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

November 11th, night.

Tongzhou Inn.

When Chen Feng dismounted, his legs were trembling.

Traveling for six days from Shanhaiguan to Tongzhou, a distance of nearly 700 li, was exhausting even for a young and strong man.

Two lanterns hung at the entrance of the inn, swaying gently in the night breeze.

Just as he was about to go inside, he suddenly saw three figures emerge from the doorway.

Chen Feng looked closely and saw that it was Zhao Sheng, Hao Dadao, and Aji. Zhao Sheng was also holding a sandalwood box in his arms.

The three of them stood there, as if they had been waiting for him for a long time.

Chen Feng felt as if the weight that had been hanging over his heart all the way had finally been lifted off his feet with a thud.

He quickened his pace, then hugged Zhao Sheng tightly, saying, "It's good you're back...it's good you're back..."

His voice sounded like he was about to cry.

Good heavens, thankfully the money wasn't lost.

Zhao Sheng froze completely when he was hugged like that, his face turning pale.

"Lord...Lord Commander?" he stammered. "Are you...are you alright?"

Chen Feng ignored him, let go, and then hugged Hao Dadao and Aji again.

Hao Dadao was completely at a loss, not knowing where to put his hands, and could only scratch his head.

Aji was hugged by Chen Feng, and he didn't say anything, just stood there grinning foolishly.

Chen Feng hugged them for a while, then let go, took a step back, looked at the three of them, and repeated, "It's good that you're back."

Zhao Sheng and Hao Dadao exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with confusion.

Our commander usually has a cold face, doesn't talk much, and is deep in thought. When has he ever been like this?

When Meng Changgeng and his group behind Chen Feng saw the three of them, they were very happy and came over to surround them.

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

Around midnight, the lights in the courtyard of the inn gradually went out.

Four figures slipped silently into Chen Feng's room.

Zhao Sheng, Hao Dadao, Meng Changgeng, and Aji.

Chen Feng told Aji to go out and guard the door, and not let anyone get close. Aji nodded and left.

The other three sat down around the table, their eyes all fixed on Chen Feng.

The candlelight flickered, casting flickering light on several faces.

Chen Feng took out the sandalwood box from under the table, opened the hidden compartment inside, and found a stack of silver notes.

Thick and neatly stacked.

The three of them stared wide-eyed.

Chen Feng began to take inventory.

"One thousand...two thousand...five thousand..."

He counted very slowly, unfolding each card so that the three of them could see it clearly.

Meng Changgeng's Adam's apple bobbed, Hao Dadao's breathing became heavy, and Zhao Sheng stared at the stack of silver notes without blinking.

The banknotes have been counted.

Chen Feng looked up at the three men: "Two hundred and thirty-two thousand six hundred and fifty taels."

The room fell silent for a moment.

All three of them involuntarily swallowed. Although they already knew there were 230,000 taels, seeing Chen Feng count them still made them feel a little dizzy.

Chen Feng pulled out a few banknotes from the stack and pushed them in front of Meng Changgeng. "This is what we agreed on before, two thousand taels."

Meng Changgeng held the silver notes in his hands as if they were fragile treasures.

He leaned close to the lamp, turning the item over and over, muttering to himself: "Second year of Chongzhen... Yongshengqing... one thousand taels... five hundred taels..."

Hao Dadao leaned closer: "Scholar, can I take a look?"

Meng Changgeng grabbed him protectively, looking at him warily: "What are you looking at? What about your own?"

Hao Dadao sheepishly shrank back.

Chen Feng then took out six more banknotes, each worth fifty taels, and set them aside.

"This is the compensation for the six brothers who died in Nangou that day," he said. "Fifty taels each. I have to go to Jinzhou later, find their families, and hand it over to them in person."

Hao Dadao nodded emphatically, "The boss is generous! The servants only get thirty taels a day, but the boss is willing to give them fifty!"

Meng Changgeng and Zhao Sheng nodded in agreement.

Chen Feng continued, "If any other brothers die in battle in the future, the compensation will also be fifty taels. From now on, this will be the rule."

The three nodded in unison.

Chen Feng looked at the remaining silver notes in front of him and remained silent for a while.

"The rest of these," he pointed to the thick stack, "are, in principle, something the five of us did together. Should we split them equally?"

As he spoke, his gaze swept across the three faces.

Meng Changgeng's eyes lit up, and his lips moved as if he wanted to say something.

Hao Dadao scratched his head and looked at Zhao Sheng.

Zhao Sheng lowered his head, staring at the silver notes on the table, and remained silent.

The room fell silent for a few moments.

Zhao Sheng looked up and met Chen Feng's gaze. He pursed his lips and said, "No."

Meng Changgeng was taken aback and turned to look at him.

Zhao Sheng said, "This matter was planned by Commander Qianhu, and he also contributed the most. Moreover, it was you who led us back to the Ming Dynasty, so you should rightfully take the lion's share of the silver."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Meng Changgeng and Hao Dadao.

Hao Dadao nodded: "Old Zhao is right, boss, you can divide it up, I'll listen to you."

Meng Changgeng opened his mouth, then closed it again. He looked down at the two thousand taels in his hand, then at the thick stack on the table, and finally nodded.

Chen Feng looked at the three of them and breathed a sigh of relief.

He was initially worried that with so much silver in front of him, someone might be tempted to spend it.

Looking back now, it seems my judgment of people wasn't too bad.

He took a deep breath and said what he had been preparing all along, "I want to keep two hundred thousand taels."

The three of them looked up at him simultaneously.

Chen Feng slowly said, "You've followed me through life and death, what have you gained? Isn't it just for a future? But what do we have now?"

The three looked at each other in bewilderment.

"My title of commander of a thousand is just a nominal one, and the titles of scholar and inspector with broadsword are also empty names. Old Zhao's position as centurion only has four men under his command. If we want to truly establish ourselves and make merit by killing Tartars in the future, we need to have our own soldiers and our own troops."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Supporting soldiers costs money, buying horses costs money, manufacturing weapons costs money. Settlement allowances, provisions, and rewards—all of these cost money."

After he finished speaking, he looked at the three of them.

None of the three spoke, but they all understood Chen Feng's intention: he wanted to use the money to support the army.

A pang of heartache flashed in Meng Changgeng's eyes. Two hundred thousand taels of silver! Two hundred thousand taels of silver!

If the five of them split the money equally, each person would receive more than 40,000 taels. Now, with 200,000 taels gone, it means he will have significantly less silver in his hands.

He winked at Zhao Sheng and Hao Dadao.

But Zhao Sheng kept his head down, seemingly lost in thought.

Hao Dadao scratched his head, not even looking at him.

Meng Changgeng got anxious and winked at the two of them.

Hao Dadao noticed Meng Changgeng's expression and asked blankly, "Scholar, is your eye twitching?"

Meng Changgeng was so angry he almost fainted.

Chen Feng watched this scene and a slight twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Then it's settled." Before the three could say anything more, Chen Feng started counting the silver notes again.

"I'll keep this two hundred thousand." He put away the thick stack of silver notes and pushed it aside.

The remaining banknotes were much thinner.

"There are still 30,000 taels here." As he spoke, he pushed the 350 taels of loose silver into the 200,000 taels.

He pulled out a few bills and placed them in front of him: "I'll take five thousand taels."

Then push the rest to the center of the table.

"These 25,000 taels will be divided among the four of you, 6,250 taels each."

He divided the stack of silver notes and pushed them in front of the three men.

Hao Dadao stared blankly at the silver notes in front of him. "Boss, I... I have more than you?"

Meng Changgeng also looked down and counted his share. The heartache on his face instantly disappeared, replaced by unbelievable surprise.

He looked at his own documents, then at the few thin sheets of paper in front of Chen Feng, opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Zhao Sheng stared at the silver notes in front of him, remained silent for a long while, then looked up at Chen Feng, "Boss..."

Chen Feng waved his hand: "Alright, put it away. This is something only a few of us know about, keep it to ourselves, and no one is allowed to tell anyone."

The three nodded in unison.

"Let's go back," Chen Feng said. "We still have a long journey ahead tomorrow."

The three of them got up, tucked the silver notes into their pockets, and tiptoed out the door.

After a while, the door was pushed open again, and it was Aji.

Chen Feng beckoned to him, "Come here."

Aji walked over and stood in front of Chen Feng.

Chen Feng picked up a stack of silver notes from the table and handed them to him, saying, "This is your share."

Aji looked down at the stack of silver notes, stunned, and didn't take them.

Chen Feng thought he hadn't understood, so he added, "The silver is yours, take it."

Aji looked up at him, and her eyes suddenly reddened.

He shook his head.

Chen Feng was taken aback. "What? You think it's not enough?"

Aji didn't say anything, but suddenly knelt down on the ground with a "thump".

Chen Feng was startled and quickly went to help him up: "What are you doing? Get up!"

Aji refused to get up, kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down his face.

"Boss... Master..." he stammered, his Chinese broken, "Don't... send Aji away... Aji... be good..."

Chen Feng was stunned. "Who said you were being kicked out?"

Aji cried and said, "On the grassland... Father... gave his son cattle and sheep... which meant... dividing the family... driving him away... Aji doesn't want money... Aji doesn't want to go..."

Chen Feng looked at him and suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

He squatted down, helped Aji up, and pressed him down to sit on the stool.

"Aji, listen to me." He spoke slowly and deliberately, trying to make his words clear, "No one is trying to drive you away. We're family."

Aji looked up at him with tearful eyes, "That...that silver..."

Chen Feng thought for a moment, then took back the stack of silver notes. "Here's what we'll do: I'll keep the silver for you. Whenever you need it, just come and ask me for it. Okay?"

Aji looked at him for a long while, and finally nodded.

Chen Feng patted him on the shoulder: "Alright, go back to sleep. We have to travel tomorrow."

Aji stood up, walked to the door, and looked back at him again.

That look in his eyes seemed to be confirming something.

Chen Fengchong nodded.

Aji pushed open the door and went out.

After everyone left, the room suddenly became quiet.

Chen Feng sat at the table, looking at the remaining five thousand taels of silver notes, then at the thick stack of two hundred thousand taels, and suddenly felt like laughing.

In his past life, he was a soldier and only earned a few thousand yuan a month. But in this life, he suddenly became a multi-millionaire.

But why does being a rich man feel so tiring?

Thinking this, he began to put all the silver notes back into the box.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.