Chapter 120: Taking credit
Daxing—
A few days ago, after discussing with Qi Rong, Lin Changning still felt that they needed to take the initiative. Yongning runs through the road from the imperial court. Originally, Daxing was the throat of the Shengwang territory. Now, the Shengwang heir has captured four cities and occupied Yongning Prefecture. Not to mention that the imperial army was blocked halfway, Yongning Prefecture alone has blocked Daxing's grain route. If the Tartars come down, not to mention Daxing Guard, the 20,000 border people of Daxing will be trapped and die in Daxing.
Qi Rong led his men into the tent and relayed their views truthfully: "Commander, the current food supplies can only last for half a month. If we cannot take the initiative to open up the supply lines now, we will be trapped and die in Daxing in the future."
Lin Changning pointed to Xingning on the sand table and explained in a deep voice: "Commander, look, we are currently facing grassland tribes in front of us, and the three cities behind us have all been occupied by rebels. Yongning Prefecture is a vital passage for grain supplies. If the grain cannot be delivered on time, we will starve to death in Daxing without the rebels even lifting a finger. So please give the order to let us lead our troops to open up Yongning Prefecture. According to the latest news, there are still about three thousand people stationed in Yongning. We should be able to take Yongning with a thousand cavalry and two thousand infantry without much trouble."
Zhang Bo stared silently at the sand table, seemingly deep in thought. Qi Rong's eyes darted around before he said, "Commander, if we can take Yongning Prefecture, it will be a great achievement."
Old Ma nodded: "That's right, Commander. If we wait until the imperial court sets off for our destination, we're afraid we'll be trapped here and die. You'll be the one who has to take responsibility then."
Old Zhou added fuel to the fire: "Commander, time is of the essence. The longer this drags on, the worse it will be for us."
Zhang Bo sighed and waved his hand: "I understand what you mean. I will consider it and give you an answer tomorrow."
After saying this, Zhang Bo began to dismiss the people. Once they were gone, he called out a personal guard and repeated what the men had just said. The guard looked shrewd, and it was his idea to establish authority earlier. When Zhang Bo asked him a question, the guard's eyes darted around as he said, "Commander, you agreed to their raid on Yongning Prefecture, so naturally the credit belongs to them. Although you are nominally the commander, you won't get any credit. In my humble opinion, since that's the case, the commander should lead his own men to seize this credit."
Zhang Bo hesitated for a few seconds: "Steal battle merits? How do I do that?"
The guard whispered, "That's simple. When the time comes, the commander only needs to lead his men to capture Yongning. The soldiers of Daxing are known for their fighting prowess. Whether they go or someone else goes, it won't make much difference. The commander only needs to have a few of them guard the garrison to defend against the Tartars, while he leads his troops to seize the city. This way, you can gain merit without worrying about them stealing your credit, and you don't have to worry about Qi Rong being promoted again and kicking you out. This way, you can gain merit and also firmly establish yourself in Daxing. What do you say?"
Zhang Bo was somewhat tempted. He wasn't the only one chosen to come. He had simply spent more time by the emperor's side. In terms of military achievements, he couldn't compare to the others, nor could he match the seniority of those at the border. Many people were secretly waiting to see him make a fool of himself when he arrived in Daxing. He desperately needed a military achievement to prove himself and show that the emperor hadn't misjudged him.
He was tempted by the guard's words. After all, his troops were strong, and if Qi Rong and his men could conquer Yongning, he could too. Why not just lead his men and seize the victory? He would gain both the benefits and his reputation. Another point was that Qi Rong had given him the tiger tally when he came. If he went to the battlefield with a few men and the tiger tally was discovered to be missing in an emergency, he would probably be in trouble and might have to slink back to the capital in disgrace.
After thinking it through, Zhang Bo waved his hand and told them to leave. Yongning still needed to be attacked, but these few people couldn't be brought along. He still had to find a way to stop the four people in Daxing. Although the Tiger Tally was basically not needed for troop deployment nowadays, if the Tiger Tally was lost, he would definitely be held accountable. At best, he would be fined some salary, and at worst, he would be demoted and slink back to the capital.
Zhang Bo sighed. What a mess this is.
The next morning, Lin Changning and Qi Rong and a few others were already waiting at the gate. The longer it dragged on, the worse the situation would be for Daxing. It would be good to set off as soon as possible, especially since the food supplies wouldn't last long.
The group entered the tent and were somewhat surprised to see Zhang Bo already sitting in the main seat; he had gotten up early today.
Zhang Bo glanced at the group and said indifferently, "You're here. Please sit down. I've heard everything you said yesterday."
Lin Changning and Lao Ma exchanged a glance, finally thinking that the new commander wasn't too bad. But before they could even finish their thought, Zhang Bo continued, "The year-end has just passed, so you guys don't need to go. Prepare the troops and provisions in the next couple of days. I'll lead the troops to take Yongning, and you can stay in Daxing and guard against the Tartars' attacks."
"!!!"
Qi Rong's brows furrowed instantly. He looked at the confident Zhang Bo and poured cold water on his enthusiasm, saying, "Commander, you just came from the capital. You probably don't know much about the situation here. Just to be on the safe side, it would be better if you brought us with you."
Zhang Bo sneered: "What? You don't trust my abilities?"
Qi Rong frowned and cupped his hands in greeting: "This humble one dares not."
"Isn't it because I don't trust you?" Lin Changning thought to himself, but his face remained calm with a hint of worry as he said, "Commander, it's not that I don't trust your abilities, Qi Qianhu is just worried about your safety."
Zhang Bo waved his hand impatiently: "Alright, no need to persuade me anymore. Go down and organize the troops and make arrangements. My mind is made up."
The four men looked at each other helplessly and walked out of the tent. Old Zhang felt that he had sighed more in the past two days than in his entire life: "Are you really going to let him lead the troops?"
Qi Rong rubbed his temples: "Go down and organize the troops. If he really wants to go, we can't stop him. There are at least a group of centurions watching over him. As long as nothing serious happens, we'll be fine."
After saying this, the group went down to organize the troops and arrange supplies.
With nothing else to do, Zhang Bo, unusually, left his tent and strolled through the streets. Just outside the garrison gate, he saw Commander Ma's pastry shop. A guard who had come out whispered something in Zhang Bo's ear. Zhang Bo raised an eyebrow, his small eyes sparkling with excitement: "Really?"
The guard nodded and pointed to the shop, indicating, "Of course I'm in charge. You can go and see for yourself if you don't believe me."
Zhang Bo stroked his chin and nodded, a sly glint in his eyes as he walked into Ma San Niang's pastry shop. Ma San Niang smiled and asked, "What would you like to order, sir?"
Zhang Bo's eyes darted around on Ma San Niang until Ma San Niang felt uncomfortable before he said, "Young lady, bring out all the dishes with your signature dishes."
Ma San Niang loathed this kind of scrutinizing gaze, finding it both sticky and disgusting. She frowned and said, "Please come back tomorrow, sir. We're not selling today."
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