Chapter 45: Above the Northern Border, Thousands of Savages!

The Northern Frontier!

The territory of the Jianzhou Tartars!

A small tribe.

A few thousand Ming cavalrymen, covered in blood and grime, had already surrounded this tribe.

Thousands of Tartars within the tribe had all been gathered together.

Corpses were scattered everywhere around the perimeter of the settlement.

Looking at these Ming soldiers, every one of them carried a quiver of arrows on his back, a bow at his saddle, and a long saber in his hand.

Of course, they were completely shrouded in blood and filth, emitting a pungent stench like savages, yet every single one of them exuded a fierce, predatory ferocity.

Zhu Ying had led these soldiers through this foreign land of the Northern Frontier for over a month now, spending every day in rapid marches, slaughter, and combat.

It could be said that the battles Zhu Ying had led them through this time were unlike anything they had experienced in years.

Now, the few thousand cavalry under Zhu Ying's command could truly be called a battle-hardened army.

"Commander."

"Over five hundred enemies slain."

Wei Quan rode up to Zhu Ying's side and reported respectfully.

Zhu Ying nodded.

Having served together for so long, many things required no explicit instruction; a single glance was enough.

Zhu Ying glanced at the Tartars, whose faces were filled with terror and hatred toward him and his soldiers, but his expression remained unmoved.

War was simply like this.

There was no distinction between right and wrong.

If the Tartars were allowed to charge into the cities and villages of the Great Ming, their methods would be even more ruthless.

Having lived two lifetimes, Zhu Ying knew even better how brutal these Tartars could be.

"The old rule."

"If they are taller than the wheel, behead them," Zhu Ying said coldly.

"Understood!"

The many soldiers moved in unison.

They dismounted and pulled a cart directly from the tribe.

"Mercy!"

"We are only civilians!"

"Mercy... please don't kill us..."

Following closely were waves of wailing and pleas for mercy.

But would Zhu Ying care?

Would these thousands of Ming soldiers care?

Without a doubt, no one would show them pity.

One by one, the Tartar males were dragged out by Zhu Ying's soldiers and measured against the wheel.

As long as they were taller than the wheel—even by a single inch—they received a blade.

This was the Ming's practical application of learned methods.

After all, this was a method passed down from the ethnic groups of the Northern Frontier; this was how they had treated countless Han civilians in the past. In fact, they had been even more cruel—after beheading the males taller than the wheel, they would violate the women.

In an instant, hundreds more corpses lay on the ground.

Zhu Ying took a small packet of medicinal powder from his robe and tossed it to Liu Lei, who was standing nearby.

"Yes, sir!"

Liu Lei immediately took the order.

He went directly to the tribe's water source and threw the powder into it.

This was a potent laxative that Zhu Ying had obtained, and it was an extremely powerful variety.

"Withdraw!"

Zhu Ying shouted.

"Understood!"

All the soldiers responded in unison and mounted their horses.

Following Zhu Ying's silhouette, they continued to gallop toward the north.

Though their troop strength was less than three thousand, they were accompanied by nearly ten thousand warhorses.

These were all spoils of war captured by Zhu Ying and his men, and they were the capital that allowed them to move freely within the Jianzhou Tartar territory.

As the powder was cast into the water, the tribe erupted into towering flames. The Tartars' grain and supplies were all burned to ash by the Ming army; anything that could not be carried away was destroyed.

Less than half an hour after Zhu Ying and his men had departed...

*Clop, clop, clop.*

*Clop, clop, clop.*

In the place where the slaughtered Tartar tribe had once stood, an army of over ten thousand Tartars swept in.

"Bastards!"

"We are still too late!"

"Those damned Ming scum!"

"Damned Zhu Ying!"

Looking at the wreckage of the destroyed tribe, Agunu was filled with hatred.

"General," a Tartar officer said with resentment, "this is already the fifteenth tribe of our race destroyed by the Ming army, and tens of thousands of our people have died brutally. If this continues, our tribe will suffer even greater losses."

"What can we do now?" another Tartar officer said with heavy gravity. "Our cavalry has been wiped out by those damned Ming soldiers; we cannot catch them at all. Furthermore, the Great Yuan no longer has reinforcements; the main force of the Ming army has already begun its offensive toward the Yuan."

"Pursue! Keep pursuing!" Agunu said through gritted teeth. "If I do not tear Zhu Ying into ten thousand pieces and wipe out these Ming soldiers, how can I face our Chieftain?"

...

"Commander."

"This is already the fifteenth Tartar tribe."

"Haha!" Wei Quan laughed loudly.

"That's right," Zhuang Wei added with a laugh. "By the Commander's order, I have already cut down fifteen enemy banners. The Commander said these are all merits to be attributed to the Great Ming later; we cannot let them go to waste."

"Brothers!" Zhang Wu also shouted, "Don't you dare lose those ears you've cut off! When we return to the Great Ming, these will be your proof of promotion and wealth!"

"Of course!"

"Thousand-man Commander, I've already cut off more than thirty Tartar ears! Hahaha, promotion and wealth!"

"Damn, Zhao Si, you're a beast! I've only got fifteen!"

"Hehe, following the Commander is not only satisfying in combat, but we can also gain rank and riches. I'm following the Commander for the rest of my life. Wherever he goes, I go. I've been in the army for six years, and I've never fought as freely as I have this time. These damned Tartars—they offended our Great Ming, they deserve to die!"

"That's right!"

"I also swear to follow the Commander to the death!"

"Commander, I swear to follow you to the death!"

"Me too!"

"To the death!"

"The Commander can't leave us behind in the future; we will all follow him to the death..."

Warhorses galloped as the cavalry charged forward.

At this moment, these thousands of soldiers were still in a foreign land, a place of danger.

Yet, every soldier maintained high morale, devoid of any fear.

Every man here was completely won over by Zhu Ying, filled with a fanatic devotion to him.

Hearing their words, Zhu Ying wore a smile and responded loudly: "Thank you for your trust, brothers! Since I, Zhu Ying, have earned such trust, I will lead you all to strike out with the military prestige of the Great Ming! As I always say, Zhu Ying will never abandon a single brother. On the battlefield, Zhu Ying will always be the first to charge. I will never hide behind my brothers, and I will never fail any of you!"

"Follow the Commander to the death!"

"To the death!"

The soldiers shouted with immense fervor.

"Good!"

"Brothers!"

"It's almost dark."

"Continue the march for another half hour, then we rest!" Zhu Ying laughed and spurred his horse forward.

"Yes!"

The Ming soldiers shouted fervently.

Time flew by!

Soon, night fell.

Under the cover of darkness, there was no setting up of large camps, only gathered campfires. There was no feast of meat; there was only Zhu Ying and his men eating dry biscuits and drinking water by the fireside.