Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 654 Li Fei's Wish

At this point, Li Fei, who was usually calm and composed, became agitated and said bitterly, "Back then, I was just a boy of about ten years old. I was carefree every day. Besides practicing archery and horsemanship and reading military books, I spent the rest of my time going hunting with my father, competing in wrestling with the younger brothers in the tribe (Note 1), and dreaming with my friends about returning to the grasslands one day and holding a grand Naadam festival like our ancestors... But the arrival of the Embroidered Uniform Guard shattered all of this. They led the local soldiers to surround and annihilate our tribe. All ninety-one people in our tribe were wiped out except for me... After escaping death, I swore to the heavens that I would only do one thing in this life: overthrow the Ming Dynasty and kill the Ming emperor!"

After listening, Liu Ye seemed to be deep in thought. "So, national hatred has turned into personal vendetta... With your personal abilities, it's clear you couldn't accomplish this goal, especially since you were constantly being hunted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, from the north to the south. So, after meeting me, you wanted to use someone else to do your dirty work and use my power to achieve your wish?"

“That’s right!” Li Fei replied, “Ever since I saw the ‘Far Voyage’ ship, which can travel a hundred miles a day, in the port of Macau, I knew that you, General, were no ordinary man. After careful inquiries, I learned about your actions in Qiongzhou Prefecture and wanted to find an opportunity to get close to you. Later, Wei Zhong’s pursuit of me to Guangzhou created an opportunity for me to join the Qionghai Army. As long as it can lead to a change of dynasty and the killing of the Ming Emperor, I am willing to serve you, General!”

Liu Ye was silent for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Can I trust you? After all, you are a descendant of the Mongol prime minister who was determined to overthrow the Ming Dynasty and restore the Yuan Dynasty. Don't you want to borrow troops to restore the country?"

"A person should know their own limitations. Although I have been well-versed in military strategy since childhood and am skilled in archery and horsemanship, I once considered myself to be both literate and martial. However, I have found that in the face of the general and Master Liang's masterful skill, my personal martial prowess is truly insignificant. No matter how skilled my fists and feet are, can they compare to firearms? No matter how powerful my bow and arrows are, can they compare to cannons? Not to mention the massive, thousand-ton-long cannon ships—the bombardment of the Shimazu clan's Tsurumaru Castle taught me that the firepower of a fleet is enough to destroy a city. This world ultimately belongs to you, General. The era of Mongol horse archery is over..." Li Fei said calmly. "As for borrowing troops to restore the country, that is even more impossible. The Qionghai Army was created by you, and you are the soul of this army. No one else can take it away from you."

Seeing Liu Ye remain silent, Li Fei added another bargaining chip to gain his trust: "If the general still has any doubts about me, I can present the Imperial Seal of the State to the general as a sign of sincerity. However, it is buried underground in the northern desert, and it will take time to retrieve it."

"The Imperial Seal of the State is really in your hands?" Liu Ye looked up in surprise. Although as a time traveler, he wasn't particularly interested in the legendary Imperial Seal of the State—the world was won through strength, not by a seal—he knew the significance of this item in the minds of the ancients. Li Fei and his clansmen had collected it for hundreds of years, and the fact that he was willing to offer it up showed his sincerity.

Li Fei proudly declared, "The three things that Zhu Yuanzhang regretted most in his life are almost all related to us. My ancestor, Kökö Temür, wasn't captured by him, and his descendants haven't been able to capture him either. The Imperial Seal of the State is also in our hands, and even though the Ming Dynasty was on the verge of collapse, we still haven't obtained it!"

Liu Ye stared into his eyes and asked, "You are indeed very sincere. But I have another question: having carried this mission for so many years, how can you give up so easily?"

A hint of melancholy flashed in Li Fei's eyes: "No matter how proud my ancestor was, he was ultimately just a subject. His name didn't contain the characters 'Borjigin,' and he wasn't a descendant of the Golden Family. His attempt to restore the country on his own was illegitimate. My grandfather and father had already shown this kind of thinking, which naturally influenced me as well. If it weren't for the sudden massacre of my entire family, I wouldn't have thought of seeking revenge against the Ming emperor—as long as I could achieve my goal of revenge, I wouldn't care who became the emperor of the new dynasty."

Hearing him say that, Liu Ye suddenly recalled a scene at the Tianjin dock and asked, "You're so eager to switch from being a naval captain to the yet-to-be-established Marine Corps. Is that something you're thinking about?"

"Exactly. No matter how powerful the naval guns are, they can't reach Beijing and won't harm a single hair on the Ming emperor's head. By joining the Marine Corps, there's a possibility of cooperating with the Marines to attack the capital, and I'll have the chance to witness the downfall of the Ming Dynasty and the death of Chongzhen."

Liu Ye breathed a sigh of relief. Li Fei's actions—voluntarily surrendering the Imperial Seal, going from a powerful ship captain to applying to join a new unit and start from scratch—all demonstrated that Li Fei's sole aim was revenge against the Ming Dynasty and the emperor; he harbored no illusions of seeking military assistance to restore the Ming. Therefore, setting aside his mission and identity, as a subordinate with considerable military talent, he remained trustworthy.

"Alright, I've decided to trust you and give you one chance. But if I find out that you've done anything in the military that would be detrimental to me or the Qiong Navy, I will make you disappear from this world, and there will be no second chance."

Li Fei placed his right hand over his chest, performed a Mongolian bow, and respectfully replied, "Please rest assured, General, Li Fei has absolutely no ulterior motives."

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now. I understand. You can go now."

When Li Fei reached the door, Liu Ye remembered something and asked, "What should we do with Wei Zhong, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard? Do you want to kill your enemy yourself?"

Li Fei calmly replied, "Although he chased me to Guangzhou, he was not the one who slaughtered my people back then. Therefore, it is up to the general to decide how to deal with him."

Liu Ye nodded. "By the way, did you just pick this Chinese name randomly, or does it have some origin?" This had been a question in his mind for a long time. It was because this kind of name was very common in later generations, and it was also very common in the Ming Dynasty.

“Originally, all the Han names in my branch of the family were surnamed Wang, but to avoid suspicion, we used my mother’s surname in public—my mother’s surname was Li. As for my given name, it was taken from Karakorum. My ancestors fled here with Emperor Hui of Yuan and made it their capital. Karakorum was also the royal court of the ancient Xiongnu Khanate and the place where they worshipped the dragon god, hoping to soar to the sky like the dragon god and fulfill their grand ambitions. So, the single character Fei was taken, and my Han name is Li Fei.”

"I see!" Liu Ye asked curiously, "Oh, and what does 'Borte Chino' mean in Mongolian?"

Liu Ye paused, then straightened his chest. "Boride Chino means 'blue wolf' in Mongolian."

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Note 1: Boke is one of the traditional sports and entertainment activities of the Mongolian people. People on the grasslands call Mongolian wrestling "Boke". It is the first of the three major sports of the Mongolian people (wrestling, horse racing and archery).