The New Destiny of the Ming Dynasty

Once ashore, Yang Zhen found himself on a wide, solid surface, and felt an unusual sense of security.

The first thing that caught their eye was a fence made of tall, closely packed logs standing side by side. This well-preserved fence enclosed a large black camp on this plain on the north bank of the Xiaoling River.

Zhang Chen bowed and approached Yang Zhen, whispering, "Sir! There's no one in the watchtower! The camp gate is wide open, and there's no one nearby!"

Hearing Zhang Chen's words, Yang Zhen felt even more at ease and led the few people behind him to stride towards the former Tartar camp.

Just as Zhang Chen said, at least the front half of this camp, which was the area where the troops were previously stationed, is now an empty camp.

"Ma Liu! You're familiar with this camp, so lead the way! Take me to see Daishan's residence here, and also the residence of that Beizi Luotuo you mentioned!"

Just a few days later, when Ma Liu returned to this place, his status was completely different. Before, he was a servant in this camp, having to do all sorts of hard, tiring, and dirty work during the day, and being summoned by some Tartar superior to sleep with him at night. It was like hell.

But now, those arrogant Tartar masters have all run away, while I, along with the commander of the vanguard battalion who is specifically tasked with fighting the Tartars, have arrived at the empty Tartar camp.

Ma Liu took the lead, quickly traversing the former Tartar camp with Yang Zhen and the others. The once-familiar scene before them now seemed like a distant memory.

Yang Zhen was right to bring Ma Liu along, because the Tartars' previous garrison and grain storage camp was very large. Without someone in the know to guide them, it would be difficult for them to find the place where Daishan or Loto had stayed.

At the same time, Yang Zhen felt extremely fortunate to have entered the camp through the main gate. He was fortunate that he had launched a surprise attack from the coast, and that after entering the Tartar camp, they went directly to the Tartar's rear camp where they stored their provisions.

If the attack is launched from the main gate or the west, with his small force, even if he manages to blow up the camp's palisades, he still won't be able to reach the rear camp where supplies are stored.

Meanwhile, Ma Liu led Yang Zhen and the others quickly through the front camp area of ​​the Tartar camp. Right in the middle of the camp, below an artificially constructed platform, Ma Liu stopped and pointed to the remaining chevaux-de-frise, fences, and other debris on the platform. He said to Yang Zhen:

"My lord! When the Tartar prince was in charge here, he stayed in the large tent he set up here! Later, the Tartar prince left with his tent! The Tartar prince, Loto, moved his own tent to this place! Now it's all empty!"

Yang Zhen listened to this without saying a word, walked past several haphazardly placed barricades, and climbed up a set of steps to the platform that was about one person high.

The platform was covered with a thick layer of wooden planks, and the ground beneath the gaps between the planks was made of rammed earth and stones. Standing on this platform and looking south, the direction of the Niangniang Palace was pitch black, with only the Songshan City area to the southwest showing some faint light.

Yang Zhen stood on the high platform and looked up at the sky. He didn't know if it was because the burning of the reeds along the coastline produced too much smoke, or if it was just a cloudy day. In any case, there was no moonlight tonight, and the starlight was dim. From his perspective, the visibility at night was only a dozen steps away.

Thinking of this, Yang Zhen said to the few people following him, "The Tartars have already abandoned this camp! There's no need for us to linger here any longer! The Niangniang Palace isn't far from here, only a few miles away. There's a bridge over the Xiaoling River, and a road ahead. We should go and take a look!"

As a time traveler, Yang Zhen always habitually seeks the opinions of others before doing anything. However, most of the time, people in this era usually have no objections to the arrangements made by their superiors.

This time is no different.

After Yang Zhen asked the question, he did not receive a reply. The people around him took his words as an order and turned to leave without saying a word.

The group retraced their steps, passed through the empty campsite filled with abandoned debris, exited the camp gate, and headed straight for the small bridge.

Upon reaching the bridge, the group went down into the reeds, dragged the small boat out again, retrieved several unlit torches, and brought a batch of hand grenades. They then tied the boat's rope to a wooden post at the bridgehead before leaving once more.

Yang Zhen, carrying a musket and a bag full of ammunition, walked in the middle of the column, quickly crossed the small bridge rebuilt by the Tartars, and hurried southwest along the ruts on the ground.

At this moment, in addition to carrying a musket and ammunition, Yang Zhen also carried eight iron grenades provided by Li Lu on his chest and left waist.

The total weight of everything he was carrying exceeded thirty kilograms.

However, in this life, Yang Zhenyong has a tall and strong physique. Even though he has been running around and working hard for days and is very tired, he can immediately recover his vigorous state after a little rest and adjustment.

The weight of over 30 kilograms on his back did not have much of an impact on him, and he still walked with a vigorous stride.

Of the others, apart from Ma Liu who was rather thin, Zhang Chen, Yang Zhanao, Yan San, and Guo Xiao were all strong and sturdy. They were able to survive in such a harsh and dangerous environment. If they weren't physically fit, they probably would have died long ago.

Ma Liu had been to the Niangniang Palace camp before, and with his guidance, Yang Zhen and his group didn't need to scout around, saving a lot of time and energy, and their progress was very fast.

As they traveled, they didn't see a single Tartar patrol or human figure in the dark wilderness. Only the occasional animal darting through the grass or woods could startle them.

All that remained were the sound of the wind, their own low footsteps, and the occasional howl of wolves piercing the night sky.

After walking southwest for about 15 minutes, Yang Zhen saw what appeared to be a three-way intersection not far away. Combining his memories of the location of the Niangniang Palace and Xiaoling River from his later life, Yang Zhen immediately stopped and called out to Ma Liu and the others.

Once everyone had gathered around him, Yang Zhen pointed to the deep ruts on the ground, then to the fork in the road ahead, and asked Ma Liu, "There are two roads ahead of these ruts. Which one should we take?"

Ma Liu replied briskly, "Sir! Follow these cart tracks all the way forward, and you'll reach the outskirts of Songshan City! This one—"

Ma Liu pointed to the cart tracks that turned south not far ahead and said, "If you continue south along this track for about a mile, you'll reach the Empress's Palace!"

At this point, Ma Liu suddenly said with a puzzled look, "Usually when we transport grain to this intersection, there are always large numbers of Manchu Plain Yellow Banner or Bordered Yellow Banner soldiers checking us! But now, there's not a soul in sight! Could it be that there aren't any Tartars at the Empress's Palace anymore?!"

Ma Liu's question was soon answered.

Yang Zhen hesitated for only a moment near the three-way intersection before choosing to trust Ma Liu this time. Then, the group followed Ma Liu and quickly turned south at the intersection.

By this time, Yang Zhen had already made his own judgment. If the Manchu false emperor Huang Taiji was still camped in the Niangniang Palace, the area within several miles of this place would probably already be heavily guarded.

Even the abandoned grain and supplies camp won't be deserted and empty. As long as Huang Taiji is still at the Niangniang Palace, an elite army will be stationed there no matter what.

Yang Zhen was quite self-aware; he knew that the Tartar army would not have made such a large-scale operation and sacrifice just to lure a small fry like him ashore.

Therefore, when the gate of the Niangniang Palace finally came into view, Yang Zhen did not hesitate at all. Instead, he took down his musket and walked straight toward the gate of the Niangniang Palace.

Zhang Chen, Yang Zhan'ao, and Yan San were not fools. They had all arrived outside the mountain gate, but had not seen a single Tartar guard. They already understood that the Tartars stationed around the Niangniang Palace had already withdrawn.

All these signs indicate that it was true, not a fabrication, that Yang Zhan'ao and Guo Xiaowu encountered a large Tartar army crossing the river northward in the afternoon.

Following Yang Zhen, the group finally arrived at the main hall of the second courtyard of the Niangniang Palace.

The hall was dimly lit and gloomy, but completely empty except for rows of tall pillars.

The statues of the Heavenly Empress in the Niangniang Palace, as well as the statues of Guanyin Bodhisattva, the Sea Patrol Yaksha, the Sea Chasing Yaksha, and other Bodhisattvas, gods, and strongmen, have all disappeared. It is unknown where they were moved to by the Tartars who believe in Lamaism and Shamanism.

Yang Zhen had Zhang Chen light a torch, and the hall was immediately brightened. The layout of the hall was completely changed, seemingly transformed by Huang Taiji, who was stationed there, into a place for holding "court meetings" and discussing military affairs.

"It seems this is where the Tartar leader Huang Taiji is staying outside Songshan City! Perhaps we should make do here for the night!"