The New Destiny of the Ming Dynasty

After seeing the lights on the walls of Songshan, Yang Zhen and the others did not linger. Instead, they continued to follow Yang Zhan'ao and headed south.

By this time, it was already past the hour of Chou (1-3 AM). The troops that had been ordered to besiege Tashan and Ajige, and those ordered to besiege Xingshan, had already led their troops to withdraw and returned to the Tartar camp west of Songshan City, where they joined forces with Prince Daishan of the Tartars.

The scout cavalry sent to the east and south of Songshan also received orders to withdraw one after another, because the Zhenghongqi Bayara under Daishan's command, the Tianyou and Tianzhu soldiers of the Three Shun Kings, and the Wuzhen Chaoha Battalion of the Tatar Han Army under Shi Tingzhu had packed their bags overnight and were ready to depart at any time.

Therefore, when Yang Zhan'ao led Yang Zhen and others to the vicinity of the southern camp of the Tartar city again with great care, they did not encounter a single Tartar patrol cavalry team!

On a small hill near the southern camp of the Tartar city, Yang Zhen and his group hid among the ruins, peering into the Tartar camp from afar.

"My lord! This place used to be a military outpost south of Songshan City, but it was destroyed by the Tartars at some point! When my adjutant Zhang and I passed through here before, we stopped here! Back then, looking west, we could see the Tartars patrolling! But now—"

Seeing that Yang Zhen had stopped and was peering westward from a broken wall, Yang Zhanao said this to him.

While listening to Yang Zhan'ao's report, Yang Zhen carefully observed the Tartar camp to the west. The camp was still lit, but there was no one in sight.

Looking further southwest, all I could see was a vast plain under the moonlight, dotted with some trees, and nothing but the whistling of the wind.

Looking further into the distance, where the night sky meets the horizon, there is another black mountain silhouette.

"It seems the Tartars in this camp have also withdrawn! Let's get off and continue our journey westward!"

Yang Zhen followed Yang Zhan'ao, and the others followed Yang Zhen. They descended from the high point of the enemy watchtower south of Songshan City, bypassed the outermost perimeter of the Tartar camp, and headed west.

Wherever the group went, whether it was flat land, high ground, or hills, all the usable trees on the ground had been cut down.

All that remains are tree stumps, some new and some old, and several village ruins that have been abandoned for who knows how long, showcasing the wounds left by the war.

Feeling deeply moved, Yang Zhen did not stop walking, but followed Yang Zhan'ao all the way.

After some time, the two of them climbed up a hill first, came to the edge of a small hill, parted the bushes, and looked ahead. They saw a brightly lit area in the distance below the hill.

Just then, Yang Zhen saw Yang Zhan'ao turn around as if to say something to him, but then he saw a dark figure pounce out from the bushes and pin Yang Zhan'ao to the ground.

Just as Yang Zhen was about to shout, he heard the dark figure who had tackled Yang Zhan'ao turn around sharply and say in an anxious, low voice, "Sir, please be quiet! The Tartars are on patrol!"

Yang Zhen, who was initially a little panicked, immediately relaxed upon hearing the voice. The dark figure was Zhang Chen. However, what Zhang Chen said startled Yang Zhen again.

He quickly crouched down and hid behind the bushes. He heard a soft, rhythmic clatter of hooves coming from below the hill, growing louder as they approached.

Upon hearing the sound of hooves, Yang Zhen quickly turned around and waved urgently to Yan San and Guo Xiaowu, who were climbing up behind him using both hands and feet, signaling them to stop immediately.

Fortunately, Yan San, who was walking in front, had been keeping a close eye on Yang Zhen's figure, and Zhang Chen's deep voice had also reached their ears.

Moreover, Yan Shengsan and Guo Xiaowu were both very alert veterans. Upon hearing that there was an alarm ahead, they immediately lay down and took cover.

They had just concealed themselves when they soon heard a troop of over a hundred Tartar cavalrymen clattering past on the main road a dozen steps below the hill where they were hiding.

Yang Zhen hid motionless in the grass and finally waited until the Tartar cavalry passed by. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard someone in the Tartar cavalry shouting something.

Yang Zhen was startled, thinking that someone on his side hadn't concealed themselves properly and had been discovered by the Tartar patrol. But upon closer listening, he heard that the Tartar cavalry, after their leader's shouts, sped away along the main road at the foot of the hill.

Only after the typing team roared away into the distance did Yang Zhen sit up and let out a long sigh.

This was Yang Zhen's first time encountering a Tartar cavalry at close range during his scouting trip, and one can imagine how nervous he was.

"Ma Liu! What did that group of Tartars say?! Where are they going?!"

Yang Zhen snapped out of his daze and heard Zhang Chen's low voice. Upon closer inspection, he saw that Ma Liu had also emerged from the bushes and come to his side.

Yang Zhen also looked at Ma Liu, who whispered, "I overheard that Tartar officer say that the Great Prince ordered them to hurry to the riverbank to relay the message that the army will cross the river at dawn, and if they are not prepared and a heavy cannon falls, they will be held responsible!"

"Oh dear!? It seems the Tartar army is really retreating! My lord, should we follow them and try to blow up their bridge! That way, their heavy artillery can't get through!"

Yang Zhen was still pondering what he should do next when he heard Guo Xiaowu say in a low, urgent voice.

He almost burst out laughing at these words, but then Yang Zhan'ao slapped Guo Xiaowu on the head and scolded him in a low voice:

"Are you out of your mind?! Isn't it good that the Tartars retreated?! Why do you want to blow up their bridge?! Let's not even talk about whether we can get away unscathed if we blow up the bridge, what good will it do us if the Tartars can't retreat?! Don't you want the Tartars to withdraw their troops?!"

After Yang Zhanao finished speaking, everyone present burst into laughter.

Guo Xiaowu, rubbing his head where he'd been hit, forced a smile and whispered, "That's not what I meant! I was just thinking, if the Tartars want to do something, we'll stop them! I didn't think that much about it!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhen smiled and patted him on the shoulder, saying softly, "You're absolutely right! I would have thought the same thing at any other time!"

"However, the most urgent task now is to get the Tartars to withdraw their troops immediately! Otherwise, not only will we be unable to hold out, but Ningyuan may also be unable to hold out!"

Guo Xiaowu and Ma Liu were a little confused by what Yang Zhen said, but Zhang Chen, Yang Zhanao and Yan San understood it immediately.

At this moment, Zhang Chen asked in a low voice, "So—sir, what should we do next? Should we retreat now, or stay here and do something else?"

By this time, the Tartar cavalry had already gone far away. Yang Zhen then stood up and, using the bushes as cover, looked towards the Tartar camp in the distance to the east of the hill.

Not far below this hill is a wide north-south road, which must have been the official post road built by the Ming Dynasty from Ningyuan to Jinzhou.

The Tartar camps were located a little further east of this official road. From a distance, three large Tartar camps were roughly arranged in a triangular shape, with watchtowers connected to each other and heavily fortified.

At this moment, one can see that the three major camps are brightly lit, and patrols are constantly moving between the camps.

Yang Zhen turned around and saw a dark, rolling hill leading northwest. The trees on the hill had not been cleared away by the Tartars, indicating that the hill was steep and the road was difficult to travel.

"This place is indeed a strategically important and dangerous spot for an ambush! Does any of you know its name?"

"My lord, the hill behind us is called Rufeng Hill! I have been here before! The mountain is full of strange rocks and dense forests. Although it can be used for ambushes, it cannot hide many troops. Although there are ravines and springs on the mountain, they are not enough to supply a large army! It can manage two or three hundred men, but for more than that, we will need to find another water source!"

As soon as Yang Zhen finished speaking, Zhang Chen answered him.

"Breast Peak Ridge?! So this is Breast Peak Ridge?!"

Yang Zhen listened to Zhang Chen's words without saying a word, but his heart was filled with turbulent emotions.

Upon learning that this place was Rufenggang, Yang Zhen hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "I originally wanted to find an opportunity to sneak into the Tartar camp and blow up their cannons! But now it seems the chances are slim!"

At this point, Yang Zhen looked at Zhang Chen and asked him, "In your opinion, do we have a chance to sneak into the Tartar camp?"

After hearing Yang Zhen's words, Zhang Chen was impressed by Yang Zhen's boldness, but also felt somewhat troubled.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Chen finally said, "It's not impossible to sneak into the Tartar camp! But while sneaking in is easy, getting out alive is probably as difficult as climbing to heaven!"

After saying this, Zhang Chen looked at Yang Zhen and continued, "If you insist on blowing up the Tartar cannons, I can risk it! But you bear the future of the vanguard brothers on your shoulders; you must not put yourself in danger!"

"If I were to send you, what are your chances of destroying the Tartars' heavy artillery?! And what are your chances of escaping unscathed after destroying the Tartars' heavy artillery?!"