Chapter 48: Opening Treasure Chests! Massive Rewards!

Very quickly!

At the newly established encampment site of the Sixth Commissary Battalion!

Nine thousand surrendered soldiers had already been led onto the parade ground of the Commissary Battalion.

Meanwhile, the veteran soldiers of the original Captain’s Battalion, who belonged under Zhu Zheng’s direct command, stood neatly all around.

Upon the high reviewing platform of the parade ground, Zhu Zheng stood clad in full general’s armor, draped in a crimson cloak, with a sword at his waist. With his promotion in official rank, his battle armor had naturally undergone a corresponding transformation.

General’s armor and a crimson cloak.

This was the standard attire of a Ming dynasty general.

A single glance was enough to reveal one’s status.

It was also a distinct symbol of authority within the military.

Tan Yuan and Zhu Gaoxu stood behind Zhu Zheng, both maintaining solemn and respectful expressions.

"All of you are newcomers here."

"I shall introduce us first."

"I am Zhu Zheng, Commander Commissary of the Sixth Commissary Battalion."

"The two beside me are Tan Yuan and Zhu Xu, Garrison Commanders of the Commissary Battalion."

"Perhaps some of you have heard my name before, while others have not."

"But today, I will make every single one of you remember me."

"Previously, you were led by treacherous officers. Your commander-in-chief was Song Chong, and he died by my hands. Along with Wu Jun, Li Tao, and Chen Hui—all these treacherous generals met their deaths at my hands." Zhu Zheng overlooked the surrendered soldiers on the parade ground, speaking in a loud, resonant voice.

His voice was deep and rich, carrying an ineffable sense of awe-inspiring authority.

Upon hearing Zhu Zheng’s words, many of the surrendered soldiers below widened their eyes, gazing up at him with deep reverence.

After all, commanders like Song Chong and Wu Jun were their former superiors; how could they not know them?

Yet all these generals had perished at the hands of the very man standing before them. This realization filled them with a creeping, spine-chilling dread: just how fiercely formidable was this man, Zhu Zheng?

That was their very first impression.

"Before the treacherous faction seized control of Beiping Prefecture, most of you were originally soldiers of the Beiping garrison. Every single one of you once followed His Highness the Prince of Yan, rendering meritorious service to the state."

"Therefore, regarding the fact that you were once commanded by traitors, His Highness the Prince of Yan decrees that only the ringleaders shall be punished, and the rest of you shall not be implicated."

"Starting from today."

"You are reorganized and shall serve as soldiers of my Sixth Commissary Battalion."

"I will spare you any further redundant words."

"Once reorganized, everything will be strictly bound by military laws and regulations."

"As for my style of leading troops, you may all rest easy. Whenever a major battle begins, I, Zhu Zheng, will always charge into the fray ahead of all of you."

"This is the method by which I, Zhu Zheng, command my troops."

Zhu Zheng proclaimed in a loud voice, announcing the official formation of the Sixth Commissary Battalion.

Then, he called out in a booming voice:

"Garrison Commander Tan!"

"Garrison Commander Zhu!"

"Subordinate is here," the two replied instantly.

"Execute the reorganization according to the pre-drafted roster. The two of you shall oversee the reorganization, with the soldiers of the original Captain’s Battalion providing full assistance."

"Make sure the reorganization of the Commissary Battalion is completed within these two days," Zhu Zheng issued his military order.

"Subordinate obeys," the two answered immediately.

"Go."

Zhu Zheng nodded and said nothing more.

As for the matters that followed, there was naturally no need for Zhu Zheng to trouble himself with them.

Accordingly, Zhu Zheng simply seated himself right there upon the reviewing platform.

"Condense the military power imprint."

Zhu Zheng communicated with his system interface and issued the command.

"Host holds the rank of [Commander Commissary], condensing military power imprint."

"Military power imprint successfully condensed."

"Attributes are now available for viewing," the interface prompted.

"View."

Zhu Zheng did not hesitate in the slightest.

At a glance:

Imprint of Ten Thousand Generals: Leading troops grants a fifty percent bonus to combat prowess, a fifty percent bonus to morale, and a fifty percent bonus to physical stamina.

The imprint’s attributes were concise and clear. Compared to the previous Captain’s Imprint, it had naturally increased the bonuses by another twenty percent.

Without a doubt, these intangible bonuses bestowed upon the soldiers under Zhu Zheng’s command would translate to an immeasurable enhancement on the battlefield.

Just like this recent campaign where Zhu Zheng bravely broke through Juyong Pass, the two thousand soldiers of the Captain’s Battalion closely followed his lead, charging at the very forefront with peerless valor!

Out of those two thousand soldiers of the Captain’s Battalion, more than a thousand ultimately survived. Had it been any other ordinary military force, it would have been utterly impossible for so many to survive.

"A fifty-percent bonus now."

"Leading ten thousand troops with a fifty-percent combat power enhancement—such might is simply unimaginable."

Looking at the attributes of the military power imprint, Zhu Zheng smiled as well.

Once on the battlefield, these bonuses would fully materialize.

"Ten ordinary treasure chests, nine tier-one treasure chests."

"Nineteen treasure chests in total."

Looking at the quantity of treasure chests in his possession, a look of eager anticipation appeared on Zhu Zheng’s face.

This promotion by two ranks had naturally granted him two more treasure chests as a reward, and accepting the royal decree had also earned him an additional ordinary treasure chest.

Thus, combined, Zhu Zheng now possessed a total of nineteen treasure chests.

This was by far the most bountiful harvest at the conclusion of a major campaign.

"So many treasure chests, a truly bumper harvest day."

"Open them all." Filled with anticipation, Zhu Zheng immediately gave the order to open every single chest.

The next moment:

"Opening ten ordinary treasure chests."

"Acquired Silver [100 taels]."

"Acquired [Top-grade Refined Liquor x10 bottles]."

"Acquired [Blood-Rage Pills x4 bottles]."

"Acquired [Premium Wound-Healing Ointment x5 bottles]."

"Acquired Gold [100 taels]."

"Acquired..."

"Opening tier-one treasure chests."

"Acquired [Blood-Rage Pills x10 bottles]."

"Acquired Huang-grade lower-tier [Formula for Body-Refining Powder]."

"Acquired Huang-grade upper-tier [Overlord Spear]."

"Acquired Huang-grade upper-tier [Overlord Spear Techniques]."

"Acquired [Flintlock Rifle] design blueprints."

"Acquired [Smokeless Powder] manufacturing blueprints."

"Acquired [Premium High-Explosive Powder] manufacturing blueprints."

"Acquired [Fine Steel Armor-Piercing Arrows x100]."

"Acquired formula for [Premium Wound-Healing Ointment]."

...

Following a series of system prompts, all nineteen treasure chests were opened.

"Not bad at all this time."

"As expected, having a large number of treasure chests makes all the difference."

"Leaving aside the silver and gold, I’ve obtained another 18 bottles of Blood-Rage Pills—these are absolute divine pills on the battlefield."

"A formula for Body-Refining Powder? And it's graded too. I'll study it later to see what uses it has."

"Flintlocks—this is a completely epoch-making firearm compared to the current hand cannons. Though it cannot compare to later eras, if utilized properly, it will be utterly unstoppable."

"The Overlord Spear—could this be the long spear once wielded by Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu? And it comes with the Overlord Spear Techniques, a graded martial art. Excellent."

"Smokeless powder, high-explosive powder."

"Good heavens, it actually dropped the manufacturing formulas directly. With these items, once I found my own dynasty, I will undoubtedly forge a technological superpower with military might leading the world."

"Fine steel armor-piercing arrows—paired with my five-stone bow and my own strength, I could shoot right through a city gate."

"And this formula for the premium wound-healing ointment; the ointment itself already has remarkable efficacy. If this can be used to reduce casualties among our military comrades, handing it over to Zhu Di seems like a decent idea. In any case, since I hold the formula in my hands, I can simply make a copy."

Looking at the contents yielded by this batch of treasure chests, Zhu Zheng could truly be said to be entirely satisfied.

Setting aside the various formulas, the Overlord Spear alone, coupled with a graded martial art technique, was of immeasurable value.

After all, while Zhu Zheng had possessed short arms, he had lacked a proper long weapon.

Now, that gap had been perfectly filled.