Chapter 494: Fame Through a Single Shot, Fame Through a Single Burn

Even Xuanfu, the wealthiest town in the Nine Borders, had lost its usual bustle and noise these days. There were still many merchants coming from various places, as well as singing troupes to entertain them and high-ranking officers, and countless civilians living here… But there were fewer idle people on the streets, and the carefree atmosphere that seemed unaffected by anything was gone. Even the eunuch residence, which used to be bustling with activity, had suddenly become quiet.

Thus, early in the morning, Xuanfu showed its rare side of diligence. At three o’clock in the morning, when the sky was still gray and light snowflakes drifted down, even the hardworking locals had not yet gotten out of their warm beds. Suddenly, the streets were filled with the sound of horse hooves, all driven by officers in bright uniforms.

These officers, who used to live in comfort, paid no attention to their fine horses and whipped them frantically. Once they arrived at the commander’s residence, they dismounted and rushed inside in a hurry. Before they could even settle down in the chaos, the sound of clappers came from above, instantly silencing everyone as they hurriedly found their seats.

Zheng Heng, the Marquis of Wu’an, glanced at the water clock beside him. Only after the clapping stopped did he frown in dissatisfaction. Back when he was the commander here, the officers would arrive early every day for roll call—nothing like this chaotic scene now. Glancing at Wang Guan, the newly arrived eunuch in charge, and two other powerful palace officials seated in the lower left corner, he felt an indescribable dissatisfaction but carefully hid it.

Pressing his sword, Zheng Heng stepped out. Standing on the steps outside, he cast a cold glance at the people below and took a deep breath of the dry, cold morning air.

“Are everyone here?”

An officer serving below quickly bowed and replied, “Reporting to the Marquis of Wu’an, everyone is here.”

Seeing that all the officers were standing fairly straight in the snowstorm, Zheng Heng felt his annoyance ease a bit. “By the imperial edict, I took over from Lord Xing’an to guard Xuanfu three days ago. The reason I didn’t gather everyone until now is that I first went to Kaiping, which delayed my arrival in Xuanfu by two days. I haven’t been here in six or seven years, so surely there are some newcomers among you who don’t know me or understand my ways. Let me say this clearly: don’t forget your duties just because you’ve been promoted! Since Xinghe was besieged, ask yourselves what exactly you’ve done?”
Zheng Heng had achieved success in his prime. Though now in his early fifties, he had few gray hairs and appeared even younger than Lord Xing’an, Xu Heng. Suddenly, he raised his voice sharply and said sternly, “Don’t say you’re too low in rank to influence major decisions. If you fail to offer advice in such a critical situation, what’s the use of having so many subordinates in the military headquarters? The emperor sent me here for only one purpose: to lift the siege of Xinghe, manage supplies for the northern campaign, and eliminate corrupt officials! After reporting for duty, return to your posts immediately. At the third hour of the day, there will be a review of the troops from the three garrisons in Xuanfu. Those who fail will face military punishment! At the fifth hour, we’ll receive envoys from the Oirats—stay alert!”
A review of the troops from the three garrisons in Xuanfu at the third hour? How many people would that be? And when did those Oirat envoys arrive? How come no one knew?
Now, not only were the officers in chaos, but even Wang Guan was stunned. Lu Feng, exhausted from days of failing to uncover any spy, was also worried that returning to the capital after Zhang Yue’s misfortune would bring trouble for him—he was utterly drained. Seeing the situation, he felt somewhat relieved. Hai Shou, on the other hand, showed a slight change in expression before standing there silently as if nothing had happened.
Soon, the commanders of the left, middle, and right guards of Xuanfu, along with their deputies and other officers, hurriedly left. The rest also dispersed, not daring to be negligent, even the three eunuchs left. Meng Jun, having nothing urgent to do, felt uncomfortable since his direct superior had changed from Zheng Heng to someone else, so he stayed at the back. Before he could step out of the gate, he heard someone calling behind him. Turning around, he saw Zheng Heng’s personal guards and understood what was going on.
Upon arriving in the main hall, he greeted Zheng Heng as a subordinate and then sat down on the left. To his surprise, Zheng Heng merely studied him thoughtfully without speaking right away, as if hesitating.
“If Marquis Wu’an has any tasks to assign, please command.”

“You’re quite clever. I indeed have a task for you to carry out,” Zheng Heng said with a slight smile, raising his hand to instruct his attendants to wait outside. Then he stood up, took a few steps, suddenly turned around, and stared into Meng Jun’s eyes, asking, “You are the eldest legitimate son of the Marquis of Baoding and will surely inherit the title in the future. Tell me, do you wish to inherit the title quietly and obediently, or do you intend to achieve great things like your grandfather?”
Meng Jun hadn’t expected Zheng Heng to ask such a question. He was stunned for a moment and instinctively wanted to say he had no great ambitions. But when he saw Zheng Heng’s peculiar gaze, he immediately snapped out of it. The emperor must have sent him to Xuanfu not out of resentment toward the Meng family over the past incident with Meng Xian, but rather out of some expectation. Even though he felt he might not be able to fulfill this expectation, saying something like he just wanted to live a carefree life would likely backfire. With a quick thought, he came up with an idea.
“It depends on what the emperor hopes for. If the emperor wants me to achieve great things, I’m willing to fight to the death on the battlefield. If there are already capable people available and I’m not needed, then it’s fine to stay obedient. The Marquis of Wu’an has watched me grow up and should know that I’m the kind of person who goes with the flow.”
“No great ambitions!”
Though he criticized him, Zheng Heng knew Meng Jun wasn’t lying, and he felt relieved. He then said sternly, “This time, Xinghe is under siege. Although I advocated against sending troops hastily to avoid giving Arutai an opportunity to repeat the mistake of Duke Qiu Fu of Qi, we can’t just ignore it either. Xinghe and Kaiping are the last two fortresses of our dynasty outside the Great Wall—we must not lose them! Once the Oirat envoys arrive, I’ll send you to lead the troops of the Left Guard of Xuanfu out of Zhangjiakou Fort.”
Meng Jun was stunned. Ignoring all notions of hierarchy, he pointed at his own nose and said, “Marquis of Wu’an, are you joking? I’ve been in Xuanfu for over half a year, but I’ve never had the chance to lead even a single soldier. If anything goes wrong…”
“The commander of the Left Guard of Xuanfu and the officers beneath him aren’t fools—they won’t let you act recklessly. You don’t need to say much; just use this opportunity to learn as much as you can.” Zheng Heng shook his head impatiently and snorted, “If there’s no fighting, you won’t gain any experience in Xuanfu. This is a perfect opportunity. The envoys sent by Prince Tianping of the Xianyi tribe and Prince Tutuboluo of the Aile tribe of the Oirats will arrive this afternoon. If we can hold them off, Arutai’s desperate move will be a good chance to strike a blow at his confidence!”

These days, Meng Jun had been worried about Zhang Yue trapped in Xinghe. Hearing Zheng Heng speak so confidently, his mood brightened immediately, and he hurriedly asked, “Since the Marquis of Wu’an says so, if the Oirats can send troops quickly, wouldn’t the siege of Xinghe be lifted right away?”
“I know what you want to ask, but there’s still no news from Xinghe. Arutai has sent cavalry from all sides to attack the scouts. I’ve sent many people there, yet there’s still no word. Before leaving, the Duke of Yingguo asked me to help if I could. Not to mention this relationship, Zhang Yue lives next door to me—there’s not just you who cares about him; his family members have also entrusted me with their concerns. I hope he’s safe too, after all, the Zhang family in the capital is already in chaos…”
Hearing the word “chaos,” Meng Jun was stunned. Just as he was about to ask further, a commotion suddenly came from outside the hall. Soon, a messenger rushed in at top speed, knelt down on one knee, and shouted, “Report! A group of scouts heading to Xinghe has returned!”
Zheng Heng was greatly encouraged and quickly ordered, “Bring him in at once!”
Soon, an old soldier in his forties was helped into the room. After forcing himself to bow, he swallowed hard and then shouted with all his strength, “Reporting to the Marquis of Wu’an, I led my men into battle against the Tatar cavalry. After much struggle, we repelled them and captured a prisoner who managed to gather information about Xinghe! It is said that Arutai leads nearly 20,000 troops besieging Xinghe, attacking day and night, but the city has held its ground firmly, and Xinghe remains unharmed!”
Unharmed!
Upon hearing that 20,000 troops were besieging the city, both Zheng Heng and Meng Jun had been anxious, but those words of “unharmed” were like a pill of reassurance. Compared to Meng Jun’s joy, Zheng Heng, who had just been appointed to replace Xu Heng as the commander of Xuanfu, was more focused on the earlier details. Though excited, he was cautious by nature and quickly asked where the captured Tatar was. When he learned he had already been brought in, he went to question him personally. Having fought in the grasslands several times under the Yan royal family and being highly proficient in Mongolian, he quickly understood the situation, his expression shifting rapidly.
Arutai’s eldest son, Sinigehan, was severely injured, and their military flag was pierced by an arrow. The night before, the city even set fire to the Tatar camps, causing chaos! He had thought holding the city was already the best outcome, but he never expected such remarkable results!
At that moment, the Mongolian man uttered a sudden and frightening sentence. After understanding it, Zheng Heng’s eyes widened, and he gasped in shock.

“That divine fire killed many people, and at that time, there were also people on the city walls shouting in Mongolian, ‘Lord Zhang’s divine fire!’ The same thing happened at the front line—when the army flags were pierced by arrows, people also shouted… ‘Lord Zhang’s divine archery! Lord Zhang’s divine fire!’”
Zheng Heng didn’t even have time to explain to Meng Jun, who had followed him, before turning and stepping out of the room in large strides. He ordered someone who knew Mongolian to be brought in. Once that person arrived, he instructed him to continue the interrogation with the officers. Then, turning to Meng Jun, who stood there looking confused, he said with a smile, “If what that Tartar said is true, your cousin has truly become famous through archery and fire this time!”