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

Chen Feng lay on the horse's back, panting heavily.

He didn't know how far he had run or how long he had been fleeing; he only knew that the sound of horses' hooves behind him was getting closer and closer, and he could occasionally hear a few gunshots.

The light was getting dimmer; it must be almost dawn.

A huge mountain shadow appeared ahead, and it looked to be only a little over a mile away. Once we entered the mountain, the horse would be useless.

Chen Feng looked at the warhorse beneath him. The horse had reached its limit, its steps were heavy, and it kept snorting.

He patted the horse's neck and whispered, "Hang in there a little longer."

Just as the four were preparing for their final sprint into the mountains, a group of people suddenly appeared from behind the hillside.

There were dozens of riders, each carrying a torch, and judging from their armor, they were the Later Jin cavalry.

The Tartar cavalry were coming down the hillside, seemingly heading in the direction of the explosion.

Chen Feng's heart sank.

The four people opposite them also noticed Chen Feng and his companions and were looking in their direction.

Chen Feng wiped his face; it was covered in sweat and blood. His helmet tassel had fallen off when he captured the Mongol.

His hair was now disheveled, revealing the face of a Ming dynasty figure.

One of the scouts shouted something in Jurchen; the tone wasn't a question, but a warning.

Immediately afterwards, those men drew their swords.

Chen Feng's first reaction was to run, but it was too late.

The cavalry had already dispersed and were fanning out around them; some people were even taking out their bows.

There are obstacles ahead and pursuers behind; we can't get into this mountain.

"You Tartar dogs!" Wang Jie cursed, "Kill them!"

"Kill!" Hao Dadao roared.

The two men drew their swords and charged forward on horseback.

Chen Feng gripped his curved sword tightly, ready to mount his horse and charge forward.

Just then, the thunderous sound of horses' hooves came from behind.

It wasn't just one horse, it was a herd.

More than thirty night guerrilla riders charged past Chen Feng, with Zhao Sheng leading the charge.

He raised his saber high and shouted something, but Chen Feng couldn't hear what he was yelling.

The Later Jin cavalry had no time to react.

Their attention was focused on the four blatant dogs in front of them, and they didn't notice that there were people behind them.

By the time they realized what was happening, the night watchmen had already rushed up to them.

The blade flashed, and screams of agony filled the air.

In a single encounter, three Later Jin cavalrymen fell from their horses.

The rest tried to run, but the night raiders were too numerous and surrounded them to attack.

Someone raised his bow to shoot, but before he could even draw the string, he was struck in the back by a saber.

In a few swift moves, the ten Later Jin cavalrymen were scattered.

The remaining four or five riders spurred their horses and galloped towards Yizhou, not daring to look back.

Zhao Sheng reined in his horse, turned back, and roared at Chen Feng, "Go! Go now!"

Before Chen Feng could respond, the sound of horses' hooves came from the other side of the hillside.

----------------------

Oroseson is furious. He has been chasing after them from the camp for almost half an hour.

The night scouts ahead were as annoying as flies. To delay them, a few men would be sent to cover their retreat and shoot a few arrows at them every now and then.

Although the armor blocked most of the arrows, two Bayara still fell from their horses and their fates are unknown.

The night guards were also shot dead and wounded by the retaliatory Bayara.

Just as the horse was about to reach its limit, he heard shouts of battle coming from ahead.

He knew that the Ming dogs must have encountered the Jin scouts again, so he waved his hand and his nine men behind him quickened their pace.

Nine horsemen charged out from behind the hillside, their hooves pounding the ground and their armor rustling.

They either carried arrows on their bodies or had arrow shafts stuck in their shoulders.

The warhorse was exhausted, but with its master's whip, it unleashed its last bit of strength.

Oroseson rode at the very front, the blood on his right ear already congealed, and half of his face was covered in dark red scabs.

He looked at the thirty-odd riders ahead, his eyes filled with killing intent, not fear.

He raised his sword, shouting, "Kill!!!"

The nine Bayara riders accelerated simultaneously, charging towards the Night Flood with Orosechen as their spearhead.

"Fight!" Zhao Sheng roared.

More than thirty riders braved the night storm and charged forward.

The two groups of cavalry clashed.

The dull thud of horses colliding, the clang of swords and spears clashing, the screams of men, and the neighing of horses all blended together.

One night scout was pierced by Bayara's tiger spear and flew off his horse; another Bayara was hit in the chest by a three-eyed gun, and although he swayed, he still managed to swat down a night scout with his sword.

In this clash, only one of Bayara's men fell, while four of the Night Scouts died, and several others fell from their horses and were injured.

The night scouts panicked. They were lightly armored reconnaissance soldiers, and this kind of battle formation confrontation was not their forte, especially when facing Bayara.

Many people have already considered quitting.

"Kill!!" Oroseson roared, brandishing his sword.

The eight Bayara riders regrouped, their swords and spears pointing forward.

Chen Feng gritted his teeth, wanting to urge his horse to rush forward and help, but the warhorse beneath him refused to move no matter what.

The beast was panting heavily, trembling all over, its four legs seemingly rooted to the ground.

Chen Feng knew that the warhorse was completely exhausted, and it was lucky that it didn't fall over.

Since the horse will be useless once we enter the mountains, we might as well dismount and fight on foot!

Thinking of this, he dismounted and picked up the lance left behind by the Tartar scouts.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves approached rapidly. Chen Feng looked up and saw that Erluosechen was charging towards him.

During the first charge, Oroseson saw Chen Feng and recognized his face.

It was that Nikan merchant, the one who called himself Liang Siye.

But didn't Liang Siye burn to death in the tent?

wrong!

I didn't see it with my own eyes; it's all just the soldiers' side of the story.

Liang Siye was a spy for Ming Gou from the very beginning, and he deceived him and Gultai from the start!

"Liang—Si—Ye—!" Orosechen roared these three words and charged at Chen Feng under the protection of two personal guards.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Sheng quickly led his men to intercept them.

Two bodyguards flanked Orosechen, their sabers slicing through the night guards blocking their path.

A night watchman raised his knife to cut off Oroseson's horse, but was slashed in half by the guard on the left, who screamed and fell off the horse.

Oroisechen's horse charged through the crowd, heading straight for Chen Feng.

Chen Feng instinctively raised the gun in his hand and held it above his head to block.

But Oro Cessen's knife suddenly changed direction in mid-air, the blade bypassing the gun barrel, and the hilt slammed into Chen Feng's chest.

"Bang!"

Chen Feng was sent flying backward, his back hitting the ground. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

"Boss!!!" Hao Dadao and Zhao Sheng shouted at the same time.

Meng Changgeng drew his bow to shoot, but his fingers couldn't grip the bowstring at all.

Oroseson reined in his horse in front of Chen Feng, preparing to dismount and finish him off.

Just then, an arrow flew from the side, aimed directly at Oroseson's head.

It's Aji.

He had been following the scouts all night, and had emptied several quiver of arrows. Logically, he should have been unable to draw his bow long ago. This arrow was his last bit of strength.

Upon hearing the sound of the wind, Orošechen instinctively raised his knife to parry.

"clang--"

The arrow struck the blade, deflecting its trajectory and grazing past Oroseson's left ear.

"Ah!!" Oroseson screamed, clutching the left side of his head as he fell off his horse.

The bowstring in Aji's hand snapped, and the bow slung down. He gasped for breath, his legs gave way, and he knelt on the ground.

Although the arrow was deflected by the blade, the arrowhead grazed the left side of Oroseson's head, slicing off half of his ear and a piece of scalp.

"Oh my god!"

Two bodyguards rushed over to protect Orosechen.

The remaining Bayara were still locked in combat with the Night Observer, but upon seeing their commander fall from his horse, they all broke away from the battle and went to protect Orosechen.

"Quick! Into the mountains!" Hao Dadao rushed to Chen Feng's side, picked him up, and ran into the forest.

Meng Changgeng helped Aji stagger to catch up.

Zhao Sheng and Wang Jie then organized the remaining scouts to retreat.

Several barbarians reined in their horses, looking towards the direction of the mountains and forests, then at Orosechen lying on the ground clutching his head, unsure whether to pursue or stay.

Oroisechen covered his left ear, trembling with pain, blood flowing from between his fingers, staining half his face red.

He removed his hand and found that it contained half of his own ear.

The arrow was extremely powerful, shaving off half of the scalp on the left side of the head.

He struggled to his feet, slammed the ear he was holding onto the ground, and yelled incoherently, "Chase! Chase them!!"

His personal guards held him down, saying, "Ejen! You're badly injured! Stop the bleeding first!"