Late Ming Dynasty: From the Defeated Soldiers at Daling River to Ascending the Throne

As night fell, the mountains and forests on both sides of the road became dark silhouettes, and the cawing of crows echoed from the woods, a sound that was unsettling.

On the official road, three horsemen stood in the middle of the road, blocking the caravan's way.

"On orders to conduct an inspection!"

Bashiku carefully examined the three old men in front of him.

All three were wearing cloth armor specially made by Bayara, and all of them were white.

The term "Bayala" translates to "Guardian Army" in Chinese. It is divided into Red Armor and White Armor. If the Red Armor Bayala are one in a hundred, then the White Armor Bayala are one in ten thousand, the elite of the elite.

He felt a sense of relief. If the guard wanted to inspect, he would let him, as long as he didn't disturb the Khan's distinguished guest.

But then he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Who are the Bayara? They are the elite guards personally led by the Great Khan, who usually guard the imperial camp and rarely leave the camp except to charge into battle during wartime.

They might pursue the fleeing soldiers, but they would never "patrol" this rear road far from the main battlefield like ordinary scouts or sentries.

Not to mention, when Bayara goes on a tour, there is at least a team of ten people, so what's going on with this team of three?

His hand on the hilt of his sword tightened instinctively, and his voice became wary: "Which banner do you three gentlemen belong to? Do you have any official seals?"

The rider in the middle opposite (Chen Feng did not answer, but the wiry "Ba Ya La" (Zhao Sheng) to his left spurred his horse forward half a step, and his voice came from behind him. It was pure Jurchen language, even with a hint of Shengjing accent: "Bordered Yellow Banner, last night another Ming dog escaped from the city, and there may be important people among them."

He spoke slowly, yet with an undeniable air of authority: "Have you seen any suspicious men or horses?"

Before the operation, they also considered that it was unreasonable for the three "Ba Ya La" to come out on patrol, so Meng Changgeng suggested that they could use the excuse of pursuing the defeated soldiers to get away with it.

Chen Feng thought that Zu Dashou would make his final breakout in late September. Although Chen Feng didn't know the exact date, it was definitely before Zhang Chun's defeat on September 27. So he asked Zhao Sheng to add the story of a big shot escaping from Dalinghe City.

Upon hearing that it was the Bordered Yellow Banner's guards pursuing the Ming dogs who had broken out of Dalinghe, Naboshiku's doubts dissipated considerably.

The fighting at Dalinghe was fierce, with tens of thousands of Ming soldiers killed in the past two months. Two nights ago, the Ming general did indeed lead another large-scale breakout, and it was understandable that the high-ranking officials escaped under the protection of their personal guards.

The fact that this group of three was really strange... He was about to speak and ask for the seal or a more specific password to verify when he saw that the leader of the group, Bayara, had already impatiently spurred his horse and was walking straight toward him.

Chen Feng's horse was not fast, but it carried a sense of superiority and oppression. When he passed Nabashu, Chen Feng glanced at him.

Bashiku met Chen Feng's gaze and immediately felt a chill run down his spine. Had he offended this man?

The Later Jin army had a strict class system, and the selection of the Bayara was particularly rigorous. In addition to bravery, lineage was also an important factor, and only those who were not from the orthodox old banners could join.

As an ordinary soldier, I, Bashiku, have angered the high-ranking military commander. And what about this man in white armor? If that white-armored Bayara were to get angry…

Thinking of this, Bashiku lowered his head and dared not utter another sound.

Zhao Sheng walked up to Boshikuma and actually reached out to pat the man's shoulder with considerable force. He lowered his voice, but it was enough for the two guards next to him to hear: "Keep your eyes open. You can't afford to mess up my important business."

Having said that, he ignored him and spurred his horse toward the warm-up carriage in the middle of the convoy.

Another "Bayala" (Meng Changgeng) beside him followed, and as he passed the two somewhat dazed bannermen, he muttered in a harsh Jurchen voice, "Stop dawdling, a bunch of useless trash!"

Boshiku lowered his head even further after Zhao Sheng patted him on the shoulder.

But checking the seal is the rule, am I breaking the rule? Should I still check it?

After much deliberation, Bashiku swallowed hard and didn't dare to stop them any longer. He simply gestured for his men to make way.

The Liang family's servants did not understand Jurchen, but seeing that the Tartar soldiers leading the way had made way, they assumed it was a routine check and relaxed their vigilance considerably, allowing the three "Bayala" to approach the warm carriage.

Zhao Sheng reined in his horse in front of the carriage and coldly shouted in Jurchen, "Everyone in the carriage, get down! We are here to conduct an inspection!"

Inside the warm car, Liang Siye was somewhat annoyed that the car had stopped for no apparent reason.

The carriage driver, a bondservant, lifted the curtain and poked his head inside. Liang Siye asked, "What's going on?"

The bondservant replied respectfully, "Young master, this is a routine inspection by Master Bayara."

But when he heard the driver say it was a "Ba Ya La" inspection, his displeasure immediately turned into a respectful, fawning smile.

Although he is now a guest of honor of Huang Taiji, the guards of these Khan's tents are all arrogant and domineering. If he angers them, they will kill him on the spot, and he will have no place to reason with them.

He quickly instructed the two women to get dressed, while he took a deep breath, trying to appear calm and cooperative, and reached out to lift the carriage curtain.

A gap was lifted in the heavy cotton curtain, and a warm, fragrant aroma mixed with the lingering scent of debauchery wafted out of the car.

Using the light from the lanterns inside the car and the torches outside, Chen Feng's eyes instantly pierced through the gaps and he could see the situation inside the car.

There was no one else in the car except for two naked women.

Chen Feng glanced at the surrounding guards and found that they had relaxed their vigilance. Apart from three or four servants near the carriage, the others were not looking in their direction.

Opportunities are fleeting!

"Attack!" Chen Feng roared!

Before he finished speaking, he had already sprung up from his horse, and the heavy tiger spear in his hand thrust out like a poisonous dragon!

"Pfft!" The spear tip pierced the throat of the Liang family servant closest to him without any resistance, and blood spurted out!

Chen Feng released his gun, and his sword was already drawn from its sheath at his waist. Using the momentum of his charge, the sword flashed, and the head of another servant guarding the carriage flew off!

Almost simultaneously, Zhao Sheng, like a leopard hunting its prey, pounced off the horse and slammed Liang Siye, who had just poked half his body out, back into the carriage!

Zhao Sheng gripped Liang Siye's neck tightly, preventing him from making a sound.

Meng Changgeng's movements were only half a beat slower. He drew his sword, but due to nervousness and the ill-fitting armor, his movements were somewhat sluggish.

But he also slashed down on the head of the terrified man, splattering warm blood all over his face.

However, his movements were not as fast as Chen Feng's. Another servant reacted immediately, drew his sword, and lunged forward, pulling Meng Changgeng off his horse.

Meng Changgeng discovered that he was no match for the servant and was temporarily suppressed. The two then began to wrestle on the ground.

"It's a trap!! Damn Ming dogs!" Naboshku finally realized what was happening, drew his sword, and roared.