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

Chapter 319 This humble general Luo Rucai pays his respects to Lord Sun!
Meanwhile, on the other side, Sun Chuanting had already led Luo Rucai to an inner hall.

A faint scent of ink permeates the air, and calligraphy and paintings hang on the walls, giving the place a rustic yet elegant feel.

This is where he usually works and where he entertains guests; it's a relatively private place.

Only a few close confidants are allowed to come here on ordinary days.

To demonstrate his high regard for Luo Rucai, Sun Chuanting specifically chose this location, and all the other soldiers followed him.

On ordinary days, these Ming soldiers would have drawn their swords without hesitation if they saw a "bandit leader" like Luo Rucai.

They harbored deep hatred and disgust for the peasant army, believing them to be the culprits who had disrupted the world.

However, in recent times they have seen too many peasant armies surrender to the imperial court, and with the imperial edict in front of them, they naturally wouldn't show much malice.

Deep down, they still felt some disgust for peasant soldiers like Luo Rucai.

However, with Sun Chuanting there, they naturally dared not say anything, but stood silently to the side, their eyes revealing a hint of disdain and vigilance.

Luo Rucai naturally noticed this as well, but he didn't care because he knew that Sun Chuanting was in charge here. As long as Sun Chuanting didn't speak, these people wouldn't dare to do anything to him.

Sun Chuanting originally wanted Luo Rucai to go downstairs and take a shower first, and then talk about business.

After all, Luo Rucai looked extremely disheveled, covered in dust and bloodstains, with his hair all messy.

But Luo Rucai couldn't care less about doing that, because he knew that some things had to be made clear first, otherwise he was worried that something else might happen.

After all, in this chaotic world, the situation changes in an instant, and a slight misstep could lead to the loss of all previous efforts.

Seeing Luo Rucai's determination, Sun Chuanting didn't press the matter further, since he also wanted to figure out what was going on as soon as possible.

After everyone was seated, servants served tea.

The tea was steaming hot and had a faint, pleasant fragrance, clearly indicating that it was not ordinary tea.

Indeed, this was the case. These teas were top-quality teas specially sent by the King of Qin from Xi'an. At this time, the King of Qin valued Sun Chuanting even more. Even though Sun Chuanting would occasionally extort money from the King of Qin, the King of Qin silently endured it.

Because the King of Qin knew in his heart that only if Sun Chuanting properly guarded Tongguan Pass could he, the King of Qin, remain safe and sound.

Compared to one's own life and fortune, what does being extorted matter?
Getting back to the point, Luo Rucai took a sip of tea to moisten his dry throat. The warm tea flowed down his throat, bringing him a sense of comfort.

Sun Chuanting also took a symbolic sip of tea before asking:
"General Luo, why have you suddenly decided to surrender to the imperial court?"

"After all, you're not your average peasant soldier!"

Sun Chuanting smiled and looked at Luo Rucai, asking a question.

Luo Rucai had already prepared his answer to this question along the way, so he immediately spoke:

"To be honest, sir, I had already wanted to surrender to the court after hearing His Majesty's imperial edict."

"But at that time, all the troops under my command had been annexed by Li Zicheng. I had no soldiers left, so how easy was it to surrender to the court?"

"However, I did not give up. I have been secretly planning this all along, and finally took action last night."

Immediately afterwards, Luo Rucai roughly explained his plan.

He recounted in detail how he planned the rebellion, how he sowed discord between Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, and how he dealt with Li Zicheng's army.

Of course, he deliberately concealed some things, such as the fact that he was actually forced to participate in the rebellion, but in his words, it became that he took the initiative to launch the rebellion.

He portrayed himself as a righteous man who chose to surrender to the court because he disapproved of the conduct of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong.

Undoubtedly, Luo Rucai wanted to cultivate a good image in front of Sun Chuanting in order to gain the court's favor.

Sun Chuanting naturally knew that things were not as simple as Luo Rucai made them out to be. Years of experience in officialdom had given him a keen eye for people's hearts, and he was able to detect some flaws in Luo Rucai's words.

But then again, none of these things really matter!

The important point is that Luo Rucai did indeed launch this rebellion, and inflicted great losses on Li Zicheng, before leading his army to surrender to the imperial court.

Apart from that, nothing else matters.

He was more concerned with how much value Luo Rucai could bring to the court and whether he could help the court quell the peasant uprising.

Immediately afterwards, Sun Chuanting, his eyes full of approval, looked at Luo Rucai and said loudly:
"General Luo's actions this time are truly admirable. Not only did he lead tens of thousands of soldiers to surrender to the court, but he also inflicted such enormous losses on Li Zicheng. This is undoubtedly a great service to the court and a truly meritorious deed!"

"I will certainly report the truth to the court, and I am sure the court will reward you handsomely and promote you to a higher rank."

Upon hearing these words, Luo Rucai was naturally overjoyed.

After all, he knew in his heart that his merit this time was by no means as simple as just leading eight thousand people to surrender to the imperial court.

The series of losses inflicted on Li Zicheng's peasant army will also be attributed to his contributions!

Although he did not know exactly how many people Li Zicheng had lost, based on his judgment, it was an unbearable burden for Li Zicheng.

But just then, Luo Rucai suddenly seemed to have thought of something crucial, and then smiled and slowly said:

"Lord Sun, while the promotion and title are certainly a good thing, let's put them aside for now and talk about the more important matters at hand."

Sun Chuanting raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, and then said:

"Speak freely, I am all ears."

Luo Rucai bowed slightly, his expression turning serious, and said:

"According to His Majesty's previous decree, as long as one brings a hundred men to surrender, one can become a centurion; if one can bring a thousand men, then one can become a chiliarch."

"I have brought about eight thousand men with me this time. May I ask, Lord Sun, according to the rules, what official position would you bestow upon me?"

Luo Rucai was a smart man, so he wanted to determine his official position after surrendering tonight.

Because once this matter is settled, when the losses suffered by Li Zicheng are later investigated, these will all be credited to him.

Then he can continue to be promoted based on this!
However, if we wait until the extent of Li Zicheng's losses is determined before calculating the credit, then the credit won't be as significant, and some of it might even be taken by others.

At the same time, he was also doing this to prevent accidents from happening.

After all, he was once a traitor who had been at odds with the government and soldiers for many years. The two sides had fought countless battles, and it was even possible that he had the blood of one of the relatives or friends of these generals on his hands.

Now that he has suddenly found himself in the ranks of the government troops, there's no guarantee that someone won't harbor resentment towards him and might try to harm him. Therefore, he must first obtain an official position. With the protection of this position, no one will dare to look down on him or harm him, and he can gain a foothold in Tongguan City.

Sun Chuanting also thought of this in an instant, but he felt that Luo Rucai was overthinking things.

Because the imperial edict had specifically stated that if someone of Luo Rucai's stature were to surrender, he would be sent directly to the capital to be granted an official title.

After all these years, no peasant army leader has ever surrendered to the imperial court so sincerely. The imperial court naturally had to treat him well, so as to attract more peasant armies to surrender to the imperial court.

However, Sun Chuanting understood Luo Rucai's concerns and felt that his request was reasonable.

Thinking of this, Sun Chuanting immediately said:

"Given General Luo's merits this time, he could have been granted an official position of the fourth rank or above. However, I am only the governor-general and do not have the authority to confer official positions of the fourth rank or above. Therefore, I can only confer upon you the position of Commander-in-Chief, which is a fourth-rank military officer position. What do you think?"

"Of course, this is only temporary, because His Majesty previously stated in an imperial edict that if peasant army leaders like you surrender to the court, they will be sent directly to the capital to be granted titles."

"At that time, the imperial court will definitely value you even more, and your future will be limitless."

Upon hearing this, Luo Rucai felt greatly relieved, as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Although it is said that he still needs to go to the capital to receive the emperor's formal investiture, that is a matter for the future.

What he cared about most was the fourth-rank position of Commander-in-Chief, which Sun Chuanting had personally conferred upon him.

As long as he has the rank of a fourth-grade military officer, he should be safe with Sun Chuanting.

After all, the city's officials and soldiers might take action against a rebellious "traitor," but they wouldn't dare to lay a hand on a fourth-rank military officer. This was an official officially appointed by the imperial court, and to do so would be to oppose the court.

Thinking of this, Luo Rucai quickly and respectfully stood up and bowed to Sun Chuanting.

"In that case, this humble general Luo Rucai pays his respects to Lord Sun! From this day forward, this humble general will certainly be loyal to the court and serve Lord Sun."

Upon seeing this, Sun Chuanting was overjoyed. He quickly stepped forward, helped Luo Rucai up, and then said with a smile:

"Please rise quickly. Your surrender to the court is a great blessing for the court. I believe that you will be able to make great contributions to the court in the future."

Just then, a servant brought in a sumptuous feast.

In an instant, the table was laden with a dazzling array of delicacies, exuding an enticing aroma.

Sun Chuanting quickly invited Luo Rucai to sit down.

"General Luo, you must be hungry after your long journey. Please try these delicacies; consider it a welcome feast to wash away the dust of your journey."

To prove that the food and wine were safe, Sun Chuanting started eating without saying a word, and then invited the other generals to sit down together.

Seeing this, Luo Rucai didn't stand on ceremony and immediately began to eat heartily.

Of course, the main reason was that he was really hungry!

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shizai and the others were also enjoying a hot meal.

Moreover, to demonstrate the court's high regard for them, Sun Chuanting specially arranged for them to have a lavish meal prepared.

For generals of Shizai's rank, there was always plenty of the finest wine and meat.

For ordinary peasant soldiers, each person received a bowl of dry rice and a spoonful of stew, which of course contained meat.

The cooks just slaughtered ten pigs to prepare this meal.

After all, they still need these people to continue recruiting peasant armies in the future, and doing so will also better appease these people and make them feel the benevolence of the imperial court.

Sure enough, after receiving the food, the peasant soldiers were so moved that they almost cried.

You should know that they could only drink a bowl of thin porridge a day under Li Zicheng's command, barely surviving, and their stomachs were always empty.

To put it bluntly, there's hardly anything to poop on!
Unexpectedly, after surrendering to the imperial court, he was immediately served a large meal of white rice, along with meat dishes brimming with oil and broth. The difference in treatment was like night and day.

Do you think they wouldn't be excited?
In an instant, everyone began to eat heartily, their ravenous eating as if they were trying to make up for the hunger they had endured over the past few days.

Seeing this, the soldier in charge of distributing the food nearby, fearing that the group would choke to death, quickly shouted:
"Slow down, slow down, eat slowly, don't stuff yourself! We have plenty of food here, don't rush."

And so, Luo Rucai finally led his army to formally surrender to the imperial court!

About two more hours passed before dawn finally broke.

Meanwhile, the chaos that had been brewing on Li Zicheng's side finally came to a complete end.

In fact, as early as midnight yesterday, Li Zicheng was already thinking of sending troops to directly suppress this rebellion.

But he soon realized that this was actually impractical.

Because at the moment, he only has about 50,000 to 60,000 old troops at his disposal, but the peasant rebels number more than 500,000.

Sending 50,000 men to suppress 500,000 is unrealistic by any measure. It could even lead to the 50,000 men being dragged into the conflict, resulting in the complete annihilation of the army!

So, left with no other choice, Li Zicheng could only wait until the 500,000 men had lost their motivation and temper before he could directly send troops to suppress them.

Moreover, these veteran soldiers were even more ruthless; anyone who disobeyed orders was killed without hesitation.

Seeing such a brutal crackdown, the rioting peasant army was instantly filled with fear and dared not act recklessly anymore.

Under such iron-fisted suppression, the rebellion was finally quelled by dawn.

Finally, a rough estimate showed that the death toll from last night's rebellion exceeded 30,000, and the number of injured exceeded 100,000!

The other losses are countless!
The dead peasant soldiers lay scattered on the ground, most of their bodies incomplete, with severed limbs and blood staining the earth, creating a tragic scene.

The injured could not be treated in time and lay there groaning in pain.

The only good thing was that the granary was not destroyed.

In fact, some people tried to loot the granary last night amid the chaos, but fortunately, Li Zicheng had previously sent people to reinforce the granary's defenses, so all of them were killed.

The grain in the granary was safe and sound, which was the only consolation in this rebellion.

Even so, Li Zicheng was so angry at such a loss that he almost fainted.

(End of this chapter)