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

Meng Changgeng and Shen Qinghe carried dozens of bulging sheepskin wine sachets back home. The pungent smell of milk wine permeated the cool night air, exuding a somewhat alluring temptation.

As they entered the camp, Meng Changgeng slipped a soldier to the two guards. The two Tartars, seeing the burning gazes of their fellow soldiers around them, reluctantly accepted it.

As Meng Changgeng passed through the camp, the Later Jin soldiers, whether on guard duty or patrolling, couldn't help but be drawn to the swaying wine flasks.

Since the Ming army first reinforced Dalinghe in August, the Later Jin army had tightened its grip on drinking. In the few days since Orosechen arrived at the grain and supplies camp, he directly ordered a ban on alcohol.

Although the Later Jin army had strict discipline, their innate love of alcohol and the cravings brought about by long-term abstinence could still be easily aroused on this cold night.

Meng Changgeng could feel the greedy and envious gazes around him, and he sneered inwardly that the Tartars were not much different from the Ming army.

On the surface, however, he raised his chin even higher and took wider strides, looking every bit the smug lackey who had done a great job for his master.

As soon as they lifted their own tent flaps, a thick cloud of smoke, a mixture of the pungent smell of burning cheap tobacco and a strange sweetness, hit them, causing Meng Changgeng and Shen Qinghe to cough twice at the same time.

Inside the tent, the light from the tallow lamp was dim and blurry with smoke. Chen Feng sat imposingly on the main felt mat, holding a copper pipe in his hand, squinting as he puffed out smoke.

Wang Jie and Hao Dadao each had a short pipe in hand, squatting on the ground near the tent flap, smoking.

Beside the two men were four soldiers who had been guarding outside the tent. They would occasionally take the pipes from the two men's hands. Although they couldn't understand each other's language, they talked and gestured to each other, and they seemed to be having a pleasant conversation.

The tobacco pouches and pipes were brought with them before entering the camp, but they were confiscated by the Tartars upon arrival. However, after Chen Feng's identity was confirmed, their belongings were returned.

After Meng Changgeng left, Chen Feng had the soldiers at the door bring some tobacco and tobacco shreds. At first, the four of them were reluctant to smoke together, but they couldn't resist Hao Dadao's enthusiasm, so they gave in.

While I risk my life to scout out enemy positions, these bastards are having a good time smoking and enjoying themselves here!

Meng Changgeng felt a surge of anger rush to the top of his head, his back teeth grinding together, but he dared not retaliate in the slightest, and had to force a respectful smile onto his face.

"Master, the wine... the wine has been found." His voice was a little hoarse.

Chen Feng seemed to only then notice them. He took his pipe away from his mouth, his gaze sweeping over the wine sacks that almost submerged the two men, a satisfied smile spreading across his face: "Oh, you're back?"

He waved his hand, "Bring them over, bring them all over! We're in a good mood today, everyone who sees them gets a share!"

Meng Changgeng and Shen Qinghe quickly carried the wine sacks over and piled them up into a small mountain at Chen Feng's feet.

Chen Feng picked them up one by one and smelled them. Most of them were mare's milk wine, while only two smaller leather jars smelled like spirits.

"Hey, there's another one that's different?" Chen Feng uncorked a small leather pouch, and the rich aroma of the liquor immediately overpowered the sour taste of the mare's milk wine.

"This is... shochu?" Wang Jie leaned in at the opportune moment, his tongue a little thick, as if he too was intoxicated by the smoke, and his eyes exchanged a quick glance with Chen Feng.

"Good liquor! This stuff is strong!" Hao Dadao roared, licking his thick lips.

Chen Feng laughed heartily, placing the small leather flask of liquor beside him and kicking the other milk wine flasks aside. "Come on, don't just stand there! Old Dao, Wang San, catch! These four brothers have worked hard all night, one flask each! And you two lackeys, you did a good job, you get one too!"

Hao Dadao and Wang Jie exchanged a glance, each picked up two bags, and handed them to the four guards without saying a word.

The soldier hurriedly refused, stammering in Chinese, "This... I dare not... military orders..."

"Military orders my ass!" Chen Feng glared. "I received a tremendous favor from the Great Khan today, and I'm overjoyed! Take the reward! If anything goes wrong, I'll take the blame! As for the two Ejen, I'll go and talk to them! Drink!"

As he spoke, he took the lead in raising the small leather flask of liquor, tilted his head back and took a big gulp, making a satisfying "glug" sound in his throat, with a line of liquor spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Hao Dadao and Wang Jie even cooperated, directly biting open the stopper of the milk wine jar and guzzling it into their mouths, drinking the juice thoroughly and making exaggerated smacking noises.

Although the four armored soldiers couldn't understand the Chinese Chen Feng was speaking, they could roughly guess what he meant from his actions and expressions.

The group looked at each other, then at the wine flasks in their hands. Finally, one of them swallowed hard a few times, bit off the cork, and took a big gulp.

The remaining three watched their companions drinking heartily, and then looked at the deep night outside the tent. They also pulled out their corks, took small sips, and then, after swallowing the strong mare's milk wine, their long-suppressed craving for alcohol could no longer be contained, and they tilted their heads back and drank it down.

Meng Changgeng and Shen Qinghe each received a bag of milk wine. Meng Changgeng was in no hurry to drink it. Instead, he picked up the tobacco pouch on the sheepskin and took a few puffs, then let out a hearty sigh.

Shen Qinghe sipped his drink slowly, squatting nervously to the side, not daring to utter a sound.

A short while later, Meng Changgeng went out again and brought in a basin of mutton. The smoke inside the tent became even thicker, and shouts, coughs, and mumbled toasts could be heard intermittently.

Chen Feng loudly boasted about the Liang family's wealth, Hao Dadao shouted "It's wonderful!", and Wang Jie began to recount, in fits and starts, some embarrassing stories about his "young master" when he was young.

The four guards gradually became more talkative, constantly shouting "Long live the Great Jin" in broken Chinese.

The atmosphere inside the tent was lively, attracting the attention of the soldiers patrolling outside. Since the first group of soldiers got some wine, the number of soldiers on patrol had increased.

The tent flap was suddenly flung open, bringing in a gust of cold wind that sent a chill down the spines of everyone inside.

Gultai stood at the door with four Bayara guards, their faces grim.

He was in charge of patrolling the camp in the second half of the night. During the patrol, he smelled alcohol on some soldiers. After questioning them, he learned that they were drinking in Chen Feng's tent.

When he arrived, he discovered that the four soldiers who were supposed to be on guard duty were nowhere to be seen. A surge of anger welled up from the bottom of his heart, and he thought that his judgment had made a fatal mistake. That "Liang Siye" was indeed a problem!

If he gets the guards drunk and then causes chaos in the camp, how can I explain it to the Great Khan?!

However, the scene he saw when he rushed into the tent startled him. The tent was littered with wine flasks and mutton, filled with the pungent smell of smoke, and a drunken man who was staggering and had a flushed face.

His four men were holding half-empty wine flasks, grinning foolishly with dazed eyes.

When he saw that Chen Feng and his three men were completely drunk, most of the doubts that had been rising in his mind dissipated.

Unbeknownst to him, a sinister glint of triumph flashed in the eyes of Chen Feng, who lay dead drunk in the center of the room.

"You scoundrel!" Gultai roared in fury, his Manchu language sharp and menacing. "Drinking in the camp! Drag him out and give him fifty strokes of the cane!"

The guards immediately stepped forward to seize the man.

The four drunken guards were startled awake, sobered up halfway, and knelt down with a thud, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

"Wait!" a voice, clearly slurred with drunkenness, rang out.

Chen Feng staggered to his feet and stood in front of the armored soldiers. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes seemed unfocused. "Gurtai Ejen...it was...it was me! I was the one who gave them the drinks! Today...today we're happy! What, Ejen won't even give us this much face?"

Gultai looked at the drunken, unsteady young man in front of him and felt a lump in his throat.

If he lashes out? This man is a "distinguished guest" personally ordered to be appeased by the Great Khan, who just promised him 50,000 taels of silver. If he doesn't lash out? Military discipline will be completely destroyed.

"Young Master Liang, you're drunk." Gultai suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice in Chinese, "There are rules in the army, and besides, Orosechen Ejen strictly forbade alcohol. They violated military orders and must be punished!"

"Military order...hehe..." Chen Feng hiccuped, his body swaying, and he almost fell on Gultai. Gultai quickly caught him.

Chen Feng swallowed hard, as if suppressing churning stomach acid. "My lord... you're wrong! Our Great Jin warriors are invincible! How could they be cowards who can be taken down by a few sips of horse piss? These brothers... what's the big deal about a few sips of wine? The Great Khan said... 'The Jurchen and Han are one family'... isn't that right?"

He mumbled something while forcefully patting Gultai's shoulder, without any restraint.

Then he took another sharp puff from his copper pipe, exhaling a large cloud of pungent smoke that almost enveloped Gultai.

Through the smoke, Chen Feng's eyes were hazy yet eager as he kept shoving the pipe into Gultai's hand. "Come, come... Lord Ezhen, have a taste... This is good tobacco... brought from the south... It'll relieve your fatigue!"

Gultai frowned as he choked on the smoke and instinctively tried to push Chen Feng away, but Chen Feng's hand held him tightly.

At this moment, Wang Jie also stumbled over, holding a bowl of clear liquor in his hand.

As the two were deferring to each other, Chen Feng's wide sleeves brushed casually over the tobacco pipe, and a tiny, almost invisible grayish-white powder drifted into the burning pipe.

The white powder was quickly vaporized by the high temperature and mixed into the rising smoke, without any odor.

Wang Jie was even more drunk than Chen Feng, his tongue completely tied, his eyes unfocused, yet he stubbornly brought the bowl to Gultai's lips, "Drink... oh really... drink! My young master... is doing me the honor... I can't refuse... hehe..."

The absurd drunken ramblings and the smell of alcohol assaulted him at the same time. Gultai looked at the swaying wine bowl in front of him, the liquid inside glistening alluringly under the light.

He had rarely drunk alcohol in the past month, and since Oroseson arrived, he hadn't touched a drop...

"My young master is eight years old... he still wets the bed at eight years old... I... I washed the mattress for him..." Wang Jie was still rambling on in his drunken spiel.

The tent was filled with the smell of alcohol, the drunken ramblings and flattery, and the lingering aroma of smoke and wine. The suppressed desire for food was suddenly aroused.

His Adam's apple bobbed violently, and his mouth involuntarily produced a large amount of saliva.

His personal guards and kneeling guards all looked at him with eager eyes.

Chen Feng, reeking of alcohol, pushed the pipe forward again, his face flushed with a warm smile despite his drunkenness.

A drop of wine spilled from Wang Jie's outstretched bowl onto his lips, the liquid seeping into his mouth through the gap in his lips, the long-lost taste of wine spreading between his lips and teeth.

"Just... just one bite," he finally managed to say in a hoarse voice.

He first took the wine bowl handed to him by Wang Jie, took a small sip, and felt a burning pleasure as the strong liquor rolled down his throat.

Almost simultaneously, the pipe with "ingredients" in Chen Feng's hand was also stuffed into his slightly open mouth.

Gultai subconsciously took a drag, the smoke, a mixture of special tobacco and invisible powder, was deeply inhaled into his lungs.

Although Chen Feng and Wang Jie were drowsy from drinking, their eyes were clear and bright as they stared intently at Gultai's movements.

Gultai's eyes suddenly widened!

The murky air inside the tent seemed to freeze for a moment.