CHAPTER 65: CHAPTER 65: THE ARMY’S AWE!

"Look, Commander Zhao is standing before the prison cart. The soldiers escorting it are all from his unit. He’s the one who captured the King of Han."

"Impressive."

"The primary credit for breaching the city this time goes to Commander Zhao. I never expected he’d capture the King of Han, too. Once the Great King hears of Commander Zhao’s military achievements, we’ll have to start calling him General Zhao."

"Indeed."

"I hope that after Commander Zhao is promoted to General, he’ll come lead our army. That would be a great blessing."

"I hope so too."

"I heard that every soldier under Commander Zhao’s command killed more than five enemies each. They all performed great deeds."

"And Commander Zhao led them to achieve all this..."

Watching Zhao Feng escort the prison cart into the royal palace, the Sharp Warriors gathered around couldn’t help but discuss among themselves. They looked at Zhao Feng with the awe reserved for a powerful warrior, and cast envious glances at the Sharp Warriors under his command.

A full day and night had passed since the Han Capital was breached. News of Zhao Feng’s achievements in breaking through the city walls, along with the battle records of his Commandant Camp, had spread throughout the army. Naturally, these feats were the envy of all the Sharp Warriors.

At this moment, before the palace gates, Li Teng stood clad in battle armor, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword and surrounded by his trusted aides. Alongside him was the Military Judge, Kuai Pu. Their expressions were identical, their gazes filled with anticipation as they watched Zhao Feng approach with the captured King of Han.

"General Li," Kuai Pu said with a smile, "the King of Han has been captured. Our mission to annihilate the state of Han is now complete."

"Haha," Li Teng laughed in response. "Quite true. With the King of Han captured and brought back, a great weight has finally been lifted from my shoulders."

"Then you must thank Zhao Feng properly," Kuai Pu added with another smile. "If he hadn’t found that secret passage, if he hadn’t given chase, we would have never found a trace of the King of Han."

"I will certainly thank him properly," Li Teng said with a smile. "But the real way to thank him is to report his military achievements to the Great King. His contributions this time are not small. Perhaps it will be enough to earn him a promotion to Main General."

Hearing this, Kuai Pu simply smiled and shook his head. "While Zhao Feng’s contributions are great, they are still insufficient for a promotion to Main General. That position requires seniority, military merit, and command ability—not one can be lacking. All of these must be tested and proven."

Li Teng nodded and said no more.

Just then, Zhao Feng arrived with his subordinates, escorting the King of Han.

"General Li," Zhao Feng said, bowing with a cupped fist. "The King of Han has been successfully captured and awaits the General’s judgment. The two hundred-odd Imperial Guards who were with him have also been apprehended and are imprisoned with the other surrendered soldiers."

"Commander Zhao, you’ve worked hard," Li Teng said with a smile, immediately stepping forward.

"It is my duty," Zhao Feng replied.

Li Teng slowly approached the prison cart of the King of Han. A slight smile touched his lips. "King of Han, you’re quite the runner, abandoning your own subjects to save your skin. With a ruler like you, how could the state of Han not be annihilated?"

Faced with these mocking words, King Han An was speechless, despite the resentment in his heart. A loss was a loss.

"Guards!" Li Teng ordered loudly. "Take the King of Han to the prison for now. After we have thoroughly cleared the area around the Han Capital, escort him to Xianyang and present him to the Great King!"

The moment his voice fell, his trusted aides stepped forward to take control of King Han An’s prison cart.

"Commander Zhao, you have worked hard," Li Teng said, turning back to him with a smile. "Lead your troops back and get some rest. You performed meritoriously by commanding your men to breach the city, and capturing the King of Han is an even greater accomplishment. On my authority as General, I grant every man in your Commandant Camp a jar of fine wine. Tonight, you have permission to drink to your hearts’ content. Your military merits, and those of the Commandant Camp, have been recorded by the Military Judge. Qin will never neglect any meritorious official."

"My thanks, General Li," Zhao Feng said immediately.

"You’ve earned it," Li Teng said with a smile, his gaze toward Zhao Feng extremely amiable. "Go and rest."

"Nightfall is still a long way off," Zhao Feng said. "This subordinate requests permission to lead my troops in clearing the corpses from the city."

"Your troops had a night of rest, but you haven’t rested at all since the city fell. Are you sure you don’t want to rest?" Li Teng asked, slightly surprised.

"The Han Capital has only just been pacified. It is better to rest after the city has been cleaned up," Zhao Feng replied with a smile.

The attributes he had picked up from killing enemies during the capture of the Han Capital had already increased all his stats by over two hundred. Still, he didn’t want to miss out on the attributes from his troops collecting corpses. Every little bit helps, after all. With several thousand men collecting bodies, even picking up a tenth of the available attributes would be a considerable amount.

"Since you have such resolve, so be it," Li Teng chuckled, naturally not refusing his request.

"Thank you, General Li," Zhao Feng said at once, cupping his fist. He then turned to Wei Quan. "Mr. Wei, go get Zhang Han and the others. Have them bring their men to the city to clear the bodies. The General has granted us fine wine for tonight!"

"Yes, sir!" Wei Quan immediately acknowledged.

Zhao Feng, meanwhile, headed directly back into the parts of the city where the great battle had taken place.

"This Zhao Feng is an interesting one," Kuai Pu remarked with a hint of emotion. "I heard he used to serve in the Logistics Army. Now that he’s joined a main combat unit, he still enjoys clearing away the dead."

"Perhaps he was born for the military life," Li Teng stated seriously. "In a main combat camp, he is a valiant warrior who slays the enemy. In the Logistics Army, he can clear the scars of battle."

"I also heard that Zhao Feng is skilled in medicine. Is that true?" Kuai Pu asked with a hint of curiosity.

Li Teng smiled. "General Kuai, you are well-informed. Zhao Feng is indeed proficient in medicine. If not for the Senior General’s strenuous efforts to recruit him, Zhao Feng would likely have joined the Military Medical Camp instead of a main combat unit."

"I’ve heard," Li Teng continued, "that Doctor Xia in Xianyang intended to take Zhao Feng as his final, personal disciple. That was disrupted by his transfer to the main combat units."

Hearing this, Kuai Pu’s face showed his astonishment. "Doctor Xia? The paragon of medicine in all of Qin?"

"The very same," Li Teng nodded firmly.

"Truly, there is always someone greater than yourself," Kuai Pu said with feeling. "Zhao Feng appears so young, yet his abilities are remarkably outstanding."

"General Kuai, you should go tally the military merits first," Li Teng said. "Now that the King of Han is captured, a full-city search is no longer necessary. There are still other cities beyond the Han Capital that must be brought under our control. I need to dispatch the army."

"The Logistics Army won’t arrive for another two days. The Sharp Warriors of the main combat units will have to bear the burden until then," Kuai Pu said with a smile.

With Zhao Feng’s capture of the King of Han, the tactical constraints on Li Teng were instantly lifted. He no longer needed to linger in the Han Capital and could proceed to take control of the remaining cities.

Meanwhile, Zhao Feng was leading his Sharp Warriors to clear the bodies from the city.

"Brothers!" Zhao Feng shouted to his men. "Clean up quickly! Tonight, we have fine wine to drink to our hearts’ content! Our main task is to clear away the bodies of the Han soldiers. We’ll transport them out and find a place for burial. The other camps will handle the bodies of our Pao Ze."