The New Destiny of the Ming Dynasty

Although Yang Zhen said it was "make do," the conditions in this main hall were actually more than a hundred times better than his shack on the sand island!

At least in this hall, he could stand upright; at least this hall had a sturdy roof, sturdy walls, and a solid, dry, and clean floor.

Even though there was nothing on the ground, no bedding, no bed, it was still much better than his haystack infested with fleas and bedbugs.

Not to mention the curtains that still hang in this hall.

Even though it was covered in incense ash, it was still a hundred times better than Yang Zhen and the others' dirty, musty, and even smelly tattered quilts.

Yang Zhen longed to stay temporarily in this place he had visited in his previous life, to spend the night there, and to try to feel, or rather relive, the memories of his past life that had been fading away and becoming increasingly indifferent in the depths of his heart.

Unfortunately, after he said that, he was met with opposition from almost everyone else. They all looked at him with disbelief, as if he were a madman.

"My lord! This is the enemy's front line! The very front of the two armies where the Tartars are lurking! Right now, there's chaos and turmoil outside Songshan City. If the Tartar troops patrol here, we'll be surrounded and wiped out!!"

Yang Zhen used to enjoy doing dangerous and crazy things, but he never actually went this far. So after hearing Yang Zhen's words, Zhang Chen and the others remained silent, but Yang Zhan'ao quickly stepped forward to stop him.

"Besides, our lord has already led us to victory in two consecutive battles! There's no need for us to take such risks again!"

Seeing Yang Zhan'ao speak these words with such anxiety, and seeing the others nodding repeatedly despite their silence, Yang Zhen understood their meaning. He then looked around the hall and said to everyone with a wry smile:

"After leading you on a journey through the sea for several days, and then spending a few more days in the wilderness on that sand island, I've almost forgotten what life is like! I'm even starting to miss the comforts of a secluded paradise! Oh well! Let's go, let's take advantage of the darkness and continue exploring towards Songshan!"

Yang Zhen extinguished the torch and was about to shoulder his musket again when he heard Zhang Chen say in a low voice, "How about this, sir? You take a few men and rest here while we wait! Let Zhan'ao and me go ahead and scout out the route first!"

Zhang Chen noticed that Yang Zhen had been momentarily distracted and assumed he was a little tired.

Yang Zhen's tireless efforts these past few days had indeed been hard-working, and his subordinates had noticed his struggles. So, after hearing what Yang Zhen said, this rough and tough man in his forties actually felt a little sorry for him.

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhan'ao thought it made sense, so before Yang Zhen could object, he immediately added, "That's true! Sir, why don't you wait here for a while and take a rest? Let me and Lieutenant Zhang go scout ahead first! It's dangerous up ahead, and too many people rushing around recklessly could easily lead to trouble!"

"Alright! Yan San, Xiao Wu, and I will stay here to rest and wait! You two take Ma Liu with you! After all, Ma Liu has been to Songshan to deliver grain, so you can listen to what he has to say!"

Ma Liu was timid and didn't want to go, but since Yang Zhen had said so, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow Zhang Chen and Yang Zhan'ao out of the Empress's Palace.

Under the cover of darkness, the three men hid and moved slowly westward, carefully groping their way through dense thickets, bushes, and tall grass.

Accompanied by Yan San and Guo Xiaowu, Yang Zhen stayed in the main hall of the Niangniang Palace.

After Zhang Chen and the others left, he sent Yan San and Guo Xiaowu to take turns keeping watch outside the hall. He then tore down a curtain hanging in the hall, wrapped it around himself, extinguished the torch, and went to sleep to recover his strength.

Yang Zhen slept soundly until the middle of the night when he was suddenly awakened by someone calling his name. It was Yan San: "Sir! Sir, wake up! Commander Yang is back!"

As Yan San was speaking, Yang Zhen heard footsteps outside the hall, and then two people entered through the open hall door.

Although the main hall was dimly lit, Yang Zhen, who was used to such dim lighting, was still able to identify the other party from their familiar figures. The newcomers were Yang Zhan'ao and Guo Xiaowu.

"My lord! There are two Tartar camps in the west and south of Songshan City right now! The camp in the south of the city is brightly lit, but there are not many Tartars to be seen. Only Tartar patrol teams appear from time to time in the camp! A few miles further south, however, there is no sign of Tartar patrols!"

"We took a huge detour before finally getting close to the western camp of the Tartars. The western camp wasn't well-lit, but it was extremely difficult to approach! Even a mile or two outside the camp, Tartar cavalry patrols were constantly going back and forth! One after another, the defenses were very tight!"

At this point, Yang Zhan'ao took a breath and continued, "Lieutenant Zhang's idea is that it's too dangerous for you to go west and approach the enemy camp. It would be better to simply retreat! He and Ma Liu can remain in ambush near the Tartar camp west of the city and continue to monitor the Tartars' movements! Everything else can be discussed at dawn! I agree with this, sir. Please think it over carefully!"

Upon hearing Yang Zhan'ao's report and Zhang Chen's and his own suggestions, Yang Zhen remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. After a moment of contemplation, he asked Yang Zhen, "On your way west from the Empress's Palace, did you encounter any Tartar patrols or sentries?"

"We didn't encounter any Tartar sentries! The path that Lieutenant Zhang led us along was entirely through dense groves of trees, thickets, tall grass, mudflats, and gullies! There were no roads at all; a large group couldn't possibly pass! It seems the Tartars didn't see the need to station anyone there! However—"

"On our westward journey, we encountered Tartar patrols three times from a distance! The closest we came was when the Tartar cavalry was only about ten paces away from us. We lay prone in the roadside ditch, covered in mud and water, while the Tartars rode past without noticing us!"

At this moment, Guo Xiaowu relit the torch, and the hall was immediately illuminated. Yang Zhen looked at Yang Zhan'ao and saw that he was indeed covered in mud and water. His military jacket, which was already so dirty that its original color was unrecognizable, was now so filthy that it was unbearable to look at.

Judging from his appearance, he was more like a homeless beggar than a military officer.

"Don't worry! Everything's fine! Now that the false Tartar emperor has withdrawn, the other Tartar troops outside Songshan City will likely follow suit soon! At this point, their focus is no longer on this city! As long as we are careful, nothing will happen!"

Zhang Chen knew he couldn't persuade Yang Zhen not to take the risk, which is why he sent Yang Zhan'ao back to report. But after hearing Yang Zhen's words, Yang Zhan'ao knew he hadn't convinced Yang Zhen to continue scouting westward either.

He looked at Yang Zhen, then at Yan Shengsan, hoping Yan Shengsan would also try to persuade him.

Yan Shengsan understood and was about to speak when Yang Zhen waved his hand and decisively said, "Let's go! Zhan Ao, lead the way! We'll go outside Songshan City and meet up with Zhang Chen and the others!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Shengsan could only offer Yang Zhanao an apologetic smile, then got up, packed his things, and followed Yang Zhen out of the main hall.

Yang Zhanao was also helpless, but at this point, he had nothing to say. He immediately told Guo Xiaowu to put out the torch, and the two of them followed him outside.

The moon had somehow emerged from the clouds and cast a silvery glow over the main hall of the Empress's Palace.

Led by Yang Zhan'ao, the four left the Niangniang Palace, bypassed the rather large complex of buildings, and hurried westward.

The hilly highland where Songshan City is located is only four or five miles away from the Niangniang Palace. Moreover, this time Yang Zhan'ao was familiar with the route and did not encounter the Tartars' patrol cavalry in this area.

The group traveled under the moonlight, like wandering ghosts, hunched over and crouching low, quickly crossing the wilderness, meadows, forests, and the ruins of abandoned villages and fortresses.

Before long, Yang Zhen emerged from a patch of tall grass and saw in the distance the imposing outline of Songshan City, standing atop a high ground.

The city walls of Songshan were dotted with lights, which looked like twinkling stars from a distance. However, if you looked closely, you could vaguely see the figures of the soldiers patrolling the city walls, flashing past the tall crenellations.

The flickering lights on the city wall, when seen by Yang Zhen, instantly brought him a sense of warmth in the darkness.