My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 237 Is there really any hope for the Ming Dynasty?

Indeed, what was placed in front of him was the *Da Ming Daily*, and all of the *Da Ming Daily* from its publication date to the present.

Liu Wenxiu didn't know what it was, but guessed that it must have been placed there by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so he carried the "Da Ming Daily" into the room.

Upon seeing this, Li Dingguo asked curiously:

"What is this?"

Liu Wenxiu shook her head:
"I don't know yet. It should have been placed there by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. It seems to have recorded a lot of things."

As she spoke, Liu Wenxiu casually picked up a copy of the "Da Ming Daily" and began to read it.

Soon, his expression turned strange.

Li Dingguo was illiterate and didn't know what was written on it, but seeing Liu Wenxiu's strange expression, he asked again:

"what happened?"

Liu Wenxiu did not answer, and picked up another newspaper to look through it.

A moment later, he looked at Li Dingguo with a surprised expression and said:
"Dingguo, it seems we underestimated the imperial court."

Li Dingguo looked puzzled, unable to explain what he meant.

But Liu Wenxiu didn't offer any further explanation and continued flipping through the newspaper in her hand.

As a literate person, he was well aware of the value of these newspapers.

For the rest of the day, Liu Wenxiu spent her time reading the "Da Ming Daily".

Moreover, whenever he saw something important, he would tell Li Dingguo about it.

As Li Dingguo listened, he suddenly fell silent.

Because he suddenly felt that the Ming Dynasty of today seemed truly different from what it used to be.
As the sun sets, night falls like a giant black ribbon slowly unfurling across the sky, silently enveloping the entire earth.

In the study of the Eastern Palace, the candles on the gilded candlesticks flickered dimly, casting shadowy light throughout the room.

Zhu Cilang was sitting at the table, examining the memorial in his hand.

He would occasionally nod slightly, indicating his approval of the contents of the memorial.

Sometimes he would pick up his pen to make annotations, the tip of the pen gliding across the rice paper, leaving streaks of ink.

Li Ruolian was standing to the side, calmly reporting on the situation of Li Dingguo and his group.

Although Zhu Cilang had specifically instructed that Li Dingguo and others be free to move around during these three days, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was responsible for maintaining the safety of the capital, so how could they really let them go unchecked?
After all, these people are all bandits!
Therefore, every move of Li Dingguo and his party was under close surveillance by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Even the inn where they stayed was arranged in advance by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Come to think of it, Li Dingguo and his companions didn't even have any documents to prove their identities. Without the arrangements made by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, how could they have settled in smoothly?
After a moment, Zhu Cilang put down the memorial in his hand, turned his gaze to Li Ruolian, and asked:
"So, they didn't leave the inn all day?"

Li Ruolian quickly and respectfully replied:

"Your Highness, that is indeed the case. The Embroidered Uniform Guards have already surrounded the inn. I can guarantee with my life that they have not stepped out of the inn at all today."

"I suspect that they dare not come out because they are afraid."

"However, the Ming Daily newspaper that His Highness ordered to be sent has been delivered on time."

"Furthermore, Liu Wenxiu and Li Dingguo spent the entire day studying the 'Da Ming Daily,' and they have almost finished reading it now."

Zhu Cilang nodded slightly, showing little surprise.

He knew perfectly well that Liu Wenxiu, as a scholar, was simply unable to resist something as novel and information-rich as the "Daming Daily".

Moreover, as prisoners of the imperial court, they must be extremely eager to obtain information about the court, and the Da Ming Daily is undoubtedly the best way to learn about the court's activities.

Just then, Li Ruolian seemed hesitant, but finally couldn't help but ask:
"Your Highness, I am somewhat curious, why did you not simply order their execution, but instead spare their lives?"

"Even if we need to relocate people to Liaodong to guard the border, we won't be short of a few of them, will we?"

"On the contrary, in my opinion, killing these peasant army generals would be more conducive to the surrender of the remaining peasant army to the imperial court?"

Li Ruolian had kept these words in her heart for a long time, and now she finally said them.

In his view, there was no need to spare the lives of Li Dingguo and his ilk, as they had no impact on the imperial court's border migration and defense plan.

On the contrary, killing these bandit leaders would be a more effective way to deter the peasant army and force them to submit more quickly.

Upon hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Zhu Cilang's face.

In fact, he had certainly considered this matter.

Whenever a peasant army leader was captured, he was killed without any explanation, leaving only the ordinary soldiers alive.

In this way, the peasant army was leaderless, making it easier for the imperial court to control them.

But upon closer examination, since these generals were chosen by Zhang Xianzhong, most of them must have had extraordinary talents. For example, Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu were both rare military talents.

It would be a great pity to kill them rashly.

It would be better to send them to Liaodong and let them develop freely there, which would also cause some trouble for the Jurchens.

Furthermore, Li Dingguo was a national hero in the original history, and Zhu Cilang would feel somewhat reluctant to kill him.

After all, during the Southern Ming Dynasty, Li Dingguo's status was similar to that of Yue Fei in the Song Dynasty!
Although such a thing has not yet happened, Zhu Cilang is still unwilling to become Zhao Gou.

Therefore, it would be best if Li Dingguo could be subdued.

Of course, if Li Dingguo refused to surrender even at the cost of his life, then Zhu Cilang would have no choice but to execute Ma Su with tears in his eyes.
However, it seems things won't develop to that point yet.

In truth, Zhu Cilang secretly wished to keep Li Dingguo by his side and nurture him carefully, but reality did not allow him to do so.

Because the peasant army killed too many princes, dukes, and members of the imperial family, Zhu Cilang did not care about these things deep down, and even occasionally felt that the peasant army was helping the Zhu family to clean up its population.

But he must never show it openly.

Furthermore, with the Ming Dynasty's Zhu Family Army about to be formed, Li Dingguo and his ilk absolutely could not remain in the capital.

Otherwise, it would be troublesome if the two sides met.

Therefore, after weighing the options, Zhu Cilang had no choice but to assign Li Dingguo to Liaodong.

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang then looked at Li Ruolian and said:

"I just think they have some skills, and with a little training, they will surely be useful to the court. It would be a pity to kill them."

"My mind is made up about this matter, and there is no need to bring it up again."

After hearing this, Li Ruolian could only respond:

"My minister obeys."

Immediately afterward, Zhu Cilang seemed to have thought of something else and spoke again:
"By the way, tomorrow send someone to take them to the Jingying Garrison outside the city, so they can see the strength of the Ming Dynasty for themselves."

Li Ruolian accepted the order again:

"My minister obeys."

Afterwards, Zhu Cilang gave some other detailed instructions, and Li Ruolian then took her leave.

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was the next morning.

Inside the room, Li Dingguo slowly opened his eyes, his consciousness gradually returning from its hazy state.

Hey!
The next second, he couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.

Yesterday was undoubtedly an unforgettable day for him.

He first met the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, and then was inexplicably reprimanded by the Crown Prince, to the point that he had no chance to retaliate.

After arriving at the inn, they received the "Da Ming Daily" sent by the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty.

Although he was illiterate, he still learned many unbelievable things from the Da Ming Daily through Liu Wenxiu.

For example, the imperial court began collecting back taxes from all over the country. Whether they were princes, nobles, or gentry and landlords, everyone had to pay taxes.

In addition, the imperial court also implemented the policy of "integrating the poll tax into the land tax and requiring gentry to pay taxes together".

Li Dingguo did not fully understand this policy at the time.

However, judging from Liu Wenxiu's reaction, these policies were undoubtedly extremely beneficial to ordinary people.

Liu Wenxiu even believed that if these policies could be successfully implemented nationwide, then all people would be able to live a good life.

Li Dingguo was unsure whether things would really develop this way, but he clearly sensed that tremendous changes were taking place in the Ming Dynasty.

This was completely different from the Ming Dynasty he remembered.

It gave him the feeling of being in a dream.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and Liu Wenxiu walked in.

"Dingguo, get up quickly! Just now, someone from the Embroidered Uniform Guard came and said they wanted to take us for a walk outside the city."

As soon as Liu Wenxiu entered the door, she began to greet Li Dingguo.

At this moment, Liu Wenxiu was no longer as listless as she had been yesterday; she seemed to be full of energy and enthusiasm.

Because he keenly perceived the changes in the Ming Dynasty from yesterday's "Daming Daily" and felt that the Ming Dynasty was not beyond saving.

Therefore, he had already made his decision: he would go to Liaodong to become a military officer, and then rise through the ranks to realize his political ambitions.

Although he never thought he would be recruited by the imperial court when he joined Zhang Xianzhong's rebellion, he now felt that this was a rare opportunity.

Li Dingguo didn't say anything, but sat up directly from the bed.

He didn't even take off his clothes when he went to bed last night, which saved him the time of getting dressed.

Just then, the waiter appeared at the door, carrying a basin of hot water and a towel, and said warmly:

"Sir, please wash up."

Li Dingguo didn't stand on ceremony. After the waiter placed the hot water and towel on the table, he went over, washed his face briefly, and then wiped it off.

Then he and Liu Wenxiu went outside together.

When he got downstairs, he found that several of his companions were already there.

When their companions saw Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu arrive, they greeted them warmly.

Then, the waiter warmly served breakfast.

And standing around them were always some tall, cold-faced people.

Despite their attempts to conceal it, Li Dingguo could tell at a glance that these people were all members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

However, Li Dingguo pretended not to see it and started eating his breakfast, as did the others.

After a day and a night of deep thought, they had already made up their minds.

Since His Highness the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty is willing to give them a chance to start over, they are naturally willing to accept it.

It's just going to Liaodong, isn't it?
Isn't it just fighting against the Jurchens?
Just go, there's nothing to be afraid of!

After the group finished breakfast, the Jinyiwei, dressed in plain clothes, didn't say anything, but suddenly stood up and made a gesture of invitation.

Li Dingguo and the others then left.

Immediately afterwards, the Imperial Guards led Li Dingguo and his entourage straight out of the city.

As Li Dingguo approached the city gate, he suddenly noticed something and his gaze involuntarily turned to the city wall. There, floating on the wall, was a huge sphere.

"What is that thing? How can it fly in the sky?"

One of the peasant army generals couldn't help but ask in surprise.

The Imperial Guard in front scoffed upon hearing this, offering no explanation but inwardly mocking him.

What a bunch of country bumpkins!

Liu Wenxiu, who was standing to the side, had previously seen an article about hot air balloons in the *Da Ming Daily*, and immediately explained:

"I've seen this thing in the Da Ming Daily; it should be called a hot air balloon."

"The principle behind it is quite complex, and I can't explain it in detail. However, this thing is mainly used for military reconnaissance. It is said that standing on a hot air balloon, you can overlook everything within a ten-mile radius."

"This thing played a big role in the previous Liaodong War, and the Ming army had control over every move of the Jurchens."

After hearing Liu Wenxiu's words, Li Dingguo remembered that Liu Wenxiu had indeed mentioned the hot air balloon yesterday, but he hadn't paid much attention to it at the time.

It must be said that the appearance of the hot air balloon greatly shocked him.

Especially when he heard Liu Wenxiu say that he could overlook all the scenes within a ten-mile radius from up there, he felt that this thing was really amazing.

Because as long as you have this, you can easily seize the initiative, and all your conspiracies and tricks will be exposed.

Thinking of this, Li Dingguo couldn't help but take a few more glances.

Afterwards, the group left the city and headed straight for the Beijing garrison.

Li Dingguo and his men were unaware that they were heading to the Beijing garrison. Upon seeing the scene outside the city, Li Dingguo jokingly remarked:
"What? Are you letting us go?"

The leading Imperial Guard snorted coldly and replied:
"You can try to escape, but I guarantee you will all be dead in no time."

Li Dingguo sneered and didn't bother to argue with him anymore.

Soon, they arrived at the Beijing garrison.

The person who received them was none other than Zhang Shize, the heir apparent of the Duke of Ying.

Upon seeing Zhang Shize, the leading Imperial Guard immediately bowed respectfully and said:
"Your Highness, as instructed by the Crown Prince, the person has been brought here."

Zhang Shize clearly knew what Zhu Cilang had told him last night, so he nodded and then waved to Li Dingguo and the others:

"Alright, come in with me."

Immediately afterwards, Li Dingguo and the others followed Zhang Shize into the Beijing garrison and went directly to the training ground.

At this moment, a large number of soldiers are conducting drills in full swing.

The cavalrymen practiced shooting on horseback, while the infantrymen practiced shooting at targets.

Some people are doing physical training.

It must be said that the current Beijing garrison is completely different from before, because they rarely use cold weapons for training anymore, and now they mainly practice with flintlock muskets.

Upon seeing this scene, Li Dingguo and the others' expressions instantly turned serious.

They hadn't forgotten how crucial Zuo Liangyu's musket squad had been during their previous battle with him.

But the scene before them was completely different from that time. Zuo Liangyu's musket team consisted of only about a hundred men, while there were several thousand soldiers training here.

When they pulled the trigger, the deafening sounds combined together like rolling thunder.

Moreover, the soldiers here use a three-stage firing method, and the density of bullets is somewhat frightening.

Some people have roughly estimated that several thousand bullets could be fired in just a short time.

If this were on a real battlefield, it could cause thousands of casualties in an instant.

In addition, the muskets used by the cavalry were also amazing, because these short muskets were obviously designed specifically for cavalry, allowing them to skillfully load and fire them directly on horseback.

Its speed is astonishing!
Seeing the surprised expressions on Li Dingguo's and the others' faces, Zhang Shize couldn't help but sneer:
"You bunch of country bumpkins, you've finally seen the light!"

"What you see now are just soldiers who are training. Soon, the million-strong army of my Great Ming will be equipped with such firearms."

"With your fighting strength, do you think you can hold them off?"

Li Dingguo and the others remained silent after hearing this, knowing full well that they were no match for such powerful firepower.

Not only them, but probably no army in the entire world could withstand such a firearm attack.

Zhang Shize continued:
"In the Liaodong War a few months ago, we deployed 30,000 soldiers equipped with flintlock muskets, and in just a short time, we killed more than 10,000 Jurchens."

"At least 30,000 Jurchens ultimately died by flintlock muskets!"

"So you can imagine how vulnerable your peasant army would be if such firearms units appeared in Shaanxi and Henan."

"If it weren't for the Crown Prince's interest in you, his decision to spare your lives, and his intention to grant you official positions, you would have been dead long ago. How would you have had the chance to witness the true strength of the Ming army?"

"If I were you, I would immediately go to the Crown Prince and kneel down to express my gratitude."

Normally, upon hearing this, Li Dingguo would definitely have argued and refuted it.

But now, he was silent, and so were the people behind him.

Because they knew that Zhang Shize was telling the truth.

What Zhu Cilang said earlier is also absolutely true.

It turns out that they had never actually fought against the Ming Dynasty's true elite troops.

The previous Zuo Liangyu troops could only be considered a third-rate army at best.

Even Sun Chuanting's army could probably only be considered second-rate at best.

The true elite force of the Ming Dynasty consisted of these troops equipped with flintlock muskets.

Um.
They only just learned that this new type of firearm was called a flintlock musket.

Seeing that everyone remained silent, Zhang Shize then waved to a few soldiers beside him.

Soon a soldier brought over a flintlock pistol.

Zhang Shize skillfully loaded the ammunition, but the next second, he suddenly pointed the gun at Li Dingguo.

Upon seeing this scene, Liu Wenxiu and the others were instantly startled, thinking that Zhang Shize was going to kill Li Dingguo.

Only Li Dingguo remained calm, as if he had long since disregarded life and death.

However, the next second, Zhang Shize suddenly turned the gun and aimed it directly at the target next to him.

boom!
With a gunshot, the bullet hit the target precisely.

Then, Zhang Shize handed the gun to Li Dingguo and asked:

"Want to try?"

Li Dingguo took the flintlock pistol and gently stroked the barrel, feeling that it was simply a divine weapon.

Immediately, he copied Zhang Shize's actions, loaded ammunition, and then fired at the target.

boom!
With a gunshot, the bullet was fired instantly and hit the target directly.

Good guy!
Upon seeing this scene, Zhang Shize couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

Because he could tell that Li Dingguo was definitely using a flintlock pistol for the first time, but even so, he learned it quite well and was able to hit the target directly!
really!

No ordinary person can be favored by the Crown Prince!

As Zhang Shize fired, the other peasant army generals also gathered around, looking at the flintlock musket as if it were a precious treasure.

The power of this thing was so astonishing to them.

Seeing this, Zhang Shize felt even more smug, thinking to himself:

It turns out that teasing these naive people is so much fun.

Following their visit to the Beijing Garrison, Zhang Shize led them to the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry Camp.

When Li Dingguo and his men saw the burly, fully armored Guan Ning cavalry, they truly realized what terror was.

If elite cavalry like the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry had actually appeared on the Henan battlefield, Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng's troops would have been utterly helpless.

At that time, let alone 10,000 men, even a charge of several thousand heavily armored cavalry would be too much for those peasant armies to handle.

Moreover, they also have specially made flintlock muskets; a single volley of fire would likely cause the peasant army to collapse instantly.

Upon seeing this scene, they finally gave up completely.

They also knew that neither Li Zicheng nor Zhang Xianzhong could achieve great things, and that they would ultimately be unable to escape the fate of being wiped out by the imperial army.

Once the imperial army arrives at the Henan battlefield, all peasant uprisings will be completely quelled.

Upon returning to the capital, everyone remained silent, seemingly utterly awestruck by the strength of the Ming army.

After returning to the inn, Liu Wenxiu sought out Li Dingguo again.

Before Liu Wenxiu could speak, Li Dingguo asked first:
"Wenxiu, do you really think there's any hope for the Ming Dynasty?"

Liu Wenxiu was taken aback at first, then smiled and replied:

"If you had asked me this before I came to the capital, I would have told you without hesitation that the Ming Dynasty was doomed long ago."

"But now, I will tell you that the Ming Dynasty can be saved."

"Based on what we have seen and heard, the Ming Dynasty of today is no longer the Ming Dynasty we remember. Its changes have completely exceeded our imagination."

"Therefore, I decided to surrender to the Ming Dynasty, go to Liaodong to become a military officer, and try to climb up the ranks step by step, doing something for the people of this world in my own way."

"Dingguo, come with us to Liaodong."

"It would be such a waste to die like this."

“I’ve already figured it out. The Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty really values ​​you. If you are willing to surrender, he will give you a higher official position.”

"Of course, I know you don't care about these things."

“But a great man should accomplish great things when he is born between heaven and earth, and should not die in obscurity.”

Hey!
After hearing this, Li Dingguo sighed and said:

"But what about Father?"

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Wenxiu interrupted him:
"You sacrificed your life to hold off Zuo Liangyu's army, which is already a way of repaying your father's kindness. From now on, you owe him nothing."

"Including us, we risked our lives to hold off the imperial army and let my father escape, which means that you have no debt of gratitude between us!"

“We don’t owe him anything.”

After listening to Liu Wenxiu's words, Li Dingguo slowly walked to the window, looked at the lively scene outside, and sighed deeply.

After a while, he said:

"Alright, don't worry, I know what to do."

Seeing this, Liu Wenxiu didn't say anything more. She gently patted Li Dingguo's shoulder and then turned and left.

Because he knew that Li Dingguo had already made his decision.

(End of this chapter)