Zhang Yu's armor was covered in bloodstains, which he was used to.

Carrying a long spear, he walked through piles of corpses, occasionally finishing off struggling Tartars—that was what he was doing now.

Qiu Fu strode over and slashed a soldier lying among the dead with a single blow. "Shimei," he said, "if you ask me, these Tartars are becoming less and less of a threat. We crushed them in one charge."

Zhang Yu, whose courtesy name was Shimei, laughed and said, "They're no longer a threat. The Tartars weren't a threat a few years ago, and they're even worse now. Just look at these people; they're all just half-grown boys."

"You're so smart. You gave up your comfortable position as Privy Councilor to join our Great Ming," Qiu Fu teased his friend. "Otherwise, you should have brought your men this time. We might have wiped you out with a volley of muskets."

Zhang Yu rolled his eyes in anger. He had indeed been a Privy Councilor in the Yuan Dynasty, and when the Yuan Dynasty was driven back to the Mongolian steppe, he had fled there with Emperor Shun of Yuan. He had only been under the Ming Dynasty for fifteen years, making him a true surrendered general.

This kind of history was not uncommon in the Ming Dynasty, which had many generals who surrendered. In addition to the generals who surrendered from the separatist forces in various regions, there were also many who, like Zhang Yu, surrendered from the Yuan Dynasty.

Qiu Fu lowered his voice and whispered, "We've figured it out. The Duke of Ying isn't planning on making any contributions. After all, we're not of high birth, so it's harder for us to earn any military merits than anything else. We don't need to worry about those brats, though; the merits are all going to them."

Zhang Yu lowered his voice and scolded his friend, "Watch your words!"

"How much more careful do we need to be with our words?" Qiu Fulai was truly furious. "Tell me yourself, we originally wanted to earn some merit on this expedition. The Duke of Ying only asked us to drive these Tartars away. Is this how you want to make a name for yourself? We had several opportunities to defeat the Tartars, but we drove them all to the eastern route. We were supposed to be part of the central army, and how many battle achievements have we made?"

Zhang Yu was silent for a moment, then said irritably, "That one is the eldest son of the Prince of Zhongshan, the maternal uncle of the Emperor and the Crown Prince of our Great Ming! The one to the west is the Emperor's maternal uncle. Who can our Duke afford to offend?"

That's true. Although many people consider Duke Fu Youde of Ying to be the best general of the current dynasty, there's no real reason behind that statement.

Lan Yu's military achievements were no less than Fu Youde's, and he was also considered the current emperor's maternal uncle. Moreover, among the founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty, Feng Sheng was still alive. Even though he was no longer on the battlefield, he was once on par with Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Tang He, Li Wenzhong, and others. While Fu Youde and Lan Yu were still serving as deputy generals, these men were already leading large armies on their own.

Just then, a troop of elite cavalry appeared.

Leading the charge was Fu Rang, who sat high on his horse and roared, "Summon the generals, the vanguard is to set out immediately and strike at the heart of the enemy!"

Zhang Yu and Qiu Fu were stunned for a moment, then also somewhat dumbfounded. Originally, their central army had been advancing steadily and slowly, not seeking many victories, and even voluntarily forgoing some merit. But now, suddenly they were to go straight for the enemy's capital and breach their royal camp?

The change was so drastic that they were all a little taken aback.

Suddenly, Zhang Yu realized something. "During this period of driving out the Tartars, our army has been slowly advancing deeper into the desert. Could it be that all three armies are winning battles, and now we are penetrating deep into the northern desert to force the Tartars into a decisive battle?"

Qiu Fu was also excited, but very curious, "If that's really the case, our army will exceed 100,000. Who will be the commander?"

Duke Fu Youde of Yingguo was naturally qualified to command the army. In the eyes of Zhang Yu and others, they naturally hoped that Fu Youde would lead the army, after all, they were now serving under Fu Youde.

Just thinking about it, Lan Yu's side cannot be ignored either. In recent years, General Lan Yu was first sent to Sichuan to build cities, then he drove the barbarians in the southwest to the northwest, and then he sent troops to the northern desert. It seems that he was exiled by the emperor, but who doesn't know that General Lan Yu is deeply trusted by the emperor?

The simplest thing, and something countless generals envy, is probably Lan Yu's incense offerings.

Originally, Lan Yu had no sons; her only daughter had married the Prince of Shu and become his consort. But now, a few years ago, the consort gave birth to her second son, who was then taken back by the Princess of Kaiping. That child didn't bear the surname Zhu; he bore the surname Lan!

Although the Princess Consort of Kaiping was the current emperor's maternal grandmother and Lan Yu's elder sister, such a situation was still beyond imagination, and it was said that countless civil officials argued fiercely about it. The military officials naturally supported it, as they were also worried that the title would be lost due to the lack of an heir. Lan Yu, on the other hand, was now considered to be honest, and he even submitted a memorial stating that he did not seek a posthumous title of king, but only wanted to gain merit for his grandson.

That is, Lan Yu, who directly announced that he would be posthumously granted the title of king. Although this guy seemed to be more honest, he still often made people furious. His political wisdom was inconsistent. Most importantly, he was somewhat arrogant.

The army was about to set off, which filled many soldiers with immense excitement; their opportunity to make a name for themselves had arrived. In their eyes, this was their chance; that's how confident the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were.

Zhu Yunying was well aware that finding the Imperial Seal would be ideal, but he wouldn't be particularly disappointed if it couldn't be found. The Ming Dynasty didn't need an imperial seal to prove anything; it was merely icing on the cake.

As for his northern neighbors, Zhu Yunying never ignored them; he knew their capabilities.

History provides clear examples, and even just looking at the 'future' can prove a lot.

For example, Zhu Di's several northern expeditions achieved some success, but he did not completely annihilate the Ming Dynasty. Then there's the "Gatekeeper Emperor," who was nearly wiped out by the Oirat Mongols, causing the Ming Dynasty to suddenly shift from a military advantage to a defensive posture. Even the story of the "Three Maidens' Trade" in previous history textbooks serves as evidence.

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