I wield power with my innate talents, and forge the Heavenly Court.

Chapter 71 Li Yun, whose military merits and honors were stripped away and who died unjustly.
Under normal circumstances, the promotion of one's celestial status involves improving physical fitness, gaining a deeper understanding of supernatural powers, and raising the level of those powers.

Once a certain level is reached, one will naturally receive feedback from the Heavenly Authority and be promoted to the [Elite Soldier] level.

However, both are of the same rank and belong to the [Soldier] level.

Therefore, even if your physical fitness doesn't meet the standards, you can still advance.

It is precisely because the "soldier" and the "elite soldier" are of the same rank and status that they have a special relationship.

Therefore, a soldier who can bear the [Soldier] rank can also bear the [Elite Soldier] rank.

Based on this, the dynasty established a system of promotion based on military merit.

Once you accumulate enough military merits, you can be promoted to the [Elite Soldier] level.

Once you kill ten enemy soldiers, you can be promoted to the [Elite Soldier] level.

If one can kill an enemy general, one will at least be promoted one rank.

Of course, they can continue to accumulate military merits, and when they reach the milestone of killing a hundred men or killing a thousand enemy commanders, they will receive additional rewards.

That was military merit, an honorary rank, the sixth-rank Zhongxian Colonel.

In the Ming Dynasty army, there were formal official positions and honorary ranks.

Formal official positions were basically things like captain, sentry officer, battalion commander, and commander.

Honorary ranks, such as "General So-and-so," are honorary titles, similar to military ranks in later times.

The rank of Zhongxian Colonel, a sixth-grade official, is the lowest honorary rank.

Other titles include Zhaoxin Colonel, Wude General, Xuanwu, Mingwei General, and so on.

However, in the Ming Dynasty, there was not a very clear distinction between formal official positions and honorary ranks.

Those who were granted the title of general generally held specific substantive positions.

However, the dynasty here divided the two to a great extent.

The honorary rank system, which emphasizes honorary titles, is similar to the military ranks of later generations and has no necessary connection with actual official positions.

As for whether the current people can bear the weight of a sixth-rank loyal and imposing captain, equivalent to a centurion, it is a question of whether they can handle it.
Hmm, that's to achieve a hundred-man kill or kill a thousand-household commander. Is that something they can do right now?

They shouldn't even think about it without experiencing a few wars.

By then, their physical fitness will likely have improved, and they will naturally be able to be awarded medals.

However, no matter what, it is an enormous temptation.

This is not an ordinary honorary military rank, but one that truly signifies extraordinary abilities.

Its appeal is therefore self-evident.

Upon hearing Wang Dahu's order to charge, everyone jumped up excitedly and followed Wang Dahu as they rushed down the mountain.

They were afraid that if they ran too slowly, they wouldn't be able to cut off anyone's head.

As for the dangers of descending the mountain, besides increasing speed, the Divine Speed ​​ability also enhances nerve reflexes.

Otherwise, wouldn't one have to constantly bump their head when activating the Divine Speed ​​ability?
Therefore, this hillside, which is not too steep, poses no obstacle at all.

With their speed, they quickly broke into the ranks of the government troops.

"chichichi"

"Puff puff"

The sounds of sharp blades piercing flesh filled the air as soldiers fell one after another.

Upon seeing this, Wang Dahu frowned.

He had not forgotten what the dynasty had instructed him to do.

When you have the upper hand, capture as many prisoners as possible.

These are also meritorious deeds.

Even for commanding generals, the merit of capturing prisoners was considered even higher.

Generals are different from ordinary soldiers; they don't keep counts of the number of people killed.

They were calculating the final battle results, including their own casualties, the number of prisoners, and so on.

In short, the strategy and tactics were good, few of our own men died, and many prisoners were captured.

"Surrender without killing!"

A loud roar could be heard even at the edge of the battlefield.

Hearing Wang Dahu's roar, many soldiers couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

They were naturally eager to make a name for themselves.

However, they also need to abide by military discipline.

In routine training, military discipline is of paramount importance.

If you want to join the regular army, memorizing military discipline is the first rule.

"Surrender without killing!"

"Surrender without killing!"

"Kneel down and surrender!"

"Surrender without killing!"

As they shouted, their eyes gleamed as they scanned their surroundings, looking for anyone still standing who hadn't surrendered, hoping to add another head to their list of military merits.

The officers and soldiers, who had already been terrified, immediately knelt down and surrendered upon hearing the slogan that they would not be killed if they surrendered.

As for those who didn't react in time, or those who stubbornly refused to kneel down, they were immediately hacked to death one by one.

They don't care whether you haven't reacted yet or you don't want to surrender.

To them, anyone who did not surrender as ordered was an enemy and a source of military merit.

As for those who have already surrendered, their merits in killing the enemy are not counted, but rather in the collective merits, which means they receive far less when divided among themselves. This is why they are even more enthusiastic about killing the enemy.

Upon seeing the fierce appearance of the militia, the remaining men immediately shuddered.

"Clang!"

"Pfft!"

"Pfft!"

In an instant, many soldiers dropped their weapons and, regardless of whether they were on the ground or on hard rock, their knees buckled and they all knelt down.

"Hi~!"

Those soldiers and officers who were lying on the ground were naturally unaffected.

The soldiers who were standing on hard rock were in real trouble, and they immediately gasped in pain.

Even so, they dared not move rashly, but obediently knelt down with their heads in their hands, afraid that any movement they made would cause the militia to misunderstand and have their heads chopped off.

After almost everyone knelt down, Li Yun and his group, who were fleeing in panic in the distance, became very conspicuous.

Without hesitation, many members of the People's Salvation Army looked at them with shining eyes.

"kill!"

Suddenly, someone shouted, "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Kill!"

In an instant, all the militiamen reacted and charged towards Li Yun and his men, shouting battle cries.

The sudden shouts of battle startled the many officers and soldiers who were kneeling and surrendering, causing them to look up in fear and trepidation.

However, they soon discovered that the militia's target was not them, but rather Li Yun and his men, who had fled to a distant location.

For a moment, they couldn't help but secretly rejoice that they had surrendered quickly.

Otherwise, those being hunted would certainly include them.

In just a short while, Li Yun and his men were caught up by the militia.

Seeing the militia closing in, Li Yun couldn't help but sigh inwardly; there was no escaping it.

It seems he has no choice but to surrender.

However, given his status, these bandits probably wouldn't make things difficult for him; on the contrary, they might even look up to him.
However, if he wants to be respected more, he also needs to demonstrate more value and charisma.

Li Yun's eyes darted around, and he suddenly spoke:
"I am a centurion of the Ming Dynasty, and I am well-versed in military strategy and tactics."

The militia members who had gathered around looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing his words.

What does he mean by this? Does he think that saying these things will make them let him go?
"Hmph! I am a centurion of the Ming Dynasty, and I will not surrender to you!"

Li Yun stood tall and proud, exuding an air of dignified indignation and a determination to never surrender.

At the same time, Li Yun secretly thought to himself, "Wouldn't my display of loyalty and bravery earn the respect of these bandits and make them look at me with even more respect?"

However, before Li Yun could finish speaking, one of the militiamen in front of him impatiently swung his sword at him.

"If you don't want to surrender, then stop talking nonsense and die!"

"Pfft!"

"Grumpy"

Under the soldiers' powerful blows, Li Yun, the centurion, was no tougher than the other officers and soldiers, and his head was chopped off in an instant.

Watching the swirling, spinning scene, Li Yun had one last thought: Why aren't these damned militiamen playing by the rules?

Li Yun died unjustly. He only wanted to gain more benefits for himself, but because he showed off, he was beheaded by a soldier.

If he had surrendered directly, he wouldn't have been executed since military merits wouldn't have been considered.

"grass!"

"Puff puff"

Upon witnessing someone kill a centurion of government soldiers, the remaining members of the militia began to curse loudly.

However, they reacted instantly and immediately drew their swords, cutting down all the dozens of soldiers who had escaped with Li Yun.

"Huh? Why were they all chopped down?"

Wang Dahu, who had just arrived, looked at the corpses scattered on the ground and couldn't help but feel a little helpless.

"Heh, sergeant, these soldiers have a lot of backbone. They refused to surrender, so we had no choice but to kill them."

The soldier who had struck first and killed Li Yun couldn't help but chuckle as he spoke.

"Lu Feng, don't think I don't know what you're thinking?"

Wang Dahu glared at Lü Feng with annoyance before saying helplessly:
"You've done a great job. I'll report this to the leader when we get back and have him promote your rank."

He was well aware of what everyone was thinking.

However, he didn't go to great lengths for himself, and his soldiers always thought it was good to earn merit.

It's just one less prisoner, which doesn't have much impact on the overall situation.

Upon hearing Wang Dahu's words, the surrounding soldiers all looked at Lü Feng with envy.

At the same time, he secretly regretted that he had been a step too slow.

"Hehe, thanks, sergeant!"

This time, under the leadership of our squad leader, we defeated the government troops. As a result, the squad leader's rank will be greatly promoted, far surpassing that of his subordinates.

hey-hey"

Lü Feng chuckled.

"You're so good at talking."

Alright, clean up the battlefield and take the prisoners back.

Wang Dahu glared at Lü Feng again, then gave a solemn command.

"Yes!"

In that instant, everyone, from the surrounding soldiers to the previously jovial Lü Feng, became serious and bowed respectfully.

Meanwhile, Wang Dahu and his team were cleaning up the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Wang Chao had led Wang Shi, Li Shu, and others to a hillside not far from Shouyang Pass to ambush them.

"Li Hei, have you found out everything?"

"Please forgive me, Chief, but Shouyang Pass is different from other county towns. It is a garrisoned pass with extremely tight defenses and secrecy. Our intelligence personnel have not been able to infiltrate it."
So they didn't get much useful information.

Li Heilian looked ashamed and apologized to Wang Chao.

"Well, it's not your fault. The Military Intelligence Bureau has only been established for a short time, so it's normal that they can't gather much information."

Just tell me what you know.

"Yes, Chief."

Shouyang Pass had a total of two thousand garrison troops.
The garrison commander of Shouyang Pass was named Shen Changquan, who served as the Vice Commander of Shouyang Pass and was a fifth-rank guerrilla general.
Their encirclement and suppression of our militia this time was personally led and commanded by Shen Changquan, and the number of people was about 1,200.”

Listening to Li Hei's account, Wang Shi, Li Shu, Wang Sanshun, Li Yu, and others all wore solemn expressions.

This was the largest number of officers and soldiers they had encountered.

Moreover, these are genuine regular troops.

Otherwise, there would have been no need for the dynasty to personally lead the troops and gather soldiers from the four outposts to ambush them.

This clearly shows that the dynasty still attached great importance to the regular army of the Ming Dynasty.

Before long, accompanied by rising smoke and dust, a long line came into view.

Wang Chao narrowed his eyes slightly, observing the army in the distance.

Along with the improvement in his physical fitness, especially his archery skills, Wang Chao's eyesight had long been greatly enhanced.

Even though the two sides are still three or four miles apart.

Even the emperor could vaguely make out the general appearances of the officials and soldiers.

Thanks for your support, brothers!
Xinghuo expresses his sincere gratitude! ∩_∩

Also, thank you to reader [20190713202422879] for the 100-coin reward!

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(End of this chapter)