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

Chapter 276 Li Zicheng: I just want to take over Shaanxi, why is it so difficult?
Seeing this, Zhu Cilang then slowly said:
"It's very simple. Since you are willing to surrender to the Ming Dynasty, you must fully demonstrate your sincerity."

"First, the Ming Dynasty will station troops in your tribes. This is to ensure that you will not have any more thoughts of rebellion, and also to better protect your tribes."

"Secondly, the Ming Dynasty will also send officials to manage your tribes to a certain extent. However, of course, this management will not violate the current rule of your tribal chiefs; it will only play a supervisory and assisting role."

"Finally, the Ming Dynasty will possess a certain amount of military power over your tribe!"

"In addition to these, the Ming Dynasty will also appoint some officials from your tribe to serve in the Ming Dynasty. Only in this way can the Ming Dynasty believe in your sincerity!"

"We are also willing to accept your surrender!"

Upon hearing this, the Tumed envoy immediately understood Zhu Cilang's meaning.

This is an attempt to establish real control over them!
To be honest, the envoys had no objection to Zhu Cilang's decision; in fact, they were quite happy about it.

After all, if they really did that, they would be considered half Ming citizens, and might even be able to serve as officials in the Ming Dynasty and enjoy wealth and honor!
Do you think they could refuse?
However, this might not be so easy for the nobles and leaders of Tumed to accept.

After all, although it was said that it would not affect the power of the tribal chief, how could it not affect the power of the tribal chief when it really came to that?
When the Ming Dynasty stationed troops in Tumet, the chieftain's authority would inevitably be challenged, and the tribal structure would undergo tremendous changes.

Thinking of this, the leading Tumed envoy could only cautiously say:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Ming Dynasty, this is a matter I cannot make on my own. I must go back and discuss it with the leader before giving you an answer."

"I hope Your Highness can understand my difficulties."

As he spoke, his eyes were full of pleading.

Zhu Cilang didn't seem to care about these words, and simply said:

"It's alright, I can wait. But you'd better give me a reply soon, otherwise it's hard to say whether the Tumet will continue to exist if we wait until the 70,000 cavalry return."

Clearly, Zhu Cilang was openly threatening them: if they did not make a decision soon, the 70,000 cavalry would return and directly cross over Tumed territory, destroying the entire Tumed.

These words sent a chill down the spines of the envoys.

The next second, the Tumed envoy hurriedly knelt down, his voice trembling slightly as he said:
"Yes, Your Highness, Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty. Please rest assured, we will give you a reply as soon as possible."

Immediately, the Tumed envoys retreated shakily.

As they left, they staggered, as if each step carried immense pressure.

After replenishing their supplies in Xuanfu, they did not linger and immediately set off on their journey back to Tumed.

Throughout the journey, they were preoccupied with their own thoughts, pondering how to report the matter to their leader, Omubu, and what decision Omubu would make.

In the following days, Xuanfu became even more lively.

Because winter was approaching, trade with Xuanfu became more frequent.

Every day, large quantities of cattle, horses, furs, and other supplies flowed into Xuanfu from various parts of the grasslands.

Similarly, merchants from all over the Ming Dynasty continuously transported daily necessities such as grain, cloth, and salt from various parts of the Ming Dynasty to Xuanfu.

Both sides got what they wanted and made a fortune.

Of course, the imperial court also made a fortune, because it collected a certain amount of tax on every piece of goods transported to Xuanfu.

There was no other way; in ancient times, regardless of the ethnic group, they would store up a lot of supplies to prepare for winter.

After all, ancient times were different from now. Productivity was low, resources were scarce, and it was even more difficult to obtain enough resources in winter.

Therefore, trade becomes especially important at this time of year, and each tribe will try its best to obtain the supplies needed to survive the winter in order to ensure the survival and reproduction of the tribe.

Meanwhile, the scene shifts to Shaanxi and Henan provinces.

At this very moment, beneath Tongguan Pass, a tragic and magnificent scene is slowly unfolding.

Looking around, one sees that the once lush trees have all been ruthlessly destroyed, leaving only a barren landscape, as if the earth itself is telling the story of the cruelty of this war.

All the trees and stones that could be used had been looted by the peasant army and turned into weapons for attacking the city.

The peasant army, like a pack of ferocious beasts driven by anger and despair, roared deafeningly.

Wave after wave of them rushed toward Tongguan City like a surging tide, disregarding everything else.

Its imposing aura seemed poised to utterly crush this seemingly impregnable city.

Their eyes gleamed with determination, and they had only one thought in their minds:
Conquer this city and change your destiny.

On the towering city walls, Sun Chuanting personally led a group of officers and soldiers, standing ready and stubbornly resisting the peasant army's frenzied attack.

Looking at the peasant army swarming in like ants below the city, Sun Chuanting's face grew increasingly gloomy, and his brows furrowed tightly.

Recently, Li Zicheng's offensive against the city has become increasingly fierce. Today, the attack began in the early hours of the morning and has continued for seven or eight hours without any pause.

On the peasant army alone, no fewer than three thousand people had fallen, their corpses piled up like mountains, and their blood stained the earth red.

Fortunately, the soldiers defending the city were well-trained and the city walls were sturdy, so there were not many casualties.

Moreover, judging from the current situation, Tongguan should be able to be defended.

Earlier, when he realized that something was wrong, Sun Chuanting made a decisive move and urgently transferred 30,000 new soldiers from other places to help defend the city.

In other words, there are currently about 60,000 soldiers stationed at Tongguan.

Don't underestimate these 60,000 soldiers!
It is important to know that throughout history, in siege warfare, the number of attackers must be at least ten times the number of defenders to have any chance of capturing a city.

Moreover, the attacking side must bring large siege weapons, such as ladders, battering rams, and catapults, in order to have a chance to break through the city's defenses.

However, it is clear that Li Zicheng's peasant army does not quite meet either of these criteria.

Although their numbers number around 600,000, more than 80 percent of them are ordinary farmers who lack formal military training and have varying combat capabilities.

Furthermore, they lacked large-scale engineering machinery, limiting their siege capabilities, so the two sides were simply locked in a life-or-death struggle.

The peasant army launched charge after charge, only to be repelled time and again by the government troops, leaving behind only corpses and broken siege equipment.

Therefore, in Sun Chuanting's view, Li Zicheng would never be able to capture Tongguan.

It was precisely because Sun Chuanting was aware of this that he never requested assistance from the imperial court.

He felt he could completely withstand the offensive!

Moreover, he knew that the imperial court was planning to burn the fields and destroy the nests of the Mongols, which was a major event concerning the stability of the border. Even the Crown Prince Zhu Cilang had personally gone to Xuanfu to supervise the battle.

Under these circumstances, Sun Chuanting really did not want to add any more burden to the court and Zhu Cilang, after all, the court's resources were also limited and could not all be wasted under the walls of Tongguan.

Meanwhile, on a high mountain not far from Tongguan.

Li Zicheng was riding a horse, standing proudly atop the high mountain.

He stared coldly at the scene in the distance, his eyes revealing a sense of helplessness and resentment.

Watching his peasant army fiercely attacking the city, their battle cries deafening, yet Tongguan remained unmoved, like an insurmountable mountain, Li Zicheng sighed helplessly.

Because he knew in his heart that he probably wouldn't be able to capture Tongguan.

About half a month has passed since I discussed the next strategy with Luo Rucai and the others.

In other words, according to the previously agreed plan, he should retreat tomorrow and then try to get through the winter.

After all, the weather suddenly turned cold in the last few days, with a biting wind that felt like a knife cutting into your face.

Even under thick blankets at night, I still shiver.

This is clearly a sign that heavy snow is coming.

If they don't find a place to spend the winter soon, most of these 600,000 peasant soldiers will probably freeze to death in the freezing cold.

Although he knew that this matter was urgent and even concerned the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, to be honest, Li Zicheng was really unwilling!

He was unwilling to leave like this!
All he wanted was to fight his way back to Shaanxi, to return to his hometown. Why was that so difficult?
Damn Emperor Chongzhen, why did he send that troublesome guy Sun Chuanting to Shaanxi?

Sun Chuanting was like an insurmountable mountain, blocking his path forward and making it impossible for him to move forward.

Thinking of this, Li Zicheng gritted his teeth in hatred, clenched his fists tightly, and his expression became somewhat distorted.

I glanced at the setting sun, and saw its blood-red afterglow spreading across the earth, as if draping the war in a tragic hue.

Finally, Li Zicheng sighed, as if he had made up his mind, and said to Zhang Xianzhong beside him:
"Alright, let's call it a day and call it a day."

His voice carried a hint of weariness and helplessness, as if he had to make a compromise after a long struggle.

Zhang Xianzhong breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

He felt that Li Zicheng had become somewhat obsessed lately, recklessly attacking Tongguan every day, resulting in thousands of casualties.

If this continues, the peasant army will probably be completely wiped out, which is not a good thing for them.

After all, these 600,000 peasant soldiers were the foundation of their survival in this chaotic world. If they were to be exhausted like this, what would they have left to fight for supremacy in the future?

Fortunately, today is the last day. As agreed, the army will leave Tongguan tomorrow and find a suitable place to prepare for the winter.

Zhang Xianzhong secretly rejoiced, thinking that Li Zicheng had also considered this point and therefore planned to abandon the attack on Tongguan.

Immediately afterwards, Zhang Xianzhong issued the order to sound the retreat.

A rousing bugle call rang out, piercing the silent sky and reaching the ears of every peasant soldier. Upon hearing this, the peasant soldiers who had been attacking the city instantly retreated like a receding tide.

Their steps were somewhat hurried, and their eyes revealed a sense of fatigue and confusion.

Ultimately, they didn't want to risk their lives to attack the city every day!
But there was nothing they could do!

They eat Li Zicheng's food, so they have to work for Li Zicheng!

Don't want to go?
Do they really think the old camp acting as the supervisory team behind them is just for show?

This group of people were far more ruthless than the government troops when they killed the peasant soldiers.

Moments later, outside Tongguan City, only corpses and various siege weapons remained.

Some of the siege equipment was badly damaged, and some were stained with blood, as if telling the story of the cruelty of this war.

Besides, many peasant soldiers were not quite dead yet, struggling on the ground and groaning weakly, but no one paid them any attention at this moment.

Their fate was like these drifting fallen leaves, ignored by all, and in the end, they could only become a handful of soil beneath Tongguan City.

On the city wall, when he saw the peasant army finally retreat, Sun Chuanting finally breathed a sigh of relief.

His body relaxed slightly, and his tense nerves also eased a little.

However, he was unaware of Li Zicheng's next plan and thought that Li Zicheng might continue to attack the city tomorrow.

After all, Li Zicheng's previous offensive was so fierce that he dared not slacken his efforts in the slightest.

Subsequently, Sun Chuanting instructed his subordinates not to let their guard down and to double the number of soldiers on duty tonight.

Upon hearing this, the officers and soldiers naturally agreed, because they knew the importance of Tongguan City and understood the responsibility they bore.

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was evening.

As night fell, the entire city of Tongguan fell into silence, but behind this silence lay countless crises and anxieties.

On the other side, Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and Luo Rucai sat in their tent, listening to their subordinates' reports.

It must be said that today's losses are absolutely the greatest in history.

The death toll has exceeded 5,000 and the number of injured has exceeded 3,000!

Upon hearing this number, Li Zicheng's brows furrowed instantly, forming a deep "川" (river) shape.

Even though in his eyes the peasant army was just a string of numbers, the losses that day were still too great.

Those peasant soldiers who died were fine; they could simply be buried. But those who were wounded and still alive were the real headache.

Because they didn't have enough medicine to treat these wounded peasant soldiers.

But these people couldn't be abandoned directly, because if word got out that Li Zicheng was abandoning wounded soldiers, his reputation would be completely ruined.

This gave Li Zicheng a major headache, but as much as it was a headache, the matter still needed to be resolved.

Therefore, Li Zicheng gave the following instructions:
"The fallen brothers must be properly buried and not left to rot in the wilderness. As for the wounded brothers, they must be treated with all our might and we must not let them die from their injuries."

His voice carried a hint of sorrow and determination, as if he were making a promise to his brothers.

Of course, he was just stating his position; whether or not the patient could be cured was not his concern.

The general who came to report looked rather grim upon hearing this, because he knew that with the medicines they currently possessed, they simply couldn't save everyone.

However, he certainly couldn't say these words aloud, and he probably understood the unspoken meaning behind Li Zicheng's words.

So he could only bite the bullet and reply:

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I know what to do."

He then hurriedly withdrew to arrange related matters.

For a time, only Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and Luo Rucai remained in the tent.

They looked at each other, remaining silent for a moment, creating a somewhat oppressive atmosphere.

Inside the tent, only a few dim oil lamps were lit, their flickering light reflecting off their faces and making their expressions appear even more complex.

But after a moment, Li Zicheng finally spoke:

"Gentlemen, today is the last day of our agreement, but we still haven't captured Tongguan City. So what should we do next?"

His voice carried a hint of confusion and anxiety, as if he were seeking an answer.

Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this, feeling somewhat speechless.

I thought to myself, "Are you kidding me?"
Didn't we agree before that if we didn't capture Tongguan within half a month, we should quickly find a place to spend the winter?

Why is Li Zicheng asking this question again now?

Luo Rucai immediately realized that Li Zicheng was still determined to fight to the death here.

But he certainly couldn't just watch Li Zicheng do that; if they continued fighting to the death, they would be the ones who died.

After all, too many people have died recently. If this continues, they might collapse on their own before the imperial court even sends troops to wipe them out.

Thinking of this, Luo Rucai quickly advised:

"King Chuang, the situation is already like this, let's retreat quickly! Tongguan is really difficult to break through. We have tried countless times before, but each time we have returned empty-handed and lost many brothers."

"Moreover, according to recent intelligence reports, it seems that the old scoundrel Sun Chuanting has transferred another 30,000 elite troops from elsewhere to garrison Tongguan."

"As a result, the total number of troops at Tongguan now exceeds 60,000."

"With so many troops gathered here, the defense of Tongguan will only become more and more tight, like an iron barrel. If we continue to stay here, we will only be wasting time and exhausting the energy and morale of our brothers."

Seeing this, Zhang Xianzhong quickly chimed in with his own advice:

"King Chuang, the strategist is absolutely right. Let's put the siege on hold for now."

"Our most important task right now is to find a suitable place to spend the winter!"

"The weather has been changing so quickly lately, it suddenly got cold. I estimate that it will snow heavily in about half a month."

"If we can't find a safe place to spend the winter before then, we'll be in big trouble."

"If the brothers don't have enough to eat or wear, how can we fight? Once morale collapses, we'll really be in dire straits."

Li Zicheng listened quietly to their advice, feeling helpless, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

He has always had a deep attachment to Shaanxi, because it is his hometown and the place he has always dreamed of returning to.

He desperately hoped that Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai would support him in continuing his attack on Tongguan, but now he saw that both of them clearly did not support his plan, and every word they said made so much sense that he could not refute them.

Li Zicheng knew in his heart that he could no longer act willfully and had no choice but to give up the idea.

Then, he slowly began to speak:
"Rest assured, since I made a promise to you before, I will definitely keep my word and will not attack Tongguan again."

"But given the current situation, I really have no idea where we should go next."

Luo Rucai pondered for a moment, stroked his gray beard, and then slowly said:

"In my opinion, why don't we go to Nanyang? The city walls of Nanyang are tall and sturdy, the moat is deep and wide, and there are many houses and complete facilities in the city, which is enough to allow our army to get through this winter smoothly."

"Of course, Kaifeng is also a good choice. Kaifeng is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it is rich in resources. It is also a good place to settle down and make a living."

Upon hearing this, Li Zicheng was about to say something when a hurried voice suddenly came from outside the door:
"King Chuang, I have important news to report!"

As soon as the voice reached Li Zicheng's ears, he immediately recognized it as Gao Guizi's voice.

Gao Guizi was an important general under Li Zicheng. He made many meritorious contributions during the uprising and was considered one of Li Zicheng's confidants.

Previously, Li Zicheng had specifically assigned Gao Guizi to lead a group of people to collect grain and fodder. He thought it would take some time before they returned, but he didn't expect them to return so quickly.

Thinking of this, Li Zicheng quickly said:

"Gao Guizi, come in quickly, stop dawdling outside!"

Immediately afterwards, a man in his thirties hurriedly walked in; this man was none other than Gao Guizi.

At this moment, Gao Guizi looked flustered, his eyes filled with fear and unease, as if he had encountered something terrible.

Before Gao Guizi could kneel and pay his respects, Li Zicheng hurriedly asked with concern:
"What's wrong with you? Didn't I send you to find a way to gather provisions? Why are you back so soon?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Guizi seemed to have suddenly found his pillar of support. He knelt down with a thud and said with a face full of dejection:
"Your Majesty, I am utterly incompetent! My brothers and I have searched everywhere we could think of, but we just couldn't find a single grain of food!"

what?
Upon hearing this, all three people present couldn't help but frown, their faces filled with shock and confusion.

Although these peasant soldiers had been plundering and requisitioning grain all over Henan, there must have been some places they missed. How could they not find a single grain of food?

Moreover, when they attacked some towns before, the wealthy merchants in those towns knew of Li Zicheng's reputation and were willing to contribute money and grain. Li Zicheng felt honored and let them go, instead of exterminating them.

Logically speaking, these people should have stored up grain, so how could they not find a single grain now?

(End of this chapter)