Chapter 54: Feng Sheng is Shocked, Immediately Memorializes Yingtian!

"General."

"As of now, Zhu Ying is still unaware that the Grand General has taken over the military affairs of Daning, which is why he sent this dispatch to your humble subordinate."

"I beg the Grand General not to hold it against him."

Bu Wan immediately stood up and spoke respectfully.

Ever since Zhu Ying joined the army into the northern frontier two months ago, the highest-ranking official he had encountered was Bu Wan, the Prefect and Regional Commander of Daning.

The pigeon-transmitted dispatches were also reported directly to Bu Wan.

Perhaps there had been some guesswork that the imperial court had dispatched someone, but exactly who had been sent was naturally unclear to Zhu Ying, unless things unfolded precisely as they had in history.

However.

As Zhu Ying stepped into this era, the invisible butterfly effect had already altered the predetermined course of history. In the original history, Aahachu had not died; instead, he had later submitted and paid tribute to the Great Ming after the collapse of the Northern Yuan. But now, Aahachu had been slain by Zhu Ying. With such a deep grudge, these Jianzhou Tartars would likely never submit to the Great Ming.

"There is no need to dwell on such trivial matters." Feng Sheng waved his hand, completely unconcerned about whom the report was addressed to.

Furthermore, Bu Wan was speaking the truth.

At this very moment, Zhu Ying was probably unaware of his presence.

"Let us see what Zhu Ying has reported."

"He has been campaigning in the territory of their tribe for more than a month now. Although he has sent back a few combat reports, the situation on the battlefield in foreign lands changes in the blink of an eye."

"I have been deeply worried about him as well," Feng Sheng said immediately.

"Present it at once."

Bu Wan commanded immediately.

The personal guard immediately stepped forward toward Feng Sheng, holding a bamboo cylinder.

Feng Sheng took it directly, drew out the battle report inside, and began to read.

Upon reading the contents of the report, Feng Sheng's expression shifted drastically, his eyes widening in disbelief, finding it almost impossible to fathom.

Following that, Feng Sheng read it with intense focus, going over it word by word.

"How could this be?"

"Could this Zhu Ying be the Champion Marquis of our Great Ming?"

As Feng Sheng gazed at the report, an exclamation of sheer disbelief escaped his lips.

Hearing Feng Sheng's cry, the generals inside the tent turned their eyes toward him one after another.

"General."

"What has this Zhu Ying done in the northern frontier to make you lose your composure to such a degree?" Lan Yu asked casually, though a trace of arrogance lingered in his tone.

"Zhu Ying,"

"penetrated deep into the heartland of the Jianzhou Tartars, raided their royal court, personally slew their chieftain, and severed countless heads."

Feng Sheng spoke with a voice tinged with profound shock.

Upon hearing this, a strange and brilliant light flickered in the eyes of the many generals gathered in the tent.

"What?"

"Penetrated deep into the Tartar heartland? Raided their royal court?"

"And even slew the Tartar chieftain?"

"Although those Jianzhou Tartars are merely a small tribe, they attached themselves to the Yuan court and acquired no small number of Yuan weapons. With a population numbering in the millions, every single one of them is practically a soldier."

"With just over three thousand men, he dared to raid their royal court? And furthermore succeeded in slaying their chieftain?"

"How on earth did he pull that off?"

"Has this Zhu Ying's ability in commanding troops truly reached such a formidable height?"

There were no shortage of generals inside the tent.

Among them were many formidable Huaixi generals skilled in warfare, but at this moment, they were all struck dumbfounded by the magnitude of this victory, clearly finding the achievements too staggering.

And this was accomplished deep within enemy territory—a true lone army thrusting deep, assaulting a camp with a meager force.

As military commanders, they could well imagine how perilous Zhu Ying's situation must have been. Yet under such dire circumstances, he had managed to achieve such an extraordinary feat. One had to acknowledge the sheer brilliance of Zhu Ying's military command.

Even Lan Yu's eyes revealed a flash of astonishment.

He was clearly somewhat shocked as well.

However, Lan Yu quickly regained his composure.

"It was merely good fortune."

"If I were given command of the troops, I would have washed this little tribe in blood," Lan Yu said with a cold, immensely arrogant snort.

Hearing these words, the others remained silent.

Feng Sheng, however, merely glanced at him without saying anything further.

He knew Lan Yu all too well: arrogant by nature, exceedingly overbearing, and resting proudly on his laurels.

The fierce generals of Huaixi—the saying about arrogant and unruly soldiers referred precisely to commanders led by the likes of Lan Yu.

"No wonder the Prince is somewhat curious about this Zhu Ying. With such capability, if he were to enter our Beiping army, it would be enough to further strengthen our forces."

"Alas, what a pity."

"If he were a man of our Beiping army, with such a dazzling performance in the expedition against Nahachu, His Majesty the Emperor would undoubtedly hold the Prince in even higher regard," Zhang Yu thought to himself.

With fifty thousand Beiping troops having been conscripted for this campaign, he was also temporarily under Lan Yu's command.

"Once this assembly disperses, I will transmit news of this Zhu Ying to the Prince."

"To venture into the foreign northern frontier with merely four thousand cavalry, launch raids in the Tartar heartland, inflict tens of thousands of casualties to severely cripple the Tartars' strength, and now even slay the Tartar chieftain—"

"Such a military exploit is simply unimaginable," Zhang Yu muttered inwardly.

At that moment, Bu Wan spoke with an expression of intense excitement, "General."

"Zhu Ying's achievements this time are truly earth-shaking."

"To penetrate deep into the enemy's heartland and slay their chieftain—"

"Judging from the multiple victorious reports sent back by Zhu Ying, the Tartars no longer possess the strength to violate the borders of our Great Ming, let alone dispatch reinforcements to Nahachu of the Northern Yuan."

"No wonder the General has dubbed him our Great Ming's Champion Marquis. With such achievements, in the future, he may truly become our Great Ming's Champion Marquis."

At this moment, Bu Wan was exceptionally stirred.

To him, Zhu Ying's repeated exploits brought glory to him personally, and to the border garrison of Daning as well. This wasn't merely a matter of winning glory in the campaign against the Yuan court's army; it was enough to make Daning shine in Yingtian itself.

In days to come, whenever Zhu Ying was mentioned, people would remember that he was a subordinate under Bu Wan.

How could one not feel honored by this?

"Hahaha."

"Well said."

"Perhaps Zhu Ying is not yet the Champion Marquis today, but given his mastery of troop command, his fierce bravery, his loyalty and devotion to the country, and his willingness to fight without fear of death, he will certainly have the opportunity to become the Champion Marquis of the Great Ming in the future," Feng Sheng said with a hearty laugh.

Such words represented Feng Sheng's attitude toward Zhu Ying—one brimming with high expectations and anticipation.

Among the younger generation, Zhu Ying was the only one capable of winning such lavish praise from a founding contributor of the dynasty and a reigning Duke.

"General."

"Since Zhu Ying has slain the Tartar chieftain this time, should we report this to Yingtian?" Bu Wan asked tentatively.

"We must, most certainly."

"With such a monumental victory and such magnificent results—"

"To pin down the entire body of Jianzhou Tartars with a force of just a few thousand cavalry, preventing tens of thousands of enemy troops from reinforcing the Yuan court, is a feat of immense merit."

"And now, slaying the Tartar chieftain and plunging the Tartars into chaos is an even greater accomplishment."

"I shall personally submit a memorial to Yingtian to request rewards and recognition for Zhu Ying," Feng Sheng declared with a wide smile.

His anticipation for Zhu Ying grew stronger by the day.

"The General is wise," Bu Wan said, immediately bowing.

Requesting rewards for Zhu Ying meant requesting honors for the entire Daning border garrison.

Unbeknownst to most, Zhu Ying had already become the very emblem and pride of the Daning border forces.

Meanwhile, inside the tent, Lan Yu's complexion looked somewhat unsightly, while the expressions of some generals under his command grew complex.

Clearly, as this victory report was submitted, they had marched here by imperial decree yet had not even broken a city wall, while all the limelight had been entirely stolen and overshadowed by Zhu Ying.

"Dispatch an urgent courier to the Emperor without delay."

"Clearly state the achievements of Daning garrison commander Zhu Ying."

Feng Sheng immediately instructed the commander of his personal guards.