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

Chapter 318 Sun Chuanting's Shock: It was actually Luo Rucai who came?
Around four or five in the morning, the world was still shrouded in darkness, with only faint starlight and moonlight shining on the earth.

Suddenly, a scout rushed in to report that a troop of about 10,000 soldiers had appeared in the mountains to the southeast and were marching in a grand procession toward Tongguan City.

Upon hearing this, Sun Chuanting's heart stirred, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

Because he knew his guess was indeed correct!
It is true that some people on Li Zicheng's side launched a rebellion and wanted to surrender to the imperial court.

However, he did not expect that this person would be so clever as to choose to go into the mountains, and then come to Tongguan after wandering around in the mountains for a long time.

Although it may seem troublesome, it is actually the safest way to do it.

Since it was pitch black, Li Zicheng couldn't lead his men directly into the mountains to intercept them, and could only watch helplessly as they escaped.

However, Sun Chuanting dared not be careless in the slightest, so he immediately ordered all the soldiers in the city to assemble and prepare to deal with the matter.

Although he had guessed that these people had come to surrender, there was always a chance of something going wrong.

If the other side is feigning surrender, then it could be dangerous.

He must make thorough preparations to ensure the safety of Tongguan City.

So when Luo Rucai arrived at Tongguan with his army of more than 8,000 men, he saw that torches were burning all around Tongguan.

The sheer number of torches illuminated the entire city gate, making it as bright as day.

Immediately afterwards, a garrison soldier who had been waiting at the foot of the city wall shouted:
"Who goes there? Stop right now! Don't come any closer!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Rucai quickly waved to signal everyone to stop.

He knew that every move he made at this moment was crucial, and the slightest carelessness could cause unnecessary trouble.

Then, he looked at Shizai beside him. Shizai immediately understood and went over to negotiate with him.

He clasped his hands in greeting and said:

"Please have this general go in and announce that Luo Rucai has led his troops to surrender to the imperial court."

what?
Luo Rucai?
The garrison commander was also taken aback upon hearing this.

Having fought the peasant army for so long, he certainly knew who Luo Rucai was.

It should be noted that at this time, although there are many factions in the peasant army, Luo Rucai is definitely one of the most prominent.

He was the leader of the peasant army, second only to Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, and had extremely high prestige and influence among the peasant army.

Without a doubt, this guy is definitely a big shot!
Now, such a great figure has actually led his army to surrender to the imperial court. This is absolutely a momentous event!
Thinking of this, the garrison dared not delay and rushed towards the dismounted soldier:
"Please wait a moment while I go and inform him!"

After saying this, he returned to the city and rhythmically knocked on the city gate.

Soon, the city gates were opened.

Normally, the gates of Tongguan would not be opened at night to prevent Li Zicheng from launching a surprise attack.

However, ever since the previous imperial edict was issued, the Tongguan city gate has been basically "open for business" 24 hours a day, and there are soldiers on duty outside the city.

Because whether it was daytime or the middle of the night, peasant soldiers would always escape from Li Zicheng's side and surrender to the imperial court.

The 60,000 troops inside the city had already assembled, so the city gates were opened openly, even in front of Luo Rucai and the others.

At this moment, if Luo Rucai dared to show the slightest abnormality, he would definitely die without a burial place!

Of course, Luo Rucai wouldn't do anything foolish at this point.
Before long, Sun Chuanting, who was stationed at Tongguan Pass, also received the news.

"Luo Rucai? It's actually Luo Rucai!"

At this moment, Sun Chuanting was truly shocked.

He truly hadn't expected that such a "big fish" as Luo Rucai would actually come to surrender to the imperial court; this was completely beyond his expectations.

In his mind, Luo Rucai had always been an important figure in the peasant army, with his own ambitions and power. How could he possibly surrender to the imperial court so easily?

But he quickly came to terms with it.

Because the mastermind behind such chaos in Li Zicheng's camp must have been a very important figure, and Luo Rucai perfectly fits those criteria.

Perhaps he foresaw the inevitable defeat of the peasant army, which is why he decided to surrender to the imperial court in order to save his life.

Thinking of this, Sun Chuanting immediately prepared to go down the city wall to see Luo Rucai.

If Luo Rucai could be successfully persuaded to surrender, it would undoubtedly be a huge victory for the imperial court.

However, the generals standing nearby, seeing Sun Chuanting's state, quickly advised him:
"My lord, please don't be anxious. Let your men go and meet Luo Rucai first to see if he is truly willing to surrender."

"If he truly surrenders, then you should go see him. After all, you bear the responsibility for the safety of Shaanxi. What if something happens to you?"

Sun Chuanting smiled indifferently upon hearing this.

Then he pointed to Li Zicheng's camp, where firelight was still flickering not far away, and said:
“Look at the fire over Li Zicheng’s side. This fire has been burning since last night and has been burning for three or four hours.”

"If this is some kind of conspiracy, isn't the price Li Zicheng paid too high?"

"Furthermore, look at the troops that Luo Rucai brought. None of them are on horseback; they are all infantry. The first two or three thousand can barely be considered elite, but the rest are just ordinary farmers."

"Moreover, these people have traveled a long way and are already exhausted. If this is really a conspiracy, then they are underestimating the more than 60,000 troops guarding Tongguan City."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding generals pondered for a moment and realized that they seemed to have been overthinking things.

It is no exaggeration to say that at this moment, they only need to send 10,000 men to easily wipe out this team.

If there were any conspiracy or trickery involved, then the other party would be incredibly foolish!
Thinking of this, the others stopped trying to stop them.

However, to prevent any accidents, they still brought a group of armored soldiers with them when they left the city.

These armored warriors were all clad in heavy armor, wielding sharp blades, with serious expressions and eyes that conveyed a sense of vigilance and authority.

Soon, the gates of Tongguan reopened.

First to appear was a large group of fully armed soldiers, who stood on both sides, holding weapons and staring intently at Luo Rucai and his group.

Those icy eyes seemed to pierce through one's soul, sending chills down one's spine.

Luo Rucai remained calm upon seeing this scene. He knew that since he had come to surrender late at night, the other party would definitely test his sincerity first, which was a normal procedure.

Therefore, he stood there calmly, while reaching out to reassure the soldiers behind him, signaling them not to panic.

"Brothers, do not be afraid. We have come here sincerely to surrender to the court. The court will surely treat us well."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers behind him gradually calmed down from their initial tension.

Immediately afterwards, surrounded by the crowd, Sun Chuanting walked out slowly with steady steps.

He stood tall and straight, with a serious expression and eyes that conveyed a sense of authority and caution.

However, Sun Chuanting did not approach Luo Rucai rashly. Instead, he stood in a relatively safe position where he could have a clear conversation and called out loudly:
"May I ask which one of you is Luo Rucai?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Rucai quickly stepped forward, clasped his hands respectfully, and said:
"I am Luo Rucai." At this moment, Luo Rucai's voice carried a hint of nervousness and anticipation, after all, his fate was now in the hands of the Ming general in front of him.

Sun Chuanting continued:
"Have you come to surrender to the imperial court?"

Luo Rucai said loudly:

"Exactly."

At this time, the two sides were still quite far apart. Even though torches were lit on Tongguan City, illuminating the surroundings, neither side could clearly see the other's appearance.

But it doesn't matter, as long as we can keep up the conversation.

At this point, Sun Chuanting was basically certain that Luo Rucai had genuinely pledged allegiance to him.

Years of combat experience had honed his keen eye, and he could sense the sincerity in Luo Rucai's tone and attitude.

He then said again:
"Since you are truly willing to surrender to the imperial court, then please have your soldiers remove their armor and discard their weapons before entering the city, how about that?"

Luo Rucai didn't care at all when he heard this; instead, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he hurriedly shouted:

"Rest assured, sir, I will do as you say!"

After saying this, Luo Rucai directly gave orders to the people behind him:

"Everyone, remove your armor and throw away your weapons!"

His voice was urgent and decisive, as if he were afraid that Sun Chuanting would change his mind.

The soldiers behind him looked at each other, their eyes revealing a hint of hesitation and unease.

After all, they had just experienced a rebellion and were now facing the situation of having to lay down their arms and weapons, so they were inevitably a little uneasy.

But soon, they saw Shizai throw away his weapon and then remove his armor, which he casually piled aside.

Immediately afterwards, some people began to throw away their weapons and remove their armor.

Upon seeing this, the remaining people no longer hesitated and began to remove their armor piece by piece and throw their weapons on the ground.

After all, they've come this far, and there's no turning back. They can only do whatever Luo Rucai says.

Before long, a series of clanging sounds rang out outside Tongguan City.

Sun Chuanting and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this scene.

Because once the enemy removed their armor and weapons, it meant they had completely given up resistance and chosen to submit to the imperial court.

Immediately afterwards, another group of Ming soldiers stepped forward and roughly checked Luo Rucai and his men. After confirming that they were indeed not carrying any weapons, they nodded to Sun Chuanting.

Before long, Sun Chuanting led his men to greet them.

Even at this point, the Ming army did not let their guard down. A group of soldiers, numbering several hundred, remained by Sun Chuanting's side, protecting him at all times.

Meanwhile, the defenders on the city walls were fully prepared, either drawing their bows and shooting arrows or aiming their flintlock muskets!

Even the soldiers inside the city gates were the same!
As soon as they detect anything amiss, they immediately launch an attack, thus covering Sun Chuanting's retreat. Afterward, the city's garrison immediately rushes out and tears Luo Rucai and his men to pieces!

Luo Rucai was a veteran of the battlefield, so he naturally understood this point and could completely understand Sun Chuanting's caution.

Therefore, he dared not make the slightest move, but stood respectfully in place, waiting for Sun Chuanting's arrival.

Then, the two finally met.

Upon seeing Sun Chuanting, Luo Rucai respectfully cupped his hands and said:
"This humble subject, Luo Rucai, pays his respects to Lord Sun!"

He then prepared to kneel down and kowtow, showing his sincerity.

Before he could kneel down, Sun Chuanting helped him up.

"General Luo, there's no need for such formalities. Now that you've led your troops to surrender to the court, we are now colleagues. There's no need for such politeness between colleagues."

After saying this, Sun Chuanting glanced at the crowd behind Luo Rucai and said:
"You have all traveled a long way and have had a hard time. Please enter the city quickly. As for what happened before, you can rest assured. His Majesty has decreed that as long as you surrender to the court, all your previous mistakes will be forgiven. You will still be subjects of the Ming Dynasty, and the court will take good care of you."

Sun Chuanting's voice was loud and clear, instantly reaching everyone's ears.

These words were like a reassuring pill, finally calming down the anxious hearts of Luo Rucai and the others.

Because they knew that Sun Chuanting was the top official in Shaanxi, so his words were naturally credible.

Immediately afterwards, Sun Chuanting smiled at Luo Rucai and said:

"Please let us meet inside the city."

Upon hearing this, Luo Rucai quickly nodded.

"It is better to obey orders than to be respectful!"

Subsequently, Luo Rucai followed Sun Chuanting into Tongguan City.

And so, Luo Rucai finally arrived at Tongguan City, which Li Zicheng had always longed for.

He walked with rather heavy steps, his eyes revealing a hint of emotion and excitement.

Even Luo Rucai himself probably didn't expect that from the moment he stepped into Tongguan City, he had actually completely changed his fate.

In the original history, Luo Rucai would soon clash with Li Zicheng and be killed by him.

However, since Luo Rucai has now chosen to surrender to the imperial court, such a thing will not happen again.

As for the soldiers behind Luo Rucai, they naturally followed him inside.

However, when they entered the city, they found that the city gates were already filled with Ming soldiers in armor.

These soldiers were all tall and imposing, numbering in the tens of thousands.

However, it is clear that these people were only trying to prevent them from suddenly going berserk, not to actually attack them.

As long as they behave, there will be no danger.

Meanwhile, the cooks in Tongguan City also began to get busy.

These people were suddenly woken up just now, told that tens of thousands of peasant soldiers had come to surrender to the imperial court, and that they should quickly boil water and prepare some food.

Being suddenly woken up in the middle of the night and forced to cook, the cooks were grumbling and swearing, spewing all sorts of offensive language.

But that's only natural. After all, who wouldn't be angry if they were suddenly woken up in the middle of the night to do chores?

Even so, their movements did not stop in the slightest.

After all, this is a military order; who would dare disobey it?
(End of this chapter)