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at his son for a while, then smiled and said, "Biao'er, your way of dividing and governing is getting more practiced."

Zhu Biao's expression unchanged, "Your son is merely acting according to the law."

"Following the law… following the law, all seven should be beheaded; your split makes those Jiangnan civil officials think the Crown Prince is merciful," Zhu Yuanzhang set the battle report down and said.

"Your son dares not, only feels… too many executions may lose people's hearts," Zhu Biao whispered.

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed loudly, "Good! Well said! Then do as you propose, but for those three exiles, choose Qiongzhou as their place of exile! I hear it's damp and hot, with heavy miasma; whether they survive will depend on their fate."

Zhu Biao's eyes flashed with understanding, and he bowed, "Your son will obey the decree."

Empress Ma set aside her stitching and asked softly, "Zhong Ba, what does the northern battle report say?"

Zhu Yuanzhang handed the report to her, "Chang Yuchun has again achieved a great feat; Helin City has been taken, eight thousand heads cut off, twelve thousand captured."

He paused and said, "In the report, that Shiniu… again made a big splash."

Empress Ma took the report, read through quickly, her gaze lingering on those descriptions:

"Shiniu, on a lone mount, charged the formation, a single strike shattering Helin City's gate…"

"Before the formation he cut down a hundred men, unstoppable…"

"Fourteen years old, Divine Strength unmatched…"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at her expression, sighed, and said, "Girl, I know what you're thinking, but there are many fourteen‑year‑old children in the world; we can't assume just because one matches our son."

"But his left eyebrow… the report says his left eyebrow bears a scar," Empress Ma said, her voice trembling.

Zhu Yuanzhang fell silent.

Zhu Biao walked over, took the report, glanced at it, and said warmly, "Imperial Mother, the Northern Frontier war is over; General Chang will soon return his troops to Kaiping."

"Your son thinks we can summon General Chang back to the capital for a report; then… bring that Shiniu along—whether he is or not, we'll know at a glance."

Empress Ma looked up, tears in her eyes, "Biao'er…"

"Imperial Mother, rest assured, if he truly is the second brother… your son will certainly treat him well."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the mother and son, finally nodded, "Very well, proceed as Biao'er says; when Chang Yuchun returns to Kaiping, issue an edict to summon him to the capital, bringing that Shiniu along."