ChangNing’s Imperial Army

Shen Leng did not stay at home for long. Zhuang Yong gave him four hours to return back to the camp. This time, they were able to snatch three Qiuli battleships in such a short period of time, Shen Leng had earned himself a huge credit.

At this moment, within the Navy’s camp, all the officials who were Sixth pin and above were waiting for him to return and give them the details of what happened. Cen Zheng was someone who heavily regarded rank and fame, but he this time, he did not covet any credit. It took many people by surprise.

General Yang Yuning smiled and looked at Zhuang Yong who was sitting in the center. “General, you must really fancy this little fella. You allowed him to go home first, while the rest of us are left waiting like ants in a hot pan.”

To some extent, he was grumbling. But he said it in a nice tone and he made sure he did not go overboard. Hence, it did not annoy anyone.

Zhuang Yong looked at Yang Yuning. “I heard that you and your wife are very loving. I’m sure you can understand that fella’s current mood and feelings.”

Yang Yuning laughed out loud. He could not help but respect Zhuang Yong.

His wife was from the Tang clan of Longyou. Tang family was considered one of the most prominent aristocratic families in Great Ning. When Great Ning was founded, amongst the twelve founding fathers, Tang Jiunian made the biggest contribution. A fifth of Great Chu was won over by Tang Jiunian. At that time, the Chu royal family attempted to head south to evade the attacks under the protection of tens of thousands of elite troops. However, almost all of them got ambushed and killed by Tang Jiunian in Xidong.

Even though Yang Yuning and his wife were not huge figures within the Tang family, but being from the Tang family itself did more than enough for their status.

Zhuang Yong’s words seemed ordinary, but it was sufficient to keep Yang Yuning’s mouth shut. Not only did Yang Yuning not feel resentful, he was rather happy. That was because Zhuang Yong mentioned his wife in front of everyone – he even mentioned how loving they were. Yang Yuning was not a fool, of course he knew the purpose behind it.

“Young people – it doesn’t hurt to be more understanding.”

Yang Yuning smiled. “You and your wife are the ones who are loving. How enviable.”

Zhuang Yong’s wife was not from an influential family. In fact, before she married Zhuang Yong, she was illiterate. Zhuang Yong was a well-known scholar in the military, who read intensively. After his wife married him, whenever he had the time, he would teach her how to read and write. Presently, the writings of his wife were even commended by the scholars in the imperial court. It was a story that spread wide and far.

Many people were curious as to why Zhuang Yong chose to marry a woman who was illiterate.

It was very simple. His wife used to be a servant in Prince Liu’s residence. She was also an orphan that Prince Liu took in after the war.

Even though the Tang clan of Longyou was considered highly influential, and that Yang Yuning and his wife were well-aware of their nobility, they did not dare to be disrespectful in front of Zhuang Yong and his wife. Anybody from Prince Liu’s residence was of higher status than anybody from any other families.

And at this moment, Shen Leng’s hundred odd subordinates stood outside the tent. 90% of the people there used to be hostile towards Shen Leng. However, ever since they got back from thr south, their hostility had disappeared.

Halfway through the journey, Shen Leng managed to avenge Li Tuming’s death throughout the night and bring back the heads of the enemies for the deceased.

That alone was proof that Shen Leng was a battalion commander that was worth acknowledging.

Chen Ran kept his head high and chest out. He stood in front of the troops. They just received their rewards from Zhuang Yong; every single one of them was very excited. This reward was rather significant, hence, naturally, it was worth being overjoyed for.

“Brother, do you fully accept the battalion commander now? How many people are there who actually are willing to share the credit equally with their subordinates? When we got back, the general said he wanted to reward the battalion commander, but he told him to split it equally amongst everyone. If you follow the battalion commander from now on, you definitely will be treated well.”

The person who was talking to Chen Ran turned out to be Li Yong’s man.

“Brother, I haven’t asked you yet – what is your last name?” asked Chen Ran.

The tall and muscular man smiled bashfully. “My last name is Peng, I am from Anyang. I grew up next to Nanping River. My cousins are all females, my family is the only family with a son. Hence, when I was one-month old, they set up a fish feast, so my father suddenly had an idea after not knowing what to name me for a long time…”

Chen Ran said, “I know, Peng Yuyan (Note: Yuyan means fish feast)!”

“Peng Baiyu.”

Chen Ran replied, “Oh…”

As they were talking, they saw Shen Leng walking over from afar. Du Weiming and Wang Kuohai, who were standing right in front, called out at the same time. “Battalion commander is here!”

With a loud thud, every single person did a military salute in an orderly fashion.

Hearing some noises on the outside, Zhuang Yong could not help but feel satisfied as he nodded his head. When he gave the nine ten-man squads to Shen Leng, he was somewhat worried that Shen Leng was too young to handle. But right now, he realized that his worries were unfounded.

Shen Leng walked into the big tent. The military officers and generals were smiling at him. Even Mu Xiaofeng had to force out an ugly smile.

Of course, a portion of the people were not any better than Mu Xiaofeng – they were all stiff and rigid.

Zhaung Yong clapped as he stood up. The rest of them looked at each other and had no choice but to follow suit. However, Mu Xiaofeng sat there, without moving. Forcing a smile was already his limit.

“Greetings, commander. Greetings, generals and military officers.”

Shen Leng saluted.

Zhuang Yong sat down and smiled. “Everyone has been waiting for you for quite a while. You should know what we want to hear. This time, it could be said that you have achieved an overwhelming victory in the south. General Cen said that you were the one behind it, hence, he is hoping that you will give us the details of what happened.”

He extended his hand. “Go ahead and tell us.”

Shen Leng cleared his throat. “We snatched three of their battleships.”

“Yeah!”

Zhuang Yong nodded.

Thereafter, he did not make a sound.

The smiles of the high-ranking military officers within the tent started to freeze up. They looked at each other; the atmosphere started to become more and more awkward. Shen Leng stood as upright as before. After he said that, he did not say anything else.

“And after that?”

Zhuang Yong prompted him.

Shen Leng answered, “After that, we came back.”

Zhuang Yong responded, “Ahem, ahem…elaborate.”

Shen Leng took a breather, “My people are still standing outside. It’s afternoon right now, the sun is very harsh.”

Zhuang Yong sighed softly. “Take your men and head back first. Have a good rest. I will distribute the reward later.”

Shen Leng lowered his head in silence for a moment. He suddenly lifted his head and said earnestly, “I would like to request for something on behalf of Li Tuming. I buried him in Ningwu county, but it’s not his hometown. I would like to take him back. Sending the Qiuli battleships back was of top priority, so I did not dare to stop over. Right now, I have already completed the mission, hence, I would like to request for permission to allow my squad to take Li Tuming home.”

Mu Xiaofeng sat there and laughed. “According to what I know, Li Tuming did not die in the battle against the Qiuli troops.”

Shen Leng looked at Mu Xiaofeng, “General, may I ask – if a soldier dies in close combat fighting against the water bandits, is it considered sacrificing his life for his country?”

Mu Xiaofeng answered, “He was only an ordinary soldier. By taking your squad there, you have broken the rules. Isn’t it normal for a soldier to die for his country during a battle? Why is your soldier that special?”

Shen Leng replied, “He’s not my soldier – he’s Great Ning’s soldier.”

Mu Xiaofeng frowned. “His family will receive the financial support they deserve, he will also receive the commendation he deserves. Great Ning will not let any of their soldiers die in vain, and will not allow anyone to break the rules of the military.”

Zhuang Yong suddenly said, “Take the Xiong Niu, and bring a Navy flag.”

Shen Leng did a military salute. “Thank you, general!”

Zhuang Yong gestured. “Run along. Come back as soon as possible. You still have to go to Anyang’s dock.”

“Yes!”

Shen Leng turned around and walked out of the tent. Mu Xiaofeng narrowed his eyes and his lips curled upwards. He did not seem to be mad despite Shen Leng talking back to him.

Zhuang Yong stood up and said, “Everyone, head back. I will not be here over the next few days. Do not slack off in your training. If there is anything urgent, you may look for me at Anyang’s dock.”

Everyone stood up and cupped their fist. “Yes, sir!”

Just as Mu Xiaofeng was leaving, Zhuang Yong called out to him. “General Mu, set out with me.”

Mu Xiaofeng was stunned. “Me? Going with you?”

“Yes.”

Zhuang Yong had already arrived at the entrance of the tent. “Go back and pack up before leaving.”

Mu Xiaofeng laughed grimly to himself. Zhuang Yong, Zhuang Yong. Do you really think that if you take me with you to Anyang’s dock, I will have no way of dealing with that Shen Leng? This time Shen Leng received more credit. If I continue to let it happen, he will dare to be more insolent and disrespect me.

However, he did not express any dissatisfaction on his face. Instead, he smiled extra brightly. “Understood. I will return and pack up a little, and then go to the military drill ground to wait for you.”

Zhuang Yong nodded. He had already walked out of the tent. He saw Shen Leng was about to leave with his troops. He called out to him and got him to follow him into the study.

After he entered the door, Zhuang Yong had a gloomy look on his face. “You did it on purpose?”

Shen Leng shook his head. “No. Indeed, I’m not good at talking.”

Zhuang Yong said, “There are so many people who yearn for such an opportunity but failed to get it. I told you to narrate the entire battle not to flaunt that I have a good eye for recognizing talents, but to ensure that nobody will object when I promote you.”

Shen Leng grunted. “Understood.”

“Understood? If you understood, why did you not saying anything else?”

“This is for you, general.”

Shen Leng took out a bundle that wrapped in a piece of cloth and placed it onto the table before returning to his original position.

“What’s that?”

Zhuang Yong glanced at it.

Shen Leng answered, “The white tea that I bought from Hujian for you. Originally, there are three other cans of good tea leaves that Mr. Shen wanted to give you, but I got him to keep two of them.”

Zhuang Yong narrowed his eyes slightly. “Indeed, Shen Xiaosong is more important.”

Shen Leng twitched his mouth; he did not answer.

Zhuang Yong glared at him. He opened the drawer and took out something from it before placing it on the table. “Last time you mentioned that you like Ruo Rong’s embroidery work. I casually agreed to gift you with one. Even though I regret it, but since I’ve already promised you, I will keep my word. This is for you.”

Shen Leng laughed. He went over and took the embroidered pouch and scrutinized it. “It looks really nice. However, I have something to ask you, general.”

Zhuang Yong replied, “Ask!”

“If I carry this pouch with me, will it affect my chances of becoming a military officer?”

Zhuang Yong scoffed. “Who told you that you’re going to become a military officer?”

Shen Leng answered, “Are you saying that I will become a general instead?”

Zhuang Yong pointed to the outside. “Scram.”

Shen Leng grunted. He took the embroidered pouch and walked out. When he walked to the door, he heard Zhuang Yong speaking at a moderate pace. “I will transfer Li Yong’s previous battalion to you. You have to act like a proper military officer. After all, you’ll become a Class A Sixth pin. It hasn’t even been a year since you entered the military and I have already promoted you three ranks. Many people will gossip. Becoming a Sixth pin military officer is something that most people cannot achieve despite serving in the military for more than half their lives. You better behave yourself.”

Shen Leng saluted. “Understood.”

Zhuang Yong grunted. “Be careful when you go to Ningwu. Recently, there are some people from Changan city over there. It seems rather fishy.”

Shen Leng patted the black cord sword at the side of his waist. He laughed, as he walked out of the study.

Originally, Zhuang Yong wanted to ask about Bai Xiu’s death, but he suddenly decided to hold himself back. It’s better to let that little fella be a pure and innocent soldier. It’s better not to implicate him in certain things.

“His Majesty…”

Zhuang Yong muttered to himself, “His Majesty must have placed an inside intelligence box within the Navy too, huh.”