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

After a few more rounds of drinks, Meng Changgeng pushed open the door again to refill the wine.

He Kegang put down his chopsticks and looked at everyone.

"Gentlemen," he began, causing everyone at the table to stop what they were doing, "Chen Feng has performed an extraordinary feat, that goes without saying. But this credit does not belong to him alone."

He paused for a moment, then said, "How to divide it is something we all need to discuss."

Zhang Lanchong and He Kegang cupped their hands in greeting, "General He is right."

He then turned to Chen Feng, a gentle smile on his face, "President Chen, what do you think?"

Chen Feng put down his wine glass and sat up straight. "Uncle Zhang is right. Such merit could not have been achieved by my own efforts alone."

He glanced at the people at the table. "My five brothers are with me in the courtyard, as are the seventy-odd night scouts from that night, and the brothers from the Yizhou garrison. Whether dead or alive, they should all get a share."

He paused, then said, "The soldiers died for their country, and they died a worthy death. But those who died must die with value; and those who lived must also have their story told."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lan's smile faltered.

Gao Qiqian's smile also faded a bit.

To give credit to the dead? To give it to those peasant mountain folk in Yizhou?

The two exchanged a glance, neither speaking, but their eyes said it all.

Li Ruolian nodded, her gaze towards Chen Feng softening slightly.

He Kegang nodded, his appreciation undisguised.

Chen Feng continued, "This raid on the camp resulted in the deaths and injuries of at least two Niru (units of the Later Jin army), more than thirty guards, and over a thousand men from the Balin tribe. On the Later Jin side, the losses amounted to no less than 100,000 shi (units of dry measure) of grain and 50,000 jin (units of weight) of gunpowder."

He raised his glass, "I don't need any credit for these contributions."

After saying that, he drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone at the table widened their eyes.

100,000 shi of grain. 50,000 jin of gunpowder. Two Niru of elite soldiers. More than 1,000 Mongol troops.

Are you going to divide all of these up? Are there any fools in this world who don't want military merit?

The slight displeasure on Gao Qiqian's face was instantly replaced by surprise.

Zhang Lan narrowed her eyes, quickly calculating the cost in her mind.

Li Ruolian's gaze lingered on Chen Feng's face for a long while, as if trying to discern the truth of his words.

But then they all realized what was happening.

Chen Feng only mentioned "killing two Niru" and "more than a thousand men from the Bairin tribe".

He didn't mention the two heads of Orosechen and Gultai, one a Niru Ejen and the other a Jala Ejen, whose contributions were also significant.

No one disagrees with this.

After all, Chen Feng personally took those two heads, and the eleven men's confessions at Xifengkou clearly stated that the credit was rightfully his.

Chen Feng knew in his heart that these people were all eyeing the credit for raiding the camp. Even if he were to get a share, how much would a nobody like him be left?

Why not be more generous and give them everything? Maybe you can even win some goodwill in return.

Moreover, as the person who made the greatest contribution, can he really be overlooked when it comes to rewarding merits?

The room remained silent for a long while.

Li Ruolian spoke first, looking at He Kegang, "General He, I would like to ask for your opinion?"

He Kegang picked up his wine glass and slowly took a sip. "Wang Jie and those night scouts are all under General Wu's command."

This means that Zu Dashou's side will take the lion's share of the credit, and the rest will be divided among several parties.

The others didn't respond.

They glanced at each other, then looked away.

No one objected.

He Kegang was the highest-ranking person present, and the centurion named Wang Jie was indeed someone who had gone deep into the lion's den with Chen Feng.

Zhang Lan smiled and turned to Li Ruolian, "Commander Li, how would you like to divide it?"

Li Ruolian cursed inwardly.

How should it be divided? Of course, the goal is to keep it all for themselves.

But how can I say that now? There's no reason to.

He forced himself to speak: "Chen Feng is a former member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, that goes without saying. Without the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he couldn't have accomplished these things. So the remaining credit should go to the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Zhang Lan's smile remained unchanged. "I don't quite understand what Li Baihu is saying. Chen Qianzong is under the command of General Song. He receives the salary of Shanhaiwei and performs the duties of Shanhaiwei. Naturally, the credit should go to General Song."

Gao Qiqian interjected, his eyes narrowing into slits with a smile, "Gentlemen, gentlemen, let me be fair. This mission of Commander Chen was dispatched by Eunuch Wang. Without Eunuch Wang's assignment, there would be no such merit. Therefore, the lion's share should go to the Imperial Stables."

"General Song has taken it."

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard has taken over."

"Imperial Horse Stables."

Just as the three were about to start arguing, He Kegang coughed heavily.

The room fell silent instantly.

He Kegang's gaze swept over the three men. "Listen to what I have to say, everyone."

All eyes turned to him. He first looked at Li Ruolian and said, "Chen Qianzong was originally from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but he did not hold any real position in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. So he only had the background, not the merit of his work."

Li Ruolian's expression changed slightly, but she did not refute it.

He Kegang then looked at Zhang Lan, "General Chen is under the command of General Song, and he was also left in Jinzhou by General Song. General Song's side is in the position of 'dispatch' and 'command'."

Then he looked at Gao Qiqian, "Since it was Eunuch Wang who appointed the general, Eunuch Wang will have the 'instruction'."

Zhang Lan and Gao Qiqian exchanged a glance but neither spoke.

"The actual execution was carried out by Chen Feng and his men, with Wang Jie and his men providing support," He Kegang continued. "So Chen Feng was responsible for the 'planning,' while Wang Jie was responsible for the 'execution.'"

After he finished speaking, he picked up his wine glass and slowly took a sip.

The room remained silent for a long while; no one dared to object.

He Kegang was a second-rank deputy general and one of the three heroes of Liaodong, enjoying extremely high prestige throughout the Guanning region.

He made the decision, and who dared to say no?

But Zhang Lan and Gao Qiqian didn't look too good.

Chen Feng already said he didn't want any, so why should we give him a share?

But these words could only remain in my heart; I couldn't say them aloud.

Li Ruolian didn't say anything, just kept her head down, lost in thought.

Since He Kegang initially said he wanted the lion's share, it meant that Zu Dashou's side would receive at least 30% of the credit when the four families divided the work.

The remaining three people argued fiercely over the remaining 70%.

He Kegang remained silent, only slowly drinking his wine.

Chen Feng didn't say anything, but just poured wine for everyone.

After arguing for almost half an hour, they finally settled on a general outline and a statement for the proposal.

"My lords, I have a request," Chen Feng said, standing up. "The soldiers have risked their lives alongside me. Those who died cannot return to their hometowns, and those who survived have suffered greatly. I ask that when you report the merits, you share some of the credit with those soldiers."

Chen Feng said this at the risk of offending Gao Qiqian and Zhang Lan.

Firstly, that's genuinely what he thought; the lower-ranking soldiers had it so tough, and their achievements shouldn't be overlooked.

Secondly, he could see that He Kegang was a very upright person, and by making such a statement at this time, he could further win He Kegang's favor.

The room fell silent for a moment.

He Kegang looked at him, his admiration growing stronger.

Li Ruolian looked at him without saying anything, but her gaze was different from when she entered.

Zhang Lan and Gao Qiqian exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat displeased.

But Li Ruolian offered to share the credit, so Zhang Lan and Gao Qiqian stopped talking.

The atmosphere at the dinner table became lively again.

Zhang Lan and Gao Qiqian started toasting each other again, chatting and laughing.

Li Ruolian remained mostly silent, but he took the initiative to raise his glass to Chen Feng.

Chen Feng moved among them, constantly toasting this person and serving food to that person, keeping himself very busy.

The candlelight flickered, and the aroma of wine filled the air.

Outside the window, the cold moon shone like frost.