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

Although the fire had been lit, Chen Feng knew that the flames would soon be extinguished by the dozen or so men, and it wouldn't buy them much time.

When Chen Feng crawled out from behind the hay shed, the scenery in front of him was swaying.

This body is too weak. After a day and night of running and fighting, plus the physical exertion from moving the gunpowder barrels, the body is almost at its limit.

He heard hurried footsteps coming from around the corner of the hay shed. Without time to rest, he ran towards the stable.

"Stop!" The voice was in Jurchen, but Chen Feng understood the killing intent in it.

As the footsteps grew closer, Chen Feng drew his dagger from his waist.

Oroseson strode after him, leaving his personal guards to put out the fire in the hay shed, and only took three personal guards with him to catch up.

He didn't shout again. At this moment, he was only five steps away from the Ming dog in front of him. Suddenly, Erosaichen took two steps forward and slashed down with his sword.

Chen Feng heard the clanking of the chainmail behind him and the strained breathing of Orosechen as he exerted his strength. He decisively turned around and slashed with his sword!

"Clang—" The two blades clashed, sparks flying.

Chen Feng's arm felt like it had been struck on an anvil, his hand throbbing with pain. The force traveled along the blade to his shoulder, numbing half of his body and nearly causing him to drop the blade.

His body leaned backward uncontrollably, and he stumbled back several steps before landing hard on his backside.

Orosechen did not immediately pursue. He stood still, looking down at Chen Feng, and said something in Jurchen.

Chen Feng couldn't understand what he was hearing, but he could read the expression on it—contempt, anger, and a hint of confusion.

He pushed himself up from the ground, but his right hand couldn't hold the knife steady, so he switched to his left.

He rubbed his palm against the hilt of the knife; it was covered in sweat.

Oroseson said something again, and this time Chen Feng heard a few words clearly: "Nikan" and "Bayala".

The general meaning is: Ming dogs are not worthy of wearing big gold armor.

Chen Feng did not respond. He stared at the other person, his breath caught in his throat, afraid to breathe heavily.

Just then, a muffled thud came from the direction of the stable.

"Bang!"

It was the same sound as the gunpowder pack exploding earlier, followed by the neighing of the horses.

Orosechen suddenly turned around, glanced in the direction of the stable, and then looked at Chen Feng.

A flicker of alertness crossed his face. He waved to the three guards behind him and said something in Jurchen.

Three guards received the order and quickly ran towards the stable.

Now only Oroisechen was left. He turned back, stared at Chen Feng, and twitched the corner of his mouth.

Chen Feng had seen that expression before; it was just like the Bayara chieftain on horseback on the day he traveled through time.

Oroisechen raised his knife again, this time faster and more ruthlessly, aiming straight for his neck.

This time, Chen Feng didn't block directly. He dodged to the left, and the blade grazed his right shoulder, severing several pieces of iron.

Before Oroseson could sheathe his sword, he charged forward and crashed into the other man's arms.

He wanted to use his weight and armor to knock the other person down. He couldn't fight the other person with a knife, so he could only knock the other person down and then fight hand-to-hand with the dagger.

He had used this trick more than once, but it failed this time.

Chen Feng felt as if he had crashed into a wall, while the other person only swayed slightly, his legs feeling like they were rooted to the ground.

The next instant, a large hand grabbed the back of his neck, its five fingers like iron hooks, lifting him off the ground, armor and all.

Chen Feng's mind went blank for a moment.

What the hell is that monster?!

With his left hand holding him up, Oroisechen had already withdrawn the knife in his right hand, the blade pointing upwards, ready to stab him in the stomach.

Before Chen Feng could think, he suddenly curled his legs up, clamping them around Erossen's left arm. Then, using his waist to drive his legs together, he crossed and locked his legs, wrapping his entire body around Erossen's upper body like a snake.

This is a locking technique used in later armies. As long as the opponent dares to exert force, Chen Feng can easily break their joints.

Orosechen froze.

He felt his left elbow joint twisting in the opposite direction, and even the slightest force brought excruciating pain.

"Ah!!!" Erossen cried out in pain, his right hand loosened, and the knife fell to the ground.

He instinctively reached out with his right hand to grab Chen Feng's legs, trying to pry them apart, but as soon as he turned his body, his joints cracked.

He grew up in the military and learned all about killing techniques; he had never encountered such a move before.

Is this the legendary martial arts of the Han people?!

Chen Feng gritted his teeth and continued to exert force with his waist and legs.

He could feel Oroseson's left arm trembling; the joint was almost at its limit. If he could just hold on for a few more breaths, he could cripple the man's arm.

But Oroseson did not give him a chance.

A ruthless glint flashed in the eyes of the Jurchen man. He gave up on prying Chen Feng's legs apart, leaned back, and used all his strength to slam Chen Feng to the ground.

"Bang!"

Chen Feng slammed his back to the ground, feeling the air in his chest being squeezed out instantly. His vision went black, and his stomach churned violently.

My chest felt tight, and my legs involuntarily loosened.

Oroseson broke free of his restraints, scrambled to his feet, and gasped for breath.

He clutched his left arm, his face ashen, veins bulging on his forehead from the pain.

He bent down to pick up the broken knife from the ground, his eyes fixed on his opponent, who lay there like a dead dog.

Chen Feng lay on the ground, trying to get up, but his body wouldn't obey him.

Oroseson walked over, his steps heavy. He raised his knife, the tip pointing at Chen Feng's throat.

Just then, something unexpected happened!

The sound of hooves came from behind Orošešen; it wasn't just one horse, but many.

He turned his head sharply and saw more than a dozen warhorses rushing out from the direction of the stable, galloping wildly toward him like madmen.

On the back of the first horse, a person in red armor was clinging tightly to the horse's neck with both hands.

Oroseson had no time to dodge and was knocked over by the horse at the front.

Years of battles had honed his battlefield reflexes, and to avoid being trampled by horses' hooves, he rolled several times and landed on the corner of the hay shed.

More horses rushed past him, their hooves pounding the ground, making it tremble.

Chen Feng was lying on the ground when he saw a horse charging towards him. He tried to dodge, but he couldn't move his body.

When the horse's hooves were less than three feet away from him, a hand reached out from the horse's back, grabbed his armor plate, and, using the momentum of the horse's charge, scooped him up from the ground.

"Hold on tight!" came Wang Jie's voice.

Chen Feng instinctively grabbed the horse's neck and lay flat on its back.

The herd of horses continued to charge forward, crossing the open space in front of the hay shed. Wang Jie pulled on the reins, and his horse rushed towards the north gate of the camp.

Chen Feng glanced back.

Oroseson huddled in the corner of the hay shed, his hands covering his head. Only after the last horse had run past did he slowly get up, lean against the wall, and look this way.

The firelight illuminated his face, making it impossible to see his expression.

But Chen Feng knew that he had seen him.

Herds of horses charged into the camp, causing screams and shouts everywhere. Tents were knocked over by the horses, and soldiers were trampled. The entire camp was in complete chaos.

Chen Feng lay on the horse's back, clinging tightly to its neck.

Wang Jie was behind him, holding the reins with one hand and supporting his waist with the other to prevent him from falling.

Chen Feng heard Orosechen shouting, but his voice was drowned out by the clamor of horses' hooves.

Then he smelled smoke, a strong, pungent smell, not the kind of smoke from a hay shed.

He struggled to lift his head and looked west, where he saw flames shooting into the sky from the grain stacks of the western camp.

The sounds of cattle screaming and shouts from many people could also be heard.

Hao Dadao and Meng Changgeng should have succeeded.

As they approached the north gate of the camp, Hao Dadao and Meng Changgeng each jumped onto the back of a horse.

Hao Dadao shouted, "That was great!"

The four men, leading a dozen or so horses, charged out of the camp.

........................

Orosechen stood up, leaning against the wall, his left arm trembling with pain.

He watched the direction the horses had gone, and watched the figures in red armor disappear around the corner of the tent.

"Eh Zhen!" A soldier ran over, his face covered in soot and panting, "Grain stacks... grain stacks..."

"The grain stacks," Oroseson interrupted him, "how are the grain stacks?"

The guard lowered his head. "Five...five grain stacks were burned..."

Orosechen closed his eyes. Each grain stack contained 5,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), and five stacks were burned, meaning that more than 20,000 shi of grain were gone!

Just then, the personal guard he had sent to find Gultai returned, immediately kneeling on one knee, "Ejen! Gultai Ejen, he..."

"explain!"

"Gurtai Ejenta...and Young Master Liang were both burned to death!"

"What's going on!?" Oroseson was genuinely getting anxious.

The grain supply camp was burned, and the Khan's distinguished guest and a Niru Ejen died. Even if the entire Guoluo family were sacrificed, he could not be saved!

"When I went to Young Master Liang's tent, the armored soldiers guarding the entrance were killed, and the entire tent was set on fire..."

The guard paused for a moment, then said, "I tried to rush in to save them, but when I pulled back the tent flap, I found the fire inside was even bigger... Gurtai Ejen and Young Master Liang's bodies were burning inside... as well as Shen Qinghe and several of Young Master Liang's guards."

Oroseson's expression froze, and he remained silent for a long time.

After a long silence, he forced out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Blow the horn!"

The guards, not quite hearing him, looked up at him with a bewildered expression.

Orosechen continued, "Gather all the Bayara warriors, let's go after those Ming dogs who set the fire, otherwise we won't be able to explain to the Great Khan!"

He then glanced at the haystacks whose fire had been extinguished and said, "Go and call those Mongols to help put out the fire. Save the grain if you can, and make sure the fire doesn't spread this way."

"Yes, sir!"

As Oroseson gathered his horses and troops, the incense stick stuck in the corner was about to burn out.

Meanwhile, to the south of the Mongol camp, more than seventy night scouts, leading about a hundred horses, had already collided with the scouts on the outskirts of the camp.