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

Chapter 321 We are here to surrender by imperial decree, why do you refuse to accept our surrender?
If Sun Chuanting agrees, then they can kill Luo Rucai to vent their anger and get rid of this burden of 100,000!

Even if Sun Chuanting refused, Li Zicheng would still send all 100,000 wounded men to Tongguan.

At first glance, this seems to have added 100,000 troops to Tongguan, but that's not the case at all.

Because these 100,000 men were not injured or disabled, they could not be used to defend the city, but would instead become a burden to Sun Chuanting.

After all, these 100,000 people needed to eat every day, and Sun Chuanting also had to treat them, which could be considered a way of weakening the Ming army's strength.

what?
What if Sun Chuanting foresaw this and refused to accept these 100,000 people?
It's alright. When the time comes, Li Zicheng will send these people to Tongguan with the imperial edict that Chongzhen had previously ordered the peasant army to surrender. Then we'll see what Sun Chuanting does!
We have come to surrender on the emperor's orders, so why won't you accept our surrender?
If Sun Chuanting does not accept these people's surrender, then he will be disobeying the imperial decree!
Even if no one can do anything to him now, defying an imperial edict is still defying an imperial edict. If anyone brings this up in the future, Sun Chuanting will be severely punished, if not killed.

Besides, Sun Chuanting couldn't just stand by and watch 100,000 people starve and freeze to death under the walls of Tongguan, could he?
At that time, 100,000 white bones will be left beneath Tongguan City. Sun Chuanting and all the garrison troops inside Tongguan will be completely nailed to the pillar of shame and never be able to rise again!
Having figured this out, the people present immediately stopped saying anything more.

After all, they knew that with their current drug reserves and medical conditions, they really had no way to save these 100,000 people.

Rather than letting them suffer here, it would be better to send them to the Ming army, where they might find a chance to survive, and it would also add some burden to the Ming army.

Even so, these generals couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow at the loss of their comrades.

Because among these 100,000 men, there were actually quite a few veteran soldiers, who were Li Zicheng's direct troops.

But now they've been abandoned by Li Zicheng just because they were wounded in battle. If they get wounded in the future, will Li Zicheng abandon them too?
Of course, no one dared to say this out loud. So, although everyone praised Li Zicheng's profound strategies, they secretly harbored resentment towards him.

Not long after, Li Guo led a team of about thirty people directly towards Tongguan.

Since it's not a siege, there's no need to bring so many people.

Moreover, even after what happened last night, Li Zicheng has nominally "surrendered" to the Ming Dynasty and is now the Commander-in-Chief of the Three Border Regions, in charge of military affairs in three provinces, and has even been given the title of Grand Coordinator.

His official rank was almost equivalent to that of Sun Chuanting.

Although everyone knows it's fake, it's nominally real, since it comes with an official imperial decree of investiture!
Therefore, Li Guo concluded that Sun Chuanting would not dare to do anything to them.

After a whole night of commotion, Li Guo was extremely sleepy, his eyelids were drooping, and he was even a little unsteady on his horse. The others were in the same boat, feeling very tired.

But when he thought that this was something Li Zicheng had entrusted to him, and that it concerned the future of the entire rebel army, he could only grit his teeth, force himself to stay focused, and lead his troops to rush toward Tongguan.

Meanwhile, the scene shifts to Tongguan.

Although Luo Rucai arrived at Tongguan in the middle of the night, in fact, no one in Tongguan City slept for the next period of time and stayed up until dawn.

This includes Luo Rucai and his group who surrendered, as well as Sun Chuanting and his group of Tongguan garrison commanders!
The reason was simple: they also wanted to know the specific situation on Li Zicheng's side.

After all, Luo Rucai had defected from Li Zicheng's side, and the news he brought was of great importance to everyone in Tongguan City.

Although many people had defected from Li Zicheng's side in the past, they were not core members of the peasant army, so they did not know much about the specific situation of the peasant army and could not provide any useful information.

But Luo Rucai was different; he was Li Zicheng's military strategist and could definitely be considered a core member of the peasant army.

Therefore, after the meal, Sun Chuanting couldn't wait to have a long talk with Luo Rucai, wanting to know the specific situation on Li Zicheng's side.

In short, Li Zicheng's army should not be underestimated.

Although peasant armies were generally not very strong in combat, their numbers were simply too great.

Before Luo Rucai betrayed Li Zicheng, Li Zicheng's army numbered over 600,000. Even after last night's events, the casualties were estimated to be at most between 100,000 and 200,000.

Based on this calculation, Li Zicheng still had at least 400,000 to 500,000 men.

Moreover, these numbers are all genuine, with no falsification whatsoever.

On the other hand, the garrison at Tongguan only numbered around 60,000 to 70,000. Even if you include the peasant army that surrendered earlier, the total is only 80,000 to 90,000. The difference between 80,000 to 90,000 and 400,000 is still too great.

This is why, even knowing that such a major upheaval had occurred on Li Zicheng's side, Sun Chuanting did not take advantage of the situation.

According to Luo Rucai, Li Zicheng's main force should not have suffered too many losses last night.

Those who died were mostly peasant soldiers from the lowest strata of the army.

If Sun Chuanting were to rashly send troops at this time, he might be outmaneuvered by Li Zicheng, which would be troublesome.

Besides, the imperial court already has a concrete plan for dealing with Li Zicheng, so there's no need for me to take that risk.

He only needed to follow the court's plan steadily and wait for the right opportunity to eliminate Li Zicheng in one fell swoop.

After all, when it comes to war, it's always better to play it safe!

Before long, the garrison on the Tongguan city wall saw a troop of soldiers heading straight for Tongguan from Li Zicheng's camp.

The troops were few in number, but they were menacing and clearly had ill intentions.

The defenders immediately became alert and gripped their weapons tightly.

Before long, the news reached Sun Chuanting's ears.

At this moment, Sun Chuanting and Luo Rucai were still discussing the specific situation on Li Zicheng's side.

Because this was a complete surrender to the imperial court, and there was no way out, Luo Rucai told everything without reservation, and also gave Sun Chuanting many strategies against Li Zicheng.

It has to be said that the one who stabs you in the back the hardest is indeed your own people. Some of Luo Rucai's strategies against the peasant army were so outrageous that even Sun Chuanting thought they were too cruel.

But this is enough to prove that Luo Rucai has truly surrendered this time!
Based on what he did, if you were to say it was a feigned surrender, Li Zicheng would probably be the first to disbelieve it.
At that moment, the two were still having a lively conversation when suddenly a soldier rushed in to report.

"My lord, a troop of soldiers has suddenly appeared from the direction of the rebels and is heading straight for Tongguan!"

Upon hearing this news, Sun Chuanting was slightly taken aback at first, then smiled and glanced at Luo Rucai, saying:

"It seems that the rebel leader sent people to interrogate us."

Upon hearing this, Luo Rucai immediately echoed:

“You’re right, sir. That must be it. Li Zicheng has always been narrow-minded. I betrayed him, and he will certainly not let it go.”

"However, now that I have surrendered to the imperial court, what can he do to me?"

It must be said that Luo Rucai adapted to his new identity very quickly. Now he speaks in a very formal and respectful manner, acting as if he were a Ming Dynasty general.

Just then, Sun Chuanting spoke again:

"That being said, we must not let our guard down. Let's see what their intentions are before making any plans." With that, he stood up and led Luo Rucai and the others toward the city wall.

He wanted to meet the people sent by Li Zicheng in person and see what tricks they were up to.

In just a short while, Sun Chuanting and Luo Rucai climbed the city wall side by side.

It is worth mentioning that Luo Rucai has now become Sun Chuanting's confidant, always following Sun Chuanting around, while even the other generals of Tongguan can only stand aside.

As soon as the two appeared, they saw Li Guo standing below the city, his eyes wide with anger and resentment, his gaze seemingly burning through the Tongguan city.

Immediately afterwards, Li Guo also saw Sun Chuanting and Luo Rucai appear on the city wall. In an instant, his eyes blazed with fury, as if he wanted to devour the people in front of him.

The next instant, Li Guo suddenly raised his hand and pointed it directly at Luo Rucai, cursing loudly:
"Luo Rucai, you treacherous dog! How dare you betray King Chuang! I wish I could tear you to pieces and grind your bones to dust!"

The sound boomed like thunder beneath the city walls, carrying boundless rage and murderous intent.

Upon hearing this insult, Luo Rucai did not become angry but instead laughed, a mocking smile curving his lips, and then slowly said:
"General Li, you're mistaken. The rebel king surrendered to the court long ago, so I am naturally considered one of the court's people."

"Now that we have returned to our rightful place, how can there be any talk of betrayal? Please, General, refrain from making unfounded accusations."

His calm tone made it sound like he was talking about something perfectly ordinary, completely ignoring Li Guo's fiery glare.

Upon hearing this, Li Guo felt a surge of anger rising to his head. He cursed Luo Rucai in his heart for being utterly shameless and having the audacity to make such a ridiculous excuse.

Just then, Sun Chuanting finally spoke slowly.

"General Li, I heard that something happened at the rebel army camp yesterday. I wonder what the casualties are?"

Upon hearing this, Li Guo sneered inwardly.

He wasn't stupid; he naturally understood that Sun Chuanting was trying to extract information from him, hoping to get details about the specific casualties of the rebel army the previous night.

But how could he easily reveal such a confidential matter?

Although the 100,000 wounded will eventually be sent to Tongguan, this matter cannot be kept secret, but that's a matter for later!
Thinking of this, Li Guo said coldly:

"Thanks to Lord Sun, there were no major casualties last night."

His tone was harsh and cold, like a block of ice, keeping people at arm's length.

Sun Chuanting did not show the slightest anger upon hearing this.

Because he knew in his heart that the more unwilling Li Guo was to mention this matter, the more it proved that the rebel army suffered heavy casualties last night.

He smiled slightly, revealing a barely perceptible hint of amusement, but did not press the matter further.

Just then, Luo Rucai spoke again:

"General Li, would you mind coming into the city for a chat? Some things are better discussed face to face, rather than shouting from afar, which is quite inconvenient."

After saying that, he turned to look at Sun Chuanting beside him, as if seeking Sun Chuanting's opinion.

Sun Chuanting knew that Luo Rucai was trying to trick Li Guo into coming to the city. He couldn't help but laugh, because he had tried similar methods before, but Li Guo was not stupid and would not be easily fooled.

However, since Luo Rucai wanted to try, Sun Chuanting naturally didn't mind cooperating.

After all, Li Guo only brought more than 30 people with him this time, while there were 70,000 troops guarding Tongguan City.

Therefore, in Sun Chuanting's view, these people in front of him were not to be feared at all, and even if they were allowed into the city, they would not be able to cause any trouble.

Immediately afterwards, Sun Chuanting beckoned to a general beside him and then gave him a few instructions.

The general nodded in acknowledgment, then jogged to the other side of the city wall and greeted the soldiers below.

"Open the city gate!"

Before long, the city gate slowly opened with a dull sound, as if a sleeping giant beast was slowly awakening.

However, looking at the slowly opening city gate in front of him, Li Guo had no intention of going in.

In his eyes, Tongguan City was like a tiger with its jaws wide open, waiting for him to walk into its trap.

Li Guo knew that if he stood outside the city, Sun Chuanting might still have some reservations because of the current relationship between the imperial court and the rebel army, and wouldn't dare to make a move against him rashly.

But once you enter the city, things are completely different.

Add to that old scoundrel Luo Rucai, and he'll be absolutely doomed!
So Li Guo ignored the open city gate and coldly said:
"You can say whatever you need to say here; there's no need to go inside."

Sun Chuanting and Luo Rucai exchanged a smile upon hearing this, but did not say anything more. After all, it was not an easy task to deceive Li Guo, and failure was to be expected. They simply treated it as a joke.

Then, Sun Chuanting continued to look at Li Guodao:
"General Li, there is something I must make clear to you. Luo Rucai is no longer a peasant army leader, but a fourth-rank military officer of the imperial court."

"Therefore, please do not use the old title to address him anymore, so as not to break the rules."

Good guy!
That's fucking amazing!
Li Guo almost laughed out of anger when he heard this.

He pointed at Luo Rucai again and began to curse:
"Luo Rucai, is this what you wanted? You were bought off with just a fourth-rank military officer position?"

"But don't forget, this is only temporary!"

"Back in Henan, you killed quite a few members of the Ming imperial family. Do you think the Ming emperor will let you off? You'll still die without a burial place!"

The moment those words were spoken, the air on the Tongguan city tower seemed to freeze instantly, so cold it was suffocating.

The generals exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with astonishment and confusion, completely unsure how to react.

Although everyone knew that Luo Rucai must have done these things, Emperor Chongzhen had already issued an imperial edict saying that as long as he surrendered, he would not be held accountable for his past actions. Moreover, Sun Chuanting accepted Luo Rucai's surrender and even appointed him to the position of a fourth-rank military officer.

Therefore, as long as no one deliberately brings these things up, the matter will probably just pass by.

Unexpectedly, Li Guo brought this up himself!

For a moment, all the soldiers were very curious and wanted to know how Luo Rucai should respond to Li Guo's question.

(End of this chapter)