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

Chapter 325 For the sake of the people, the King of Qin can only suffer a little longer!

To be honest, although Sun Chuanting had known for a long time that Li Zicheng would do this, he did not expect things to happen so quickly and so suddenly, so fast that he did not even have a chance to catch his breath.

Faced with this sudden situation, he was momentarily at a loss for what to do.

As the 100,000 peasant army drew ever closer to Tongguan, the other generals present finally understood what was happening.

These people are probably not here to attack the city, but to surrender!

However, Tongguan Pass couldn't possibly accommodate so many peasant soldiers all at once!
So, several generals surrounded Sun Chuanting, their expressions anxious, their eyes revealing unease and confusion.

One of them cautiously asked:
"My lord, please tell me what we should do now?"

To be honest, these Ming Dynasty generals used to inflict a lot of bloodshed on peasant armies.

After all, at that time, the imperial court and the peasant army were mortal enemies, and their massacre of the peasant army was merely a matter of duty, so no one would say anything.

However, times have changed. Emperor Chongzhen has issued an imperial edict demanding that the peasant army's surrender be accepted.

This imperial decree was like a tight band around their necks, making these generals hesitant and timid, completely at a loss for what to do.

Furthermore, the peasant army that came to surrender this time was not just a hundred or two hundred people, nor a few thousand, but a full 100,000!

Even if they were ruthless, how could they possibly bring themselves to kill all 100,000 people?
Anyone who dares to do this will be condemned by everyone and infamous for eternity!

Their names will be etched on the pillar of historical shame and despised by future generations!

But accepting the surrender of 100,000 people is absolutely out of the question!
After all, the food supply in Tongguan City was already very tight, just enough for them to eat. If they were to take in another 100,000 people, the food that originally belonged to them would have to be distributed to these people, so why would they be willing to do so?

Just as Sun Chuanting was about to say something in response to the questions from his soldiers, the people below the city had already arrived at Tongguan.

Looking at the magnificent Tongguan city before them, they seemed to see a glimmer of hope for survival.

Immediately afterwards, they couldn't help but shout.

"My lord, we have come to surrender to the imperial court. Please let us in! We have nowhere else to turn. Li Zicheng doesn't care about our lives. If you don't help us, we will all die!"

An elderly man with gray hair knelt tremblingly on the ground, his hands clasped together, his eyes filled with tears.

"My lord, Li Zicheng has abandoned us. Please, give us a way to survive!"

The young woman held a thin child in her arms. The child's pale face was devoid of color, and its eyes were dull. It was impossible to tell whether the child was dead or alive.

"My lord, we were forced into this rebellion. We just want to survive! We don't want to fight anymore, and we don't want to live in constant fear!"

The middle-aged man with a limp had a face full of longing, and his eyes were filled with regret.

"Sir, please open the door! We are willing to serve you like cattle and horses, just please give us a bite to eat!"

"We just want to survive!"

Shouts echoed from the crowd, each one a heart-wrenching cry, like sharp blades piercing the hearts of everyone on the city wall.

The atmosphere on the city wall instantly became even more tense, and everyone's eyes turned to Sun Chuanting again, awaiting his decision.

Their eyes held both expectation and worry, for Sun Chuanting's decision was a turning point in their fate.

At that moment, Sun Chuanting closed his eyes tightly, his brows furrowed, as if he were making an extremely difficult choice.

His mind kept replaying the desperate faces, helpless eyes, and heart-wrenching cries of the people below the city.

He was struggling internally, suffering agonizingly.

A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze revealing a resolute and determined look.

It's clear he's made up his mind!

Then he looked at everyone and said in an extremely firm voice:
"Gentlemen, I have decided to accept all these people! We cannot stand by and watch them starve to death, otherwise we will be despised by future generations!"

"Moreover, with the imperial edict before us, we cannot disobey it!"

what?
Upon hearing this, everyone around was stunned into silence, including Luo Rucai.

They never expected that Sun Chuanting would make such an "impulsive" move.

Immediately afterward, Luo Rucai hurriedly stepped forward and said in a trembling voice:
"My lord, you mustn't! If we accept the surrender of these 100,000 men, there won't be enough food in Tongguan! We'll all go hungry, and how will we withstand Li Zicheng's attack?"

"Tongguan Pass is the last line of defense for Shaanxi. If it falls, everything will be over!"

Other generals echoed this sentiment, offering their advice in a cacophony of suggestions:
"My lord, you mustn't! I know that refusing to accept the surrender of these 100,000 men might be disobeying His Majesty's decree, but there's nothing I can do about it."

"If these 100,000 men enter the city, we'll have to distribute food to them. But if the soldiers don't have enough to eat, how can they fight? Where will they get the strength to kill the enemy?"

"In my humble opinion, it would be better to send all 100,000 people back. Even if His Majesty blames us later, we can say it's for the safety of Tongguan, and I'm sure His Majesty won't make things difficult for us."

For a time, the generals all tried to persuade him, their words earnest, as if if Sun Chuanting accepted these 100,000 men, Tongguan would be doomed.

Sun Chuanting took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and then gestured for everyone to be quiet.

After everyone quieted down, Sun Chuanting slowly began to speak:
"Gentlemen, I am well aware of what you are saying, but we cannot simply stand by and watch 100,000 people starve to death beneath the walls of Tongguan."

“They are also human beings, citizens of the Ming Dynasty. We cannot be so heartless.”

"Furthermore, rest assured, I can guarantee that the food for these 100,000 people will not be deducted from your rations."

"I intend to borrow grain from Xi'an Prefecture and the surrounding provinces of Henan. In addition, I will write a memorial and send it to the capital by express courier, requesting the court to allocate grain as soon as possible."

"His Majesty has always been benevolent and will certainly not stand idly by."

When everyone heard this, they were speechless.

Their biggest worry was that these 100,000 people would take away their food rations.

But if these 100,000 people don't take away their food rations, then there's really no problem.

In fact, Sun Chuanting was not stupid. He knew better than anyone that defending Tongguan was more important than the lives of these people.

After all, Tongguan was the northwestern gateway of the Ming Dynasty. Once it fell, Li Zicheng's army would advance unimpeded, and the entire northwest would fall to Li Zicheng, with unimaginable consequences.

But he couldn't just stand by and watch these 100,000 people starve to death under the walls of Tongguan.

So in a split second, he came up with this idea!
First, we must immediately send someone to Xi'an Prefecture to ask the King of Qin for grain.

As a member of the imperial family, the Prince of Qin enjoys the emperor's favor and should share the burden for the Ming Dynasty at this critical moment.

And this time, we don't want refined grains like rice and wheat flour; we want whole grains, and the cheaper the better, as long as they're edible and won't kill us. After all, at this point in time, as long as we can eat our fill, what we eat doesn't matter anymore.

Sun Chuanting estimated that this would at least sustain the food supply for these 100,000 people for about two months.

But it will cost the King of Qin a fortune again!
However, for the sake of these 100,000 people, the King of Qin will have to suffer a little longer!

Then he would try to collect some grain from several provinces surrounding Henan, so that he could eat for another two months.

During this period, he would also inform the court of everything that happened at Tongguan and then request the court to allocate grain as soon as possible.

In about four months, even though it's winter now and transporting grain might be difficult, the grain should still be able to reach Shaanxi!
Moreover, this was the best decision he could make, as it would both protect Tongguan City and save the lives of 100,000 people!

Seeing that none of the soldiers around him dared to object, Sun Chuanting gave the order directly:

"Send out the order to send troops out of the city, allow the people to enter the city in batches, and then settle them properly."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers quickly accepted the order.

"I will obey your orders!"

Then they got busy with their work.

Only Luo Rucai did not leave.

Luo Rucai glanced at the people outside the city again, then sincerely praised them:
"You are truly a sage!"

Sun Chuanting just smiled wryly upon hearing this and didn't say anything more.

Before long, the gates of Tongguan finally opened slowly.

The moment the city gates opened, the people below were moved to tears.

They all knelt on the ground, kowtowing towards the city gate in gratitude, repeatedly chanting:

"Thank you, Your Excellency! Thank you, Imperial Court! We are saved!"

Just moments ago, they were filled with anxiety, wondering what would happen if the imperial court refused to accept them.

Will they really freeze or starve to death at the foot of Tongguan?

Seeing the city gates open, they finally breathed a sigh of relief, and their hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

However, they did not rush into the city, because the next second, an army of several thousand men suddenly rushed out of the city and stood on both sides of the city gate.

They were dressed in armor and carried weapons, and looked quite brave.

The leading general shouted:

"Quiet down! Don't make a sound! Line up! Enter the city one by one! Anyone who dares to disobey orders will face the consequences!"

His voice was stern and authoritative, making people dare not disobey him.

Upon hearing this, the people quickly shut their mouths and then slowly entered the city under the guidance of the soldiers.

They formed a long queue and walked step by step into the city, their eyes filled with anticipation for the future.

Some elderly people walked unsteadily and needed to be helped by others, while some children clung tightly to the clothes of adults, their eyes revealing fear and unease.

At the very back of these 100,000 men, Liu Zongmin and a group of veteran soldiers watched this scene from afar.

To be honest, everyone was shocked by what they saw.

They originally thought that after these people arrived at Tongguan, the Ming army would hesitate and consider whether or not to accept these 100,000 men.

After all, that's 100,000 people!

Moreover, these were 100,000 peasant soldiers who had rebelled before; a slight misstep could trigger a major upheaval.

They imagined that the Ming army might refuse to accept these people because of food shortages, or might impose some harsh conditions.

Unexpectedly, the city gates opened in just a short time, and the peasant army began to enter the city one after another.

It has to be said that this was somewhat unexpected for them.

But they dared not say anything. After all, if they dared to speak well of the court at this time, and those words reached Li Zicheng's ears, they would be in deep trouble when they returned.

Therefore, they could only watch all this silently, their hearts filled with mixed feelings.

At the same time, Tongguan City seemed to be suddenly pushed by an invisible yet powerful hand, instantly plunging into unprecedented busyness and chaos.

Although there were soldiers specifically assigned to maintain order, the sudden arrival of 100,000 people still caused considerable chaos.

In particular, most of these people were wounded, and their painful groans and weak gasps intertwined, creating a suffocating and heavy atmosphere throughout the city.

The rescue and treatment work is like a heavy mountain that makes it hard to breathe, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.

Even more critically, the drug reserves in Tongguan City were already stretched thin, making it impossible to meet this enormous demand.

After all, they never imagined they would suddenly have to take in 100,000 injured civilians. Their already limited supplies of medicine seemed insignificant in the face of this overwhelming demand.

At this moment, the military doctors in the city were like wound-up machines, so busy that they didn't have a moment to catch their breath.

Their faces were full of exhaustion and anxiety, their clothes were soaked with sweat, but they didn't bother to wipe it off, they were busy treating the injured.

However, contrary to what most people imagine the order of saving lives, these military doctors did not prioritize treating the seriously injured, but instead began to treat the lightly injured patients first.

The reason for this is quite simple.

First of all, it is very difficult to predict whether the seriously injured can survive; they are like candles in the wind, which may be extinguished at any time.

In situations of extreme drug scarcity, wasting large quantities of medication on treating a seriously injured person could be counterproductive.

It's important to know that the medication needed to treat one seriously injured patient might be enough to save ten slightly injured patients.

Furthermore, once the minor injuries are treated, they can become a valuable asset, helping to care for other injured people and sharing some of the simple treatment tasks, thus making the entire treatment process smoother.

As for those who were seriously injured, they could only leave their fate to chance.

If they can hold on until they receive medical treatment, there might be a glimmer of hope. But if they can't hold on, they can only helplessly await death in this cruel reality.

This may sound cruel and heartless, but it is a last resort in this difficult situation.

After all, in a situation like this, human life is no longer that important.
(End of this chapter)