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

Chapter 285 Go back and tell Sun Chuanting, I have accepted Chongzhen's imperial edict!
When Li Zicheng first heard that Emperor Chongzhen was going to appoint him as the commander-in-chief of the three border regions of Shaanxi, Henan and Shanxi, he was actually quite happy.

Whether his surrender was feigned or genuine, the feeling of being valued made him quite proud.

Especially since the person who issued this imperial edict was his former 'boss'!
However, before he could be happy for long, the next part of the story hit him like a bombshell, leaving him completely stunned.

This instantly wiped out any smugness he had felt, replacing it with deep worry and anger.

Thinking this, Li Zicheng's gaze swept across the tent once more.

At this moment, the entire camp suddenly fell into a deathly silence again. Everyone remained silent, waiting quietly for Li Zicheng to speak.

Because they all knew that Li Zicheng must be in a terrible mood at this moment, and no one dared to provoke him.

Seeing everyone's reactions, Li Zicheng gradually calmed down.

He knew that he couldn't show anger or any other emotion under any circumstances. After all, everyone here had heard the contents of the imperial edict. He had to keep the situation under control and not let the team fall into chaos because of the edict.

The next second, Li Zicheng said calmly:

"I never expected that Emperor Chongzhen would be so cunning as to come up with such a way to sow discord among us."

"However, I believe that none of you will be fooled. After all, we started the rebellion together, and we slaughtered the Zhu family members together. Which of you here has not stained the blood of the Ming royal family?"

"Do you really think that as long as you lead people to surrender to the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty will forgive and forget? There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

"Of course, if you want to leave me and surrender to the court, I will not stop you. You can leave now. I keep my word."

Upon hearing this, everyone around was terrified, as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

They certainly knew that Li Zicheng was being sarcastic.

Behind those seemingly magnanimous words lay endless murderous intent.

It sounds nice, but if anyone actually dared to do that, they would surely die a horrible death!

In an instant, everyone knelt down and pledged their loyalty to Li Zicheng.

"Rest assured, King Chuang, we will never have any disloyal intentions! This is clearly a Ming army plot to sow discord; how could we fall for it?"

"That's right! We swear to follow King Chuang to the death! Wherever King Chuang points, we will fight, without hesitation!"

"The emperor of the Ming Dynasty cannot be trusted; we only trust the rebel leader, Li Zicheng!"

Seeing his men pledge their loyalty one by one, Li Zicheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at the terrified expressions of the crowd, he secretly felt smug, but on the surface he feigned a bitter smile and said:
"Look what you're doing! Why are you kneeling down all of a sudden? I know perfectly well that you would never betray me!"

"Get up quickly, get up quickly!"

As Li Zicheng spoke, he personally went down to help the first few generals up.

Seeing this, the other generals finally dared to stand up one by one.

Afterwards, Li Zicheng offered a few words of comfort and then dismissed them. Even Luo Rucai and Zhang Xianzhong were sent away by Li Zicheng under some pretext.

But after everyone left, Li Zicheng's face suddenly twisted into a grimace, filled with resentment.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his teeth were clenched so tightly they were grinding together.

The next second, Li Zicheng roared loudly:
"Damn Chongzhen! How dare he play me like this! You wait, one day I will conquer the capital and cut off your dog's head!"

The voice was filled with hatred and resentment, as if it wanted to overturn the entire camp.

However, poor Li Zicheng still doesn't know that he wasn't actually tricked by Emperor Chongzhen, but by Zhu Cilang.

Of course, this doesn't matter anymore.

After leaving Li Zicheng's camp, some of the generals became restless.

Of course, it was broad daylight, so they didn't dare to do anything. Even those who were close to each other would whisper to each other from time to time, their eyes revealing a hint of hesitation and wavering.

After all, to be honest, if one could directly become an official in the imperial court, who would want to be a rebel?

They lived a precarious life, never knowing when they would die on the battlefield.

In addition, the court has undergone tremendous changes this year, even defeating the Jurchens, which has made them start to have doubts.

Can they really defeat the imperial court?
If we can't win, then we'll die without a burial place.

On the contrary, if I surrender to the court now, I can still get an official position. Although I am going to Liaodong, it is better than dying at the hands of the court.
And so, some people began to get restless, including Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai.

Luo Rucai now deeply regrets his actions. If the imperial court had issued this edict earlier, he would have surrendered to the court with his 30,000 men.

In this way, he could at least get a position as a commander or deputy commander-in-chief.

Having an official position means having status and security. Isn't that much better than following Li Zicheng in his rebellion?
I live in constant fear, and I have no idea when this will end!

Zhang Xianzhong also felt some regret, but he also felt that Li Zicheng's words made a lot of sense.

They have rebelled for so long, killed so many soldiers, officials, and members of the Ming imperial family. How could the court possibly accept their surrender without holding grudges?

Zhang Xianzhong was unsure, but he was certainly somewhat tempted.
However, despite their interest, neither Luo Rucai nor Zhang Xianzhong dared to make any such move openly.

Because they knew that Li Zicheng was watching them all the time, and that if they showed any disloyalty, Li Zicheng would kill them without hesitation.

They had witnessed Li Zicheng's ruthless methods before, and none of them dared to risk their lives.

But everyone knows that tonight, some people will definitely be unable to restrain themselves.

That imperial edict was like a time bomb, ready to detonate the conflicts and disagreements within their ranks at any moment.

The camera then shifts to Sun Chuanting's side.

After waiting for two hours and still not seeing Sun Shoufa and the others return, Sun Chuanting knew that something must have happened.

However, he did not believe that Li Zicheng must have killed them.

After all, in war, it is an unwritten rule not to kill envoys, and Li Zicheng would not break this rule so easily.

After hesitating, Sun Chuanting sent another general as an envoy to inquire about what was going on.

Soon, the Ming generals were brought before Li Zicheng.

When the Ming general met Li Zicheng, he said respectfully:
"May I ask, Your Majesty, why are you detaining my Ming envoy? In war, envoys are not to be killed. Does Your Majesty not know this?"

Although his voice was respectful, there was a hint of questioning in his tone.

Li Zicheng was already furious, and the imperial edict had already made him upset. Hearing the Ming general's questioning only fueled his anger.

He immediately sneered:

"How do you know that I merely detained them and did not kill them?"

Upon hearing this, the Ming general said loudly:
“My master said that the King of Chuang is not a man of his word and would not do such a thing as killing an envoy without authorization.”

This statement is somewhat of a self-aggrandizing remark about Li Zicheng, given that he was always untrustworthy to the imperial court.

Upon hearing this, Li Zicheng lost all pretense and sneered:
“Sun Chuanting’s guess was quite accurate. However, those who came to deliver the imperial decree offended me, so I detained them as a lesson to them.”

"Go back and tell your master that I will release them before tonight."

After saying this, Li Zicheng immediately ordered them to leave.

Seeing this, the Ming generals dared not say anything more, bowed, and left.

He knew that if he said something that displeased Li Zicheng, he might not be able to leave.

Soon, Sun Chuanting received the news and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew that Sun Shoufa and the others were probably still alive, but they were likely to suffer some hardship.

On the other hand, although Li Zicheng's style of doing things had a rough and unruly air about him, he still retained some rationality in his heart.

This prevented him from ordering a decisive strike when facing Sun Shoufa and his men.

However, the resentment in his heart was like a raging fire, constantly burning his soul and making it difficult for him to calm down.

Therefore, he decided to go to the place where Sun Shoufa and others were imprisoned to vent his anger.

When he saw Sun Shoufa and the others, his anger was instantly ignited. He then waved his hand and ordered his men to strip off the shirts of Sun Shoufa and the others.

Immediately afterwards, Li Zicheng took a long whip, his eyes flashing with a fierce light, and lashed it fiercely at them.

Each lash brought a whooshing sound, as if venting all the resentment in his heart.

Sun Shoufa, in particular, became a key target of Li Zicheng's "care".

One lash after another fell on his back like raindrops, the crisp sound of the whip echoing in the silent space.

After a dozen or so lashes, Sun Shoufa's entire back was a bloody mess, with blood constantly seeping from the wounds, staining the surrounding ground red.

But Sun Shoufa was like a hard stone statue, gritting his teeth and refusing to utter a sound.

His forehead was covered with large beads of sweat, which rolled down his cheeks, but his eyes remained firm.

After the whipping, Li Zicheng probably felt that he had vented his anger, and his tense expression relaxed a little.

Then he looked at Sun Shoufa, a complex expression flashing in his eyes, and said:
"You are indeed a man of great stature, but it is a pity that you cannot serve me."

Upon hearing this, a cold smile appeared on Sun Shoufa's originally pale face.

His cold laugh, laced with endless mockery and contempt, came as he forced back pain to utter each word slowly and deliberately:

“I am an official appointed by the imperial court. How can I associate with a bandit like you? Even if I die, I will not betray the Ming Dynasty.”

His voice, though somewhat weak, was filled with an inexplicable power, a power like a sharp sword piercing straight into Li Zicheng's heart. However, perhaps because he had just enjoyed the fight so much, Li Zicheng seemed to have calmed down and was no longer angry.

He crossed his arms, a slight smirk playing on his lips, and said:
"Alright, take your men and go back. Tell Sun Chuanting that I have accepted the imperial edict of the Ming Emperor, and I will surrender to the Ming with all my subordinates."

Sun Shoufa was not surprised at all when he heard this.

Because he knew in his heart that Li Zicheng had not killed them, which proved that there was still room for negotiation on this matter.

However, he knew that all of this was still Li Zicheng's conspiracy, so he decided to test him and asked:

"In that case, when will you send your men to Liaodong?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zicheng reacted as if he had heard a huge joke, and with a cold laugh, continued:
"With the strength of your troops at Tongguan, how many peasant armies do you think you can escort to Liaodong each time? The previous 10,000 should still be in Tongguan, right?"

"Besides, it's going to snow soon, and the roads will be icy and difficult to travel. I guess we can't do this this year. We'll have to wait until next year, right?"

"How about this, we decide on the specifics next spring?"

"Of course, I will also abide by the previous agreement and continue to send peasant troops to Tongguan, but the number will not be too large at the beginning."

"After all, if all 600,000 peasant soldiers were sent to Tongguan, you wouldn't dare open the city gates, would you?"

"If this king were to use a trick, your Tongguan Pass would be in danger."

Li Zicheng's words carried a hint of threat, and his eyes gleamed with cunning.

But Sun Shoufa didn't care about these threats. He simply nodded silently and said:
"I will convey your words to my master. Also, the imperial court is making your seal and official robes, which will be delivered soon."

Upon hearing this, a hint of disgust flashed in Li Zicheng's eyes.

He forgot that, in addition to the previous imperial edict, according to regulations, there should also be an official seal and official robes.

Perhaps because the imperial court was in a hurry, these things were not made in time.

To be honest, he didn't want any of these things at all, since he wasn't really surrendering.

But he couldn't say it outright, so Li Zicheng could only wave his hand impatiently and say:
"Whatever you want."

Finally, he waved his hand, signaling his men to release the man.

Several peasant soldiers immediately stepped forward and casually draped the clothes they had taken off earlier over Sun Shoufa and the others, showing no regard for their wounds.

Being in the enemy camp, Sun Shoufa and the others dared not say anything and could only grit their teeth and endure it.

After doing all this, they impatiently urged Sun Shoufa and the others to hurry back.

Without the slightest hesitation, Sun Shoufa and the others hurriedly left the tent and found the horses they had ridden on their way there.

They mounted their horses, ignoring the pain in their bodies, and squeezed their legs against the horses' bellies, then galloped away towards Tongguan.

Along the way, everywhere you looked, you could see peasant soldiers.

These peasant soldiers gathered in small groups, some chatting, others fiddling with their farm tools.

To be honest, Sun Shoufa couldn't see any fighting spirit in them; they looked like a group of ordinary farmers working in the fields.

But who could have imagined it?
This seemingly harmless group of people turned the Ming Dynasty upside down, causing headaches for the entire court.

Suddenly, at that moment, Sun Shoufa seemed to have thought of something important, and a resolute look flashed in his eyes.

He jerked the reins back, bringing the horse to a stop, and then shouted:
"Listen up! The Emperor of the Great Ming has decreed that anyone who surrenders to the Great Ming will be pardoned. Anyone who surrenders with a hundred men will be granted the title of a hundred-household commander, a thousand men will be granted the title of a thousand-household commander, and five thousand men will be granted the title of a commander. There is no upper limit!"

Seeing Sun Shoufa suddenly shout this, the soldiers around him reacted instantly and loudly echoed him:
"The Emperor of the Great Ming has decreed that all those who surrender to the Great Ming will be pardoned for their past transgressions. Those who surrender with a hundred men will be granted the title of a hundred-household commander, those with a thousand men will be granted the title of a thousand-household commander, and those with five thousand men will be granted the title of a commander. High-ranking positions and generous salaries are just around the corner!"

Because they shouted these words with all their might, the sound traveled extremely far.

In an instant, the peasant army around them erupted into chaos. The previously listless peasant soldiers stopped what they were doing and began to whisper among themselves, their eyes revealing a hint of excitement and hesitation.

Not far away, Li Zicheng also noticed the commotion outside.

He frowned, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart. He quickly stepped out of the tent, called over a nearby guard, and asked with a grim expression:

"What's going on? Why is it so noisy all of a sudden?"

The guard was slightly taken aback, as if intimidated by Li Zicheng's imposing presence, and then stammered:

"Reporting to the King of Chuang, those Ming soldiers shouted something when they left, which made the brothers in the camp restless."

Upon hearing this, Li Zicheng's expression darkened further. He frowned and asked in a more serious tone:

"What did you shout?"

The guard hesitated. He knew that if he said this, Li Zicheng would be furious, but he couldn't refuse to answer if Li Zicheng asked.

Finally, he stammered out:

"What they shouted was, 'Anyone who voluntarily surrenders to the court will be pardoned for their past actions; those who lead a hundred men will be appointed as a hundred-household commanders; those who lead a thousand men will be appointed as a thousand-household commanders; and those who lead five thousand men will be appointed as commanders.'"

"Damn it! They're really fearless!"

Before his personal guard could finish speaking, Li Zicheng clenched his fist in anger.

He had assumed that since he had been so magnanimous in letting these people go, they would obediently leave with their tails between their legs, like a pack of stray dogs.

Unexpectedly, this unexpected turn of events happened right before I left.

Li Zicheng knew that this kind of thing couldn't be kept secret, after all, there were too many generals present at the time, and all of them were big mouths, so it wouldn't be long before the news spread throughout the entire camp.

But he never expected the news to spread so quickly!

In just a short while, the camp was already in complete chaos.

In an instant, Li Zicheng's killing intent surged, and his eyes revealed a strong murderous aura, as if he wanted to tear Sun Shoufa and the others to pieces.

However, Sun Shoufa and the others were not fools. They knew that doing so would arouse Li Zicheng's murderous intent, so after shouting these words, they hurriedly left Li Zicheng's camp.

If Li Zicheng were to send men to pursue them again at this point, not only would they not be able to catch up, but it might also cause even greater chaos.

So in the end, Li Zicheng could only grit his teeth and return to his camp in resentment.

The air in the tent seemed to be ignited by his anger, becoming hot and oppressive.

Before long, Sun Shoufa and his group returned to Tongguan.

Sun Chuanting had been waiting for them to return, so he was already certain that Li Zicheng would not dare to kill Sun Shoufa and the others, but such things are not immune to unexpected events.

Therefore, Sun Chuanting was still somewhat worried.

Sun Chuanting only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Sun Shoufa and the others return safely.

Immediately afterwards, he hurriedly went to greet them in person.

When Sun Chuanting saw bloodstains on the backs of Sun Shoufa and the others, he quickly removed their armor and saw the bloody wounds on Sun Shoufa's back.

The wound was shocking; blood was still seeping out, staining a large area of ​​his clothes red.

A hint of reluctance flashed in Sun Chuanting's eyes, then he gently patted Sun Shoufa's shoulder and said:

"Thank you for your hard work on this trip."

Sun Shoufa smiled upon hearing this, a smile tinged with weariness and pride, and then said loudly:

"It was just a beating, nothing serious."

The other soldiers who returned with them echoed the sentiment, their faces also beaming with smiles.

It should be noted that when they left, they were almost all prepared to die.

I never expected to come back alive. Compared to that, being beaten up was nothing.

Then, Sun Shoufa gave a brief account of everything that had happened, including shouting the contents of the imperial edict into Li Zicheng's camp before leaving.

Upon hearing this, Sun Chuanting praised him highly once again.

"Good, good! You have done very well. I will certainly petition His Majesty to commend you!"

Sun Chuanting said with great joy, because he knew that with Sun Shoufa's actions, Li Zicheng would definitely be in trouble.

Those peasant soldiers who already harbored rebellious intentions might one day take advantage of the darkness to defect to the Ming Dynasty.

After all, anyone who isn't stupid knows where their way out lies.

Following Li Zicheng might mean losing your life any day, but surrendering to the Ming Dynasty would not only save your life but also bring you high-ranking positions and generous rewards. It's like a windfall!
Therefore, Sun Chuanting immediately ordered that preparations be made that night to be ready to receive the surrendered soldiers who had come from Li Zicheng's camp.

Of course, it's something we need to be prepared for.

If Li Zicheng takes advantage of this opportunity to feign surrender while actually preparing to capture Tongguan, then we're doomed.

However, after careful consideration, Sun Chuanting felt that the probability of such a thing happening was very small.

It should be noted that there are 60,000 elite troops stationed inside Tongguan Pass, whose combat power is extremely strong. If Li Zicheng really wanted to do this, he would have to send at least tens of thousands of elite troops to do it.

This is clearly not in line with the current situation.

Therefore, although Sun Chuanting was somewhat wary, he didn't care too much. He simply told the soldiers to be on high alert and ready to deal with any possible emergencies.

As night fell, Tongguan City was quiet both inside and outside the city.

But behind this silence lies an atmosphere of tension and anticipation.

Everyone knew that something was destined to happen tonight.
(End of this chapter)