The Dangxiang Southern Expedition Army, from its main combat forces to its auxiliary units like logistics and cooking camps, totalled tens of thousands. Even now, over twenty thousand were still alive, each one being bound and hoisted, a process that was extremely cumbersome.
As the commander of the Iron Forest Army, Qing Huai had to stay and oversee operations.
By the time the surrender process was complete, dawn had broken.
Still thinking about Jin Feng, Qing Huai didn’t rest. Early in the morning, he ascended Qingshui Mountain.
Jin Feng was with Xu Xiao, explaining the key points of catapult deployment and throwing techniques.
Seeing this, Qing Huai sighed softly.
He could tell that Jin Feng was resolute about leaving.
Jin Feng also noticed Qing Huai and quickly brought Xu Xiao over to greet him.
Yesterday, in General Fan’s tent, Jin Feng could see that Qing Huai was also surprised by General Fan’s words.
Moreover, before Qing Huai fell unconscious, he entrusted the Iron Forest Army to Jin Feng. After waking, he tirelessly sought reinforcements and sent supplies to Qingshui Mountain.
All this showed that Qing Huai genuinely valued him, so Jin Feng saw no need to take out his frustration with General Fan on Qing Huai.
“Marquis, your body hasn’t fully recovered yet. Why climb the mountain so early?”
Noticing Qing Huai’s slightly pale face, Jin Feng quickly asked Xu Xiao to fetch a stool.
“I’m a general who rides into battle. This minor injury is nothing.”
Qing Huai dismissed Xu Xiao, Zhong Wu, and the others, “Sir, can you stay? If you’re willing, I can help you form an army.”
Though he knew it was unlikely, he still wanted to ask in person.
“Thank you for your kindness, Marquis, but I still want to return.”
Jin Feng shook his head without hesitation.
From a glimpse, one can know the whole. Through this battle, Jin Feng gained new insights into Dakang’s military and political affairs.
General Fan was already a prominent figure in the court, yet he was constantly restrained by incompetent officers. Of the tens of thousands in the Western Garrison Army, only the Fan Family Army and the Iron Forest Army were truly capable.
If it weren’t for the Macedonian phalanx and catapults this time, the Western Garrison Army would have struggled to hold Qingshui Valley.
The Iron Forest Army would surely have met a grim fate.
In his previous life, Jin Feng was a typical engineering nerd, preferring to spend half a month in a lab rather than half an hour sitting idly in a meeting room.
Those higher-ups spoke in cryptic, roundabout ways, clearly meaning A but circling to B.
With Jin Feng’s intelligence, it wasn’t that he couldn’t understand, but he genuinely despised such scheming.
With that time and energy, he’d rather focus on inventions, let Tang Dongdong make money, and take Guan Xiaorou to explore mountains and rivers.
Qing Huai was mentally prepared but still felt some disappointment.
Knowing Jin Feng’s mind was made up, he didn’t press further and smiled, changing the topic.
Down the mountain, General Fan hadn’t slept all night. After tallying the number of captives and related data, he wrote a memorial and several private letters, entrusting them to the Red Feather Couriers with orders to rush them to Bianjing.
The memorial was for the Emperor, while the private letters were for his allies in the pro-war faction.
Even now, General Fan hadn’t given up. In his memorial, he reiterated Jin Feng’s contributions and strongly recommended that the Emperor issue a decree to honour Jin Feng as a general.
This was the first complete victory in the Dakang-Dangxiang war in years. The Red Feather Couriers, carrying the victory report, galloped to Bianjing without pause.
Switching horses but not riders, they covered thousands of miles from Qingshui Valley to the capital in just a few days.
“The Western Garrison Army has triumphed. The Iron Forest Army in Qingshui Valley slew tens of thousands of enemies, capturing Li Jikui, the Dangxiang Southern Expedition commander, and tens of thousands of Dangxiang cavalry!”
The Red Feather Couriers roared as they passed through Bianjing’s west gate.
The last time, capturing fewer than a thousand Dangxiang cavalry had caused a stir in Bianjing. This time, capturing the entire Dangxiang Southern Expedition Army had an impact that was unimaginable.
The whole of Bianjing erupted.
Countless citizens rushed out of their homes, flooding the streets.
The sound of gongs, drums, and cheers resounded through the skies.
Court ministers, upon receiving the news, didn’t wait for the Emperor’s summons. One by one, they hurried to the palace to offer congratulations.
The Emperor immediately summoned key ministers to discuss negotiations with Dangxiang and rewards for the Western Garrison Army.
This was also the main reason the ministers rushed to the palace.
They had received detailed reports and were stunned by Jin Feng’s astonishing performance in this battle.
Flooding Grey Wolf Mountain, catapults, horse traps, phalanxes, barbed wire, and holding Qingshui Mountain with just a few hundred men, cutting off the Dangxiang retreat…
Each feat demonstrated that this was a genius even more prodigious than Qing Huai.
The pro-war faction already had General Fan and Qing Huai. They couldn’t allow another prodigy to emerge.
Even if it meant sacrificing some interests, they were willing.
After three days of negotiations, the Emperor personally wrote an edict, sending the Grand Eunuch back to Qingshui Valley.
The Grand Eunuch named General Fan and Qing Huai to receive the edict but didn’t call for Jin Feng.
This gave Qing Huai a bad feeling, but with the edict already unrolled, he could only kneel and listen.
The edict praised General Fan and Qing Huai’s achievements, granting them gold and silver rewards. General Fan was ennobled as Duke of the Western Garrison, continuing to govern Weizhou City.
Qing Huai’s fief was expanded by another county, and the Iron Forest Army was upgraded to a First-Class Army.
Both General Fan and Qing Huai were very satisfied with this outcome.
Qing Huai, in particular, was flushed with excitement.
Dakang’s armies had strict size limits; you couldn’t recruit as many soldiers as you wanted.
The Iron Forest Army was previously a Second-Class Army, capped at five thousand soldiers.
Upgrading to a First-Class Army raised the cap to ten thousand.
With Jin Feng’s phalanx and catapults, Qing Huai’s confidence soared.
But to Qing Huai and General Fan’s surprise, Jin Feng, whose contributions surpassed theirs, was only briefly mentioned in the edict.
He was ennobled as Baron of Qingshui with a reward of five hundred taels of silver, and nothing more.
“Sir achieved such great merit, and he’s only made a baron?”
A baron was Dakang’s lowest noble rank, and Qing Huai immediately felt this was unfair to Jin Feng.
“Is Marquis Qing questioning His Majesty’s decision?”
The Grand Eunuch asked with a smile.
Who would dare respond to that?
Qing Huai quickly shook his head and asked, “May I ask where Baron Qingshui’s fief is?”
Meritorious service usually came with a fief.
For example, Qing Huai’s previous fief was Jinchuan County. Though he couldn’t directly manage it, half of Jinchuan’s taxes went to him.
This was one of the main economic sources for expanding the Iron Forest Army.
A baron’s fief was typically small, but since Jin Feng didn’t need to maintain an army, even a township’s taxes would ensure a lifetime of comfort.
But to everyone’s surprise, the Grand Eunuch shook his head, “Baron Qingshui has no fief.”
“No fief?”
Qing Huai’s pupils contracted, his fists clenching involuntarily.
He had thought the Emperor named Jin Feng Baron of Qingshui to commemorate the Qingshui Valley battle. Now he realised the title was merely an empty honour, like clear water, utterly worthless.
Even General Fan felt the Emperor had gone too far.
