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

Two days later, Zhao Sheng returned.

He brought four men, all of whom were his old brothers in the team. They were all lean and muscular with sharp eyes.

Chen Feng was so happy to see Zhao Sheng that he couldn't stop smiling.

Zhao Sheng was also very happy to see Chen Feng. As soon as they met, he knelt down on one knee, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Boss, I'm back."

The four night scouts behind Zhao Sheng also knelt on one knee and performed a fist and palm salute.

Meng Changgeng poked his head out and laughed, "Squad Leader Zhao, you can't call him 'Boss' anymore. You have to call him 'Commander' properly!"

With that, Meng Changgeng patted his chest, "From now on, you'll have to call me Commander Meng!"

Chen Feng kicked Meng Changgeng aside and led Zhao Sheng and his brothers into the courtyard. "Ignore this pedantic scholar, let's go inside first."

Zhao Sheng followed Chen Feng into the house. The four night thugs behind him looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.

Seeing this, Hao Dadao waved his large, fan-like hand and said, "What are you standing there for? Come in, come in!"

As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed the one closest to him.

Meng Changgeng smiled and went to greet them, grabbing another's arm and pulling him inside: "The Commander-in-Chief says you should come in, so just come in. What's with the formalities?"

Aji and Sun Ergou tactfully went over to lead the horse.

The four night scouts were pushed and dragged into the house, where they stood restlessly.

Chen Feng had already sat down at the table and waved to them, "Sit down, make yourself at home here, don't be shy."

Zhao Sheng sat down next to them and said to the four men, "Since the commander has asked you to sit, please sit. The rules here are not as strict as in Jinzhou."

The four of them then squeezed together and sat down on a bench.

Chen Feng looked at them and became happier and happier, his smile never fading.

Zhao Sheng smiled and said, "Commander, these are all old brothers who have been with me for many years. I trust them."

As he spoke, he pointed to the first one, "Xie Liu, literate and quick-witted."

Chen Feng looked over and saw that the night watchman named Xie Liu was in his early thirties, with fair skin and a short beard on his chin.

He doesn't look like a night watchman; he looks more like an accountant.

Xie Liu stood up and bowed respectfully: "Xie Liu greets Commander Qianzong."

"Sit down." Chen Feng was overjoyed to have another literate person in his group.

Zhao Sheng pointed to the second one. This person was younger than Xie Liu, with a dark complexion, long arms and legs, and a pair of bright, intelligent eyes.

"Luo Zheng has good eyesight, runs fast, and is an expert at scouting and navigating."

Chen Feng nodded, remembering the face.

Next was a young man about the same age as Chen Feng, with a fairer complexion and not very tall.

"Yan Guishan," Zhao Sheng introduced, lowering his voice, "an orphan I picked up; he can do anything."

Chen Feng clasped his hands in a fist salute, said nothing, and sat down again.

The last person to stand up was short, but had thick arms, and you could tell at a glance that he was strong.

"Yang Shuo," Zhao Sheng said, "don't let his short stature fool you, he's very skilled, and he's especially good at stealth."

The four greeted Chen Feng one by one. Although Zhao Sheng told them not to be reserved, they were still clearly a little awkward.

Especially the one named Yan Guishan, his fingers were clenched tightly.

Chen Feng checked them one by one and had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

He stood up, walked to the corner, and took out several silver ingots from the bundle containing the silver.

He walked back and stuffed the silver into the hands of the four men one by one. "Those who came with Zhao Sheng to join me are all brothers. I don't like formalities. Ten taels each, take them first."

The four were taken aback at first, exchanged glances, and their eyes lit up when they took the silver.

One by one, they knelt on one knee, saying, "Thank you, Commander!"

Chen Feng helped each person up and said, "My name is Chen Feng. Work hard, and you'll have plenty of money and opportunities to make contributions in the future."

He returned to the table and sat down, glancing at Zhao Sheng, who nodded slightly.

Chen Feng no longer made his men call him "boss" as he had done on Niuxin Mountain.

Now that he is a fully-fledged centurion with military status, he must abide by the rules of the army; otherwise, it will be difficult to manage his subordinates as they grow in number.

The change in his identity forced him to adapt to the new environment.

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

That evening, another round of drinks was set out in the courtyard.

Chen Feng personally cooked a large pot of mutton and offal stew.

This is a skill he learned from the head cook back then: authentic Sichuan Longchang mutton.

After simmering for half an afternoon, the entire courtyard was filled with the aroma of mutton, making the mouths of the dozen or so people in the courtyard water.

"It's ready!" Chen Feng poured the mutton from the iron pot into an earthenware basin.

There was a pot of mutton soup, its color as white as milk. The mutton, skin and bones, was stewed until tender, and the offal had no gamey smell at all.

Sun Ergou was so hungry that he reached out to grab it.

The moment his hand reached out, Old Pu slapped it away with his chopsticks. "How can you be so disobedient, little brat? The Commander hasn't even started eating yet!"

Although Old Pu said that, his eyes never left the mutton for a moment, and he was swallowing his saliva with a gurgling sound.

Chen Feng looked at his ravenous subordinates and tapped the earthenware basin filled with meat with his chopsticks. "Go wash your hands! No meat until your hands are clean!"

He had actually noticed this problem long ago; these rough men at the end of the Ming Dynasty had absolutely no sense of hygiene.

Forget washing hands before meals, that scoundrel Hao Dadao even grabbed a sesame seed cake with his bare hands right after picking his toes.

He had emphasized hygiene many times, but apart from Aji and Old Pu, no one listened.

This time, he'll have to really put these roughnecks to their own devices.

The group exchanged glances and dispersed in a flurry.

After a short while, they laid out their hands in front of Chen Feng, looking exactly like a group of kindergarten children.

Chen Feng nodded and began distributing mutton to everyone.

"Boss! I want that leg of lamb!"

"Commander, you're being unfair! You gave him so many radishes, but I got so little!"

"More soup! Pour me more soup!"

A group of people were arguing heatedly over the pot of mutton, and the courtyard was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Chen Feng sat down with his portion, picked up a piece of fermented bean curd and a little dogwood, and ate it with the steaming hot mutton. The satisfaction made him let out a long sigh.

The others were doing the same, each taking small bites of mutton, afraid of finishing it in no time.

Hao Dadao was different. He finished the meat in a few bites, then pulled out a jar of wine from under the table. "Big bowls of wine! Big chunks of meat! Fill them all up!"

The aroma of wine immediately wafted out as soon as the wine jar was opened, mingling with the scents of meat and wine, instantly creating an exciting atmosphere.

After a few rounds of drinks, everyone's faces turned a little red.

Zhao Sheng brought his bowl and sat down next to Chen Feng, the two of them leaning against the wall.

"Commander," Zhao Sheng lowered his voice, "I went back to Jinzhou this time and made some inquiries. The battle at Dalinghe was a terrible one."

Chen Feng turned his head to look at him.

Zhao Sheng said, "You should already know that Supervisor Zhang is dead, and Deputy General Yang Huazheng is also dead."

Chen Feng remained silent. He had some recollection of Yang Huazheng, who seemed to be Song Wei's deputy general.

"Zhang Cunren, the deputy general under Commander Zu, was killed in battle, and Liu Tianlu, the adjutant general, was captured and seems to have surrendered." Zhao Sheng's voice was even lower. "Of the five thousand men who broke out of Dalinghe City, less than three hundred made it out in the end."

Upon hearing this surviving number, Chen Feng didn't say anything, but simply picked up his bowl and took a sip of wine.

He also had some impression of these two men. In the original history, they became two star generals who surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and helped the Qing court win many brilliant battles.

Now that Zhang Cunren has died in battle, he has achieved a certain reputation.

As for Liu Tianlu, it's unclear where he will go from here.

"General Wu's 5,000 cavalrymen have lost more than 3,000," Zhao Sheng continued. "General Song's 7,000 men have also lost more than half of their strength."

"What about the Tartars?" Chen Feng finally asked.

"The Tartars also suffered considerable losses." Zhao Sheng took a sip of wine and continued, "I heard that Huang Taiji himself was injured, but I don't know how."

Chen Feng's heart skipped a beat.

"On the Eight Banners side, two banners were basically wiped out. The Han soldiers lost more than half their number, and the Mongols died even more. I heard in Jinzhou that since that battle, there have been virtually no Mongols to be seen near Jinzhou."

Chen Feng nodded. The Mongols were never good at fighting on the front lines, and this time they suffered huge losses. Those Mongol Taijis would probably be thinking about how to preserve their strength, so they would naturally not fight to the death.

"But the Tartars haven't retreated." Zhao Sheng changed the subject. "A few days ago, Huang Taiji even sent men to launch a surprise attack on Jinzhou, but they failed. I heard they're now leading men to besiege Yu Zizhangtai."

Chen Feng wrote down all this information and clinked glasses with Zhao Sheng.

In the courtyard, Hao Dadao was pulling Xie Liu into a drinking contest, and Xie Liu's fair face was already flushed red from drinking.

Luo Zheng and Yang Shuo squatted to one side, watching the excitement and commotion.

Yan Guishan and the two guards sent by Zhang Lan sat at a table, seemingly playing dice or something.

Meng Changgeng got drunk again, grabbed Sun Ergou and called him brother. Sun Ergou couldn't break free and cried out in frustration.

Old Pu was laughing so hard he was slapping his thigh.

Aji, unusually, also drank a bowl, his face flushed, and he leaned against the wall, grinning foolishly.

The candlelight flickered, and the aromas of wine and meat mingled together.

Chen Feng put down his wine bowl and looked at Zhao Sheng, "It's good that you're back."

Zhao Sheng looked at him and gave him a sincere smile. "Commander, from now on, I entrust the lives of these brothers and myself to you."