The Royal Edict stated it clearly. The right to recommend a Deputy General was given to Zhao Feng, which was also a form of royal grace.

"I've troubled you, Mr. Kuai," Zhao Feng said with a smile.

The reason he chose Tu Sui and Zhang Han was twofold. First, Tu Sui came from Yong City and had already passed the test of loyalty. The King of Qin would have no objections to him being a Deputy General. Second, Zhao Feng had brought Zhang Han along for the surprise attack precisely to earn him military merit. Although Zhang Han was now garrisoned at Wei City, the merit had been secured.

"General Zhao," Kuai Pu said, "now that the Royal Edict has arrived, the Great King has ordered rewards for the entire army based on military merit. I will take my leave to handle these matters."

"You may go, Mr. Kuai. I also have military affairs to attend to," Zhao Feng replied with a smile.

After Kuai Pu left, Wei Quan approached, his face filled with excitement. "General, we have truly become Wanjiangs now!"

"Haha, yes," Zhao Feng laughed. "Who could have imagined it? We were all in the Logistics Army before, and our highest rank was no more than Baijiang. But now, we've actually become Wanjiangs. By following you, General, we've truly made a name for ourselves. We've become real generals!"

Liu Wang and Zhuang Wei were also incredibly excited. They had never imagined reaching such a position. This was especially true for Wei Quan, who had personally witnessed Zhao Feng's step-by-step rise. Two years ago, Zhao Feng was just a logistics soldier; now, he was the Main General of a primary combat division of Qin. Under the complete military system, he could command up to 150,000 troops. This was real military power!

"We are deeply indebted to the General's kindness," Tu Sui said, equally moved. "Your subordinates swear to repay it with our lives."

Coming from Yong City as a Commander of five thousand Imperial Guards, his future had seemed promising, but he lacked opportunities to earn merit. How long had it been since he arrived at Wei City? And yet, he had already jumped two ranks.

"There is no need for such words," Zhao Feng said, his voice commanding as he waved a dismissive hand. "Return to your armies and inform all the soldiers that from this day forward, there will be no more Penal Battalions under my command. Every man is a soldier of Qin, granted military status. Those who were formerly convicts and have earned merit by killing the enemy will be rewarded according to the merit system. All soldiers from the Penal Battalions who died for Qin will receive the same compensation as any other soldier of Qin. With Tu Sui and Zhang Han promoted to Deputy Generals, the vacant Wanjiang positions will be filled by meritorious Capital Commandants. Everything must be handled properly and reasonably. Go."

"Your subordinates obey!" all the generals replied, their spirits soaring.

After the generals had departed, Zhao Feng scanned the area from the top of the city wall, found a random spot to sit, and then looked at Zhang Ming.

"My lord," Zhang Ming immediately approached.

"Now that I have been promoted to Main General, I can recruit five hundred trusted aides," Zhao Feng said in a deep tone. "The rules are the same as always. I want the old brothers, those who are loyal to me. Once I have properly vetted them, they can be designated as my trusted aides."

"Understood," Zhang Ming replied, immediately leaving to carry out the command.

Once Zhang Ming was gone, Zhao Feng finally allowed himself a moment of quiet contemplation, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. The position of Main General… the Fate Official Seal can be upgraded again.

He immediately summoned the upgrade panel for the Fate Official Seal.

A prompt appeared on the panel: "Promoted to Main General and blessed by the destiny of a dynastic Main General. Do you wish to upgrade the Fate Official Seal?"

"Upgrade," Zhao Feng commanded at once.

Following his command, the words [Deputy General] on the seal transformed into [Main General].

"Equip Seal," Zhao Feng instructed, immediately putting it on and inspecting its attributes.

[Main General Seal]: Lead your army. When the Host leads a charge, soldier morale and combat power are both doubled. When leading soldiers to bury their fallen comrades, the Host can obtain four-tenths of the total Attributes collected from the buried soldiers.

The attributes have doubled again. Not bad. It's a pity it's not based on collecting attributes from killing enemies. If it were, my attributes would truly skyrocket. Zhao Feng thought with a trace of disappointment.

However, with this doubling of combat power, even the Logistics Army would be able to match elite troops. These attributes were inherent to Zhao Feng; as long as he was commanding them, his soldiers would receive the amplification from the Fate Official Seal. It could be said they were utilizing the power of Destiny itself. If, however, Zhao Feng was only directing the battle from afar and not leading them personally, this boost in combat power would not manifest.

「Quyang City!」

After several days of fierce battle, the ground inside and outside the city was littered with the bodies of soldiers from both Qin and Zhao. With Lian Po defending it, Quyang had been an impenetrable fortress. But under the command of Wang Jian's army, the Qin forces finally broke through the city gates as Lian Po led his troops in retreat.

Atop the city wall, Wang Jian personally tore down the Zhao flag and cast it from the ramparts, firmly planting the flag of Qin in its place.

"Lian Po was extremely cunning in this battle," Yang Duanhe said gravely. "Although our army took the city, Lian Po managed to transport all the supplies away. Furthermore, not a single enemy soldier surrendered; they all fought to the death."

"Lian Po enforces strict discipline; it's only natural that his soldiers have immense faith in him," Wang Jian said calmly. "The absence of surrenders is not surprising."

"We previously received intelligence that Lian Po intended to defend Quyang City to the death, but now he has fled," Yang Duanhe said, confused. "I wonder if the intelligence was wrong, or if something else happened."

"The answer is quite simple," Wang Jian said with a cold laugh, having already identified the crux of the matter. "The King of Zhao has no intention of withdrawing his troops from Yan."

"Even at a time like this, the King of Zhao still refuses to pull back his army," Yang Duanhe sneered. "The King of Zhao is truly a fool. It's a waste for a man like Lian Po to serve such a king. If he were serving our Qin, he would never have ended up in this predicament."

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