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

Chen Feng stood outside the west gate of Shanhaiguan, watching the eight-bearer sedan chair slowly start moving.

Deng Liangfu's honor guard led the way, their banners fluttering brightly in the morning light.

He took a deep breath and mounted his horse.

Zhao Sheng, holding the horse's reins, looked up at him and said, "Lord Commander, please be careful on the road."

Chen Feng looked down at him, then at Hao Dadao and Aji behind him.

The three men had changed into their best clothes, with bundles slung over their shoulders, looking like merchants on a long journey.

"Have you obtained the clearance documents?" Chen Feng asked.

Zhao Sheng nodded, "I just got it from the General's Office. I'll just get another slip from Jizhou later."

Chen Feng nodded. "Eunuch Deng's journey is rather slow. If you ride fast, you should be able to reach the capital before me. You can wait for me in Tongzhou then."

"become."

Chen Feng looked back at the procession that was gradually disappearing into the distance, then looked at Zhao Sheng, "Be careful on the road."

Zhao Sheng clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Rest assured, Commander."

Hao Dadao grinned from the side, "Boss, don't worry! We've fought our way out of the Tartar camp, what are we afraid of?"

Aji didn't speak, but just nodded to Chen Feng.

Chen Feng didn't say anything more, spurred his horse, and chased after the honor guard.

The procession traveled westward along the official road, heading towards the capital.

Chen Feng rode on his horse, watching the scenery flash by on both sides of the road.

In November, the fields in North China are bare, with only a few ragged farmers occasionally seen digging in the fields.

He felt uneasy.

Two hundred and thirty thousand taels.

This is what he found on Liang Siye in Yizhou.

His original plan was to find an excuse to leave the Shanhaiguan Pass and retrieve the goods after receiving the reward.

Then use this money to try and get a position through Zhang Lan or Gao Qiqian, preferably a chiliarchy post, far from Liaodong, and slowly build up your strength.

But people are not as good as heaven.

Emperor Chongzhen actually wanted to see him.

This trip to Beijing will take at least ten days to half a month.

Although the area outside the pass is sparsely populated and the probability of the box being dug up by someone is very low, what if it is dug up by wild animals?

He couldn't go in person, so he had to send someone.

Zhao Sheng is quick-witted and can adapt to changing circumstances.

Hao Dadao is impulsive and straightforward, but extremely loyal, and he fights without regard for his life.

Aji is a man of few words, but he is meticulous and an accurate archer. If anything happens, he can lead the two of them to escape to the desert.

The three people each have their own strengths, and their skills complement each other.

But he was still somewhat uneasy, after all, money and silk are a powerful motivator.

On the battlefield, he could entrust his juniors to these three men with peace of mind, but when faced with 230,000 taels of silver, could people's hearts withstand the test?

he does not know.

But this is the only option we have now.

Now he can go to Beijing, meet higher-ranking officials, and have more opportunities, but it also means he has to spend more money.

He currently has over two hundred taels of silver and about one hundred taels of copper-gold mixture on him, which are the silver bestowed by the General's Office and the "one thousand taels of gold" bestowed by the Emperor.

Thinking of the "thousand taels of gold" in the bundle, Chen Feng couldn't help but twitch his lips.

Behind Chen Feng followed Meng Changgeng, Lao Putou, Sun Ergou, and the four-man Night Scout group.

The group chatted and laughed, all excited about their upcoming trip to Beijing.

While Chen Feng was promoted, Meng Changgeng, Zhao Sheng, and Hao Dadao also received rewards.

Zhao Sheng and Hao Dadao were promoted to junior officer and patrol inspector respectively, and were rewarded with some silver.

Meng Changgeng, being a scholar, received a reward of two hundred taels of silver.

Zhang Lan once suggested that Meng Changgeng stay in Shanhaiwei as a civil official, but Meng Changgeng refused.

"Boss! Boss!" came a shout from behind.

Chen Feng turned around and saw Meng Changgeng riding up after him.

Meng Changgeng caught up and rode alongside Chen Feng, a barely suppressed smile on his face: "Meng Changgeng greets Commander Chen!"

Chen Feng rolled his eyes at him. "What is it?"

Seeing Chen Feng's cold attitude, Meng Changgeng asked, "Boss, is something on your mind?"

Chen Feng shook his head.

Meng Changgeng didn't believe him: "You must have something on your mind. You haven't said much since you left the city."

Chen Feng was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What are your plans after you arrive in Beijing?"

Meng Changgeng was taken aback, then his eyes lit up: "Plans? There are so many! I have to go to Yutangchun! I heard the ladies there are..."

As he spoke, he suddenly realized something and lowered his voice: "Boss, please don't tell anyone... I mean, go and rescue those prostitutes."

Chen Feng remained silent.

Meng Changgeng continued, "We have to go to Bianyifang for a meal! I heard from our former squad leader that Bianyifang in Beijing has the best food. Now that we have money, we absolutely have to try it!"

He spoke with great enthusiasm, his spittle almost landing on Chen Feng's face.

Chen Feng looked at him and suddenly asked, "Don't you want to donate money to become a tribute student at the Imperial Academy?"

Meng Changgeng's expression froze. After several breaths, he stammered, "Donate...of course I'll donate! I'll take the imperial examination after I donate!"

Chen Feng nodded: "Mm."

Meng Changgeng waited for a while, but when Chen Feng didn't say anything more, he got a little annoyed.

He originally thought Chen Feng would try to persuade him to stay, but the other party didn't try at all.

"If we pass the imperial examination and become cabinet ministers in the future..." Meng Changgeng stopped mid-sentence.

A moment of silence fell between the two.

At the back of the group, Sun Ergou was talking to Xie Liu and the others.

This kid also changed into a new outfit today. Although it wasn't an official robe, it was made of good material, and he looked quite presentable in it.

"Brother Xie," he leaned closer to Xie Liu, "what's the capital like? Is it full of buildings and people?"

Xie Liu glanced at him but didn't reply.

Luo Zheng laughed from the side, "Of course! What kind of place is the capital? It's right under the emperor's nose! You'll see when you get there. I've heard that the city walls are higher than Shanhaiguan Pass; and the main streets are wider than our village's threshing ground!"

Sun Ergou's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Yang Shuo chimed in with a憨憨 (simple and honest) tone: "I heard that the capital city has several layers of city walls, an outer city, an inner city, and an imperial city, one inside the other. Walking into it is like walking through a maze."

Yan Guishan remained silent, listening quietly, occasionally glancing up at the distance ahead.

Sun Ergou became more and more excited as he talked, chattering away with questions.

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

After walking for most of the day, the group in front suddenly stopped.

Chen Feng rode forward, passed several carriages, and arrived at the front of the procession.

A crowd of people was packed on the official road.

To be precise, they were a group of refugees.

There were men, women, young and old, all dressed in rags, their faces pale and emaciated.

They knelt in the middle of the road, kowtowing to the procession and shouting, "Please have mercy, sir!" and "Give us some food!"

Several guards blocked their way, their swords already drawn.

Deng Liangfu's voice came from inside the carriage, tinged with obvious impatience: "What's going on? Why did you stop?"

A guard jogged over to report the situation.

"Refugees?" Deng Liangfu lifted the carriage curtain, revealing half of his fair face. He glanced ahead, his brows immediately furrowing. "Bad luck! Get rid of them! Get rid of them all!"

The guard obeyed, turned around, and shouted to the front, "Make way! Make way! Don't block the way!"

The refugees didn't move; instead, they banged on the ground even more fiercely.

"Please, sir, have mercy! Give me some food!"

"We haven't eaten for three days!"

"The child is starving! Sir, please have mercy!"

The head guard waved his hand: "Hurry!"

A dozen guards rushed forward and began to beat him mercilessly with the backs of their swords and the shafts of their guns.

Cries and screams immediately filled the air.

Some people were beaten until their heads bled and they collapsed on the ground convulsing.

Someone tried to back away while holding a child, but was kicked to the ground.

More people were pushed and shoved off the main road and into the dry ditch beside the road.

Deng Liangfu's voice came again: "Hurry up! Don't waste time!"

Seeing that Deng Liangfu had lost his temper, the guards also became fierce.

A guard drew his knife and stabbed an old man kneeling in the middle of the road. Blood splattered onto the face of a woman standing nearby.

The woman screamed and shrank back, while the child in her arms cried loudly.

Upon seeing the blood, the refugees quickly dispersed.

The old man's body was kicked into the ditch beside the road by the guards, clearing the way.

The procession continued forward.

Chen Feng walked past the corpse by the roadside.

Looking into the old man's unseeing eyes, he tightened his grip on the reins.

But he didn't stop, and walked past the corpse with an air of nonchalance.

He knew he couldn't manage it, nor could he control it.

He just kept looking ahead.

The official road ahead stretched straight into the distance, towards the capital city that was completely different from what he remembered.

In the capital city, there was an emperor waiting to see him.

The emperor had just bestowed upon him a flying fish robe and a thousand taels of gold.

This emperor probably didn't know that right under his feet, not far from the capital, someone had just killed several people simply because they were blocking his way.

Chen Feng took a deep breath, gazed at the setting sun, and said in a voice only he could hear, "This Ming Dynasty... is indeed not worth saving."