Chapter 47: Writing a Letter

Kuokuo Tie Mu Er and Zhu Yong met each other amid the chaotic troops.

A fierce glint flashed in Kuokuo's eyes as he swung his Long Sword.

Zhu Yong raised his hammer to block.

Clang!

Sparks sprayed in all directions.

Kuokuo felt a searing pain in his tiger‑mouth, and the Long Sword nearly slipped from his hand.

He was shocked inside; Zhu Yong's strength was indeed as terrifying as the rumors said.

Zhu Yong's second hammer already came down.

Kuokuo sidestepped, the hammer head grazing his armor, leaving a deep scar on the iron plating.

He dared not fight further, spurred his horse and fled.

"Prince, hurry!" the Imperial Guard, fighting to the death, rushed forward and blocked Zhu Yong.

Zhu Yong did not pursue Kuokuo, focusing on clearing these Imperial Guards.

The hammer rose and fell, flesh and blood flew everywhere.

By the time he broke through the encirclement, Kuokuo had already fled far away with his remnants.

On the forest path lay seven to eight hundred Mongol cavalry corpses, plus several hundred stray warhorses.

Daybreak arrived.

Zhu Yong tallied the spoils; his side's casualties were under a hundred.

"Prince, we captured a living one, a Thousand Household," Zhang Wu said, bringing a Mongol commander forward.

The commander's left arm was wounded, blood gushing, his face pallid.

Zhu Yong asked, "Where did Kuokuo run to?"

The Thousand Household gritted his teeth and gave no answer.

Zhu Yong didn't press, waved his hand: "Take him for treatment; don't let him die."

He flipped onto his horse and led the troops back to camp.

In the camp, Xu Da and others were already waiting.

Chang Yuchun laughed heartily as he came forward, saying, "Prince, well done! Our scouts reported that Kuokuo fled back to Erdao Liang, with only a little over two thousand men left, so angry that he slashed several Imperial Guards!"

Mu Ying also laughed, "Now Kuokuo won't dare to come out lightly again."

Xu Da nodded, "Prince, you have earned another great merit this time, but although Kuokuo was defeated, the main force remains; the trapped beast still fights, so we cannot slack off."

Just then, the sound of horse hooves came from afar.

A swift rider charged into the camp gate; the mounted knight rolled off his saddle and shouted, "Eight Hundred Li Urgent! The Imperial Edict from Yingtian Prefecture has arrived!"

The messenger was led to the Central Command Tent, where he took out the yellow‑silk Imperial Edict.

Xu Da led the generals to kneel and receive it.

The messenger read aloud:

"By Heaven's mandate, the Emperor decrees: The initial battle at Shen'er Valley was victorious; I am greatly pleased. Prince Wu Zhu Yong has shown unrivaled bravery among the three armies, and is hereby granted a set of Golden Armor, a precious bow, and ten fine horses."

"All soldiers of the three armies shall receive rewards; I expect you to press the advantage, pursue, and eradicate Kuokuo soon, pacifying the northwest. By my seal."

The generals bowed, "Long live the Emperor!"

The messenger then produced a sealed letter and handed it to Xu Da.

Xu Da opened it, his expression changed slightly, then returned to normal.

He looked at Zhu Yong, "Prince, the Sovereign also has a verbal instruction: after receiving the edict, you must reply immediately to report your safety."

Zhu Yong scratched his head, "Got it."

That afternoon, Zhu Yong used his charcoal pencil to send a reply to Yingtian Prefecture.

The letter was brief:

"Dad, Mom, big brother, I'm fine. Fought two battles, won both. I chased Kuokuo away, captured his sister. I wasn't hurt, ate well, slept soundly. After the war I'll go home. Yong Er."

Xu Da received the letter, sealed it, and handed it to the messenger.

The messenger carefully stored it, mounted his horse, and rode away.

Watching the messenger's retreating back, Zhu Yong suddenly recalled something and asked Xu Da, "Xu Shu, what shall we do with Kuokuo's sister?"

Xu Da pondered, "First keep her confined; after the war we'll decide. Her status is special—cannot be killed nor released, only taken back to the capital for the Sovereign's judgment."

Zhu Yong nodded.

He actually felt a bit of sympathy for the girl.

But on the battlefield, sympathy is the most useless thing.

Erdao Liang, Northern Yuan Army camp.

Kuokuo Tie Mu Er sat in the main tent, his face ashen.

Below the tent, the generals dared not speak.

At dawn today, the raid on the camp cost nearly a thousand elite.

Including yesterday's losses, after three days of fighting, over four thousand have been lost.

The Ming army's casualties were probably still under a thousand.

"General, the Ming army is massive, and with that monster Zhu Yong, a direct clash would…" the Vice General said cautiously.

"What… you expect me, the King, to flee without fighting?" Kuokuo said coldly.

The Vice General knelt, "I would not dare! It's just… we withdrew from Lanzhou to lure the enemy in, to annihilate the Ming army at Shen'er Valley.

But now it seems Xu Da didn't fall for it; instead he has trapped us here."

Kuokuo knew this all too well.

His original plan was to lure the Ming army into the deep valley, then cut off its retreat, surround and annihilate it.

But the seasoned Xu Da only sent Zhu Yong forward to set up camp, while the main force stayed at the valley mouth.

Now he has become the one surrounded.

"Any news from Longxi?" Kuokuo asked.

The other commander said, "The scout reports that the Longxi garrison commander agreed to send troops to assist, but they won't arrive until at least five days later."

"Five days… will Xu Da give us five days?" Kuokuo gritted his teeth.

The answer was clearly negative.

A clamor suddenly rose from outside the tent.

"What's happening!" Kuokuo shouted.

The Imperial Troops entered the tent to report, "General, the princess… the princess has been captured by the Ming army."

Kuokuo sprang up, "What…"

"During today's raid on the camp, the Ming army shouted that the princess was in their hands, urging the general… urging the general to surrender."

Kuokuo slammed a fist onto the wooden desk, which cracked with the impact.

His sister Minmin was his only remaining kin in this world.

His parents died early, and his uncles and brothers were all wiped out in internal strife.

Only this sister remained; he raised her from childhood, cherishing her as a treasure.

"Zhu Yong… this king and you will never share the same sky!" Kuokuo said, fire blazing in his eyes.

"General, what shall we do?"

Kuokuo took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.

"Send the order: the whole army to prepare for battle; at dawn tomorrow, launch a full‑line assault and fight the Ming army to the death!"

"General, think twice! The Ming army's Huogi is sharp; a head‑on charge might be…"

"If we don't charge, what then, wait to die?"

Kuokuo shouted, "While we still have fifty to sixty thousand men, we must gamble with our lives; perhaps there is still a chance. When the Longxi reinforcements arrive, we can strike from inside and outside— victory may not be impossible!"

The commanders stared at each other, then in unison said, "The subordinate obeys the order!"

The night fell again.

The mountains on both sides of Shen'er Valley crouched like giant beasts.

In the valley, the Ming army's Military Camp blazed with bright campfires.

The Northern Yuan Army camp, however, was pitch black, with only the patrols' torches moving.

The night before the decisive battle was terrifyingly silent.

Zhu Yong sat in his own tent, polishing the Double Hammers.

The bloodstains on the hammer heads had been wiped clean, glinting darkly under the oil lamp.

Zhang Wuhe brought dinner: a large bowl of lamb noodles and three steamed buns.

"Prince, eat while it's hot."

Zhu Yong took it and began to eat heartily.

Chen Heng said from beside, "Prince, the scout reports that there is a disturbance in Kuokuo's camp; I fear there will be a major move tomorrow."

Zhu Yong nodded, "I know, Xu Shu said Kuokuo is like a trapped beast still fighting; tomorrow will definitely be a hard battle."

"Prince, are you afraid?"

Zhu Yong swallowed the noodles and said naively, "What's there to fear? War is just like that— you kill me, I kill you. If you're scared, then don't come."

Zhang Wuhe and Chen Heng exchanged glances and both laughed.

"Exactly! Following a master like this, what's there to fear."

A single hammer strike can bear the weight even if the heavens collapse.

The night grew deep.

Zhu Yong lay down and closed his eyes.

In his dream, he again saw the imperial palace of Yingtian Prefecture, and saw his parents and elder brother.

And the pomegranate tree in the courtyard of Kunning Palace, which should already be bearing fruit, I suppose.

He turned over and fell into a deep sleep.

Outside the tent, the night wind howled.

In the distance, wolf howls came, long and mournful.

But in the Ming army's Military Camp, snoring rose and fell.

The soldiers slept soundly.

Because they knew that tomorrow, Prince Wu would lead them to another victorious battle.