Chapter 32: Zhu Ying's Victory Report Shocks Feng Sheng!

Bu Wan took the military report and was just about to open it.

However, remembering that Feng Sheng had arrived, and that with Feng Sheng's arrival, as the commander of this expedition against the Northern Yuan, all the troops of Da Ning Prefecture were under his command, Bu Wan naturally did not dare to overstep. He immediately and respectfully handed the report to Feng Sheng.

"Please, Duke, have a read," Bu Wan said.

Feng Sheng nodded, took it immediately, and opened it.

Upon reading it, Feng Sheng's expression changed instantly.

After finishing, a look of astonishment even flickered in his eyes.

"Good, good, very good!"

"It seems this old man has grown old after all and underestimated this Zhu Ying."

"I did not expect him to be so remarkable."

"Using a diversionary tactic to launch a night raid, he caught the Tatars completely off guard."

Feng Sheng suddenly burst into laughter, clearly stunned by the contents of the report.

Seeing Feng Sheng so excited, the many generals also turned to look at him, filled with curiosity and surprise.

"I wonder what Zhu Ying has done to make the Duke so happy?" the Marquis of Nanxiong, Zhao Yong, asked with a smile.

This time, Zhu Yuanzhang's decree to subdue the Naha Chutu involved not only a force of over two hundred thousand but also an incredibly formidable lineup of generals.

With Duke of Song, Feng Sheng, serving as the Grand General.

His left and right Deputy Generals were Duke of Ying, Fu Youde, and the Marquis of Yongchang, Lan Yu.

There were also four assistant generals: the Marquis of Nanxiong, Zhao Yong; the Marquis of Dingyuan, Wang Bi; the Marquis of Dongchuan, Hu Hai; and the Duke of Zheng, Chang Mao.

These were the most battle-hardened generals of the Huixi faction. While the Huixi faction might be overbearing, their ability to command troops and fight was unparalleled; they were all great meritorious officials who had helped establish the Ming Dynasty, expelled the Yuan court, and reclaimed the lands of the Han people.

"Could it be that Zhu Ying successfully raided a Tatar tribe?" Bu Wan thought to himself, slightly startled.

"I underestimated this Zhu Ying."

"Read it aloud."

Feng Sheng smiled and handed the report to the commander of his personal guard.

The latter accepted it respectfully.

"This subordinate, Zhu Ying, reports to the Commander!"

"Today..."

"My five thousand soldiers are operating deep within Tatar territory. According to our scouts, the Tatars are gathering troops at their Blue Flag tribe, and the Yuan court also intends to send reinforcements."

"To the Tatars and the Yuan court, five thousand troops are extremely insignificant. Once entangled by the Tatars, it would surely result in annihilation."

"However, our Ming main force has not yet arrived. If we only conduct simple harassment, the Tatars will surely launch a large-scale invasion of our Da Ning in coordination with the Yuan court, which would ruin our Ming plan to destroy the Yuan."

"Therefore, this subordinate must hold the Tatars back, regardless of the cost."

"On this occasion..."

"This subordinate investigated the strength of the Tatar Blue Flag tribe and found they have over thirty thousand troops deployed. Only a surprise attack can disrupt their deployment and cause chaos."

"Thus, I divided my forces into two routes. I sent the Thousand-man Commander Li Tao, who refused to obey orders, to harass the southern Tatar tribes. I led four thousand soldiers to circle around to the northern Tatar tribes to launch a preemptive strike..."

"In this battle..."

"I led four thousand soldiers into the northern Tatar tribe. The enemy was completely caught off guard. Our surprise attack yielded significant results, slaying over ten thousand enemies! Although there were some casualties, not a single man was left behind in the Tatar tribe. It was a great victory."

...

Feng Sheng's personal guard commander read aloud in a loud voice.

Hearing these results, everyone in the hall looked on in shock, clearly finding the outcome hard to believe.

"Zhu Ying actually succeeded in a surprise attack? And he led four thousand soldiers out of the Tatar tribe with only injuries and no deaths?"

"How is that possible?" Bu Wan was also inwardly startled.

But this was quickly followed by a sense of wild joy.

"This kid Zhu Ying is truly impressive; he has brought us great honor!"

"With the Duke of Song present, this victory is an even greater achievement for our Da Ning," Bu Wan thought excitedly.

Zhu Ying was now a general under his command; achieving such great merit naturally meant a share of the glory and credit belonged to him as well.

"Zhu Ying..."

"This boy is truly extraordinary."

"It wasn't just the Grand General who underestimated him; we all did."

"To raid a Tatar tribe with four thousand cavalry and return after slaying ten thousand enemies—even with a loss of a thousand, it would be a great victory. Yet he managed to lead everyone out without a single death."

"If the battle report didn't require verification by the accompanying Thousand-man Commanders—forging such a report being a capital offense—I truly wouldn't believe it."

"Indeed."

"Zhu Ying's ferocity is not just in himself, but in his command. Under his leadership, these four thousand cavalry were able to exert such combat power. While the Tatars' lack of vigilance played a part, it was mostly Zhu Ying's ability to command troops."

...

The generals in the hall were also filled with emotion as they spoke.

Clearly, they were all stunned by this report.

They were all top-tier Ming generals; they could raid an enemy camp and slaughter their way through, but to do so without a single death was simply impossible.

Of course, all of this was due to the effect of the authority and official seal held by Zhu Ying, which increased the morale, combat power, and even the endurance of his soldiers by sixty percent.

Furthermore, when Zhu Ying commanded, those who followed him felt an invisible connection.

Orders were executed without hesitation—that was the power of Zhu Ying's command.

"Marquis of Nanxiong, did you see why Zhu Ying divided his forces into two routes?" Feng Sheng looked at Zhao Yong and asked.

"Zhu Ying is very clever."

"In the eyes of the Tatars, if the Ming were to attack, it would be from the front, targeting their southern tribes. If someone were to circle behind their tribe, it would put them in a precarious position, risking encirclement. Therefore, they would be lax in guarding the northern tribes and instead concentrate their forces in the south."

"By launching a surprise attack on the northern tribe first and then having the Thousand-man camp conduct a feint against the southern tribe, the Tatars would not take the news of the northern attack seriously. They would merely think the northern tribe was a deliberate distraction and that the Ming's main force was attacking the south. Consequently, they would concentrate their troops to defend the south, which is how Zhu Ying achieved this victory," Zhao Yong said with a smile.

Having been a general for many years, the purpose of Zhu Ying's tactic was obvious to him at a glance.

Of course, this was a case of "the onlooker sees more clearly than the participant."

"Hahaha!"

"Correct!"

"That is precisely the brilliance of Zhu Ying!" Feng Sheng laughed loudly.

He was clearly very satisfied with Zhu Ying's performance.

Subsequently, Feng Sheng looked at Bu Wan: "Prefect Bu, your Da Ning Prefecture has truly produced a capable general."

"To receive such praise from the Duke, Zhu Ying will surely be overjoyed when he hears it," Bu Wan replied immediately with a smile.

However, in the next moment, Feng Sheng thought of something, and his expression instantly darkened.

"Judging by this military report from Zhu Ying, the previous report received from the Ansha County Thousand-man Command regarding the withdrawal was untrue. They were even trying to smear Zhu Ying," Feng Sheng said coldly.

As soon as these words fell, Bu Wan's expression also changed.

Indeed, when they had first seen that report, they had believed it completely.

But with this report from Zhu Ying, everything had come to light.

Li Tao had disobeyed orders and was a coward.