Chapter 70: Outstanding Merits
Lu Yuan nodded, then followed him inside.
As he stepped into the camp, many people cast looks of awe in his direction.
Inside the main tent, the Marquis of Jiuse watched the sky gradually darken, his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach.
The worry in Zhou Hongling’s eyes was now completely undisguised.
As for the Disciples of the General’s Family from the Imperial City, they showed little emotion, but a weight was finally lifted from their hearts.
"Go and make preparations. It seems we have no choice but to press forward blindly," the Marquis of Jiuse said in a low voice.
He seemed drained of all his strength after saying those words.
But just then, a clear, loud voice rang out.
"Report!"
A figure appeared at the entrance—it was Lu Yuan. He held up a newly drawn map with both hands and announced, "Reporting to the Marquis! I was fortunate not to fail my mission and have returned with a map of the Northern Barbarians’ territory. Please inspect it, Marquis."
Hearing his voice, the Marquis of Jiuse’s eyebrows shot up.
Then he said, "Good, good."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Hongling had already stepped forward, taken the map, and placed it on the Marquis of Jiuse’s desk.
As the Marquis opened and examined it, the look in his eyes grew increasingly grave.
Then, his gaze shifted to Lu Yuan. "Are you certain it’s King Yan’s men? And there are only thirty thousand of them?"
"Reporting to the Marquis, I am certain," Lu Yuan said solemnly.
His armor, almost completely covered in blood and grime, combined with his solemn expression, convinced the Marquis of Jiuse to nod.
"If this is true, then after this battle is over, you will be credited with a great merit."
He then turned his gaze to the surrounding generals. "All of you, return and ready your troops. We march at dawn tomorrow to annihilate the enemy on our flank."
"As you command!" all the generals replied, rising and clasping their fists.
Then, as if remembering something, the Marquis of Jiuse said to the Vice General beside him, "Send a rider to relay this information to the Marquis of Yundu immediately. Since the main force of the Northern Barbarians isn’t here with us, they must be on the left flank and at the vanguard."
After the Vice General acknowledged the order, he withdrew.
The Marquis of Jiuse then continued, "Hongling, take this meritorious subordinate of yours to claim his reward. The rest of you are dismissed."
After he finished speaking, everyone took their leave.
As soon as Zhou Hongling stepped out of the main tent, she smiled and clapped Lu Yuan on the shoulder. "Well done."
At that moment, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief. This mission had been far too dangerous, even more so than she had anticipated. If she had known beforehand, she would never have let Lu Yuan go.
Fortunately, he had returned.
Otherwise, she would have blamed herself for the rest of her life.
"It’s enough that I could ease your worries, General," Lu Yuan said with a grin.
He too had felt the dangers of the battlefield this time. It was vastly different from the patrols he used to conduct outside the city.
However, it also filled the gap in his experience with large-scale warfare.
’It wasn’t much, but this is just the beginning. I’ll figure it out as I go.’
After hearing his words, Zhou Hongling nodded, then her gaze fell upon the few Imperial City Garrison Generals who had followed them out. "Gentlemen, it seems you’ve forgotten something?"
Zhao Yu’s gaze turned cold. "Don’t worry. I’ll have someone send it over shortly."
Then he left without a backward glance.
They had completely lost face this time. Their own Scouts were killed just after leaving the camp, yet not only was Lu Yuan unharmed, he had actually completed the mission.
They were all seething with frustration.
Zhou Hongling said contemptuously, "Just as long as you remember."
Only after saying this did she look at Lu Yuan. "Come on, let’s go get your military merits."
Then, she led him toward the Merit Camp. Naturally, an army on the march would have a place to award merits.
After all, everyone was risking their lives. If merits couldn’t be rewarded promptly, no one would feel secure.
Just then, Zhang Zhe, who was just returning from the latrine, saw Lu Yuan walking past him behind Zhou Hongling. Surprise flashed across his face before it instantly darkened.
He asked a subordinate beside him, "What happened?"
"Sir, you should have seen it. Just now, that Thousand Men Commander Lu Yuan returned, and he successfully completed the mission! Over a hundred men went out, but fewer than thirty came back. Every single one of them looked like they’d been dragged out of a pool of blood."
"True warriors, they are..."
"Hmph!" Before his subordinate could finish, Zhang Zhe snorted coldly and walked away.
Seeing Lu Yuan earn yet another merit, the hatred in his heart had no outlet, and he felt incredibly frustrated.
A moment later, he sighed.
No one knew what he was thinking.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan had been led to the Merit Camp, where Wei Yong and the others had already delivered the heads.
The Quartermaster, having finished his count, looked at Lu Yuan with deep admiration and said, "Lord Lu, the tally is complete. On this expedition, you killed one hundred and five enemies. The Golden-armed Iron Kites are worth ten merit points per head."
"That comes to one thousand and fifty merit points. This mission has a threefold multiplier, for a grand total of three thousand one hundred and fifty merit points."
Lu Yuan nodded upon hearing the reply.
Zhou Hongling turned her head and said, "Not bad. You’ve already saved up enough merits to be promoted to Captain."
Lu Yuan couldn’t help but grin. Now, as long as his strength broke through to the Meridian Passage realm, he could be promoted to Captain.
At his current rate of cultivation, it wouldn’t take him long to reach it.
Standing to the side, Helian Shang’s eyes filled with envy.
’This time, Zhou Hongling also earned three thousand military merits. The gap between her and me is just getting wider and wider.’
’I wonder when I’ll get a subordinate like Lu Yuan.’
’He really brings her so much glory.’
However, after receiving his merits, Lu Yuan didn’t leave. Instead, he looked at the Quartermaster and asked, "My armor and weapon are damaged. Can I be issued new ones?"
After speaking, he revealed the damaged section on his shoulder.
Zhou Hongling had actually noticed his injuries long ago but hadn’t shown it with so many people around. Now, she looked at the Quartermaster and said, "Find him a set of high-quality armor. I heard the Marquis say you have a fine Crescent Saber here as well. Bring them both out.
"Deduct it from my merits."
"Right away, General! I’ll go get them for you." The Quartermaster couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement. He inwardly marveled at Zhou Hongling’s generosity. High-quality Profound Iron Armor was usually reserved for the Disciples of the General’s Family.
An ordinary Thousand Men Commander would never get such a thing.
And that Crescent Saber was a masterpiece among sabers, even if it wasn’t a Divine Soldier.
It was definitely an exceptional item.
The two items together would cost no less than five thousand merit points.
Even a direct disciple from a General’s Family might not be willing to part with so much for it, yet she was giving it to a subordinate. This was the first time he had ever seen such a thing.
But despite his inner astonishment, he ordered someone to bring out a set of armor. It was covered entirely in black scales, with a Chest Guard of dark gold and a wolf’s head emblem at the waist.
On each shoulder was a dark gold Leopard Head Shoulder Guard.
When Lu Yuan took it, he felt the weight in his hands. He then looked at the Crescent Saber, which was being carried by several men. The hilt was black and the blade was the color of bronze, radiating a heavy and sharp aura that washed over him.
After taking it, he hefted it a few times. The saber probably weighed around three thousand jin.
A satisfied expression appeared on his face.
Just then, a figure walked over. It was Zhao Yu’s Vice General.
He was holding several boxes. Seeing Zhou Hongling, he said, "General Zhou, this is the wager from my general and the other generals."
Her eyebrows raised as she took them.
After the Vice General left, she turned to Lu Yuan and said, "Let’s go. Back to my tent. I have something good for you."
Lu Yuan immediately followed.
Helian Shang wanted to follow, but after a moment’s thought, he stopped in his tracks.