The New Destiny of the Ming Dynasty

Yang Zhen slept for about 15 minutes on the speeding boat, but the impact and rocking of the centipede boat as it crashed onto the sandbar beach immediately woke him up.

When he woke up, he saw that the beach was full of people who had come to greet him.

This time, waking up suddenly from a short sleep, I no longer felt the bewilderment of not knowing what day or night it was. Instead, I was overjoyed to have learned about the enemy's situation and returned safely.

Yang Zhengang jumped off the centipede boat, and Zhang Degui immediately grabbed him, asking with a mixture of joy and concern, "Why did it take you so long to return? Did you alert the Tartars? Were there any casualties?"

"Old Zhang! What are you talking about! Didn't you see they're all back? All of them safe and sound, that's what you call a victorious return! Hahahaha!"

Xu Changyong and Zhang Degui were about the same age and held the same official position. They had gotten to know each other after spending the last few days together. Seeing Zhang Degui's behavior, Xu Changyong immediately started joking with him, followed by a hearty laugh.

Yang Zhen nodded to Zhang Degui, then went forward to meet Xu Changyong, Zu Keyong, Yuan Jin and others. He then ordered Zhang Chen, Yan San, Yang Zhanao and others to return to their camps to rest, while he and several generals who came to greet him went to Yuan Jin's camp on the island.

Most of the oarsmen and boatmen in Yuan Jin's naval battalion were still living on large ships anchored at the seaside. They were the first to come ashore to rest and recuperate, following him.

Yuan Jin's naval camp was not of high rank or status, but because of its convenient location, their camping conditions were much better than those of the other units in the advance team.

In terms of the daily necessities such as grain, salt, and tea supplied by the imperial court to Liaodong, while others were lacking, delayed, or in arrears, they had "everything they needed".

The salaries were finite, and they dared not touch them easily. But when it came to daily necessities such as grain, salt, tea, clothing, and tents, there were many tricks and shady dealings involved.

The original Yang Zhen might not have understood, but the current Yang Zhen, who came from a previous job as an office director, knew very well that he had done his fair share of things under the guise of public office for personal gain.

Knowing that Yuan Jin's camp was nearby, he led everyone straight to Yuan Jin's main tent without saying a word.

Yuan Jin was a garrison officer in a small naval battalion, much lower in rank than Yang Zhen. Yet Yang Zhen himself didn't have any tents for marching or camping, let alone any grand tents.

All of his subordinates, including himself, lived in makeshift shacks they built themselves.

Several generals came to Yuan Jin's tent and all praised him. Yang Zhen, who was already thirsty, picked up the teapot on the table in the tent and gulped down a bellyful of lukewarm tea.

Yuan Jin, who came in with him, saw Yang Zhen like this and immediately had someone bring him a few cold salted flatbreads with a wry smile.

Upon seeing the flatbread, Yang Zhen, who was already starving, had his eyes light up. Without any hesitation, he took it and began to chew it in large mouthfuls, occasionally pouring the leftover tea from the teapot into his mouth. In just a short while, he had finished three mixed-grain flatbreads.

Yang Zhenfeng finished his pancake in a flash, patted his stomach and let out a burp, only then did he notice that Xu Changyong, Zhang Degui, Zu Keyong, and Yuan Jin were all smiling at him.

Only then did Yang Zhen realize that his position as a hereditary commander of the guards and a deputy general appointed by the imperial court was rather improper. He gave an awkward laugh, then suddenly became serious, and finally solemnly addressed the crowd:

"Gentlemen! This time, the brothers led the scouts and gathered intelligence on the enemy. It was definitely worth the trip! A tremendous achievement and an immense fortune are right before us!"

Yang Zhen's opening remarks immediately captured everyone's attention. His words, delivered with a startling and unconventional style, left the group speechless.

"Brother, tell me quickly! What enemy intelligence have you uncovered?! What incredible achievement has it been?! And what immense wealth has it brought?!"

At this moment, Yang Zhen was no longer in a hurry. He took another mixed flour pancake from Yuan Jin's personal guard, took a big bite, and chewed while looking at the anxious Xu Changyong and Zu Keyong, who, although a little anxious, refrained from asking any questions.

At this moment, Yuan Jin couldn't help but speak up: "Brother! You saw the Tartar camp with your own eyes?! It's unbelievable that the Tartars really didn't set up any defenses along the coast?! Brother, tell me quickly!"

Yang Zhen swallowed a large mouthful of bread with difficulty, and finally said, "That's right! Moreover, this Tartar camp is full of haystacks and granaries. It's obviously the rear camp and important grain storage area of ​​the Tartar army outside Songshan!"

"And most importantly, this camp doesn't house many real Tartars; most of the soldiers are the servants brought along by the real Tartars! They're the Tartars' bondservants! Even those patrolling outside the camp aren't real Tartars, but also the Tartars' bondservants! And most of them are Han Chinese!"

This time, Yang Zhen said all the important things in one breath, which surprised everyone. They were both incredulous and excited!

"You're all seasoned veterans! Do the math yourselves. The Tartar territory is only so big, and how many able-bodied Tartars can there be? This time, the Tartars besieged Jinzhou and Songshan, claiming to have tens of thousands of troops, but I bet only ten or twenty thousand of them were real Tartars! The rest were mostly second-rate Tartars who helped them raise warhorses, transport supplies, and manage camp affairs—basically just some menial laborers! Without real Tartars backing them up, what ability could they possibly have?! Killing them would be as easy as cutting melons and vegetables!"

Looking at the expressions of the generals, Yang Zhen saw that they were excited one moment and doubtful the next. So he used a provocation tactic: "Most importantly, they are in the open, and we are in the dark. They are unprepared, and we are prepared. We will use our intentions to attack their unpreparedness, and then launch a surprise attack. If we still can't achieve anything, then we might as well find a block of tofu and smash our heads against it!"

"Besides, we don't need to confront them head-on! As long as we prepare fuel and gunpowder, it will be a dark and windy night for setting fires. We can just set fires and burn the Tartars' supplies! Once their supplies are burned, won't the Tartars retreat? If the Tartars retreat, won't our achievement be as great as the sky?!"

Yang Zhen's subsequent rhetorical questions were like a series of heavy hammer blows, striking Xu Changyong, Zu Keyong, and Yuan Jin's chests and finally energizing these men whose blood was still hot!

"Fine! I'll do it! I have to do it no matter what! If I can't beat the Tartar cavalry and infantry, can't I at least beat their supply depot?! If I can't beat the Tartar brigadiers, can't I at least beat those second-rate Tartar bondservants?!"

Xu Changyong, his expression agitated and his teeth clenched, pounded his left palm with his right fist, pacing back and forth on the ground, shouting as he did so.

Zu Keyong was a fierce general, and naturally he didn't want to fall behind in battle. Provoked by Yang Zhen, he couldn't hold back any longer. After Xu Changyong finished speaking, he continued:

"That's right! We have to do it no matter what! By launching a surprise attack, we've already won half the battle! If we can burn the Tartars' supplies, our mission to relieve Songshan, or even lift the siege of Jinzhou, will be accomplished in one battle! Commander Yang, I'll go with you!"

As soon as Zu Keyong finished speaking, Yang Zhen was overjoyed. He knew how fierce Zu Keyong was, and he also knew how fierce the hundred soldiers led by Zu Dashou were.

Although the planned "sneak attack" would not require cavalry, especially Zu Keyong's heavy cavalry, Zu Dashou's central army, even without horses, consisted of formidable soldiers.

These one hundred men are enough to be equivalent to the three hundred Mongol soldiers under Xu Changyong's command, and may even be more effective than those three hundred Mongol soldiers.

Therefore, when Xu Changyong volunteered to join the war, Yang Zhen was happy, but not overjoyed. On the contrary, Zu Keyong's words greatly boosted his confidence.

My initial confidence of 70-80% has now increased to 99%.