Ming Dynasty: Pick up attributes from the battlefield to create the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 166 Zhu Ying: What? I almost became Zhu Biao's son-in-law?
"The host possesses 12 ordinary treasure chests, 5 Tier 1 treasure chests, and 1 Tier 2 treasure chest."

The notification sound from the panel rang in Zhu Ying's ears.

"A very successful haul."

Zhu Ying looked at the numerous treasure chests with excitement, his eyes lighting up instantly.

A total of eighteen treasure chests!
These were all the spoils Zhu Ying obtained from killing enemies and generals in this battle.

In addition to killing many Yuan generals.

There was also the achievement of killing over 11000 enemies.

"Eighteen treasure chests."

"I wonder what good stuff we'll get."

Just as Zhu Ying was overjoyed and preparing to open the treasure chest to see how lucky he would be this time...

"Report!"

A voice came from outside the tent.

"Reporting to the General, the Great General, His Highness the Prince of Yan and his entourage have arrived."

Xiao Han reported respectfully.

"Alright, we'll open it next time."

Zhu Ying came to his senses after hearing this.

The excitement and anticipation of opening treasure chests subsided, replaced by calm.

He immediately stood up and strode out of the camp.

We just left the camp.

Before their eyes came Guo Ying, Zhu Di, and Li Jinglong, surrounded by a group of personal guards.

When they saw Zhu Ying, all three of them were stunned.

Illuminated by the torchlight, Zhu Ying was soaked in blood. Dark red bloodstains covered almost his entire body, even his face was covered in blood, making his appearance almost unrecognizable. He looked exactly like a killing god who had fought his way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood.

"General Zhu, are you alright?"

Li Jinglong was the first to come to his senses, his face full of concern. He quickly walked over, his eyes fixed on Zhu Ying, as if to confirm whether Zhu Ying was injured.

You can tell.

Now Li Jinglong is completely a fan of Zhu Ying. In his heart, Zhu Ying's invincible bravery on the battlefield and his ability to command troops have long become a benchmark that he can hardly reach.

"I am all of Tartar blood, I am fine."

Zhu Ying replied with a smile, but the smile looked somewhat ferocious against the backdrop of bloodstains.

That would definitely scare a child to tears.

Upon hearing this, Li Jinglong glanced at Zhu Ying again. Seeing the bloodstains all over Zhu Ying's body, but not finding a single wound of his own, Li Jinglong's admiration for Zhu Ying grew even stronger.

"General Zhu is truly brave and invincible."

Li Jinglong said with a look of admiration, his tone full of surprise and praise: "He led the troops to the front and fought bravely, yet he emerged unscathed. I truly admire him."

"Indeed impressive." Guo Ying stepped forward, also with admiration: "When I followed the Emperor to conquer the world, I witnessed countless heroes."

"But compared to General Zhu, there is no one in my memory who can compare to him."

"Although I am much older than General Zhu, I have truly been impressed by General Zhu in today's battle."

Hearing Guo Ying's praise.

"General, you flatter me."

Zhu Ying immediately smiled and clasped his hands in greeting, his expression humble and modest.

Although he appeared unassuming, Zhu Ying's blood-stained body was precisely proof of his military achievements, which could not be hidden.

"This is not an overstatement, but the truth."

Guo Ying waved her hand, a hint of regret flashing in her eyes: "Alas, it's a pity that General Zhu is already married, otherwise I really wanted to betroth my granddaughter to General Zhu."

"Then it seems I've married too early," Zhu Ying replied with a chuckle, his smile perfectly timed to defuse the slightly awkward topic.

"However, General Zhu may not know this."

“Even if General Zhu is not married, it may not be my granddaughter’s turn.”

"His Highness the Crown Prince is very fond of General Zhu. If General Zhu were not yet married, he might really become His Highness's son-in-law," Guo Ying said with a smile.

As soon as these words fell.

Zhu Ying was also stunned: "The Crown Prince's son-in-law?"

"General, where did this news come from?"

This word.

This clearly startled Zhu Ying.

Zhu Di, standing to the side, was also slightly surprised, and his expression changed.

"Haha."

"This wasn't spread by me; it's already been circulating in the Yingtian court."

"His Highness the Crown Prince originally intended to take General Zhu as his son-in-law."

"But when I heard that General Zhu was getting married in Daning, I gave up on that idea," Guo Ying said with a big laugh.

"I see."

Zhu Ying nodded in realization, thinking to himself, "Brother Biao thinks too highly of me. He even intends to take me as his son-in-law. Fortunately, he didn't. Otherwise, it would be really inappropriate to be with a princess."

"Fortunately, Zhu Yingcheng got married, otherwise he would have been completely bound to the Crown Prince." Zhu Di felt a sense of relief.

Subsequently.

Zhu Ying then changed the subject, asking seriously, "General, how many Yuan soldiers trapped in the Dragon Gate Formation have been captured?"

Upon asking this question, Zhu Ying became exceptionally serious, his gaze fixed intently on Guo Ying.

Hear the words.

Guo Ying did not hesitate and immediately said, "The Yuan soldiers inside the Dragon Gate Formation have been basically counted."

"More than 12,000 enemy soldiers were killed and more than 31,000 were captured."

"Moreover, the Dragon Gate Formation also captured nearly 40,000 warhorses."

"The casualties among my soldiers in the Dragon Gate Formation were only a thousand, most of them wounded, with only a few killed in action."

"I have never encountered such a great victory in all my years of military service."

"Such a great victory achieved at the cost of thousands of casualties is unprecedented!"

Speaking of which.

Guo Ying's tone was full of emotion. He shook his head slightly, seemingly still immersed in the shock brought by this great victory.

When he first heard the number, he was stunned for a long time, and he still hasn't fully recovered.

"General."

Zhu Ying raised his head, looked at Guo Ying, and a smile appeared on his face, with a hint of expectation: "Now that we have achieved results, I have a request."

Guo Ying smiled and immediately said generously, "General Zhu is a great contributor to this victory. Please make any requests you may have, as long as I can fulfill them."

"This humble general hopes that the warhorses captured this time can be prioritized for distribution to my Da Ning border army, so that all of my Da Ning border army will be cavalry," Zhu Ying said solemnly, clasping his fists and leaning slightly forward.

Hear this.

Li Jinglong and Zhu Di, standing to the side, both looked surprised. They exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with astonishment.

They never expected Zhu Ying to make this request.

All cavalry?

Even though the strength of the Da Ning border army is now less than 50,000, it still has more than 40,000 men, all of whom are cavalry, which far exceeds the size stipulated by the military system.

But Guo Ying did not hesitate at all. He waved his hand and said directly, "Alright! General Li, I'll leave this matter to you."

"Have the logistics army quickly select enough warhorses and equip them to the Daning border army."

Li Jinglong immediately bowed and said decisively, "This subordinate obeys the order."

Clearly, Li Jinglong had no objections.

Don't even mention warhorses.

Even if Zhu Ying wanted absolute command of the army right now, he would give it to him.

This demonstrates absolute trust in Zhu Ying.

"General Zhu."

Guo Ying turned to look at Zhu Ying, a hint of worry in his eyes: "I've given you the warhorse, but General Zhu, are you sure you can handle it?"

"Reporting to the General," Zhu Ying replied with a confident smile, "Every soldier in the Da Ning border army is skilled in riding."

As early as when he was stationed in Daming, Zhu Ying had listed horsemanship as a skill that the soldiers of the Daming border army must master.

During the initial training.

Zhu Ying directly ordered that even infantrymen must learn horsemanship.

As a border region in the north, situated on a vast plain, the role of infantry was to conquer cities and seize territory, as well as to defend.

Cavalry is the only way to advance; only cavalry can deliver a truly fatal blow to the enemy on this vast grassland.

"It seems that General Zhu has already trained the infantry of the Da Ning border army."

Seeing Zhu Ying's confidence, Guo Ying smiled and instantly understood.

He nodded slightly, his eyes showing even more appreciation for Zhu Ying.

First came the dragon gate formation, then cavalry training.

Zhu Ying really made a lot of preparations for the Northern Expedition.

"General Zhu, where is Guili Chi's head?"

Li Jinglong asked with anticipation.

Hear the words.

Without hesitation, Zhu Ying immediately pulled out a blood-soaked cloth bundle from behind his back. Blood was still dripping from the bundle, making it extremely gruesome.

"Here's the head." Zhu Ying held up the head and handed it to Li Jinglong.

Li Jinglong didn't have the fear that comes with being a pampered young master; he reached out and took it without hesitation.

"General Zhu."

Li Jinglong gripped the package tightly, his expression solemn: "I will take this head down and preserve it with medicinal powder later. I will present it to Yingtian together with General Zhu's battle report on his achievements in this battle."

"This head is proof of General Zhu's great achievement."

in discourse.

This also conveyed a message to Zhu Ying: he would not keep any of the military achievements to himself, but would report them all truthfully to Yingtian.

"good."

Guo Ying immediately added, his expression serious: "I will personally submit a report to the Emperor on the battle results here, praising General Zhu's achievements."

Without Zhu Ying, the outcome of this battle would have been truly unpredictable.

Guo Ying and Li Jinglong were both grateful to Zhu Ying, knowing full well that without him, they would have been in real trouble.

"Thank you for your trouble, General. Thank you for your trouble, General Li."

Zhu Ying immediately thanked him.

Military merits were naturally what Zhu Ying wanted; the more the better.

After all, Zhu Ying is still on the warship of the Ming Dynasty, and getting as many benefits as possible is the best course of action.

"Your Highness, do you have nothing to say?"

Li Jinglong turned his head and asked Zhu Di, who had remained silent.

A hint of doubt lingered in his eyes, as if he was puzzled by Zhu Di's silence.

From the very beginning, Zhu Di did not seem to be particularly happy.

"General Zhu is so outstanding, while I can only watch from the sidelines and cannot participate in the battle. I am truly envious!"

Zhu Di said with a wry smile, a hint of melancholy flashing in his eyes.

now.

His complex emotions were revealed through this bitter smile.

In his heart, the battlefield has always been the place he longed for. He yearned to be like Zhu Ying, galloping across the battlefield, making military achievements, and showing himself in front of his father, just as he did his elder brother.

However, his status as a prince became a constraint for him.

"His Highness Prince Yan is a prince, and his status is noble."

Guo Ying responded helplessly to Zhu Di's complaints. He paused for a moment.

Guo Ying sighed softly, his eyes filled with awe: "I dare not let His Highness Prince Yan go to the battlefield personally, otherwise, if there are any losses, I will have no way to explain to the Emperor."

This was no small-scale war, but the Ming Dynasty's Northern Expedition. The Northern Yuan was a powerful nation, and if Zhu Di were to be injured or killed, it would be a serious crime. Guo Ying dared not do anything reckless.

"General, of course I know."

Zhu Di sighed, lowered his head slightly, and his eyes showed even more desolation.

As a prince, he enjoyed wealth and honor, but he also lost much of his freedom, especially the opportunity to make a name for himself on the battlefield.

of course.

This was also what Zhu Di thought; other princes might not have thought the same way.

"General, Your Highness the Prince of Yan."

Li Jinglong smiled and looked at the two men, saying, "General Zhu and the soldiers of the Da Ning border army are exhausted after a day of fighting. Let them rest first."

"Let's not disturb them any longer. Let's go discuss our next strategy."

Now that the great battle is over, there are many follow-up matters to be dealt with, so Li Jinglong is naturally not worried.

In this battle, Zhu Ying has already achieved a great victory for the Ming Dynasty!

Next, all we need to do is proceed steadily.

"General Zhu."

Guo Ying turned to Zhu Ying and said, "You should rest well first. Now that the 100,000 iron cavalry of the Northern Yuan have been defeated, you can rest for a few days. I will arrange the rest of the advance."

"This subordinate obeys the order," Zhu Ying replied immediately, without refusing.

"General Zhu, please get some rest."

Zhu Di smiled and expressed his concern.

Subsequently.

Surrounded by guards, the three turned and left the military camp.

"Zhu Di, it's clear that he really longed for the battlefield."

Zhu Ying watched the three figures leave and muttered to himself, "No wonder he kept launching northern expeditions after the rebellion succeeded. One reason was to quell the trouble caused by the non-legitimate succession, and the other was to fulfill his own dream of becoming a military general."

"I wonder if my appearance will change the future?"

Zhu Ying thought to himself, deep in thought.

After being disturbed by Guo Ying and the other two, Zhu Ying was indeed a little tired, so he simply went back to his tent to rest.

……

The Northern Expeditionary Army, at Lan Yu's camp!

"General, that's the situation."

A scout general said with a solemn expression, "The Northern Yuan has deployed a large number of troops in several garrison cities of the Yuan capital, several times the size of our army."

"It's almost impossible to break through the city head-on."

"Perhaps we can only make a plan when we join forces with the General."

The words fell.

"Yes," Chang Mao and the other Huaixi generals said with troubled expressions. They all shook their heads, their faces full of worry and solemnity.

"The Yuan army has too many troops, and they are defending the city. It will be too difficult to break through the city."

Chang Mao sighed heavily.

Now, Lan Yu's army of over 100,000 is locked in a stalemate with the Yuan army, unable to advance or retreat.

If we attack, the Yuan army will be too large, and there will also be city defenses.

The Yuan army that had retreated from the border city had all gathered in the garrison city of the Yuan capital.

Apart from that.

If we retreat, the Yuan army will inevitably advance.

If the news were to reach Yingtian, it would be an absolute dereliction of duty.

So now Lan Yu is stuck in this stalemate, with no other options.

"All right."

Lan Yu waved her hand helplessly, her voice filled with weariness and powerlessness.

The discussions inside the tent subsided, and everyone fell silent, creating a very oppressive atmosphere.

"This time, the Ministry of War of the Imperial Court ultimately misjudged the true strength of the Northern Yuan."

Lan Yu said with a serious expression, "Our Great Ming sent 300,000 troops, originally thinking that we could defeat the Northern Yuan in one fell swoop and achieve victory. However, although the Northern Yuan is weak, its national strength still exists, and the Northern Yuan court can still command the various tribes of the Northern Yuan."

"To succeed in this Northern Expedition, firstly, we must deal with the 100,000 iron cavalry of the Northern Yuan! Secondly, we must use the full strength of our 300,000-strong army, and continue to mobilize more troops to fight a war of attrition against the Northern Yuan, depleting their food and supplies, before we can defeat them."

Lan Yu spoke in a deep voice, thinking about how to deal with the situation.

This stalemate.

This is similar to how, during the Three Kingdoms period, when Zhuge Liang launched his Northern Expeditions, Sima Yi avoided battle and instead defended the city to the death.

Given Lan Yu's strategic vision, this time is no exception.

after all.

The Northern Yuan still has cities to defend, sufficient troops for defense, and cavalry support.

To win the war, we must use absolute strength and rely on the national power of the Ming Dynasty to exhaust the Northern Yuan.

"The Northern Yuan's military strength does sound like a lot, three or four hundred thousand, but in reality, only a small number are truly capable of fighting."

Chang Mao frowned and analyzed, "If it weren't for the 100,000 iron cavalry of the Northern Yuan, there might still be a chance."

"But those 100,000 iron cavalry blocked the way in front of the Yuan capital, and our troops were still tied down by these Northern Yuan infantry."

"With the Daning and Beiping under Li Jinglong's command, as well as the Huizhou Guard which reorganized the surrendered soldiers, they are simply no match for these 100,000 iron cavalry."

Chang Mao said with absolute certainty, his face equally grim.

The battle had reached a stalemate, seemingly trapped in a dead end, leaving them with no hope of defeating the Yuan army.

"One hundred thousand Northern Yuan iron cavalry, this is the Northern Yuan's capital to intimidate its subordinate tribes. Emperor Yuan is really anxious this time, and has actually given up on intimidating those tribes and mobilized this elite force."

Lan Yu glanced at Chang Mao and then spoke.

"The Northern Yuan cavalry is unparalleled in the world. Our Ming cavalry is no match for them. Moreover, our Ming army does not have that many cavalry in this expedition."

"We are doomed to defeat against the Northern Yuan cavalry!"

Lan Yu knew in his heart that the reputation of the Northern Yuan Iron Cavalry was by no means undeserved, and defeating them would be no easy task.

"Perhaps, we can only ask the General to make the decision."

Chang Mao suggested, looking up slightly at Lan Yu: "The battle is completely deadlocked."

"Yes." Lan Yu nodded. Perhaps this was all that could be done now. She sighed softly, her heart filled with helplessness and exhaustion.

Just as they were discussing this military matter, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the camp, breaking the oppressive atmosphere inside the tent.

"General."

A messenger strode into the tent, bowed, and presented a military order with both hands: "The General has sent an urgent military order."

"Bring it here." Lan Yu immediately waved her hand, her expression changing slightly.

Judging from this, something must have happened to warrant such an urgent military alert.

An ominous premonition welled up in Lan Yu's heart.

The messenger strode forward and respectfully presented the document.

Lan Yu quickly took it and opened the military order.

The moment he saw it, he froze, staring blankly at the military order in his hand, seemingly unable to recover.

His eyes widened, filled with shock and disbelief, as if he had witnessed something incredible.

After continuing for a while.

"What are your orders, General?" Chang Mao asked immediately, his eyes filled with worry. "Have we encountered the Northern Yuan cavalry?"

"The Northern Yuan cavalry has been routed!"

Lan Yu gripped the military order tightly, his expression complex.

This column.

The voice carried a sense of shock and complexity.

"General, you're not mistaken, are you?"

Chang Mao couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment, "That's 100,000 Northern Yuan Iron Cavalry, the most elite army of the Northern Yuan."

"Li Jinglong has less than 150,000 troops under his command, and the majority of them are infantry. They are no match for the Northern Yuan cavalry in a head-on confrontation."

"The Northern Yuan has deployed its iron cavalry to its royal pastures, where there are no strategic locations or mountains to rely on."

"Infantrymen are bound to be defeated when facing cavalry."

"How could this possibly defeat the Northern Yuan cavalry?"

When saying this.

Chang Mao's face was full of shock and confusion.

Obviously, while this is good news, it sounds incredibly hard to believe.

Not only Chang Mao, but all the generals in the tent looked at each other in disbelief.

See this.

"Zhu Ying set up the Dragon Gate Formation, which was once used to defeat cavalry attacks. He carefully deployed 100,000 troops to lure nearly 50,000 Northern Yuan cavalry into the formation, greatly weakening the Northern Yuan Iron Cavalry."

Lan Yu composed herself and began to speak, her expression complex.

Hear this.

The generals frowned, their faces filled with confusion, but they remained silent and continued to listen.

"Afterwards, Zhu Ying personally led 30,000 Daning cavalry and 10,000 Beiping cavalry to fight the remaining Northern Yuan cavalry."

Lan Yu continued, her tone unconsciously carrying a hint of admiration.

"With such a small force, they dare to launch a preemptive attack?"

"Still going to fight the Northern Yuan cavalry?" Chang Mao frowned, feeling displeased upon hearing Zhu Ying's name.

"Although Zhu Ying's forces were more than 10,000 fewer than those of the Northern Yuan, he led his army to charge the Northern Yuan cavalry head-on, personally beheaded the Northern Yuan general Guiliqi, severely damaged the Northern Yuan cavalry, and ultimately won the battle."

As Lan Yu spoke, her voice betrayed a hint of unease.

For a while.

A deathly silence fell over the tent.

This is the result.

That's appalling.

"how come?"

"How on earth did he do that?"

Chang Mao's expression became even more complicated.

"Now, the title of the best cavalry in the world has changed hands."

"The cavalry is the best in the world, and has become the iron cavalry of the Ming Dynasty."

"The biggest crisis in this battle has been resolved by Zhu Ying."

"The 100,000 Northern Yuan cavalry have been routed."

Lan Yu's expression was complicated as he slowly swept his gaze over the generals in the tent and spoke loudly.

After finishing speaking.

Lan Yu harbored a deep-seated unspeakable bitterness, a bitterness she couldn't quite articulate.

He was naturally very hostile towards Zhu Ying, even regarding him as an enemy and an opponent.

But as a fellow military officer, Lan Yu was also deeply moved after witnessing such a stunning victory.

One hundred thousand Northern Yuan cavalry!
The most elite force of the Northern Yuan!

The elite forces of the Northern Yuan, which Lan Yu believed were invincible, were actually defeated by Zhu Ying in an almost impossible way.

This fact left Lan Yu speechless and plunged him into self-doubt.

……

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(End of this chapter)