Chapter 44: The Danning Prefectural Troops Mobilize!

"Though the Huaixi faction is skilled in warfare, they are not skilled at hiding."

"Their brilliance is too exposed," Lü Ben sneered.

"Father, you mean the Emperor intends to promote generals from outside the Huaixi faction to weaken their influence within the military." Lü Hao also understood.

Lü Ben nodded. "Precisely."

"The Emperor holds the imperial power and governs the Great Ming. Naturally, he will not allow any single power to dominate. The Huaixi generals hold too much sway in the army, and their partisans are everywhere."

"The Emperor has long been displeased with them."

"Promoting rising generals has always been the Emperor's intention; it is just that there haven't been any outstanding commanders in recent years. After all, although the Central Plains are pacified, the northern borders, the southern frontiers, and Liaodong are still surrounded by powerful enemies, and the Huaixi generals are still needed to exert their strength."

"This Zhu Ying is young and possesses courage; naturally, he has gained the favor of both the Emperor and the Crown Prince."

"Perhaps in the future, he will have the chance to become one of the great generals of the army," Lü Ben said with great emotion.

Standing in different positions meant seeing different things.

"That Huaixi crowd, especially that Lan Yu, shows no respect to my sister at all."

"Furthermore, they look down on Yunwen, constantly referring to his subordinates as being of concubine descent."

"If the Emperor is dissatisfied with the Huaixi, that is a good thing for us," Lü Hao said with a smile.

"Let us wait and see."

"The court situation is no longer what it used to be. Everything must be handled with low profile and caution. How much power did the former Hu Weiyong hold? How many partisans did he have? In the end, it all came to nothing."

"Your sister now holds the winning hand, and Yunwen is the eldest son of the Crown Prince. That position will inevitably belong to Yunwen in the future."

"As long as we follow the Imperial Will, our Lü family will surely prosper in the future," Lü Ben said slowly.

"Father is wise," Lü Hao smiled, offering a bit of flattery.

...

Huizhou City!

Many corpses that had not yet been cleared remained before the city walls.

On the city towers, besides the traces of arrows, there were many marks left by cannon fire.

It was evident that the previous Yuan army offensive had been extremely fierce.

Firearms and cannons.

They were gradually rising in this era.

And they were already being utilized on the battlefield, especially in siege warfare.

Zhu Yuanzhang knew the power of firearms and placed great importance on cannons, ordering the Ministry of Works to devote all its efforts to their development.

It could be said that this move was entirely correct.

"Great General."

"The Yuan army's fifty thousand troops launched continuous assaults. Our soldiers defended the city with great bravery. Unable to seize the city, the Yuan army retreated quickly upon receiving news that the main Ming army had arrived," Bu Wan reported respectfully to Feng Sheng.

"The soldiers of the Daning border army guarding Huizhou City have all performed meritorious service."

"By my command, all shall be recorded for merit and rewarded," Feng Sheng declared.

This meant that the merit would naturally be reflected in their military pay.

"Your subordinate obeys," Bu Wan responded immediately.

"Great General."

"Now that the main army has arrived in full, is it time to set out?"

A middle-aged general in armor looked at Feng Sheng and asked, a strong fighting spirit evident on his face.

He was none other than the most arrogant and fierce of the Huaixi generals, the Marquis of Yongchang, Lan Yu.

"We should have set out long ago."

"Now that the Yuan army knows our main force is here, they fear us like tigers. We should strike while the iron is hot and charge straight out," Zheng Guo Gong Chang Mao spoke up directly, appearing quite impetuous to outsiders.

Feng Sheng glanced at the two of them and then asked, "Has the army been reorganized?"

"Reporting to the Great General, they have been reorganized."

"The two hundred thousand troops are divided into two parts. This subordinate and the Marquis of Yongchang will each command one," Ying Guo Gong Fu Youde replied with a salute.

"By my command."

"The Yuan army's retreat to Liaodong was very hurried."

"Send ten thousand cavalry ahead to pursue and scout the route. Do not linger in combat; the priority is reconnaissance."

"Additionally, the Marquis of Yongchang shall lead his army toward Liaodong," Feng Sheng ordered after a moment of thought.

"This subordinate obeys!" Lan Yu's eyes lit up as he responded.

"As for General Fu, I order you to lead your hundred thousand troops to advance via the flank."

"Naha Chu occupies Liaodong and has built several cities to guard Liaodong City. He commands nearly two hundred thousand armored troops and at least a hundred cannons. Do not underestimate the enemy," Feng Sheng added.

"This subordinate obeys," Fu Youde also accepted the command readily.

"Go."

Feng Sheng waved his hand.

Lan Yu and Fu Youde subsequently withdrew from the city.

"Naha Chu occupies Liaodong and has constructed multiple cities to protect Liaodong City."

"Although our Great Ming is well-prepared for this battle, it will undoubtedly be a fierce struggle," Feng Sheng said slowly.

"With the bravery of our Great Ming soldiers, we are more than capable of annihilating Naha Chu."

"Furthermore, didn't the Great General bring three hundred cannons with the army? With so many cannons, I do not believe the Yuan army can withstand them," Bu Wan said with a smile.

Feng Sheng nodded. "First, scout the Yuan army's strength, then devise our strategy for engagement."

"In my estimation,"

"Since the Yuan army's attack on our Daning was unsuccessful, they must have retreated into Kaiyuan City."

Bu Wan nodded. "The Great General is wise."

"However, Prefect Bu."

"The reason Daning was able to hold out until the arrival of the imperial main army is largely due to Zhu Ying's contribution."

"If he had not used a mere few thousand cavalry to stall the Jianzhou Tatars, preventing them from joining forces with the Yuan army, it would have been impossible for the Daning border army to hold out for nearly a month," Feng Sheng said slowly, his tone full of praise for Zhu Ying.

"I naturally understand your meaning, Great General."

"It is just that Zhu Ying is still in the north. When he was told to stay in the northern border to stall the Tatars, it was explained that his task was complete once the imperial main army arrived, and that if he could no longer hold out, he could retreat at any time."

"Now, we do not know what his situation is," Bu Wan said helplessly.

"For now, we can only see what Zhu Ying intends to do."

"After all, the northern border is vast; trying to find him would be like looking for a needle in a haystack," Feng Sheng also looked helpless.

Regarding Zhu Ying, he placed extreme importance on him.

As a military general and a founding meritorious official of the Ming, seeing a young talent like Zhu Ying, he naturally had the intention to cultivate him.

At that moment!

"Report!"

"Reporting to the Great General!"

"Urgent news has arrived from Ying Tian!"

A personal guard rushed to Feng Sheng.

"Bring it here."

Feng Sheng raised his hand.

The guard commander immediately handed the urgent message to Feng Sheng.

As Feng Sheng read it, a look of surprise immediately crossed his face.

"Zhu Ying has gained the favor of the Emperor and the Crown Prince this time."

"The Emperor has issued an edict, granting Zhu Ying the hereditary title of [County Baron]."

Feng Sheng smiled and spoke to the surrounding generals.

As soon as he spoke, Bu Wan was shaken, stunned by the news.

"A hereditary County Baron?"

"That is a noble title!"

"The Emperor is so incredibly generous," Bu Wan thought, deeply shocked.

"Great General."

"The urgent news also states that the Imperial Envoy is already on the way," the guard commander reported immediately.

"Mm."

Feng Sheng nodded, a faint smile appearing on his face. "To receive a title at only sixteen years of age—this is a first for the Great Ming."