Chapter 63: Promoted Two Ranks of Nobility, and Another Treasure Chest Acquired!

Right at this moment!

"General Zhu."

"General Zhang sends for you, and the Prince of Yan's decree has arrived."

"Please proceed immediately, General Zhu, to receive the decree."

Before Zhu Ying could continue searching the corpses, another hurried voice echoed from within the city.

It was none other than the commander of Zhang Yu's personal guards.

"Could the reward be arriving this fast?" Zhu Ying paused his actions, a look of anticipation crossing his face.

Immediately following,

without a moment's hesitation, he strode toward the inner city.

A royal decree waits for no man, and neither do treasure chests.

Zhu Zheng felt not the slightest bit surprised by the arrival of the prince's decree. After all, having successfully defended the city and annihilated so many enemy troops with such minimal casualties, this military achievement was unprecedented.

If there were no rewards, then he would not be Zhu Di.

Before long!

Inside the grand hall of the Zhuozhou Prefectural Office!

Zhu Neng, commander of Zhu Di's personal guards, had arrived in person.

"General Zhu has arrived."

As Zhu Zheng stepped into the hall, a personal guard immediately shouted out in a loud voice.

Inside the hall,

the gazes of the assembled generals all converged upon him.

"Your subordinate pays respects to General Zhang."

Stepping into the hall, Zhu Zheng immediately bowed deeply toward Zhang Yu.

"Rise." Zhang Yu smiled, raising a hand.

He then immediately cast his gaze toward Zhu Neng standing to the side: "Commander Zhu, General Zhu has arrived."

Without any hesitation, Zhu Neng stepped forward, holding the royal decree in his hands.

"Zhu Zheng, Direct Commission Commander of the Sixth Commission Battalion, hear the decree." Zhu Neng announced loudly.

"Your subordinate respectfully listens to the royal decree." Zhu Zheng bowed, his face beaming with anticipation.

"A decree from the Prince of Yan."

"Zhu Zheng of the Sixth Commission Battalion has steadfastly guarded Zhuozhou City, slaying numerous enemy officers and generals, repelling the invading forces, and annihilating tens of thousands of the enemy while suffering only negligible casualties. This is a supreme merit."

"According to the reward and punishment system of our army, he richly deserves to be generously rewarded."

"Now,"

"Zhu Zheng is promoted by two ranks in nobility, conferred the title of [Hereditary Baron of a County], bestowed with one hundred pieces of gold, and granted twenty domestic servants."

"It is hoped that General Zhu will continue to press forward, achieve greater meritorious service in slaughtering the enemy, and repay the Great Ming." Zhu Neng proclaimed in a resonant voice.

Another promotion in nobility!

The generals in the hall could not hide the looks of envy in their eyes.

While the conferment of nobility had already been implemented among the Yan army—with commanders like Zhu Neng and Zhang Yu having already received noble titles—most Commission Commanders did not share this special honor.

After all, noble titles had to be earned through genuine military exploits.

"This subordinate will certainly not fail the Prince's expectations." Zhu Zheng immediately replied.

Then, Zhu Neng stepped forward and placed the royal decree into Zhu Zheng's hands.

"The Prince also had this to say."

"Please rest assured, General Zhu, and boldly kill the enemy for the country and eradicate the traitors."

"The Prince will personally see to it that your family is properly cared for, ensuring you have no worries in the rear." Zhu Neng added with a smile.

Clearly,

these words were specifically instructed by Zhu Di, meant to allow Zhu Zheng to throw himself into battle without any distracting anxieties about home.

At the same time,

this conveyed a clear message to Zhu Zheng:

Even if the future were to reach an irredeemable point, he, Zhu Di, would exhaust every possible means to ensure the safety of Zhu Zheng's family.

"Please convey this message to the Prince on my behalf."

"This subordinate will never let the Prince down." Zhu Neng spoke at once, and then accepted the royal decree.

"Received one royal decree, rewarded with one ordinary treasure chest."

"Host promoted to [Non-hereditary Baron of a County], rewarded with one Tier-1 treasure chest."

"Host promoted to [Hereditary Baron of a County], rewarded with one Tier-1 treasure chest."

Concurrently,

two system rewards for the nobility promotion were credited to Zhu Zheng.

"General Zhang,"

"The Prince has instructed,"

"Given the overwhelming strength of the enemy forces this time, you must exercise the utmost caution and prudence." Zhu Neng turned back to instruct Zhang Yu.

"Please relay to the Prince that this subordinate will treat the matter with the utmost gravity." Zhang Yu replied without delay.

Having delivered the message,

Zhu Neng did not linger, bidding farewell to Zhang Yu and returning to report back on his mission.

Once he had departed,

"General Zhu,"

"Congratulations."

"A hereditary baron."

"This noble rank matches my own now." Zhang Yu said with a smile, offering his congratulations to Zhu Zheng.

"Many thanks, General Zhang." Zhu Zheng smiled, genuinely delighted. "However, for this subordinate, a barony is far from enough. When the Prince achieves his grand enterprise in the future, this subordinate aspires to attain the rank of Duke."

Hearing this,

Zhang Yu burst into hearty laughter: "Hahahaha!"

"A Duke! Splendid. Not only do you aspire to it, General Zhu, but I share that very same ambition."

This statement

was by no means mere empty talk.

If their grand enterprise were indeed to succeed in the future,

men like Zhang Yu, and even Qiu Fu,

stood an excellent chance of eventually being enfeudated as Dukes, provided their future contributions to Zhu Di were sufficiently great.

The rank of a Duke!

Was carved out through streams of blood and battlefield victories.

"General Zhang,"

"After a full day of defense,"

"our consumption of arrows and artillery ammunition has been considerable."

"This subordinate has already ordered my men to scour the outside of the city to gather arrows, but tomorrow the enemy's assault will undoubtedly be far more ferocious."

"I must request General Zhang to coordinate this matter." Zhu Zheng's expression shifted back to one of stern seriousness.

"General Zhang, General Meng,"

"trouble the two of you to oversee the logistics and ensure an adequate supply of arrows is transported to the city walls."

Zhang Yu immediately turned to the other two generals in the hall and commanded.

"This subordinate obeys."

Zhang Xin and Meng Shan bowed and promptly withdrew.

Inside the grand hall,

only Zhang Yu and Zhu Zheng remained.

Yet at this moment!

Zhu Zheng suddenly stepped forward, a look of profound contemplation on his face.

"General Zhang,"

"this subordinate has an idea." Zhu Zheng said in a deep voice.

Seeing Zhu Zheng's solemn demeanor, Zhang Yu immediately asked, "What idea?"

"If we maintain purely passive defense, it will be difficult to truly resolve the enemy threat." Zhu Zheng stated gravely.

"Could it be that you intend to launch a counteroffensive?" Zhang Yu instantly grasped the implication behind Zhu Zheng's words.

"This subordinate has five thousand cavalry under my command."

"Perhaps they can be utilized to shatter the enemy."

"Therefore, I humbly request the General's permission." Zhu Zheng did not spell out every detail, instead directly asking Zhang Yu for orders.

"What is your plan? Speak in detail, for this is no trivial matter." Zhang Yu's expression turned serious.

"Today, the enemy was frustrated by our defensive posture, and tomorrow they will undoubtedly commit even greater forces to the attack. Since we have focused primarily on defense, the enemy will certainly not expect us to take the initiative."

"Therefore, once the enemy launches their attack, after nightfall, I shall personally lead five thousand cavalry to raid the enemy encampment, targeting their grain reserves to rout them." Zhu Zheng said in a firm voice.

Hearing this,

Zhang Yu fell into deep thought. He did not grant immediate approval, weighing the feasibility of Zhu Zheng's proposal.

"A raid under the cover of night—what degree of confidence do you have?" Zhang Yu asked.

"General,"

"given that the enemy outnumbers us, the only way for our forces to win is to seize the opportunity. As for confidence, I naturally have absolute certainty of purpose, but whether we can succeed ultimately depends on luck."

"The core of this strategy relies on the fact that the enemy will never anticipate our active sortie."

"They likely cannot even imagine that we would dare to launch a counterattack."

"That is the fundamental advantage." Zhu Zheng said with utmost solemnity.

At these words, after careful deliberation, Zhang Yu finally nodded: "Since General Zhu has such confidence, how could this general refuse?"

"I entrust this entire matter completely to you."

"Whatever you need, do not hesitate to ask."

Seeing that Zhang Yu had agreed,

Zhu Zheng immediately bowed deeply: "This subordinate obeys the order!"