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

Chen Feng entered the warm room, where the candlelight illuminated it brightly.

He lowered his eyes and walked in, his gaze fixed on the gold bricks at his feet. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed several people standing on either side of the dragon table, dressed in red robes, their rank badges obscured.

He walked to the center, knelt down and kowtowed, "Your humble servant Chen Feng greets Your Majesty."

There was no sound from above.

Chen Feng remained in the kowtow position, his forehead pressed against the floor tiles, when someone coughed softly to his left.

After a few breaths, a voice came from above: "Minister Chen, rise and speak with your head raised."

The voice was young, but hoarse, and carried a hint of fatigue.

Chen Feng stood up and raised his head.

Behind the dragon table sat a young man, dressed in a bright yellow robe, with a thin face, high cheekbones, and slightly bluish eye sockets.

Chen Feng then noticed that behind Chongzhen stood a eunuch in a python robe, who was likely Chongzhen's confidant, Wang Chengen.

Emperor Chongzhen sat very upright, but his spirit seemed to be forced, as if he would collapse if he relaxed even slightly.

This is Emperor Chongzhen, Zhu Youjian, who was only twenty-one years old. (Zhu Youjian was born in 1611; in the Ming Dynasty, age was generally calculated using the traditional Chinese age reckoning).

Looking at that face, Chen Feng recalled the portrait of Emperor Chongzhen that he had seen in later generations.

The portrait of Emperor Chongzhen was dignified and imposing, but when he saw the real Chongzhen, he found that he was very different from the portrait.

What will a 21-year-old young man be like in future generations?

He was probably still studying, arrogant and proud, thinking he was omnipotent and could stir up trouble in the world.

But Chongzhen saw none of these things; all he saw was deep weariness.

Emperor Chongzhen squinted and scrutinized Chen Feng, his eyes revealing suspicion and vigilance.

Like a dog guarding a pile of rotten meat, afraid that the meat will be stolen, and also afraid that the meat has gone bad.

Chen Feng stood under the table, dressed in a dark red flying fish robe, with a jade belt around his waist, and a young and handsome face under his black gauze hat.

He stood ramrod straight, meeting Chongzhen's gaze without flinching or looking away.

Emperor Chongzhen's lips twitched slightly. "What a fine young general. I heard from Deng Liangfu that you are twenty-two this year?"

"Your Majesty, I am twenty-two this year, and will be twenty-three at the beginning of the year."

This is the register that Li Ruolian made for him; he was born on the sixth day of the first month of the thirty-eighth year of the Wanli reign.

"At the age of twenty-two, you dared to lead dozens of men to bomb the Eastern Barbarians' gunpowder depot." Chongzhen tapped his fingers lightly on the dragon table. "No wonder He Kegang praised you in his memorial, saying that you are 'exceptionally brave and resourceful, a talent unparalleled in this era.'"

Chen Feng lowered his eyes and said, "I dare not accept such praise, General He is too kind."

"Overpraise?" Chongzhen chuckled. "In the battle of Dalinghe, Zu Dashou was besieged, and more than forty large and small fortresses either surrendered or fell. Qiu Hejia provided reinforcements three times, but suffered more than 15,000 casualties. The defeat was irreversible, and the entire court was waiting to see me make a fool of myself."

He picked up the initial reports of merits and achievements, waved them in his hand, and said, "And you, on the other hand, performed an extraordinary feat, turning the tide of the battle when we were on the verge of defeat."

Chen Feng did not respond.

Emperor Chongzhen paused, then said, "Tell me in detail what exactly happened that day. Begin with the moment you received Wang Yingchao's order, and recount it sentence by sentence."

Chen Feng responded with a "Yes" and began to speak.

He first recounted how Qiu Hejia ordered the army to cross the Xiaoling River under cover of fog on September 16th, then he mentioned that he had been temporarily promoted by Song Wei to garrison Jinzhou, and that Wang Yingchao had ordered him to scout the heart of Yizhou...

When he spoke of his infiltration of the camp and the killing of Gultai, he deliberately obscured the details because he did not want Emperor Chongzhen and the officials outside the capital to know about Liang Siye and the Shanxi merchants for the time being.

Then Chen Feng recounted how they set up the detonation mechanism for the gunpowder depot and how they escaped from Oroisechen's clutches.

When he spoke of the explosion, he looked up and said, "I had already ridden my horse two miles away from the camp, but I could still feel the aftershocks and heat of the explosion. When I turned back, the entire camp had been blown up, and a cloud of fire rose into the sky, a hundred feet high."

Emperor Chongzhen leaned forward, placed his hand on the imperial desk, and his eyes lit up. "A hundred zhang?"

"I estimate it will be higher than it will be lower," Chen Feng said, cupping his hands. "When the fiery cloud rose, it illuminated an area of ​​more than ten miles in radius, and I estimate it could be seen from twenty miles away."

Emperor Chongzhen took a deep breath, leaned back in his chair, and his fingers trembled slightly.

He recalled Zu Dashou's report that the fiery clouds could indeed be seen from the top of Dalinghe City.

"Go on," Chongzhen took a few deep breaths before his voice calmed down, "You just said you were no match for that Oroqen, so how did you kill him?"

Chen Feng continued recounting the pursuit of Oro Saichen, specifically mentioning the bravery of Qin Shouyi and the garrison troops in Yizhou, saying that without them, he would not have been able to kill Oro Saichen.

Emperor Chongzhen did not speak, but his expression became somber.

Chen Feng then recounted how he led his men to a fortified village in the northwest of Yizhou and wiped out all the Tartars inside.

Emperor Chongzhen's brow furrowed as he listened: "You also attacked fortified villages? Why wasn't that mentioned in your report of victory?"

Chen Feng cupped his hands and said, "I only killed the Tartars in the fort. I was thinking of traveling light and keeping my journey back to the pass, so I didn't cut off any heads and therefore didn't report my achievements."

Actually, everyone was so embarrassed about killing those Han Chinese bondservants that they forgot to cut off their heads.

However, Chen Feng's expression was calm, and Chongzhen did not see through his disguise.

"You are indeed honest," Chongzhen said slowly. "If it were someone else, even if no one was actually beheaded, they would still have to fabricate a false number to report."

Chen Feng cupped his hands in greeting, "Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, remained silent for a moment, and then asked, "I heard from Deng Liangfu that you wanted to go beyond the Great Wall to collect the remains of your subordinates before your audience with the Emperor?"

"Yes."

Why?

Chen Feng knelt down and said, "I promised them I would take them home... but I did not mean to disrespect Your Majesty. Please forgive me!"

Emperor Chongzhen remained silent.

The warm room quieted down, with only the occasional crackling of the charcoal brazier.

He looked at the young man under the dragon table and suddenly felt a little dazed.

What this person said was different from what he usually saw and heard.

Those people in the imperial court were all thinking about seizing credit and power, framing their political enemies, and the lives of soldiers seemed to be just numbers in their eyes.

But this young man, just as Deng Liangfu said, was a man who cherished his troops, and... he wasn't particularly greedy for credit.

Chongzhen suddenly felt even more exhausted. He gently pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "I never said I would punish you. Get up."

Chen Feng kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Then he slowly got up.

"Having performed such a great service, what reward do you desire?"

"I dare not take credit. This achievement is all due to the strategic planning of my lords behind the scenes and the heroic sacrifice of my soldiers on the front lines. I have only done what I was supposed to do."

Emperor Chongzhen suddenly laughed. "What you're saying sounds familiar. Those who ask for money and grain in their memorials all say they 'dare not claim credit,' and then list ten or eight reasons why they should be rewarded. But you, when I ask you what you want, you push all the credit onto others."

"I am telling the truth."

"The truth?" Chongzhen nodded. "Very well, then I ask you, all the officials believe that this battle severely damaged the main force of the Eastern Barbarians, and is an unprecedented victory for our dynasty. What does Minister Chen think?"

Upon hearing Chongzhen's words, Chen Feng felt the air around him grow colder.

The red-robed officials who had been standing motionless nearby seemed to turn their heads slightly, making a rustling sound as their clothes rubbed together.

Chen Feng took a deep breath, kowtowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I dare to beg you to pardon my slip of the tongue."

Emperor Chongzhen's brows twitched. His gaze swept over the four people standing under the table, then returned to Chen Feng. "Speak, and I will pardon you."

With his forehead pressed against the ground, feeling the gazes fixed on him, Chen Feng slowly spoke, "I believe that the Ming Dynasty... has been defeated."