Chapter 18: The Duty of the Imperial Guard! If the Lord Dies, the Guard Perishes!

Coming back to his senses.

Zhu Ying continued to extract the martial arts he had obtained; all three were ranked.

One must understand that there is a massive difference between unranked and ranked skills, not just in martial arts, but in weapons as well.

A ranked item possesses greater power.

The initial rank is the Yellow Grade, followed by the Black Grade, Earth Grade, and Heaven Grade.

"Wild Dance Saber Technique—fierce and domineering, not bad."

"Divine Arrow Continuous Shot—once practiced, I can fire arrows in succession, pushing my strength to its absolute limit."

"Mountain-Crushing Fist—also a technique that can fully unleash my personal strength, even increasing it severalfold."

"Not bad."

After extracting these three martial arts, Zhu Ying felt even more satisfied.

There was no doubt that these three were not ordinary skills; they were techniques that required Zhu Ying to improve through cultivation.

And on the battlefield, this was the best place for cultivation.

"Treasure Eagle Bow."

Zhu Ying extracted once more.

A black-gold longbow appeared in his hands.

Just by holding it, Zhu Ying could clearly feel a sense of profound weight.

The moment he gripped it, the attributes of the Treasure Eagle Bow appeared before his eyes.

[Treasure Eagle Bow: Yellow Grade, Mid-rank! Possesses the Armor-Piercing trait; the greater the strength applied, the greater the power exerted!]

"As expected of a ranked treasure bow. I won't have to worry about snapping the bow in the future," Zhu Ying smiled.

Next, he extracted the Refined Steel Long Saber.

A long saber used for cavalry combat appeared in his hands.

The hilt was made of iron, while the blade was forged from refined steel, emitting a sharp, cold glint.

With a single grip, Zhu Ying knew this steel saber weighed about fifty to sixty jin.

"This time is good."

"With these weapons and martial arts, I will be even safer on the battlefield," Zhu Ying thought to himself, feeling quite satisfied.

"Right, the Authority Official Seal."

Zhu Ying snapped back to reality.

He immediately thought of the Authority Official Seal condensed by the panel.

When he was a Squad Leader, this seal had already been quite useful. During the fierce battles, all ten soldiers under his command had survived. Since they were all new recruits, their survival in such a massive conflict proved that the seal played a significant role.

[Host has been promoted to [Thousand-Household]. You may now condense the Thousand-Household Authority Official Seal. Do you wish to condense it?] the panel prompted.

"Condense," Zhu Ying replied without hesitation.

A Squad Leader commanded ten men, providing a boost to combat power and morale.

A Thousand-Household would surely possess even greater authority. If he could enhance the overall combat power of his subordinates, it would be more beneficial for his future promotions. After all, once one reached the rank of Thousand-Household, individual kill counts became negligible; one had to achieve great military feats to be promoted further.

Individual kills were no longer the key; commanding an army to defeat the enemy was the fundamental requirement.

Therefore, Zhu Ying knew exactly how significant this Authority Official Seal would be.

The next moment!

[Thousand-Household Official Seal]: Commands a thousand soldiers under command. Increases the combat power, morale, and endurance of subordinates by sixty percent each.

"As expected, it jumped five levels. Combat power increased from ten percent to sixty percent."

"All of this can be manifested on the battlefield," Zhu Ying thought secretly.

Regaining his composure.

"Next is to cultivate properly and wait for tomorrow to take command of the Cavalry Battalion," Zhu Ying mused.

He circulated the [Hardened Body Technique] and began his mandatory daily cultivation.

The night passed quickly.

The next morning!

Zhu Ying ceased his night of cultivation.

He donned his armor and strapped on his saber.

He was now dressed in the attire of a Thousand-Household, a stark and obvious difference from an ordinary soldier.

Stepping out of his tent.

Liu Lei, leading fifty men, was already waiting outside.

"Reporting to the Thousand-Household."

"Personal Guard Captain Liu Lei and fifty personal guards await your command."

Leading the group, Liu Lei bowed directly.

"Greetings, Thousand-Household."

All fifty personal guards knelt on the ground.

"So, this is power."

Seeing this scene, Zhu Ying couldn't help but feel a sense of profound emotion.

"Rise," Zhu Ying said with a solemn expression.

"Thank you, Thousand-Household," the personal guards said in unison.

Then, Liu Lei stepped forward, holding a roster and presenting it to Zhu Ying.

"Reporting to the Thousand-Household. This is the personal guard roster," Liu Lei said.

"Good."

Zhu Ying nodded and took the roster.

At that moment!

The sound of footsteps approached.

Chen Heng arrived at Zhu Ying's location, surrounded by a group of personal guards.

"General Chen."

Seeing him, Zhu Ying immediately stepped forward to greet him.

Chen Heng waved his hand, signaling that no formalities were necessary.

"Have the personal guards been selected?"

Chen Heng glanced around and asked with a smile.

"Reporting to the General, here is the roster." Zhu Ying immediately handed the roster to Chen Heng.

Chen Heng took it but did not look at it. Instead, he walked in front of the personal guards with a serious expression.

"Everyone!"

"Do you know the responsibility of a personal guard?"

Chen Heng stared at the guards and shouted.

"Reporting, General!"

"As personal guards to a Thousand-Household, it is our duty to protect the Thousand-Household's safety with our lives!" Liu Lei replied loudly.

"Correct."

Chen Heng nodded, but after a quick scan, he added, "The responsibility and effectiveness of a personal guard are bound to the Thousand-Household. On the battlefield, a personal guard is the one who takes the blow meant for the officer they serve. That is your duty! As personal guards, your responsibility is to protect your superior! Zhu Ying is the Thousand-Household; if he dies on the battlefield, none of you shall live!"

"Do you understand the meaning of this?"

Chen Heng's voice carried a stern warning.

The term "personal guard" was not just a title. Once they became personal guards, their lives no longer belonged to themselves; their primary purpose was to protect the superior they served.

This was also a layer of protection provided by the current Emperor to the generals commanding the armies. On the battlefield, blades and arrows have no eyes. The survival of a general is the key to the army's victory.

The existence of personal guards was to protect the general. If the general they protected died while they remained alive, it would be their crime, and they would face death as well.

"We understand!"

The fifty soldiers, led by Liu Lei, shouted in unison.

"Of course," Chen Heng added, "as personal guards to a Thousand-Household, you will receive a higher salary. This is what you have earned."

Having finished the instructions regarding the guards, Chen Heng turned to look at Zhu Ying.

"Thousand-Household Zhu, follow me to the Cavalry Battalion."

"Yes."

Zhu Ying nodded immediately.

A short while later.

Under Chen Heng's personal guidance, they arrived at the encampment of the First Cavalry Battalion.

"We welcome General Chen!"

As soon as Chen Heng arrived, the Cavalry Battalion had fully assembled.

However, the original force of a thousand men had been reduced to only six or seven hundred, clearly due to losses in yesterday's battle.

"Let me introduce you."

"These two are the Deputy Thousand-Households of the Cavalry Battalion, Zhang Wu and Fan Qing."

Chen Heng pointed to the two officers in front of him.

Then he pointed to Zhu Ying: "This is the newly appointed Thousand-Household of the Cavalry Battalion, Zhu Ying. He will command the First Cavalry Battalion from now on."

"Greetings, Thousand-Household Zhu."

Zhang Wu and Fan Qing bowed deeply to Zhu Ying.

Although they could see that Zhu Ying was very young—much younger than themselves—this was the Hongwu era, where one could not rise without military merit. Furthermore, Zhu Ying's name had already spread throughout the camp.

Zhang Wu and the other was not unaware of his reputation.