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

The sound of horses' hooves was very clear in the silent wilderness. According to memory, as long as we climbed over the earthen slope ahead and crossed the official road, we could enter the mountains.

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves came from behind the earthen slope ahead, but the sound was strange, as if something was wrapped around the hooves, making it sound muffled.

"Tartars!" Chen Feng had barely finished speaking when a rider charged out from behind the earthen mound.

Just as Chen Feng was about to raise his gun in defense, seven more riders suddenly charged out from behind the lead rider, three of whom had already drawn their bows and nocked arrows, which were aimed directly at Chen Feng.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!" Three arrows struck Chen Feng directly.

Fortunately, the enemy never expected that the person in front of them was wearing heavy armor; they only used ordinary arrows, and the power of the horse archers was limited, so they naturally failed to penetrate Chen Feng's armor.

Seeing that Chen Feng was hit by the arrow but did not react, the other side was also stunned, but it was too late to change to armor-piercing spikes, so they had no choice but to draw their swords and attack.

"Kill!!!" The lead enemy cavalryman roared as he charged, speaking in Chinese.

Chen Feng didn't understand the language spoken by the other side. Because of his poor riding skills, he could only tuck his tiger spear under his arm and charge forward in the manner of a medieval European knight.

The knight opposite was agile and dodged the clumsy spear with a somersault, then hung on the horse's belly and swung his sword at Chen Feng.

That blade slashed fiercely into Chen Feng's breastplate!

"Thump!" Chen Feng felt as if his chest had been hit by a heavy hammer. All the air in his chest was squeezed out by a huge force. His legs loosened, and he could no longer hold onto his warhorse. He was directly cut off by the enemy.

Then came the sound of clashing swords, and the two sides passed each other. In this first round of combat, only Chen Feng was killed.

"Boss!" Zhao Sheng shouted as he passed by the enemy and saw Chen Feng being cut down.

Upon seeing Chen Feng fall from his horse, Zhao Sheng and Aji almost simultaneously turned their horses around and charged back. Aji had already drawn his bow to its fullest extent.

But the next instant, Zhao Sheng's pupils shrank.

The moonlight illuminated the figures of several enemy riders. He recognized their armor and equipment all too well; wasn't this a squad of night scouts?!

"We're on the same side!! Stop!!!" Zhao Sheng roared like thunder.

Upon hearing Zhao Sheng's shout, Aji and the others behind him also sheathed their swords and reined in their horses beside Chen Feng.

The man leading the way was turning his horse around to escape when Zhao Sheng suddenly pulled on the reins and stared intently at him.

"Zhao Sheng?!" The leader on the other side recognized Zhao Sheng's voice immediately.

Zhao Sheng was surprised that the other person recognized his voice. He immediately tore off his helmet, revealing his face, and said, "It's me! Who are you?"

"It's me, Wang Jie!" The leader opposite him moved closer, allowing Zhao Sheng to see his face clearly. "What are you doing here?"

Zhao Sheng recognized him and quickly bowed, saying, "This humble servant greets Commander Wang! I never expected to meet you here!"

Wang Jie was a centurion under Wu Xiang, not Zhao Sheng's direct superior, but they knew each other because they were both elite soldiers.

Although Wang Jie sheathed his sword, he remained vigilant, staring intently at Zhao Sheng's white Tartar armor. "Your brothers who returned to Jinzhou said they got separated from you. How come you're wearing Tartar skin? And white armor at that? Could it be...?"

Seeing that the other party suspected him of defecting to the enemy, Zhao Sheng quickly explained, "You misunderstand, this humble officer..."

"Cough cough cough..." Just as Zhao Sheng was speaking, Chen Feng had already sat up with the help of Meng Changgeng and Aji.

He looked down at his chest, where a foot-long gash had been cut through his cloth armor, the inner iron plates were twisted and deformed, and two iron rings that had broken off from his chainmail could be seen through the crack.

Most of the force of that slash was absorbed by the armor, leaving a dull pain in his chest.

He took a deep breath, the cool air filling his lungs and suppressing the surging blood and qi.

Wang Jie glanced at Chen Feng on the ground, then looked at Zhao Sheng, "Let's go first, this isn't the place to talk."

Zhao Sheng nodded and led the group to move to a dense forest with Wang Jie and his party.

Zhao Sheng dismounted and walked over to Chen Feng to check his injuries. "Boss, are you badly hurt?"

Chen Feng shook his head, but his gaze fell on Wang Jie. The light was dim in the dense forest, and he could not see the man's face. However, he exuded a kind of solemn and murderous aura unique to veterans.

"Captain Zhao," Wang Jie said, his eyes still scrutinizing Zhao Sheng, "I thought you had died in the mountains."

"He's tough; he didn't die." Zhao Sheng felt a bit relieved to see his colleague after so long. "But what are you doing here, Commander Wang?"

"With a major battle imminent, the General ordered us to come out and scout," Wang Jie said succinctly, turning his gaze to Chen Feng. "And this gentleman is?"

"Chen Feng, a captain under General Song," Zhao Sheng said.

"Commander Chen?" Wang Jie's lips curled into a cold smile as he scrutinized Chen Feng. "This Commander Chen... he looks unfamiliar."

Wang Jie was somewhat suspicious when he heard that Chen Feng was a Qianzong (a military officer). Although the two generals above him did not get along, the officers under his command did not have so many conflicts.

As a mid-level officer, Wang Jie had seen most of Song Wei's officers, but he had never heard of Chen Feng.

Zhao Sheng added, "General Chen was originally from the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard?" Wang Jie frowned.

Wang Jie served in the army for twenty years, during which time he came into contact with the Embroidered Uniform Guard (Jinyiwei) during the Battle of Sarhu. Among them were many eccentric individuals and many capable people.

He sized Chen Feng up and down. The man was young, his horsemanship was mediocre, but he was extremely calm, and...

His gaze then shifted to Ajihao Dadao and his men, who seemed to be extremely devoted to him…

Well, these days there are plenty of people whose origins are unclear. Wang Jie waved his hand, accepting Chen Feng's explanation that he was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

At this moment, Chen Feng still seemed to have not recovered, quietly listening to the conversation between Zhao Sheng and Wang Jie, neither confirming nor denying the claim that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was involved.

He suddenly realized that he should consider how to explain his identity to this group of people and those important figures after returning to the Ming Dynasty.

"Why did your scouting mission end up here?" Zhao Sheng asked.

"The mission was going smoothly until about an hour ago, when some idiot started chasing the Tartars or something, and the Tartars fired a cannon. This is where we're coming from." A hint of malice flashed in Wang Jie's eyes. "Don't let me find out who did it!"

Chen Feng and Zhao Sheng exchanged a glance but neither spoke.

"And you?" Wang Jie retorted, "What are you doing wandering around in this desolate wilderness, dressed in those Tartar skins?"

"Weren't we scattered into a rout? We've been fleeing for the past few days." Zhao Sheng gave a bitter smile.

"So where did this white armor come from?"

"This?" Zhao Sheng glanced at the white armor he was wearing. "Commander Chen killed three Tartars and seized it."

"Killed three white-armored warriors!?" Wang Jie's eyes widened as he looked at Chen Feng in disbelief.

"I did this with He Mingxiao, but He Mingxiao..." Chen Feng sighed, "We didn't have time to bury him that day, so we left him by the Xiaoling River."

Wang Jie nodded. That made sense. He Mingxiao was a well-known figure in Jinzhou, after all, he was He Kegang's nephew and quite skilled. But hearing that He Mingxiao had died, it was inevitable to feel some regret.

Zhao Sheng glanced at Chen Feng, and seeing the latter nod slightly, he lowered his voice and said, "Commander Wang, I have something to report."