Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 803 It’s better to surrender
Zhang Xianzhong was flexible and had experienced low points since the rebellion, and he had also been defeated in battles with the Ming army.

What if you lose on the battlefield? As long as you save your life and someone else holds the knife, don't you have a chance to make a comeback with your own ability?

What's more, he now has nearly a thousand old soldiers and four adopted sons around him. The old soldiers are Zhang Xianzhong's real trump card. These people are experienced in battles and are not like the mud legs who were swept here. As long as he has these people, plus Li Dingguo and others, it won't take long for him to form a new team after escaping. He, Zhang Xianzhong, is still the majestic Eighth King.

There is no time to lose, let’s go.

After Zhang Xianzhong made his decision, everyone set off. Soon they found out the direction and confirmed that their location was indeed in Dengzhou as Li Dingguo had judged. Zhang Xianzhong and his men marched according to the plan. In order to avoid being caught by the Ming army, they hid during the day and moved at night. They did not dare to approach towns and only took mountain roads and small paths, first heading south and then west along the mountains and rivers. After more than ten days, they saw that Dangzikou was not far away. As long as they reached Dangzikou, they would take advantage of the Ming army stationed there and rush directly there, then turn around and head south to enter Huguang. By that time, the Ming army that was encircling them would have been left behind by him, and it would be too late for them to pursue them.

Just when Zhang Xianzhong was secretly happy and planning to escape, the situation changed. Before Zhang Xianzhong gave the order to quickly pass through Dangzikou, an army appeared at Dangzikou. This army was not small, with thousands of people. Seeing that the flag was flying the Gao character flag, Zhang Xianzhong could not remember which Ming army general's flag was Gao character flag, but with the appearance of this army, Zhang Xianzhong's heart suddenly sank.

Zhang Xianzhong never expected such an accident to happen. Now a Ming army appeared at Dangzikou and directly blocked his way. Zhang Xianzhong's plan to enter Huguang from Henan through Dangzikou was directly cut off.

If it was half a month ago, when Zhang Xianzhong still had an army of 100,000, how could he have taken this Ming army seriously? He would have ordered an attack without hesitation, even if it meant heaping up human lives to create a way out.

But now Zhang Xianzhong's 100,000-strong army has been wiped out, with only less than a thousand people left around him. Moreover, because he fled after being defeated, all of Zhang Xianzhong's baggage had been lost long ago, and the dry food he carried with him had been almost eaten up in the past few days. If he could not pass Dangzikou and escape from the encirclement of the Ming army, Zhang Xianzhong would starve to death even if he was not captured by the Ming army.

"Is it possible that God wants to kill me?" This thought flashed through Zhang Xianzhong's mind. The party's mouth was blocked, and he couldn't get through with the few people he had. Even if he wanted to fight to the death, he had to have the capital to fight to the death! How could he fight with such a small number of people?

But if we turn around and find a way to escape from other places, our chances are slim. You have to know that if we take other detours except Dangzikou, we will have to walk a long way and cross mountains and rivers, which will take at least half a month.

If Zhang Xianzhong had enough supplies, they could try, but the dry food they brought with them was almost gone. Without food, they could still get by with one or two meals, but if they starved for two or three days, they would not be able to fight, let alone walk.

Besides, even if you take a detour, can you ensure that there are no Ming troops in other places? The various Ming troops are currently looking for their traces. Judging from their attitude, they will not give up until they catch them. If they confront the Ming troops directly, with their small number of people, one can imagine what the result will be.

"Damn it! Why don't we fight the government troops? Even if we die, we must die like men!" Ai Nengqi couldn't help but say. He immediately suggested fighting a bloody way out. As long as everyone fought fast and hard, they might be able to break through a gap before the Ming army could react. Even if the losses were huge, it would be worth it as long as Zhang Xianzhong could escape.

"Kill, kill, kill! All you know is killing! Is it so easy to defeat the party? It would be fine if there were only a few hundred soldiers, but now it looks like there are thousands of them. Can we fight our way out? We might just be wiped out. It would be fine if you die, but what about father? Are you going to let father die in vain?" Liu Wenxiu glared at him. Although Liu Wenxiu usually looked smiling and had a good temper, he was the second oldest among the four brothers. Even the eldest brother Li Dingguo had to give him some face.

Moreover, Liu Wenxiu had much more experience in leading troops in battle than Ai Nengqi. He knew at a glance that the situation at Dangzikou was absolutely untenable. The Ming army had been prepared for it. If they fought hard, the result would be death. Their adopted sons would die, but what about Zhang Xianzhong? Could he take his adopted father with him to die?

"Second brother is right. We cannot fight Dangzikou. It would be fine if we had more people, but with so few people now, we would be seeking death. In my opinion, it is better to turn around and find an opportunity to go to Huguang from other places." Sun Kewang suggested.

"No way!" Li Dingguo shook his head and said, "The dry food we brought is almost finished. We can turn back, but it is extremely difficult to find another opportunity to go to Huguang. Although we can find ways to dig some wild vegetables and hunt some prey to fill our stomachs along the way, it may be possible if there are only a few of us, but don't forget that there are nearly a thousand brothers. If so many people are left without food and starve for a few days, even if they don't collapse, there will be chaos. This method is absolutely not feasible."

"Is this not possible? Are you planning to fight hard like the fourth brother?" Hearing what Li Dingguo said, Sun Kewang, who had always been dissatisfied with him, asked back unhappily.

"Of course a head-on fight won't work. Second brother has made it clear that the Ming army at Dangzikou has been prepared, and their numbers are much larger than ours. It's impossible to rush over, and we may even lose our lives in vain..." "Brother, this won't work and that won't work. I've told you everything. So tell me what should we do now? Do you have some magic power, and you can make a talisman and chant a spell, and then you can fly over with the clouds?" Sun Kewang asked sarcastically in a bad tone.

"Don't talk nonsense, Third Brother!" Zhang Xianzhong shouted and glared at Sun Kewang. Then he looked at Li Dingguo and said urgently, "Big Brother, Dad knows that you have many ideas and good intentions. Have you thought of something? If you have something to say, just say it directly. Don't worry about it."

"Father, my son..." Li Dingguo smiled bitterly. Zhang Xianzhong saw what he was thinking. Zhang Xianzhong was right. He had indeed thought of a solution, but he was still hesitant about whether to say it out loud.

"Although we are not biological father and son, I have always treated you as my own son. Boss, just say what you want to say. You have seen the current situation. There is no way out in front and there are pursuers behind. If we can't escape this disaster, this will be the place where you and I will die. It has come to this point. What is there to say?"

Li Dingguo nodded silently. Zhang Xianzhong was right. It was a matter of life and death. What was there to say? He gritted his teeth and finally told his plan.

Li Dingguo’s plan was actually not difficult. His plan was to surrender.

That's right, surrender! Li Dingguo told Zhang Xianzhong that the current situation could certainly delay for a few days, such as turning around to find another way, or finding a place to hide temporarily, but the problem was whether there was another way, or whether they could hide well and not be discovered by the Ming army, which was unlikely. More importantly, they had no food. People are iron and rice is steel, and they would be hungry if they didn't eat. Without food, they couldn't even walk after a few meals, so how could they escape?

At present, the various Ming troops were searching for them everywhere, so it was impossible to hide their tracks. If they were discovered by the Ming army at that time, the worst outcome would be waiting for them. In addition, Li Dingguo had to consider the brothers in the old camp. Although the brothers in the old camp were all old men who had followed Zhang Xianzhong for many years and were the team he relied on to start his career and survive, when people reached this point, once they had no way out, they would do anything.

Now the brothers in the old camp can still follow Zhang Xianzhong, because there is still a possibility in their hearts that Zhang Xianzhong can lead them to escape. Once this possibility is shattered, who can guarantee what these people are thinking?

By then, because of the lack of food, they might become disloyal and rebel against Zhang Xianzhong. After all, the imperial court wanted Zhang Xianzhong, not small figures like them. As long as they could get Zhang Xianzhong's head to claim the reward, not only would they be able to save their lives, but they might even be able to enjoy wealth and glory.

There are too many situations like this among the bandits. Over the years, many bandit leaders were betrayed by their subordinates and eventually died. Their tribes were either wiped out by government soldiers or annexed by other rebel forces.
In Li Dingguo's opinion, it was not the final step yet, but if it did, it would be too late. While there were still some cards in hand, it was the best policy to surrender to the Ming army. As long as they surrendered to the Ming army and bribed them with the gold and silver they carried, the Ming army might spare Zhang Xianzhong and everyone else's lives. If their lives could be saved, everything would be possible. It would be even better if they could be recruited from bandits to become officers and soldiers. As long as the brothers in the old camp and the four of them were still by Zhang Xianzhong's side, they would have no problem staying in the court or finding an opportunity to rebel again in the future.

"What! You want father to surrender? Li Dingguo, you are a coward, so don't drag father and brothers into this. How could a hero like father surrender to the soldiers? Moreover, once he surrenders, his life and death will be in the hands of others. I think it is obvious that you, Li Dingguo, intend to deceive father and use father's excuse to save your own life!" Sun Kewang expressed his opposition with indignation. In his opinion, the risk of surrendering to the Ming army was too great. What's more, he did not trust Li Dingguo. He concluded that Li Dingguo came up with this idea for himself rather than for Zhang Xianzhong.

Liu Wenxiu frowned and was not as excited as Sun Kewang, as if he was thinking about the possibility of Li Dingguo's words. From a practical point of view, Li Dingguo's method is not unacceptable, but the problem is that Zhang Xianzhong's army is gone, and there are less than a thousand people around him.

If Zhang Xianzhong surrendered to the Ming army when he still had nearly 100,000 troops in the past, the Ming army would definitely accept it and even treat him well. But now it is a different time. Zhang Xianzhong was defeated in both battles. Except for the old camp with less than a thousand people, all other capitals were lost. Now he is no different from a lost dog. If he surrendered under this circumstance, would the Ming army really spare Zhang Xianzhong's life?

Liu Wenxiu's ideas were different from Sun Kewang's, and he knew that there was a conflict between Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo. Sun Kewang had always looked down on Li Dingguo and had always targeted him. It was normal for him to express opposition now. However, Liu Wenxiu also had concerns about Li Dingguo's suggestions. He was not concerned about Li Dingguo's loyalty to Zhang Xianzhong, but about the Ming army and the court, and was considering Zhang Xianzhong.

As for Ai Nengqi, his mind was simpler and he had always believed in Li Dingguo. Zhang Xianzhong was still by his side, so it was not his turn to make decisions. So he could only watch Zhang Xianzhong.

(End of this chapter)