The New Destiny of the Ming Dynasty

After meeting Yang Zhen, Xu Changyong said these words first.

Yang Zhen was momentarily confused about his meaning, so he could only listen. He then heard him continue:

"Actually, how the battle at Songshan turns out is no longer of much concern to us! We were ordered to come to the rescue of Songshan, and now our mission is complete! As long as the Tartars don't attack us, we remain undefeated!"

"We've won two battles against the Tartars in a row, and yesterday we captured so many Tartar heads! Those are genuine, unadulterated Tartar heads! We need to report this immediately!"

"Firstly, we need to let Commander Zu and Governor Fang in Ningyuan City know about our subsequent achievements as soon as possible! Secondly, we also need to boost the morale of the soldiers in Ningyuan!"

"If Ningyuan could deliver this good news, our brothers' victory report, to the capital as soon as possible, that would be even better! It would also make the Emperor happy, wouldn't it?! Brother, don't you agree?"

Last time, they were eager to report their achievements, and Yang Zhen wasn't very happy at first, which probably made them a little hesitant. So this time, when they came over again and said to report their achievements as soon as possible, they were much more tactful than last time.

However, this time, Yang Zhen was not unhappy at all.

He knew that the first battle of Songshan would soon be over. If the Tartars did not attack him today, then his mission to go north to Songshan to provide relief would be successfully completed.

At least in the short term, the possibility of another bloody battle with the Tartars is extremely slim, and it is indeed time to take the initiative to claim credit.

"Good! Brother Xu is right! I agree! Brother Yuan, have someone prepare pen, ink, paper, and inkstone! I'll dictate, or Brother Zu, you can write it down!"

Strictly speaking, the main credit for yesterday's battle was actually given to Yang Zhen's former subordinates.

Without the continuous resistance of grenadiers, musketeers, and artillery, the others simply could not withstand the onslaught of the Tartar leader Gabuxi Xianchaoha.

In particular, without the decisive blow from the left and right flanks of the artillery led by Zhang Degui, the Provisional Ningyuan Vanguard Battalion would not have been able to secure victory in one fell swoop.

The final victory was largely achieved by Yang Zhen's former musketeer, grenadier, and artillery units.

However, Yang Zhen also knew very well that he couldn't keep it all to himself.

If he wants to make a living in western Liaoning in the future, he must win over these people in front of him.

Moreover, having fought side by side during this northward rescue of Songshan, even if we are not working in the same battalion in the future, it will be much easier for us to cooperate than for others.

In particular, the contributions of Yuan Jin's naval battalion, which may seem to have been made without any battle or merit in yesterday's fight, were crucial. Yang Zhen knew that without the pontoon bridges and trestle bridges they built, it would have been much more difficult to transport artillery, warhorses, ammunition, and other supplies to the battlefield.

Furthermore, this naval battalion holds an important position in Yang Zhen's future plans, and this time they must be promoted no matter what.

With these considerations in mind, Yang Zhen's dictated letter of commendation was much more appealing. After Zu Keyong wrote down everything Yang Zhen had said, he asked Yang Zhen to sign his name. Xu Changyong and Yuan Jin were overjoyed and beamed with delight.

Yang Zhen attributed the credit for the risky mission of delivering the message and luring the enemy into an ambush to Xu Changyong and his cavalry, while also awarding them the merit of having captured one hundred real Tartar heads.

At the same time, Yang Zhen not only attributed the credit for transporting troops and securing the rear to Yuan Jin and his naval battalion, but also credited Yuan Jin and his naval battalion, who had not originally gone ashore to ambush, with the merit of killing eighty real Tartar heads.

Yuan Jin's subordinates were originally boatmen and oarsmen, not soldiers assigned by the imperial court. It was already quite good that Yang Zhen was willing to overlook his crime of being afraid of the enemy and not daring to fight.

To his utter surprise, Yang Zhen not only disregarded this, but also took eighty real Tartar heads from the spoils of his musketeer, grenadier, and artillery units and presented them as his own merit.

"Brother! Today I, Yuan Jin, finally understand how broad-minded you are! As your older brother, I am truly unworthy of all this credit!"

"Brother has nothing more to say! In the future, if there is ever another chance, I, as your elder brother, will go through fire and water to repay your kindness!"

Yang Zhen wrote his name crookedly on the commendation document, then affixed his seal, and the document was considered valid.

As soon as he put down his brush, Yuan Jin stepped forward, grasped his right hand with both of his, and excitedly said these words to him. This was exactly the effect Yang Zhen wanted to see.

At that moment, he placed his other hand on Yuan Jin's hand, patted it, and earnestly said to this man who was about ten years older than him:

"I, Yang Zhenshi, have received the nation's favor and deeply admire extraordinary men who are loyal to the country! Such extraordinary men were first Minister Yuan of Suiyang, and now Physician Yuan and Brother Yuan are also extraordinary men!"

Xu Changyong, Zu Keyong, and the others didn't quite understand what Yang Zhen was saying, and they didn't know why Yang Zhen was saying this. However, when Yuan Jin heard these words, it was like a thunderbolt, and he couldn't help but be moved.

Yuan Jin was originally a pirate. He was recruited into the army by Yuan Keli, the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou. The person he respected most in his life was Yuan Keli, and he imitated his behavior in everything he did.

After Yuan Keli died, he did not receive a fair evaluation, which made him very prejudiced against the officials in the court and even the court in the capital.

Later, Yuan Keli's son, Yuan Shu, received preferential treatment from the court and became an official. Yuan Jin looked up to Yuan Shu from then on, and Yuan Shu's character, official ethics, and literary and martial skills were greatly admired by Yuan Jin.

It can be said that when Yang Zhen mentioned Yuan Keli and Yuan Shu, and placed Yuan Jin alongside them, calling them extraordinary men who were loyal to the country, Yuan Jin felt a sense of kinship, as if his lifelong wish had been fulfilled.

Of course, Yang Zhen said these words not only to Yuan Jin, but also to Yuan Shu. He believed that Yuan Jin, who came from a family servant background, would definitely tell Yuan Shu about Yang Zhen's evaluation of Yuan Keli and Yuan Shu.

Yang Zhen had Zu Keyong write a document praising his achievements, and then personally handed it to Yuan Jin, instructing him to send men with boats as soon as possible to escort the document and the large number of real Tartar heads back to Ningyuan City.

Yuan Jin calmed himself down, nodded vigorously to Yang Zhen, and then left.

Xu Changyong was overjoyed with his wish fulfilled. He shouted and beckoned Zhang Degui to go to the beach with him to collect seaweed and catch fish.

At this moment, only Zu Keyong and Yan San, the deputy captain of the personal guard, remained beside Yang Zhen's shack to keep him company.

"Brother Zu! Why aren't you saying anything? What do you think of the commendation document we just discussed? If you feel that the commendation of the heavy cavalry of the central army that accompanied you is insufficient, you still have a chance to revise it!"

Seeing that Zu Keyong remained silent, Yang Zhen assumed that he was dissatisfied with something.

Zu Keyong was indeed somewhat dissatisfied with Yang Zhen's approach, but not with the fact that his unit's contributions had not been fully recognized.

On the contrary, he believed that Yang Zhen's unfairness lay not in his treatment of others, but in his treatment of his own former subordinates:

"The noble character of Commander Xie is beyond Zu Keyong's judgment! However, the credit for the musketeer team, grenadier team, and artillery team has been repeatedly divided among Zu, Xu Youji, and Yuan Shoubei by the commander! The commander's actions make Zu feel extremely ashamed, and I also feel that it is a bit unfair to the commander's old troops!"

"Especially for you, sir, your achievements in reconnaissance, strategic planning, command in battle, and improvement of firearms are not included in the calculations. Isn't that unfair to you?"

This time, Yang Zhen recorded Zu Keyong's merits in formulating the strategy for the northward march and commanding the troops in battle. At the same time, he also recorded Zu Keyong and his heavy cavalry's merits in beheading one hundred real Tartars.

Zu Dashou's central army only had one hundred men, and now there are only about sixty left. If everyone has killed a real Tartar and taken a real Tartar's head, then...

Zu Keyong knew that Yang Zhen had taken into account the feelings of Zu Dashou and others in Ningyuan City when he did this, so he did not refuse on the spot.

However, he still felt that Yang Zhen's consideration for all sides was somewhat unfair, especially to Yang Zhen's own subordinates.

"Brother Zu has been in the army for a long time, he should know the principle of everyone sharing the spoils! If the benefits cannot be shared equally, do you really think the merits of the vanguard battalion will reach the ears of the emperor?!"

"You have Commander Zu protecting you, but what about me, Yang Zhen?! My men under my command are now just a small group of lost souls in Liaodong!"

At this point, Yang Zhen pointed to Yan San beside him, then to Pan Wenmao and the others who were busy in the distance, and turned to Zu Keyong, saying:

"Besides, they'll be following me, Yang Zhen, and the vanguard battalion from now on. As long as they truly want to kill the Tartars, why worry about not having opportunities to make contributions? This little bit of merit right now is really nothing in the eyes of me, Yang Zhen, and my brothers!"

Yang Zhen finally showed his true colors in front of Zu Keyong, a rare moment of brilliance.