Chapter 243: Cherishing Talent is Virtue, Recommending Talent is Merit.
At this moment, there were no more enemies left in the Kolcha Clan's encampment, only a battlefield littered with corpses. However, the soldiers were severely exhausted, and they could only retreat to rest and tend to the wounded.
The Garrison Battalion suffered significant losses, but compared to the Reinforcement Battalion, their casualties were minor in comparison.
Out of three thousand cavalrymen in the Reinforcement Battalion, more than half had been killed or wounded, while their infantry also suffered over a thousand casualties.
This battle was truly brutal.
When Yang Zhengshan arrived at the temporary stronghold within the encampment, both the soldiers of the Garrison Battalion and the Reinforcement Battalion looked at him with respect.
"Lord Yang!" Zhang Chengzhi quickly stepped forward when he saw Yang Zhengshan approaching.
"How is Lord Zhang's injury?" Yang Zhengshan asked with concern, glancing at Zhang Chengzhi’s bandaged chest.
"Just a flesh wound, nothing serious," Zhang Chengzhi replied.
Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings before he continued, "I'll leave this place to you, Lord Zhang. The perimeter security will be handled by our Garrison Battalion."
"Very well, Lord Yang. Rest assured, I will take care of everything!" Zhang Chengzhi agreed without hesitation.
In terms of official rank, Yang Zhengshan and Zhang Chengzhi were equals—Yang Zhengshan was the Vice Commander of the Songzhou Guard, while Zhang Chengzhi was the Vice Commander of the Songzhou Vanguard Guard.
Apart from Zhang Chengzhi, the Reinforcement Battalion had another camp officer, who was the Vice Commander of the Songzhou Rear Guard, but he had already perished in battle.
There was also Zhang Yuanwu, who served as a Deputy Commander of the Songzhou Guard, technically making him a subordinate of Yang Zhengshan.
With Wang Bin unable to take charge, the command naturally fell to Yang Zhengshan and Zhang Chengzhi. However, since Yang Zhengshan was not part of the Reinforcement Battalion, it was inappropriate for him to intervene in their internal affairs.
At this moment, having Zhang Chengzhi in charge was enough. Yang Zhengshan only needed to assist from the side.
After making brief arrangements, Yang Zhengshan led the uninjured soldiers to take up security duties.
…
Wang Bin remained unconscious for an entire day and night before waking up the next morning.
"Cough, cough... Age is catching up to me; my body is growing weaker," he muttered bitterly while sitting up in the tent.
At forty-six years old, though not particularly old, his physical endurance had already begun to decline.
If he had been three or four years younger, he might have been able to last longer against Dobato.
Standing beside him, Yang Zhengshan chuckled and handed him a cup of tea, saying, "No matter what, we have won a great victory in this battle!"
This was true. Although they had suffered heavy losses, the victory was decisive.
Crushing the Kolcha Clan was an achievement worthy of grand recognition in military records.
Upon hearing this, Wang Bin grinned and laughed. "Hahaha! Indeed! Wang San, help me up! I must personally write the battle report!"
He could hardly wait to report their success to Chongshan Town.
Seeing him so eager, Yang Zhengshan couldn't help but smile.
Wang San stepped forward carefully, helping Wang Bin sit up. As he moved, his wounds caused him to grimace in pain.
Yet he still insisted on getting up and sitting before his writing desk, sweating profusely as he wrote the battle report.
Once the victory report was sent out, Yang Zhengshan and Zhang Chengzhi led the soldiers in cleaning up the battlefield.
They collected enemy heads and gathered war spoils.
Although nearly half of the Kolcha Clan's encampment had been burned down, the loot they obtained still shocked Yang Zhengshan.
How much wealth did a large tribal settlement hold?
Yang Zhengshan never had a precise concept before, but now, he knew.
Ten thousand taels of gold, one hundred thousand taels of silver, thousands of various gold and silver ornaments.
Tens of thousands of cattle and sheep.
Warhorses… well, not many, just under two thousand, since a large number had perished in the battle.
Countless other miscellaneous items.
"What a pity that so much was burned..." Wang Bin sighed as he looked at the piles of gold and silver.
Gold and silver were indestructible in fire, but furs, medicinal herbs, and other resources were not.
And the most valuable assets of the Kolcha Clan were not their gold and silver, but their livestock, countless furs, and rare medicinal herbs.
"What do you think should be done with these gold and silver?" Wang Bin turned to Yang Zhengshan.
"We submit thirty percent to the court, reserve forty percent for compensating the families of fallen soldiers, and distribute the remaining thirty percent among the troops," Yang Zhengshan answered directly.
Wang Bin agreed to this plan almost without thinking.
At first glance, it seemed like the officials gained nothing from this division. However, in reality, they had already secured the most valuable spoils.
The cattle, furs, medicinal herbs, and even martial arts manuals—these were worth far more than mere gold and silver. More importantly, keeping these assets wouldn’t draw scrutiny.
As for the remainder, Yang Zhengshan did not inquire further. He trusted that Wang Bin would ensure he received his share.
…
Chongshan Pass
"Victory! Victory!"
The joyful cries echoed throughout the General's Manor, as a government clerk, responsible for handling military reports, rushed towards the study while shouting.
"My lord! My lord! A great victory!"
Lu Chongde, who had been handling military affairs, instantly sprang to his feet.
"A great victory?"
At first, he was overjoyed, but then he felt puzzled.
Where had this victory come from?
At this time, Liang Chu should have just arrived at Fushan City. Could it be that they had already clashed with the Hu Tribe?
The government clerk ran into the study, beaming with excitement as he handed the report to Lu Chongde.
"My lord! The Eastern Route Songzhou Guard Deputy General Wang Bin and Anyuan City Garrison Commander Yang Zhengshan have crushed the Kolcha Clan! A great victory! A great victory!"
...
Crushing the Kolcha Clan!
Lu Chongde shuddered with excitement and hurriedly took the battle report to read.
In the report, Wang Bin described the battle against the Kolcha Clan in great detail, from Yang Zhengshan locating the Kolcha Clan’s encampment, to his proposal of the Fire Ox Formation, and then the specifics of the battle. Every stage was meticulously documented.
However, he omitted one key detail—his defeat at the hands of Dobato.
This omission was not particularly important. While it was Yang Zhengshan who found the Kolcha Clan’s encampment, Yang Zhengshan who proposed the Fire Ox Formation, and Yang Zhengshan and the Anyuan Prefecture Garrison who performed most outstandingly in battle, the victory had been achieved under Wang Bin’s command.
No matter how one looked at it, his merit remained the greatest.
Thus, whether he could actually defeat Dobato or not was irrelevant—mentioning it would simply be embarrassing.
"Good! Good! Hahaha!"
After reading the battle report, Lu Chongde called out twice in delight before bursting into laughter.
Although this major victory was not enough to determine the outcome of the entire war, it dealt a significant blow to the Eastern Sea Hu Tribe.
The Kolcha Clan was one of the seven major tribes of the Eastern Sea Hu Tribe.
Defeating the Kolcha Clan was equivalent to reducing the overall strength of the Eastern Sea Hu Tribe by ten percent.
More importantly, the losses for their Chongshan Town forces were minimal. Only the Eastern Route Songzhou Guard had suffered three thousand casualties.
Their main forces had not even moved, and yet they had already crippled one of the Eastern Sea Hu’s largest tribes. This was undoubtedly a remarkable achievement.
Lu Chongde read the battle report once more, his face brimming with satisfaction.
"The Fire Ox Formation! Hahaha, what an excellent Fire Ox Formation!"
"This Yang Zhengshan is truly worthy of being called a Master of Military Strategy, the author of The Thirty-Six Stratagems!"
He directly conferred Yang Zhengshan the title of Master of Military Strategy.
"My lord, this Lord Yang is truly incredible! Not long ago, he defeated eight Hu tribal settlements in succession, and now he and General Wang have crushed the Kolcha Clan! Truly outstanding!" a government scribe nearby couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
One’s true abilities were revealed through action.
This time, with most of Chongshan Town’s senior and mid-ranking military officers deployed elsewhere, Yang Zhengshan had undoubtedly emerged as the most outstanding and prominent figure.
"Ah, what a pity that he is merely a garrison commander!"
At this moment, Lu Chongde felt a pang of regret. If Yang Zhengshan were a Deputy General, then his achievements would be even more distinguished, and his military record would shine even brighter.
He was well aware of Yang Zhengshan’s exceptional talent in training soldiers, and this campaign had further proven it.
Under Yang Zhengshan’s leadership for just three years, the Anyuan Prefecture Garrison—a force of only a thousand soldiers—had been molded into an elite unit, winning battle after battle.
The scribe's eyes glinted with insight. "My lord, should this victory report be submitted to the imperial court?"
This scribe was not from the General’s Office, but from the Provincial Governor’s Office. When Liang Chu departed for the campaign, he had taken most of the General’s Office scribes with him, so Lu Chongde, upon taking command, naturally brought in his own trusted people to assist him.
"Submit it to the imperial court? Hmm, yes, we should report this to the court," Lu Chongde nodded.
"A military talent such as this should be recommended to His Majesty!" the scribe chuckled.
Lu Chongde was momentarily taken aback but quickly realized the significance.
Cherishing talent is virtue, recommending talent is merit.
If he recommended Yang Zhengshan to the emperor, His Majesty would surely recognize his discernment and keep his recommendation in mind.
Moreover, this would serve as a valuable personal favor—gaining goodwill with Yang Zhengshan through this recommendation.
With this thought in mind, Lu Chongde no longer hesitated. He immediately wrote a memorial to the throne and sent it along with the victory report to Kyoto. Of course, he also made sure to send a copy to Liang Chu.
The defeat of the Kolcha Clan meant that Liang Chu’s burden at Fushan City would also be eased.
…
At this time, Yang Zhengshan was completely unaware that Lu Chongde was planning to use his achievements to gain favor.
After several days of clearing operations, the Kolcha Clan’s encampment had been reduced to ruins. All available supplies had been sorted and stacked, awaiting transport under the supervision of Wang Sheng.
That’s right—Wang Sheng had now become the de facto Head of Logistics.
Following Wang Bin’s request, Wang Sheng once again summoned several thousand laborers from Jiacheng, moving supplies back like an army of ants.
The Kolcha Clan’s settlements were not confined to just their encampment. Their main encampment housed about half of their total population, roughly thirty to forty thousand people.
Even though a portion of their wealth had been destroyed in the fire, what remained was still an enormous sum.
Even with five thousand laborers, it would take multiple trips to transport everything back.
Fortunately, the Kolcha Clan had a vast number of cattle and sheep, which the laborers could use as pack animals, significantly easing their burden.
In the following days, the soldiers of both the Reinforcement Battalion and the Garrison Battalion took turns resting and assisting the laborers in transporting the spoils of war.
It wasn’t until early June that all the captured supplies had been successfully transported to Jiacheng.
At the same time, the soldiers had nearly completed their recovery.
Those with minor injuries were already fit for battle, while those more severely wounded were sent back to Jiacheng with the labor convoys.
Now, Wang Bin’s Reinforcement Battalion had only one thousand cavalrymen and two thousand infantry left.
Yang Zhengshan still commanded around seven hundred cavalrymen.
Zhang Yuanwu had just three hundred infantry under his command.
In total, their forces numbered merely four thousand men.