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

"Your Majesty, I believe the Ming Dynasty has been defeated."

The warm room fell into a deathly silence, so quiet that one could almost hear the crackling of the lamp wick.

Chen Feng pressed his head firmly against the gold bricks on the ground, but he could feel the dagger-like gazes on both sides.

Someone on the left shifted, their robes rustling, while someone on the right was breathing noticeably heavier.

Wang Chengen, standing behind Chongzhen, took a half-step forward and then stopped.

After a few breaths, one of the two men standing on the left slowly spoke, "Commander Chen is mistaken."

The voice was extremely gentle, "In this battle of Dalinghe, our Great Ming killed at least 10,000 Eastern Barbarian Eight Banner soldiers and 20,000 Mongol soldiers. Although we lost some troops, the Eastern Barbarians were severely weakened and will be unable to look south in the short term."

The man paused, then continued, "This battle is an unprecedented victory for the Eastern Barbarians, proving the effectiveness of the fortified defense system established by Grand Secretary Sun in Guan Ning. Commander Chen, why do you say it was a defeat?"

Chen Feng remained kneeling on the ground without moving or replying. He simply lay there, waiting for the person behind the dragon table to speak.

Emperor Chongzhen remained silent for a moment, then said, "Minister Chen, what are your thoughts on what Minister Xiong said?"

Chen Feng then raised his head, his back straight despite kneeling.

He turned his head and glanced at the two men on his left. The man who was speaking was over fifty years old, of medium build, with a handsome face, and stood upright but not ostentatious.

The other man looked to be over seventy years old, as burly as an iron tower, with an iron face, sword-like eyebrows, and a bristling beard. Even though he was resting with his eyes closed, he still exuded an imposing aura.

The two men were dressed in red robes; one had a golden pheasant embroidered on his badge, and the other a crane.

Chen Feng turned around and cupped his hands towards Chongzhen, saying, "Your Majesty, I dare to say that although the Battle of Dalinghe killed a large number of Eastern barbarians, it also exposed many long-standing problems in our Ming army."

Emperor Chongzhen didn't speak, he just looked at him.

"Firstly, the command was chaotic. The governor of Ningyuan, Qiu Hejia, repeatedly changed the troop deployment schedule and altered orders from morning to evening. When Dalinghe was first besieged, the Guan Ning Army still had opportunities to fight, but Qiu Hejia hesitated and did not advance until the Eastern Barbarians had built earthen fortifications and dug trenches around Dalinghe before slowly sending out troops. By this time, the opportunity had been lost. Instead of concentrating his forces to achieve a decisive victory in one battle, he insisted on dividing his troops and fighting a piecemeal battle, resulting in the needless loss of nearly 20,000 elite troops."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone on the right shouted, "Insolence!"

Chen Feng looked in the direction of the sound and saw two more red-robed big shots on his right, both with first-rank cranes on their insignia.

The man at the head of the table looked to be about forty years old, with long, slender eyebrows, a high nose, a neatly trimmed mustache, and a long, black, glossy beard that reached his chest. He was slightly less handsome than Tian Wan.

The person who spoke was an elderly minister in his fifties or sixties, sitting at the head of the table. He had a thin face, long eyebrows that reached his temples, and three neatly trimmed tufts of long beard under his chin.

At this moment, her thin face flushed slightly, her long eyebrows furrowed, and her eyes stared coldly at Chen Feng.

"What strategies and considerations do you, a mere military officer, know?" The old minister's voice was not loud, but every word was chilling. "Although Qiu Hejia has been convicted, he was still a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and a high-ranking official in the court, having cultivated his influence in Liaodong for many years. You, a mere military man, relying on your meager achievements, dare to speak ill of a minister before the emperor?"

Chen Feng stared at him, his gaze unwavering and fearless, like a cheetah eyeing its prey.

The old minister was taken aback by his gaze and was about to speak again when Chen Feng withdrew his gaze, lowered his eyes, and stopped talking.

Emperor Chongzhen glanced at the old minister and said in a calm tone, "Grand Secretary Wen, let him finish speaking."

Then, Chongzhen introduced the four high-ranking officials present to Chen Feng—on the left were Sun Chengzong, the military governor of Jiliao, and Xiong Mingyu, the minister of war; on the right were Zhou Yanru, the chief minister, and Wen Tiren, the second minister.

Chen Feng bowed to the four bigwigs one by one, bowing even deeper when he bowed to Sun Chengzong.

He didn't know who the other three were, but he did know who Sun Chengzong was. Although he didn't like the Ming Dynasty, he had great respect for this diligent Ming Dynasty paperhanger.

The one who had just reprimanded him was Wen Tiren. After being interrupted by Chongzhen, Wen Tiren did not speak again. When faced with Chen Feng's bow, he simply snorted coldly and flicked his sleeves.

Chongzhen looked at Chen Feng: "Continue."

Chen Feng kowtowed again, then straightened up. "Secondly, the Eastern Barbarians already have organized artillery units. I have personally witnessed that their artillerymen are skilled in handling cannons, and their firearms are formidable. On the main battlefield, their firepower is no less than that of our Great Ming, and may even be..."

He paused, "It is even superior to that of my Great Ming. Moreover, the quality of the arquebuses of my Great Ming is worrisome. In Liaoxi, I saw that three or four out of ten arquebuses in the army exploded. The soldiers were afraid of the explosions and were unwilling to use arquebuses in battle. Even if they did use them, they would fire with their eyes closed and without any accuracy."

Xiong Mingyu seemed to want to speak, but Chongzhen raised his hand to stop him.

Chen Feng kowtowed and said, "Thirdly, the enemy chieftain Huang Taiji has changed his tactics. Previously, when the Eastern barbarians attacked our fortified villages and cities, they slaughtered indiscriminately. The soldiers and civilians in the fortified villages knew that they would die whether they surrendered or not, so everyone fought to the death. Now, after Huang Taiji besieged the city, he first tried to persuade them to surrender, promising not to kill those who surrendered. In this battle of Dalinghe, I predict that many small fortified villages will surrender at the first sign of trouble."

After these words were spoken, the warm pavilion fell silent for a moment.

Fourthly, the problem of border towns keeping their own retainers.

Upon hearing this, the four ministers reacted with varying expressions.

Zhou Yanru raised an eyebrow slightly, Wen Tiren snorted coldly, while Xiong Mingyu and Sun Chengzong frowned slightly.

"Border generals often embezzle pay and maintain personal guards, who receive double or even triple pay, while the ordinary soldiers suffer from hunger and cold. How can they fight a war?"

Chen Feng then changed the subject, "But the border generals' practice of keeping personal guards is a last resort. Because the army is always short of food and pay, it would be fair if the food and pay were distributed equally, but even if the ordinary soldiers are well-fed, they still can't defeat the Eastern Barbarians, and the personal guards are even less likely to win if they are hungry. In the end, the whole army is exhausted and no one can survive."

These words caused a subtle shift in the atmosphere of the warm room.

Xiong Mingyu nodded slightly, and Sun Chengzong's brows visibly relaxed.

Emperor Chongzhen remained silent, his face so dark it seemed to drip water.

Chen Feng continued, "Fifth, the stockade defense system..."

Next, Chen Feng discussed the shortcomings of the stockade defense system and raised various problems with the Guan Ning Army.

He didn't dare bring up the issue of factional strife because he knew that discussing factional strife was a taboo topic in the late Ming Dynasty. Before he had a sufficient foundation, participating in or opposing it would be tantamount to courting death.

He criticized and praised all parties involved in the Battle of Dalinghe, completely establishing himself as a loyal and upright official.

Because he knew that Emperor Chongzhen in history liked this kind of person.

Thinking of this, he suddenly remembered who Wen Tiren was, the longest-serving Grand Secretary during the Chongzhen era, who also seemed to be a "lone minister".

After he finished speaking, he kowtowed to the ground. "Your subject has finished speaking."

After a long while, Chen Feng added, "What I have said is all nonsense. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

No one spoke.

Emperor Chongzhen sat behind his desk, a slight smile playing on his lips, his gaze fixed on Wen Tiren to his left.

Wen Tiren's lips twitched, and he closed his eyes and said nothing more.

Emperor Chongzhen finally spoke: "You've pointed out so many problems, do you have any solutions?"

Chen Feng lay prostrate on the ground, not raising his head: "Your Majesty, such matters of national importance should be consulted with a wise man like Grand Secretary Wen. This humble subject is but a military man; how could I possibly understand the strategies and considerations involved?"

Wen Tiren's three long tufts of beard trembled. Years of self-cultivation allowed him to suppress his inner anger and remain silent.

The others didn't say anything more.

Emperor Chongzhen watched this scene, pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed deeply. "Alright, everyone disperse. I'm tired."

The group bowed and took their leave.

Chen Feng walked out of the Qianqing Palace and followed the young eunuch through the palace gates until he exited the Chengtian Gate.

Suddenly, an aged yet powerful voice rang out from behind: "Commander Chen, may I have a word with you?"