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

Chapter 315 Li Zicheng's camp has been 'shattered'!

In an instant, the entire camp seemed to be violently disrupted by an invisible giant hand, plunging into an unprecedented abyss of chaos.

That feeling of utter despair spread like a rampant plague throughout the camp at an alarming rate, causing panic wherever it went.

The once tranquil night sky was completely torn apart by the screams, shouts, and clashing of weapons, as if the gates of hell had been smashed open, and countless evil spirits poured out, roaring wildly in the camp.

As far as the eye could see, corpses lay scattered everywhere.

Some lay face up, eyes wide open, as if witnessing the most terrifying sight in the world in their last moments.

Some huddled together, seemingly desperately trying to escape the merciless slaughter.

Blood flowed freely, staining the ground into shocking pools of blood. In the dim light of the fire, the blood pools shimmered with an eerie and terrifying light, as if death was announcing its arrival to the world.

The air around was filled with a pungent, bloody stench, so strong it almost made one want to vomit. The smell was like the unbridled spread of death.

The once neatly arranged tents were now trampled and lying in disarray.

Those tents that once sheltered the soldiers from the wind and rain are now like withered flowers and willows ravaged by a storm.

Some were overturned on the ground, revealing the messy contents inside; others were slashed by sharp blades, the tattered cloths fluttering helplessly in the wind, as if the souls of the dead were wailing.

The flags were torn to shreds; the once vibrant flags were now tattered, some only half remaining, others torn to shreds, fluttering helplessly in the wind, as if telling the tragic story of the disaster.

All the peasant soldiers were now like headless flies, running around the camp in a chaotic manner, attacking each other.

Their eyes were filled with fear and confusion; they had no idea where to go or who to trust.

Comrades who usually fight side by side are now suspicious of each other due to the sudden chaos, and some even draw their knives against each other.

Every swing of a weapon could take away a life, and every clash could ignite a new battle.

Especially those peasant soldiers at the very bottom, who were marginal figures in the army with no status whatsoever, were like puppets manipulated by others.

Their lives in the peasant army were already difficult, and recently, with the army's food supplies dwindling, they haven't even been able to get a full meal.

They could only drink a bowl of thin porridge each day, so thin that you could see your reflection in it, to survive; it was simply not enough to fill their stomachs.

At this moment, the sudden shouts of fighting and killing made them feel utterly hopeless, as if the whole world had collapsed.

In an instant, fear and terror overwhelmed them like a tidal wave, as if they were in a giant nightmare.

They wanted to escape this terrible place, but they didn't know where to go. They wanted to fight back, but they didn't have enough power.

Someone screamed in terror, their voice filled with despair and helplessness.

Some people couldn't help but burst into tears, which streamed down their faces, soaking their thin and tattered clothes, as if they had lost all hope for the future.

In an instant, the entire camp descended into chaos, transforming into a living hell.

Flames shot up into the sky and thick smoke billowed.

People struggled, shouted, and fought amidst the inferno and thick smoke.

More and more corpses appeared, and the blood flowed wider and wider, shrouding the entire camp in an aura of death.

Without a doubt, thanks to Luo Rucai's meticulous planning, Li Zicheng's camp finally collapsed!
"Bombing the camp," also known in ancient times as "startling the camp" or "camp whistle," is a very special military term.

This refers to an unusual action in which all officers and soldiers of the army blindly and urgently assemble at night without receiving any instructions.

For example, when the army was resting at night, one of them had a nightmare in the middle of the night and mistakenly thought that the enemy was attacking. He hurriedly got up, dressed, and prepared to fight.

Others believed it to be true and hurriedly got up, dressed, and prepared to fight, which caused a series of chaos.

When a camp is rioted, the soldiers are in a state of extreme confusion and panic. They shout and scream meaninglessly, run around wildly, and even attack each other, causing the entire camp to fall into chaos, like a pot boiling over.

The reason for this is mostly due to the high level of stress among the soldiers. Of course, management methods and unexpected situations are also important factors.

Moreover, it must be said that Li Zicheng's side now basically has all three of these reasons.

It should be understood that even well-trained professional soldiers are not immune to incidents like a mutiny, let alone the peasant army under Li Zicheng.
In fact, Li Zicheng had fought so many battles over the years, so he certainly knew to prevent the camp from being bombed, and therefore made many preparations.

But food shortages are a fatal problem, so what good would it do if he made foolproof preparations?

In addition to Luo Rucai's series of schemes, the current situation has come to this.

Luo Rucai's scheme was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up huge waves.

He used Yuan Dafu and others to create chaos, which aroused suspicion and panic within the peasant army.

The ordinary soldiers, who were already resentful due to food shortages, completely lost their minds in the chaos and began attacking each other.

On Li Zicheng's side, due to the suddenness of the incident, there was no time to take effective countermeasures.

Even though Li Zicheng's old generals ran around trying to stabilize the situation, it was to no avail.

At this moment, the entire camp was like a ship that had lost its helmsman in a storm, drifting on the turbulent sea, and could be completely swallowed up by fear at any time.

Meanwhile, the entire camp was in complete chaos, like a pot of boiling water.

A group of about three thousand people took advantage of the chaos and quietly arrived at an extremely remote place.

The surroundings were quiet, with only the occasional chirping of insects, which seemed to form a stark contrast to the chaos outside.

Behind them lay corpses lying haphazardly, blood slowly seeping from them and pooling into thin streams of blood.

It was clear that there were people who tried to stop them along the way, but anyone who saw them was killed by them!

Those people probably didn't even have time to react before they fell to their blades.

The leader of this team was none other than Luo Rucai's adopted son, Shizai.

At this moment, Shi Zai gripped his weapon tightly, vigilantly observing the movements around him.

They arrived here according to Luo Rucai's previous plan, and Luo Rucai would also come here to meet them.

Sure enough, not long after, a figure quietly appeared here.

The figure appeared and disappeared in the darkness, like a ghost.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Luo Rucai.

He felt a surge of excitement and quickly stepped forward, kneeling on one knee and saying:
"Father!"

Immediately afterwards, the other generals also came before Luo Rucai, and then knelt on one knee and said:

"Luo Shuai!"

Luo Rucai breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the crowd. Fortunately, they hadn't abandoned him; otherwise, he really wouldn't know what to do.

At the same time, he secretly rejoiced that he had such a group of loyal subordinates.

Just then, one of them stood up and asked in a low voice:
"Commander Luo, what should we do next? Please tell us."

Seeing this, the others also looked at Luo Rucai, their eyes filled with anxiety and longing, as if Luo Rucai were their pillar of support. In the dim moonlight, their faces revealed an extremely resolute expression.

There was no other way; things had come to this point, and they had no way out.

If you can't escape, then you're doomed.

Upon hearing this, Luo Rucai immediately said:

"Li Zicheng had previously heeded my advice and adjusted the deployment of his troops, with the weakest point of the camp located in the southeast."

"Because this place is close to the mountains, Li Zicheng felt that it was a natural stronghold, so he only set up a main camp of less than two thousand people. The rest were just ordinary peasant soldiers who were not worth fearing at all."

"If we can break out of here while things are in chaos, we can escape smoothly."

His voice was calm and firm, as if reassuring everyone.

Upon hearing this, the group's eyes lit up instantly. They rubbed their hands together, their eyes filled with excitement and determination.

Immediately following Luo Rucai's plan, they sped off in the southeast direction.

At this moment, panic spread to this area as well, and everyone looked terrified.

Although the two thousand veteran soldiers sent by Li Zicheng did not know what had happened, they were fulfilling their duty at the moment, which was to try their best to appease the surrounding peasant army.

While it was called appeasement, it was actually a direct attack.

They brandished their weapons, shouting at the panicked peasant soldiers. They tried to appease those they could, beat those they couldn't, and killed those who still wouldn't listen.

Since they already don't have enough food, killing more people will save them some rations.

In their eyes, these peasant soldiers were nothing more than insignificant people, and their deaths were no big deal.

But soon, one of the veteran soldiers spotted a troop suddenly appearing in the distance. Startled, he quickly shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Who goes there? What are you doing so late at night?"

However, the next second, a sharp sword suddenly flew out and pierced his throat like a bolt of lightning.

The veteran soldier's eyes widened in disbelief.

He could no longer utter a single word, and then his body slowly collapsed.

Immediately afterwards, Shi Zai led his group forward and charged in, without saying a word, and began to fight.

In the pitch black, the soldiers in the old camp had no idea what was happening. They only saw a large group of people rushing towards them, and they were instantly thrown into disarray.

The original formation was broken into pieces, and the soldiers scattered and trampled each other.

They were caught completely off guard and had no time to mount an effective resistance.

Even when the veteran soldiers behind them realized what was happening and tried to rally their forces to resist, it was already too late.

Shi Zai and his men were like tigers descending a mountain, unstoppable. Soon, most of the two thousand men were killed. The surviving veteran soldiers didn't dare to stop them and scattered in all directions.

At this moment, they were disarmed and in a sorry state, like a pack of stray dogs.

Only the ordinary peasant soldiers had no intention of stopping them from leaving.

After all, these people were just ordinary farmers; how could they dare to stop such an army?
They watched as Shizai and the others charged forward, their eyes filled with fear and awe.

As for Shizai and his men, they naturally couldn't be bothered to deal with these ordinary peasant soldiers!

At this point, they won't make a move unless you stop them.

And so, Luo Rucai's three thousand men actually broke out of Li Zicheng's camp without any hindrance.

However, what lay before them was not a road, but several towering mountains.

The mountain soared into the clouds, its peaks appearing and disappearing in the night, like a giant monster.

Next, they must cross this mountain to reach Tongguan.

After the fierce battle just now, Luo Rucai's side also suffered losses, with nearly three hundred dead and wounded.

Those who were unlucky enough to die can only rest here forever.

As for the injured, Luo Rucai did not abandon them, but directly ordered people to help them leave together.

Immediately afterward, just as the main force was about to enter the mountains and forests, Luo Rucai suddenly realized something.

He stopped and turned around, and saw behind them, pairs of bewildered yet longing eyes suddenly appearing in the darkness.

These were the peasant soldiers who had taken advantage of the chaos to follow behind them, numbering about five thousand!

Looking at these people, Luo Rucai suddenly had an idea, and then shouted:

"Brothers, I am Luo Rucai. You should all have heard of my name. To tell you the truth, I was the one who started this whole mess today."

"You must have all noticed that Li Zicheng has run out of food. If you continue to follow him, you will only starve to death. The only way for you to survive is to surrender to the imperial court."

"If you are willing to surrender to the court with me, then we shall go together. If you are not unwilling, then you may leave. I will not make things difficult for you!"

His voice echoed in the night sky, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding peasant soldiers quickly took action.

After all, they've only been able to drink a bowl of thin porridge every day recently, and they're on the verge of not surviving.

Under these circumstances, even a fool would know that Li Zicheng's army couldn't last long; if things continued like this, they would starve to death sooner or later.

But now, upon hearing Luo Rucai's words, they felt as if they had found hope.

The next second, someone shouted:

"Military Advisor Luo, I am willing to follow you and surrender to the imperial court!"

The voice was filled with determination and resolve.

"I do too!"

"I do too!"

In an instant, shouts erupted from the dark mass of people, their eyes filled with expectation and trust, as if Luo Rucai were their savior.

Before long, everyone present had joined Luo Rucai's team.

In this way, Luo Rucai's team suddenly grew to more than 8,000 people!
In the darkness, Luo Rucai could not see the faces of these people clearly, only a scene of a large crowd, but he knew that these people were his source of confidence.

Only by bringing more people to surrender to the court will the court pay him more attention.

(End of this chapter)