Eternal Empire

Chapter 53 - I Need To Make Him Understand!

Not long after the fight had ended, military officer Wang Gendong sent three of his soldiers back to the Navy's camp via land, passing through the villages. Or else, the credit would be stolen by Cen Zheng and Bai Xiu, leaving nothing behind for them.

After beheading more than six hundred water bandits, every single soldier would be able to receive a generous amount of reward. Hence, everyone was very happy.

A group of people was in charge of clearing up the battlefield, and another group was in charge of locating the corpses belonging to the local soldiers of the dock. Shen Leng went to look for Wang Gendong and told him that he should send someone over to the local county's yamen to notify them about what happened, before Cen Zheng and the rest arrived.

After all the arrangements were made, Shen Leng sat on the pier. He leaned against a pillar and took a breather. He was the most crucial person in this battle. He had to stay alive and lure the water bandits to the ambush. It sounded simple, but any tiny accident could have easily sent Shen Leng into the netherworld.

Chen Ran sat down next to Shen Leng. After a moment of silence, he spoke, "So this is how a battle is like.the last time when our ten-man squad fought against those water bandits, I already felt that it was an extreme m******e. Only now did I realize that it was only the tip of an iceberg."

Shen Leng patted Chen Ran on the shoulder. "Since you chose to serve in the military, I'm afraid you'll be put in such situations a lot more. His Majesty does not want the Navy to only patrol the rivers - he wants us to sail the seas. In the future, perhaps every single day would be like this."

Chen Ran's shoulders trembled for a bit. "We might all die, right?"

He lowered his head. "Nobody can always have good luck all the time. Once, twice, three times, dozens of times, thousands of times.none of us can guarantee that we will always be victors. Winning hundreds of battles on the battlefield is not the end, but losing once marks the end."

He exhaled a long breath. "Some people are able to live long enough to return home in glory."

Shen Leng continued, "Don't depend on good luck to survive on the battlefield. Unless you want to build your reputation on good luck."

Chen Ran nodded. "I got it. Ultimately, I have to be strong and powerful enough."

Wang Kuohai and Du Weiming walked side by side and headed over from afar. Both of them reeked of blood; one of them was tall and muscular, and the other was thin and lanky. That pair shared some kind of a strange harmony.

"Battalion commander."

Wang Kuohai sat down. "This battlefield is different from the previous one."

"Yeah."

Du Weiming squatted. "It is a lot more sickening than the previous one. It is my first time experiencing people reacting in that manner out of fear prior to their death."

Thinking about how the water bandits peed and shat their pants, as well as how they looked with tears in their eyes and a runny nose, Du Weiming felt sick in the stomach.

"Battalion commander, what do we do now?"

"Tell the other brothers to remember the number of people they've killed and that they are not allowed to steal each other's credit. They are also not allowed to let other people steal theirs."

"Yes!"

Du Weiming stood up and conveyed the order. It could be seen that he had thoroughly accepted Shen Leng and respected him.

Chen Ran looked at Shen Leng. "The water bandits did not attack and take over the official replenishment dock for no reason, right?"

Shen Leng grunted. "We will encounter similar incidents again."

Chen Ran frowned slightly. "It's never going to end?"

Shen Leng replied, "It will. When I die, or he dies."

Chen Ran copied Shen Leng and shrugged his shoulders. "It's not good to die. It will hurt. It's better if other people die.strange, I actually feel rather hungry. I will go look for something to eat."

Shen Leng stood up. "Let's go together."

Just at this moment, the bugle horn sounded. The other Xiong Niu battleships had finally arrived. From the time the m******e began till it ended, approximately three hours had passed. For the Xiong Niu ships to take that long to arrive, it was evident that the Fifth pin Yongyi General Cen Zheng was the problematic one.

When Shen Leng saw the Xiong Niu battleships docking, he thought of something that he did not get to do in time. He ran over to military officer Wang Gendong and took the map from him before keeping it. Wang Gendong looked baffled. "What are you doing? I need to return it."

Shen Leng replied, "Military officer, just tell him that Shen Leng accidentally lost the map."

Wang Gendong asked, "Why though?"

Shen Leng smiled. "It is very useful. This will serve as a pair of eyes on the battlefield."

As he spoke, a group of soldiers, who were protecting Yongyi General Cen Zheng and General Bai Xiu, came over. Their facial expressions were completely different. Cen Zheng's face was extremely cold and gloomy, whereas Bai Xiu looked extremely happy - he had a pure smile on his face.

"Well done."

Bai Xiu spoke first, "This is the best battle ever since the founding of the Navy. I will report your meritorious deed together with General Cen. General Cen and I have already gotten wind of the details of what happened. All of you did the Navy proud. General Cen also said that he wants to reward you."

Shen Leng looked into Bai Xiu's eyes. He thought to himself: Could it be that this person really not fishy at all? He has a very sincere and honest look in his eyes. Either he has a clear conscience or that he's extremely shrewd.

Cen Zheng scoffed. "Although you fought well, you reported to your superiors too late. You have hindered our opportunity in the battle in a way. No matter how great your meritorious deeds are, you cannot conceal this fact."

Wang Gendong cupped his fist. "I have made a mistake."

Shen Leng frowned slightly. He seemed to have thought of something.

Cen Zheng reprimanded a few more sentences before the look on his face eased up a little. "I have already sent someone to notify Ningwu county's magistrate. Seems like we have to stay here for a while. Naturally, I will report to the commander with regards to your meritorious deeds. But before that, I made the decision to get some silver from the warehouse at the dock. Each of Wang Gendong's soldier will be rewarded with five taels of silver, battalion commander will be rewarded with fifteen taels of silver, and military officer will be rewarded with twenty taels of silver."

Wang Gendong and the rest of them cupped their fist in sync. "Thank you, general!"

Shen Leng stared blankly for a bit. He went as far as to chuckle foolishly and asked, "How about rewarding the battalion commander with twenty taels of silver?"

Cen Zheng replied, "What?!"

Shen Leng lowered his head. "Take it as I did not say anything."

Cen Zheng was slightly enraged. "You don't act like a soldier at all. You are sloppy and disrespectful to your commanding officer. I will take back your fifteen taels of silver!"

Shen Leng thought to himself: Next time I better watch what I say.originally I wanted to get five extra taels to repay my entire debt to Zhuang Yong. Now I don't even have the fifteen taels of silver. What a waste.

Wang Gendong hurriedly said, "General, Shen Leng was the most crucial person in this battle. If he did not see through the water bandits' plan in advance and suggested an ambush tactic, this battle would not have gone as smoothly as it did. I hope that you will reconsider."

Cen Zheng had a cold look on his face. "Do you think I will change what I have decided that easily? Merits are merits, errors are errors. Rewards and punishments have to be distinguished clearly. Wang Gendong, you are an old soldier who has followed me for so many years. How can you forget this? I will take away your twenty taels of silver too. My decision is final."

Shen Leng grabbed Wang Gendong, who was about to say something, and shook his head slightly.

Bai Xiu waited for Cen Zheng to leave and smiled at Shen Leng before saying, "The general is not truly rebuking both of you. Later on, go collect your twenty taels of silver. Don't worry about the general, I will talk to him."

Shen Leng and Wang Gendong hurriedly thanked him. "Thank you, general."

Bai Xiu patted Shen Leng on the shoulder. "I haven't seen such an outstanding young man like you in a very long time. Work hard, your future is very bright."

Shen Leng nodded and thanked him. Bai Xiu smiled and walked off.

After he left, Shen Leng asked Wang Gendong, "Military officer, did the person who notify them leave right when we arrived at the dock?"

"That's right."

"Logically speaking, it's only nine miles. When the battle had just begun, the informant would have already gotten there. Why did the general say that we notified them late?"

"Perhaps he is guilty."

Wang Gendong scoffed. "Cen Zheng is someone who thinks a lot.maybe you don't understand him, but I have been working under him for a very long time. I know him very well. Just like us, he is also from a humble family background. Hence, he is very determined to climb the ranks. He would not hesitate to use unscrupulous methods. If he is truly working for Mu Xiaofeng, I will not be surprised at all."

Shen Leng nodded. "Oh.let's go collect the silver first. What if they regret it later?"

Wang Gendong asked, "Are you in need of money?"

Shen Leng threw his hand up. "Yeah, I'm in need of a lot of money."

Wang Gendong replied, "In that case, take my twenty taels too."

Shen Leng smiled. "Military officer, why didn't you ask why I'm in need of money?"

Wang Gendong replied, "Why bother asking? We are brothers who accompany each other through life or death situations on the battlefield. It's only twenty taels of silver. Even though to people like us, it's not a small amount, our comradeship is more important."

Shen Leng was somewhat embarrassed. "Actually, it's nothing much. Previously, I borrowed twenty taels of silver. My share is enough to repay my debt.the reason why I said that I am in dire need of money is because I need to marry someone. I can't possibly wretched - I have to give her the best wedding ceremony."

Shen Leng lifted his head and looked up into the sky. The clouds looked like Master Cha.

"Money for marriage?"

Wang Gendong coughed a couple of times before saying, "Earlier I said I would give you my share of twenty taels, right? I take it back.everybody is in need of money when it comes to marrying a wife."

Shen Leng laughed out loud. "Military officer, is there someone you fancy?"

"Yeah!"

Wang Gendong nodded with all his might. A real man would not be afraid of death. Naturally, he would not be shy or embarrassed to talk about matters like that. "A few days ago, my mother got someone to send me a letter saying that ever since last year, her health has been failing. The woman that is betrothed to me had already packed up and moved into my house to take care of my mother despite being gossiped about. She has been waiting upon my mother for slightly over a year. My mother tried to persuade her to go home but she refused to. I.don't want to let her down."

Shen Leng listened as he collected his twenty taels of silver from the warehouse at the dock. After he finished listening to Wang Gendong's words, he lowered his head and looked at the silver in his hands. He laughed and shoved the silver into Wang Gendong's hands. "Get someone to bring this back. Take your mother to see a doctor and buy some new clothes for your lady."

Wang Gendong was dumbfounded. "How can I accept this? You still have to repay a debt."

Shen Leng placed his hands behind his head and walked as he talked. "Me.I'm different. I'm younger than you."

Wang Gendong responded, "Too much."

At a distance, Bai Xiu turned around and looked at Shen Leng and Wang Gendong. He smiled and said to Cen Zheng, who was next to him, "They are promising soldiers. General, you don't have to be angry. Nobody is perfect. They have already done well enough."

Cen Zheng looked at Shen Leng. "I don't like the young man named Shen Leng. He's too overbearing."

Bai Xiu replied, "He's a young man. It's normal for him to be a little haughty. You just have to nurture him in the future."

Cen Zheng scoffed. "Look at him all sloppy, he does not look like a soldier at all! Just because he has two meritorious deeds, he started to become impudent. If we don't restrain him, sooner or later he will forget his own last name!"

Bai Xiu shook his head. "We were all young before. It's natural for young men to be complacent at times. Let it go."

Cen Zheng took his eyes off Shen Leng. "I need to make him understand that wars are not a child's play."