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

Chapter 286 Do you think anyone will want to surrender to the imperial court tonight?

Meanwhile, in Li Zicheng's camp, a rich aroma of wine was filling the air.

Li Zicheng, Luo Rucai, and Zhang Xianzhong sat together on a table laden with fine wine and delicacies. They drank from one cup to another, chatting occasionally, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Outside the tent, a bright full moon hung high in the vast night sky, like a dazzling pearl, radiating a soft and cool light.

The sky was dotted with stars, like jewels set in black silk, shimmering with a mesmerizing brilliance.

Such a beautiful night should have been a time of relaxation and tranquility, but the atmosphere inside the tent was subtly tense and unsettling.

Li Zicheng picked up his wine cup, took a small sip, and let the slightly bitter liquid slide down his throat. A meaningful smile appeared on his lips as he slowly began to speak:
"Gentlemen, tell me, will anyone secretly surrender to the Ming Dynasty tonight?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Rucai and Zhang Xianzhong's previously relaxed expressions instantly turned somber.

They originally thought that Li Zicheng had simply invited them over for drinks and conversation tonight to relax, but now it seems that things are far more complicated than they imagined.

They were puzzled, unable to figure out what Li Zicheng really meant by those words.

Was it just a casual question, or was it a subtle warning to them not to do anything inappropriate?

Luo Rucai hesitated for a moment, but finally braced himself and answered:
"King Chuang, as the saying goes, wealth and high positions are equally tempting. In my opinion, tonight some people might not be able to resist their greed and might even surrender to the court!"

Hearing this from the side, Zhang Xianzhong could only helplessly chime in:

"If there really are such traitors, then tonight will be their death day."

"They think they can be lured away by the court's sweet talk? These people aren't truly loyal to us!"

"There's no need to be polite to this kind of person. Just kill them and then whip their corpse as a warning to others, so that they will know the consequences of betrayal."

Li Zicheng listened to the two men's answers and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

After that, the three of them stopped talking and just continued drinking in silence, and the atmosphere seemed to ease up immediately.

However, Li Zicheng's gaze kept drifting towards the camp outside, his eyes revealing a hint of vigilance and anticipation, as if he were waiting for something to happen.

The drinking session lasted from nightfall until midnight.

As time went by, Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai gradually felt sleepy, and their eyelids began to droop.

But Li Zicheng didn't say it was time to leave, so the two of them didn't dare to leave on their own. They could only force themselves to stay and wait with Li Zicheng.

Li Zicheng, on the other hand, remained silent throughout, his gaze fixed intently on the outside, as if he had already anticipated that someone would be unable to contain themselves and would prepare to take action that night.

Sure enough, not long after, a violent commotion suddenly came from the direction of the camp in the southwest corner.

The sound was like a boulder suddenly thrown into a calm lake, instantly shattering the tranquility of the night.

Immediately afterwards, a cacophony of sounds erupted, a cacophony of shouts, cries, and running noises that was incredibly irritating.

Before the commotion subsided, noises also began to emanate from the other two directions.

Anyone with eyes could see that this commotion meant someone was preparing to lead a group to surrender to the imperial court.

But this is not an easy task.
Li Zicheng had anticipated that someone might have ulterior motives that night, so he specially dispatched his veteran soldiers to carefully deploy around the area in order to prevent such a thing from happening.

So not long after, shouts of killing came from all around.

The sound was like the call of death, echoing continuously in the night sky, sending chills down one's spine.

Hearing the various sounds coming from afar, Li Zicheng merely gave a cold laugh, a laugh filled with disdain and ruthlessness.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he drank another glass of wine by himself.

Seeing this, Luo Rucai and Zhang Xianzhong knew that there would be no peace in their tent tonight.

They sighed helplessly in their hearts and could only continue drinking with Li Zicheng, each harboring their own little schemes.

Before long, the shouts of battle subsided instantly, as if a gust of wind had suddenly stopped.

Immediately afterwards, the entire camp returned to silence, as if nothing had happened.

But behind this tranquility lie countless untold secrets and bloody massacres.

After a while, a general came to report.

The general strode up to Li Zicheng, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said:
"King Chuang, several of your generals tried to leave with their troops at night, but we discovered them and they have all been killed."

Upon hearing this, Li Zicheng showed no pity whatsoever; instead, he loudly proclaimed:
"Good, well done! Such a treacherous person should be killed without mercy, so that others will learn a lesson."

"By my order, cut off all their heads and hang them at the entrance of the camp. Say that they wanted to betray the peasant army and even tried to assassinate me, but you discovered and killed them in time."

Upon hearing this, the general quickly said:

"As ordered!"

He then got up and left to carry out Li Zicheng's orders.

Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai exchanged a glance, then looked at Li Zicheng with smiles on their faces and said:
"The King of Chuang is truly decisive! People like him who betray their promises should be killed as an example to warn others. Only in this way will no one in the army dare to have any other thoughts, and everyone will wholeheartedly follow the King of Chuang to accomplish great things."

After listening to their words, Li Zicheng was unsure whether the two men truly supported him or were merely going through the motions.

But as things stand, their every move is under his control, and he can eliminate them at any time should they make any wrong moves.

Upon realizing this, Li Zicheng's expression immediately changed, and a smile appeared on his face.

Then he raised his glass and said:

"The others are not a concern. The key is that you two have been able to follow me all this time. I am very pleased. Come, let's drink this cup!"

Zhang Xianzhong and Luo Rucai quickly raised their glasses and shouted:

"I am willing to follow King Li Zicheng on his great cause!"

However, coming from their mouths, it was clear that these were just empty words.

As for what they are really thinking, only they themselves probably know the answer.

Perhaps they are also plotting their own schemes, calculating how to gain their own interests in this complex situation.

Furthermore, what Li Zicheng didn't know was that even though he killed many people that night in an attempt to intimidate those with ill intentions.

However, quite a few people still managed to slip away from the peasant army under cover of night and head straight for Tongguan.

The reason for this is quite simple: ultimately, it's because the peasant army was simply too large.

Even though they suffered heavy losses in the previous battles, they still have about 550,000 men left.

You should know that these 550,000 people were all under the care of his old soldiers.

But the veteran soldiers are also human; they need rest too, and it's impossible for them to keep watch around the clock.

This led to a situation where, from time to time, some people would take advantage of moments when security was not tight to secretly break away from the peasant army and head straight for Tongguan to surrender to the imperial court.

As a result, Sun Chuanting was quite busy.

After nightfall, scattered groups of peasant soldiers came to surrender to the imperial court.

The number of people ranged from a few to several hundred, with the largest number exceeding eight hundred.

In the first half of the night alone, no fewer than three thousand peasant soldiers came to surrender.

These peasant soldiers were all weary from their journey, their faces showing fatigue and fear, but their eyes also revealed a hint of anticipation for the future.

Sun Chuanting naturally accepted all of these people without exception.

However, to avoid the possibility of Li Zicheng's spies infiltrating the area, Sun Chuanting dared not be careless in the slightest.

Therefore, these people were placed separately, and they will be reassigned only after all aspects have been verified.

Of course, the official positions that were due were also given without hesitation.

After all, Sun Chuanting was the Governor-General of the Three Border Regions, and he had the power to directly appoint officials below the fourth rank under his command without having to report to the imperial court.

In the latter half of the night, waves of peasant soldiers continued to come to join them, until dawn, when no one came to join them anymore.

According to statistics, nearly five thousand people surrendered to the imperial court that very night.

Although the number of participants was not large, it was still a good start.

And if nothing unexpected happens, there will be even more people coming.

After all, the situation on Li Zicheng's side is becoming increasingly unstable, and many people are looking for new ways out.

Of course, if Li Zicheng knew this news, he would probably be furious.

After all, those who surrendered to the court this time were not the old, weak, sick, or disabled, because the old, weak, sick, or disabled would not be able to break through the encirclement of Li Zicheng's old camp.

Therefore, most of these people were young and middle-aged men, and they could be considered the main force of the peasant army!

This must have been a great loss for Li Zicheng.

That morning, Li Zicheng received this shocking news.

When he learned that nearly six thousand of his men had surrendered to the imperial court in just one night, his face darkened instantly.

If we add the men he ordered killed last night, Li Zicheng's side lost more than 10,000 men in just one night!

Even though Li Zicheng still has an army of nearly 500,000, the loss of 10,000 men still caused him excruciating pain!
He seemed to see his power gradually weakening and his great cause facing unprecedented challenges.

Even so, he could not change the current situation.

After all, the peasant army was simply too large. Even if the veteran soldiers were on high alert, they couldn't keep an eye on all of them.

In the end, Li Zicheng could only sigh helplessly, secretly pondering how to deal with this complex situation.

And so, the situation in Shaanxi finally began to gradually improve.

Meanwhile, the scene shifts to Xuanfu. Time quietly passed, and about half a month later, Zhu Cilang finally received a message from Zu Dabi.

When the letter containing so much information was presented to Zhu Cilang, he eagerly opened the envelope.

Then, the contents of the letter slowly unfolded.

In short, after many hardships, Zu Dabi and his group successfully arrived at the territory of the Vetra Alliance on the seventh day.

And what a coincidence! They ran right into the Junggar tribe that Zhu Cilang had mentioned earlier.

Initially, Batur Khuntaiji, the leader of the Dzungar tribe and Galdan's father in history, was unaware that a huge crisis was quietly approaching.

Hoping for a stroke of luck, he tried to send someone to communicate with Zu Dabi and his men, hoping to exchange some fat cattle and sheep and treasures for peaceful coexistence with the Ming army.

After all, in his mind, the Ming Dynasty's visit this time was probably just to rob them!
Therefore, as long as what you offer is enough to move the other party, you can avoid a potential disaster.

But it's clear that Batur Khuntaiji is overthinking things.

Because Zu Dabi's most important mission on this trip was to destroy the entire Jungar tribe!
Therefore, Zu Dabi did not give the other party any chance to negotiate and took decisive action.

It's important to know that at this time, the Junggar tribe was just a small tribe within the Vetra Alliance.

The entire tribe has a population of less than 50,000, and of those, less than 10,000 are able-bodied young men who can actually take up arms and fight.

These 10,000 men might not seem like a small number to ordinary people, but when faced with the fully armed and well-trained Ming army, they appeared utterly helpless.

Moreover, the Ming army was carrying extremely advanced flintlock muskets this time.

These powerful firearms played a significant role on the battlefield; every shot was accompanied by the screams and falls of the enemy.

After a fierce battle, the Junggar tribe was completely powerless to resist. The Ming army swept through the entire Junggar tribe like autumn leaves in the wind, without any hindrance.

Even Batur Khuntaiji, whom Zhu Cilang had always been concerned about and considered a major threat, could not escape his fate and was eventually killed by the Ming army.

Perhaps to please Zhu Cilang, Zu Dabi also salted Batur Huntaiji's head and sent it along with the letter.

So when Zhu Cilang opened the package that came with the letter, what came into view was a head that had been pickled in salt.

The scene was truly disgusting; a pungent odor hit you, making you involuntarily frown.

But Zhu Cilang was, after all, a man who had weathered many storms and seen many great things. He suppressed his nausea and carefully examined the head.

He had never seen Batur Khuntaiji in person before, so he couldn't be sure whether the head in front of him was the real Batur Khuntaiji.

However, this is easy to verify, because many Mongolian merchants in Xuanfu had been to the Dzungar Khanate and met Batur Khuntaiji.

Zhu Cilang summoned these people and then asked them to identify the head separately. Finally, he confirmed that the head was indeed that of Batur Khuntaiji!

Zhu Cilang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

And so, Galdan will never appear on the Mongolian steppe again.

Of course, he also knew that things in this world are unpredictable, and even with thorough preparations, unexpected events could still occur.

For example, figures like Gasandan and Gasidan emerged later, leading Mongolia to rise again.

However, Zhu Cilang didn't care much about this matter; at worst, he could just send a large army to fight it again later.

In any case, the strength of the Ming army is undeniable, and he has enough confidence to meet any challenge.

Although this approach sounds cruel, it is for the sake of the future unification of the Ming Dynasty.

In Zhu Cilang's view, in order to achieve long-term stability and security for the country and for the future generations of the Chinese nation, sometimes it is necessary to make some difficult choices and take some tough measures.

Ultimately, this is still war, and what war isn't cruel?

All the sacrifices will be worthwhile as long as the unification and prosperity of China can be achieved in the end.

It's much better than China being ravaged by the Jurchens again decades later, isn't it?
Overall, things are moving in a positive direction.

On this day, Zhu Cilang, who rarely had any free time, led a group of people to gallop across the vast grassland.

The thunderous sound of horses' hooves echoed across the grassland, raising clouds of dust.

Zhu Cilang rode on horseback, fully enjoying the thrill of galloping across the grassland.

Although it was early autumn, the weather on the grassland was already unusually cold.

A biting wind howled past, stinging people's faces; the temperature was only about one or two degrees Celsius.

According to Qiqige, based on the usual climate patterns, the grassland will see its first heavy snowfall in less than half a month.

At that time, the entire grassland will be covered in snow, a silver-white world, just like another world.

These words reminded Zhu Cilang of the capital.

Although the climate in the capital city is different from that in the grasslands, and it is not as cold as the grasslands, according to the time calculation, it is about time for it to snow.

Now Zhu Cilang only hoped that there wouldn't be any heavy snowfall before the army returned from Mongolia.

Otherwise, once heavy snow falls, the roads will become muddy and difficult to traverse, making marching extremely difficult and putting the army in danger.

After all, heavy snow can not only affect the army's marching speed, but may also hinder the transportation of supplies, causing great trouble for the entire army.

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang suddenly pulled on the reins and stopped his horse.

Then, gazing at the boundless grassland before him, he was filled with emotion.

He knew that as long as the army returned safely, this vast grassland would be officially incorporated into the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

By then, the Ming Dynasty will have its own grasslands.

Moreover, his control over the grasslands was different from that of all other Ming emperors. Other emperors only nominally possessed the grasslands, but in reality, their control over them was very limited.

But what Zhu Cilang wanted was actual control; he wanted to make this grassland a true part of the Ming Dynasty.

Although according to his plan, the grasslands would eventually be distributed or sold to the Mongol herders who surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, this did not affect his plan.

Because he will build cities and station troops on these grasslands.

Building cities was not a good thing for the Mongols, because they were not good at defending cities, let alone attacking them.

Moreover, the cities cannot follow them.

But for the Han people, building cities was a great thing!
Because the Han people were skilled at both defending and attacking cities.

In addition, Zhu Cilang planned to use a ratio of half Mongol soldiers and half Han soldiers for the Mongol garrison, and would have them rotated.

His actions were not without deeper meaning.

Simply put, the goal is to unite the Mongols and Han Chinese, to make these Mongols aware of Han Chinese culture, and to foster their identification with the Han people.

After all, ethnic integration is an inevitable trend if we want to achieve national unity and long-term stability.

Only by enabling all ethnic groups to understand, tolerate, and integrate with each other can a country truly achieve prosperity and strength.

Before we knew it, the sky had suddenly darkened completely.

At this moment, the sunset on the horizon is like a magnificent painting, dyeing the entire sky with vibrant colors.

Looking at the beautiful scenery before him, Zhu Cilang smiled slightly before leading Qiqige, Zheng Xiaomei, and the others back to Xuanfu with satisfaction.

By the time he returned to the government office, it was already completely dark.

Before he could even step inside, Ma Bao, who was guarding the door, immediately came forward, his face showing a hint of anxiety, and said:
"Your Highness, you're finally back. General Qin has been waiting for you."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang frowned and asked:
"Why didn't you send someone to find me? What if there's some real emergency and you're delayed?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Bao's face showed a hint of grievance, and he lowered his head and said:
"I told General Qin that if he was in a hurry, I would go and find Your Highness immediately."

"But General Qin said that this matter was not urgent and that there was no need to go to you. She said she would just wait for you to come back, so I did not go to you."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang roughly understood that this matter was probably not very important, otherwise Qin Liangyu would have sent someone to find him long ago.

Thinking of this, he wasn't in a hurry anymore, and then waved to Ma Bao and said:

"Alright, alright, take me to see General Qin."

Before long, Zhu Cilang met Qin Liangyu.

Qin Liangyu was about to bow when Zhu Cilang appeared, but Zhu Cilang smiled and waved his hand, saying:
"Alright, alright, General Qin, there's no need for such formalities between you and me. From now on, these empty formalities are unnecessary."

Qin Liangyu is already sixty-seven years old, and Zhu Cilang really doesn't want to bother her with these empty formalities.

Qin Liangyu didn't hesitate at all. Hearing Zhu Cilang's words, she stood up straight and smiled, saying:

"Since Your Highness has put it that way, then I shall accept it without further ado."

Zhu Cilang nodded, then continued to ask:

"Tell me, what is it that you've come to see me so late?"

Qin Liangyu then spoke seriously:

"Your Highness, a group of Mongols arrived in Xuanfu at dusk this morning."

Oh?
Zhu Cilang raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled.

He didn't understand what was so noteworthy about this matter that warranted reporting it.

It's important to know that a large number of Mongols come and go from Xuanfu every day, mostly to do business, and some to experience the local customs and culture.

However, these are all permissible, and it seems that General Qin Liangyu does not need to report them specifically.

Unless, these Mongols have very unusual identities!
(End of this chapter)