Chapter 13: Zhu Ying's Military Merits Shock the Entire Army!

“Though these Tartars are considered barbarians, their weaponry is no longer much weaker than that of our Great Ming.”

“Their ironware and leather armor are all exquisitely crafted.”

“We can no longer treat them with the same perspective we once held for the Tartars,” Chen Heng said with a solemn expression.

In the past, the Tartars were mere barbarians whose weapons were inferior to those of the Han dynasties. But ever since the Yuan court once stood in the Central Plains, everything had naturally changed. The iron-forging and smelting techniques originally belonging to the Han people of the Central Plains had spread to the northern frontiers, bringing a certain kind of military innovation to the barbarians of the north.

“Indeed!”

“No matter the Tartar or barbarian, none should be underestimated. This battle serves as a warning,” Liu Zhen added, nodding in agreement.

Just then, a shout rang out from outside the command tent: “The Prefect has arrived!”

In response, all the generals inside the tent stood up.

“Greetings, Prefect!” the generals said, bowing in unison.

Although Bu Wan was a Prefect, he was currently acting in the capacity of a Commander, so they naturally did not dare to be disrespectful.

“General Chen, General Liu. How were the results of the battle?” Bu Wan smiled and walked directly to the seat of honor, asking the two generals with concern. Having received direct orders from the Crown Prince to resolve the bandit problem as quickly as possible, he was naturally very invested in this matter.

“Reporting to the Prefect,” Chen Heng said immediately. He picked up a battle report and presented it respectfully to Bu Wan. “Our army engaged the Tartar forces and achieved a great victory. The battle report has just been finalized.”

“Read it directly,” Bu Wan said with a smile, his eyes filled with anticipation. “I wish to hear how fierce the soldiers of our Great Ming truly are.”

“Yes,” Chen Heng responded. He opened the report and announced loudly, “In this battle, our Regiment of the Assistant Commissioner engaged the Tartar army. In a single clash, we annihilated over five thousand eight hundred enemies and captured over three thousand. Our army suffered three thousand seven hundred and eighty deaths and two thousand five hundred wounded. We emerged victorious.”

“Good!”

Hearing the report, a smile spread across Bu Wan's face. “A magnificent fight! A mere small clan of Jianzhou Tartars dared to oppose our Great Ming, and this is the price they must pay. You two generals have worked hard. I shall personally submit a memorial to the Crown Prince and the Emperor to request rewards for you both and all the meritorious soldiers.”

“This battle has truly upheld the majesty of our Great Ming.”

Before the battle, Bu Wan had been somewhat worried, but now he was completely at ease. A great victory—crushing the Tartars in a single engagement.

“Furthermore,” Chen Heng added, pulling another report from his robes, “there is one more matter that requires the Prefect's personal decision.”

“What is it?” Bu Wan asked with a smile.

“A soldier in our Regiment fought with extraordinary bravery and achieved great merit. The specific reward must be decided by your Excellency personally.” Chen Heng spoke with great gravity, presenting the report to Bu Wan with both hands.

Seeing how much importance Chen Heng placed on it, Bu Wan accepted the report without delay. Upon opening it, his calm expression suddenly shifted to one of astonishment and shock.

“Is... is this report true?” Bu Wan looked at Chen Heng in disbelief.

“It is absolutely authentic. I witnessed him slaying the Tartar commander with my own eyes. Had it not been for him, I might have perished under the Tartar encirclement,” Chen Heng replied immediately.

Seeing Bu Wan's shock, the many other generals in the tent looked on with confusion. Clearly, the news of Zhu Ying’s feat of slaying the enemy general and capturing their battle flag had not yet spread. After all, the great battle had only just concluded, and the dead and wounded still needed to be dealt with.

“Prefect, what kind of achievement could possibly surprise you so much?” Liu Zhen asked curiously.

“Read it.”

Suppressing his excitement, Bu Wan handed the report to his personal guard. The guard took it and read aloud: “Zhu Ying, a squad leader of the 1,000th Thousand-man Regiment of our Regiment, fought the Tartars and slew one hundred and three of them. Among these, forty-five were killed with arrows and fifty-eight were decapitated. Furthermore, amidst the chaos of battle, he slew the Tartar commander Jin Guda and captured the Tartar battle flag, achieving great merit.”

As soon as these words fell, except for the Zhenfu (Guard Commander) responsible for tallying combat merits under Chen Heng, all the other generals stared wide-eyed at the guard reading the report.

“One man slew one hundred and three Tartars?”

“Is that even humanly possible?”

“Even Lu Bu of old could not have achieved such a feat.”

“What kind of strength is this?”

“Even the legendary King of Kaiping possessed incredible strength, yet he never achieved such results.”

“This man is truly formidable. Not only did he kill so many Tartar soldiers, but he also achieved the merit of slaying a general and capturing a battle flag. This reward is massive.”

“No wonder the Tartar army collapsed while we were still encircling them; Zhu Ying's actions were the cause!”

“This merit is truly significant. It is enough to grant him a promotion of more than three ranks.”

...

The generals in the tent could not help but discuss the news in astonishment. Even Liu Zhen, who was also an Assistant Commissioner, looked at Chen Heng with a face full of surprise.

“Prefect,” Chen Heng spoke up again, “this is the report I wished to submit. I wonder, how should such merit be rewarded?”

After being saved by Zhu Ying, Chen Heng had already sent people to investigate the man's background. After all, it was a life-saving debt, and having such a brave soldier under his command was something that moved him deeply as an Assistant Commissioner. It was for this reason that the Zhenfu had tallied the merits and immediately submitted a separate, individual report for Zhu Ying. The feat was simply too staggering.

“When the Great Ming was first established, the Emperor decreed that our army shall not tolerate corruption; those with merit shall be rewarded, and those who kill the enemy shall never be treated poorly. Since Zhu Ying has achieved such great merit, he shall be rewarded according to the military merit laws of our Great Ming. General Chen, according to our laws, how many ranks should he be promoted?” Bu Wan smiled and spoke immediately.

For Bu Wan, since all the generals were present and the merits had been tallied by the Zhenfu, there was no room for trickery. No one dared to play games with military merits, especially since the Ming Jinyiwei (Embroidered Uniform Guard) were everywhere.

Furthermore, Zhu Ying's achievement was a boon for Bu Wan. Although he was only acting as the Commander, the defeat of the Jianzhou Tartars was a tangible fact. Reporting Zhu Ying's dazzling feat to the capital would make his own record even more brilliant.

In fact, it was true for any general in the tent. Defeating a small Tartar border tribe was a decent achievement, but it wasn't enough to shake the imperial court. However, adding the feat of a single man killing a hundred enemies, slaying a commander, and capturing a battle flag was enough to cause a sensation in the capital. They, the generals, would benefit from this as well, as it provided an opportunity to catch the eyes of the current Emperor and the Crown Prince. Who wouldn't welcome such an opportunity?