Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 586: Border Tower
Outside the northernmost Ming army fort along the Yalu River, the officer guarding the fort was enjoying lunch in the sunshine with nearly twenty soldiers.

Today's staple food is still wheat steamed buns made from batter boiled with water, with a side of salty soy sauce.

To ensure the soldiers could guard the fort with peace of mind, the grain officer of the Dingliao Right Guard Command, following orders from the Governor's Office, provided these isolated soldiers with extra meat. Sometimes it was salted and smoked bacon, sometimes live chickens, ducks, or even sheep. With a little economy and a small portion per person, they could almost have meat every day.

However, at noon today, the soldiers did not eat the meat allocated to them by the government because earlier, a soldier on patrol outside discovered a wild boar and blew its head off with a musket.

The sudden gunshot immediately put the fort under martial law. Fortunately, the soldier had saved his fellow soldiers' lives with this shot, otherwise the captain would have definitely blown his head off and made an example of him to his fellow soldiers.

"Come, come, the meat is ready! It smells so good!" The veteran who worked part-time as a chef shouted as he brought everyone a large plate of sizzling roasted wild boar meat.

A group of soldiers who were bored and chatting about women immediately turned around when they heard the shout.

"Old Ding, you're finally here! Wait a moment longer! I'm almost done with this bowl of porridge!" A soldier, who had already eaten half a bowl of porridge, stood up with the bowl in hand. He had a keen eye and almost immediately spotted the most delicious piece of meat.

The aroma of roasted pork had also made the others' mouths water, but before they could stand up, a soldier sitting next to the team officer put on a righteous look and began to flatter the team officer: "Hey, hey, hey! You fool, why are you standing up? Who are you competing with? The first piece of meat must be eaten by our Master Qiu! You have no manners at all." While speaking, the soldier did not forget to smile at the team officer "Master Qiu".

Mr. Qiu was very pleased with this, but for the sake of appearances, he still had to put on a respectable and casual appearance. "What do you mean by eating first and then eating? What kind of rules are there for a meal?"

"As the saying goes, without rules, there can be no order," the soldier said with a flattering smile. "When my ancestor was still healthy, if I dared to pick up my chopsticks first, he would definitely have beaten me all the way from the doorstep to the village gate."

"I am not your ancestor." Mr. Qiu scolded with a smile.

"But you are an adult. Shouldn't my ancestors kowtow to you when they see you?" The soldier continued to hit the pole upwards.

This dog-wagging, flattering gesture made everyone nauseous, but it also made those who were about to stand up steady themselves. Only Hu Ranyan, who had stood up at the beginning, was left standing there awkwardly.

Hu Lanyan turned around and gave the fawning soldier a disdainful look. "Who am I competing with?" Hu Lanyan's flattery skills were no less impressive. He turned his "rotten eyes" and stared at Mr. Qiu and said, "I'm the closest, so naturally I have to give Mr. Qiu the first piece!"

"Fuck you. Hurry up and make room for Old Ding. No one can get in." Master Qiu's face was flushed, almost the color of pig liver. This was not only because the soldiers under his command were happy to flatter him, but also because he had just drunk two large bowls of wine.

The government naturally wouldn't provide alcohol to soldiers stationed outside, but as long as they didn't interfere with their duties, drinking wouldn't be punished, and at most they would be fined a small amount of rice. So they would often use their military pay and the skins they occasionally hunted to trade for alcohol with nearby households willing to brew wine.

"Yes." Hu Lanyan nodded and made way for his seat, holding the bowl and walking to Mr. Qiu, squeezing in between the team officer and the flattering soldier.

"What are you doing?" The flattering soldier stared at him with his eyes wide open.

"I have to pick up some meat for our Master Qiu." Hu Lanyan rolled his eyes at the other person.

"Didn't Master Qiu tell you to pick up a dick?" A soldier who was sitting next to Hu Lanyaner moved sideways to allow the cook Lao Ding to squeeze into the crowd with a plate in his hand.

"I'm going to clamp your dick!" Hu Lanyan choked.

"Come, come, come, come." The soldier took a step forward with his left leg.

"Fool." Hu Lanyan rolled his eyes at the soldier and, without waiting for Old Ding to put down his plate, quickly reached out and picked up the piece of meat he had been eyeing and placed it in Mr. Qiu's bowl. "Mr. Qiu, this piece of meat is so fat and delicious. I've been eyeing it since I came here and have been saving it for you. If Old Ding hadn't stolen it, this would have been the best piece."

Old Ding, who had not yet sat down, was stunned when he heard this.

"Old Ding, did you steal food again?" a soldier suddenly asked.

"What nonsense are you talking about, you little brat? How could I eat secretly?" Old Ding stammered.

"If the cook doesn't steal, the crops won't be harvested," Hu Lanyan said. "Why not admit it?"

"What are you admitting? You are slandering my innocence out of thin air!" Lao Ding protested.

"Lao Ding, there's still grease on your lips." Another soldier pointed at the corner of Lao Ding's mouth and said.

"What's wrong with the oil? I'm just trying it out for everyone." Old Ding blushed. "How can it be considered stealing if the cook tries it out?"

"People who have tasted meat have good mouths. They talk better than they sing." Team officer Qiu Ye gave a thumbs-up and deliberately smacked his lips loudly. "The meat is well grilled. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside."

Everyone burst into laughter. They laughed and ate meat at the same time, and the atmosphere was very happy.

"I won't talk to you anymore. I still have to serve a plate of meat to the stage." The old soldier named Ding was really embarrassed. He hurriedly squeezed out of the crowd and walked towards the kitchen shed as if escaping.

The conversation kept going from one topic to another. After Lao Ding left, his comrades quickly forgot about the greasy look on the corner of his mouth.

When Lao Ding, carrying another slightly smaller plate, walked past the crowd in a slightly evasive manner and headed towards the pier, the topic of the soldiers' nonsense shifted from the fatness and leanness of pork to the buttocks of bitches and the wins and losses in gambling.

"Erzhuzi, Wailulubazi, Chougouzi, the meat is ready." Old Ding carried the plate of meat up the steps to the pier, only to find the three soldiers on duty leaning against the parapet, gazing down the river. "What are you looking at?"

"Uncle Ding, I see something moving," Erzhuzi pointed. "I don't know if it's a person." Although this was a frontline lookout, the soldiers often saw animals, not enemies.

"Where is it? I can't see anything." Old Ding's eyes were blurry and he couldn't even see the target that Erzhuzi was pointing at.

"It would be a great thing if you could see it." Lao Ding's son Chou Gouzi took over the conversation and teased.

"How dare you talk to your father like that?" Old Ding had just been mocked and was already a little angry. Hearing the taunts again, he went up and kicked the stinky dog ​​without thinking. But after all, he was his son, so Old Ding's kick didn't pack much power when it landed on his butt.

"Why are you so anxious?" said the stinky dog ​​with a wry smile. "I'm just looking forward to your well-being."

"What a jerk, what a disrespectful thing." Lao Ding patted the stinky dog ​​on the head again. "It looks like a real person," Crooked Donkey raised his hand to cover his forehead and squinted his eyes slightly. "Let's call the police."

"Don't panic, take another look. Everyone is eating. If you report the wrong thing, you might be scolded badly." The stinky dog ​​looked at his father resentfully.

"We really need to be more cautious." Old Ding wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve again.

"No, that's not right. That's a person!" Erzhuzi was sure. He took two steps to the wall near the crowd and shouted to the people who were enjoying their meal: "Hey! Someone is coming!"

Hearing this call, Master Qiu immediately dropped the wine bowl in his hand and was the first to stand up. "Which direction!?"

"River bank, along the river!" Erzhuzi replied loudly.

"How many people?" Mr. Qiu pushed aside the two people beside him and walked towards the pier.

"I don't know yet. It's quite far away and I can only see the silhouette of a person!" Seeing Grandpa Qiu walking towards the pier, Erzhuzi stopped clinging to the parapet and talking.

Mr. Qiu first walked to the water tank next to the parapet and splashed himself twice with the cold water inside. Then he stepped swiftly onto the platform. "Where is the person?"

"It's right over there!" When Erzhuzi led Mr. Qiu over to look from afar, the shadow had already clearly taken on a human form.

Master Qiu observed intently for a moment, confirming that someone was indeed heading this way. He quickly walked over to where Erzhuzi had been standing, leaning against the parapet and shouting to his soldiers, "Put on your armor, load your charges, and fire! Everyone, take your positions!"

"Yes!" Everyone who had already put down their bowls and stood up responded in unison and ran towards their own barracks.

"Load the signal gun and be ready to ignite at any time." Mr. Qiu turned around, said this and left the pier.

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"Hold!" Master Qiu gave the order, and the three riders following him quickly stopped.

"Light the match and aim at those people, but don't open the trigger." Uncle Qiu held the reins in one hand and the rifle in the other. The musket, which was already loaded with powder and bullets, reflected the ripples of the Yalu River on his back.

"Yes." The three riders took off the bird guns hanging on their shoulders, took out the fire starters they carried with them, lit the fuse, and took aim.

"Gee." Mr. Qiu shook the reins lightly, and the horse obediently took small steps.

The four people coming towards them were originally jogging, but when they saw this situation, they immediately changed from running to walking and slowly contracted the triangle escort formation.

"Stop!" Master Qiu observed carefully as he advanced. Finally, about fifteen paces from the enemy, he reined in his horse, halted it, and shouted. However, the two men in Ming army uniforms in front of him turned a deaf ear to his shouts and continued walking without stopping.

"Didn't you hear me tell you not to move?" Grandpa Qiu stretched out his left hand, palm facing outward, and made a "stop" gesture.

Although the two men in front, dressed in Ming army uniforms, still did not understand what the man in front of them, who had a fierce face and was wearing standard grassroots officer armor, said, they obviously understood the "stop" gesture.

"I am Bai Zaiyun, the younger sister of Lady Bai Zaixiang, the chieftain of Ran in Youyang!" Bai Zaiyun said loudly, "My troops have intercepted important military intelligence. I hope your troops can help us deliver this information to Zhenjiang!"

"What the hell are you blabbering about?" Mr. Qiu, a veteran of the frontier army with Korean ancestry, had been earning the salary of a seventh-rank flag officer for years. He had been stationed in Kaiyuan, Tieling, and Kuandian, and over twenty years ago, he had accompanied Admiral Li Rusong back to Korea to fight the Japanese. Mr. Qiu was fluent in Korean and had a basic understanding of Jurchen and Mongolian. But for all Bai Zaiyun's bird-like chatter, he didn't understand a single word.

"I am Bai Zaiyun, the younger sister of Mrs. Zaixiang, the chieftain of Ran in Youyang. My unit has intercepted important military intelligence and I hope to get your assistance." Bai Zaiyun slowed down his speech and repeated it briefly.

"Damn it! Are you southerners?" Back then, when the Youyang Tusi soldiers ventured north along the river to scout the enemy situation around Sudian, they used the fort under Qiu Ye's jurisdiction as their last stronghold. However, Qiu Ye had only dealt with these southern barbarians that one time.

"." Bai Zaiyun also looked confused.

"Fuck." Mr. Qiu cursed softly and was stunned for a long time, not knowing how to continue.

If the people before him were enemies, they could be tied up or chopped up and taken back. If they were friendly troops from the north, they could be questioned about their unit and purpose, then their guard could be lowered and they could be taken back to Dunying. Master Qiu believed that these people before him were most likely friendly troops, but he wasn't sure. After all, the last time the Youyang Tusi soldiers came, they had been notified in advance.

"Sir!" In the end, it was Mangku who took the initiative to speak, breaking the deadlock between the two sides. "Can you understand what I'm saying?"

Hearing the Jurchen language, Master Qiu's brows instinctively frowned. Following the sound, Master Qiu looked intently at Mangku behind Bai Zaiyun and Thirteenth Uncle. Seeing that Mangku's hands were tied with ropes, he felt a little relieved.

"Tell me, what is going on!" Mr. Qiu asked in Jurchen.

Bai Zaiyun and Uncle Thirteen looked at each other and took the initiative to make way for Mangku.

Hearing Master Qiu speaking Jurchen, Mangku's eyes lit up, and he quickly organized his words, saying, "I am from the Hada tribe, carrying a letter from the ancient Beile Wuer to Gao Bangzuo. I had originally intended to find your headquarters and ask you to deliver the letter, but they caught up with me and captured me along the way."

Master Qiu's frown deepened. Although he understood Mangku's words, the amount of information contained in them was overwhelming. Master Qiu was silent for a moment, then picked out the most crucial part and asked, "What did your prince write in the letter?"

"I don't know. I haven't read it. And the letter is written in Chinese characters, which I can't understand." Mangku shook his head and said, "It must be something important."

"Where is the letter?" Mr. Qiu asked again.

"It's on this female official!" Mangku pointed at Bai Zaiyun.

"Female official?" Master Qiu narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing Bai Zaiyun's face. It dawned on him that the person he had just spoken to was actually a woman. However, Master Qiu quickly let it go. After all, the commanders of these southern barbarians were all women, so having more female officials wasn't surprising. "Then tell her to show me the letter and official credentials!"

"But she doesn't understand what I'm saying." Mangku shook his head again.

(End of this chapter)