Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 868 Meeting in a Foreign Land
The war ended in a very short time.

Let alone half an hour, it might only be a quarter of an hour. Even Wang Shouren thought, how could the Tatars be so easily defeated?
"Shouldn't we make a show of force?"

Zhu Hui said, "Looking at our sheepskin coats, the other side won't think we're also a group of people from the Tatar tribe, will they?"

Wang Shouren had no time to ponder these matters; he was still reeling from the shock of the rapid advance and swift victory or defeat of the previous battle.

At this moment, a subordinate general stepped forward from behind Zhu Hui and asked in a low voice, "Young Master, it seems that the friendly forces over there are about to set off, or rather, relocate... Should we chase after them?"

Zhu Hui asked in surprise, "Why did they leave right after the battle? Why didn't they pursue the Tartars? What were they doing coming out of the pass? And when they saw the Ming army, they didn't even come to meet them?"

The subordinate said helplessly, "With their abilities, do they need to come and greet us?"

Zhu Hui was speechless.

Not to mention that he and Wang Shouren were completely stunned by this battle, even the Ming soldiers behind them felt that this was just asking for trouble.

We were clearly an elite force, we marched deep into the grasslands for thousands of miles, fighting our way in and out several times, but in the end, in terms of strength, we were no match for even a hair on the enemy's head.

snort!
The imperial court is unfair!
Why don't you supply us with good firearms?

Zhu Hui said, "Now that we're here, we can't leave so easily... No matter what, we are participants in this battle, not just bystanders... At least we've diverted some of the Tatars' attention, making them hesitant to launch an attack. We deserve a share of the military credit..."

The subordinate said, "It seems they won't give us the chance to eat at their feast."

"If we can't get any big pieces of meat, we can at least eat some leftovers, right? Or how about we help them clean up the battlefield? There are thousands of warhorses that have died. How much jerky could we make?"

"Oh right, there can't just be a few hundred people on the other side, right? There should be other forces... This... is really shocking. When I go back to the capital and brag to people, I'm afraid no one will believe me."

Zhu Hui's speech was somewhat incoherent, clearly still reeling from the shock he had just experienced.

The Ming army is very powerful, but unfortunately, it's not our group that's awesome. At best, we're just cheering from the sidelines and acting as the atmosphere group.

How can that feel good?
Wang Shouren said, "Fire the cannons!"

"What?"

Zhu Hui paused slightly and asked, "Won't this... make them think we're provoking them? It's best to be cautious about this kind of thing."

Wang Shouren said helplessly, "At least we need to find out who they are, and more importantly, we need to understand the current situation on the grasslands and see how we can get involved."

"Yeah."

Zhu Hui hurriedly said, "We need to let them know that we also have firearms, and that we've been fighting alongside Wang Weining, and that we're an elite force from Yansui. The major credit on the western battlefield was all won by our troops... Hmph, who do they think they are?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shouren glanced at Zhu Hui, as if asking: Is this your way of comforting yourself?

……

……

"boom!"

As Wang Shouren's central army fired its cannons.

The Ming army troops on the other side, who were packing their belongings, keenly realized that their ally, who was lurking nearby, seemed unwilling to be mere spectators and also wanted to join the battle.

However, they were not prepared to receive their comrades.

We're having a great time here, fighting against five or six thousand with only three or four hundred people, and we're winning easily. We're planning to move to another place and start over. What are you guys doing here?
Besides, even if we let you participate, do you have our equipment and extensive experience in fighting enemies?
Just the thought of a few hundred people being surrounded by an enemy many times their size creates immense pressure that could crush someone with a weak will. Are you sure you can really do it?
Wang Shouren did not rush to lead his troops up.

He was worried that the people on the other side would think they were there to steal his military credit.

In the hearts of the soldiers of the Nine Borders, the merit of taking a head is of great significance and is related to rewards. If friendly troops from the neighboring side come to the battlefield where they have just finished fighting, even if they are not there to steal a head, they will still be treated as if they are there to steal a head.

For the sake of military merit, even killing each other is not impossible.

After waiting for a long time, several elite night watchmen finally arrived from the other side.

"Is it the troops under General Wang, the commander-in-chief of the three-sided army?"

The voices shouting from the other side were very loud, and the accents suggested they were from the area around the capital.

Zhu Hui replied loudly, "Yes, we are under the command of General Wang. We came all the way from Yansui, no, from the north bank of the Yellow River, and were ordered to contain the Tatars... So, which group are you?"

"We are General Zhang's subordinates."

"They shouted from the other side."

Zhu Hui said, "Don't stay so far away, come over and have a chat."

The person on the other side said, "It's hard to distinguish friend from foe when we meet on the grasslands, so we can't just go forward. If you have any questions, send a few people over here to chat... Our general will be waiting..."

Zhu Hui asked loudly, "Is your current commander... Zhang Yanling, the young imperial brother-in-law?"

"No."

The person on the other end immediately shouted. This left Zhu Hui completely bewildered.

If it wasn't Zhang Yanling who commanded the troops, then who was it?
Could it be men sent by Xu Jin, the governor of Datong?

Or were they sent from Xuanfu?

Why does my headache keep getting worse the more I think about it?
"I'll go and meet them."

Wang Shouren said.

Zhu Hui said, "Brother Wang, they are very wary of us. Even so... you still want to go?"

"Sigh! If they really wanted to mess with us, they would have already brought their troops to kill us. Our Ming army doesn't have a tradition of killing each other. Surely the rules won't change because of me?"

After saying this, Wang Shouren let out a long sigh.

Zhu Hui thought to himself, "That's because you never hang out in the military."

The soldiers of the nine border regions of the Ming Dynasty acted independently, fighting tooth and nail for military merit. How dare you say there was no tradition of internal strife?

If they were truly so friendly, they should have come over in person. Their current arrogant behavior is just a ploy to make us back down and be subservient during future interactions.

……

……

Zhu Hui did not step forward.

He was afraid of death.

But I'm also afraid of causing trouble.

Although Wang Shouren also felt that it was inappropriate for him, as the commander-in-chief, to go to the other side's team, in order to find out the truth that he had been pondering, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go with a few guards to accept the invitation.

The opposing cavalry led the way, and the two sides remained about a hundred paces apart.

It wasn't until he entered the battlefield where a fierce battle had just taken place, and smelled the strong stench of blood in the air, that Wang Shouren calmed down.

At this time, the Ming soldiers who had completed their battles were doing some simple reorganization, ready to embark on a new journey at any moment.

After entering the simple temporary camp on the other side, Wang Shouren wisely jumped off his horse.

There was also a man who looked like a general on the other side, who took the initiative to come over.

"Who is this……?"

The person opposite him looked very young, but he was probably around twenty years old.

Wang Shouren thought to himself, "Could this be General Zhang?"
But... I heard that Zhang Yanling is only twelve or thirteen years old, so it shouldn't be him, right?

"I am Wang Shouren, and I have been ordered by the Grand Marshal of the Three Border Regions, Wang Zhongcheng, to lead troops to contain the Tatar forces," Wang Shouren said, bowing.

"My name is Qin Yun."

The general opposite him quickly returned the salute, respectfully saying, "Governor of the Northern Garrison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard... greets General Wang."

Wang Shouren was dumbfounded for a moment.

The commander on the other side was actually Qin Yun, the commander of the Northern Garrison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?
Is he the nephew of Qin Chang, the current Grand Master of Ceremonial?
Wang Shouren quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply once again.

Both sides quickly sensed each other's sincerity... After all, this encounter on the grassland was similar to meeting an old friend in a foreign land, and there was a certain sense of intimacy between them.

"Commander Qin".

Wang Shouren asked curiously, "Where did you send your troops from? How many troops do you have? Why are you here? Are there other troops nearby? How has the situation on the grassland developed?"

Hearing the barrage of questions, Qin Yun quickly replied, "General Wang, there are some things... that are not easy to say outright... Currently, our various forces are scattered and sweeping away the surrounding tribes of the Tatars, and will soon converge and advance northwest, engaging the Tatars in constant conflict. Our force is just one of several groups."

Hearing that the other party had both answered the question and seemed to have answered nothing at all, Wang Shouren decided to stop beating around the bush.

"Then who commands your troops?"

Wang Shouren finally asked the question that had been troubling him for a long time.

Qin Yun said, "He is the second young master of the Zhang family."

"Zhang Guojiu?"

Wang Shouren stared in disbelief. "It really was him."

Qin Yun was slightly surprised and asked, "General Wang, have you heard of the great name of Young Master Zhang?"

Wang Shouren hurriedly explained: "Lord Wang ordered me to lead troops to deal with the Tatars on the grasslands in order to contain the Tatars and create an opportunity for... Zhang Guojiu to lead his troops into the grasslands."

*******
The Emperor hasn't fully recovered yet, so this chapter is a bit short. There should be another chapter tonight!
(End of this chapter)