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

Chapter 356 Li Zicheng must die!
At that very moment, Zhu Cilang had just finished inspecting the progress of the greenhouse and was drinking tea in the pavilion of the East Palace Garden.

When the guards announced that Li Dingguo was requesting an audience, a faint smile appeared on Zhu Cilang's usually calm face.

Li Dingguo?
He did come after all!
Then, he gently put down his teacup and gave the instructions:
"Let him in."

Before long, Li Dingguo, led by a eunuch, finally arrived before Zhu Cilang.

"You're here, please have a seat!"

Upon seeing Li Dingguo appear, Zhu Cilang immediately greeted him, his manner as casual as if he were greeting an old friend.

Li Dingguo was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting Zhu Cilang to treat him so amiably.

But he quickly realized what was happening, and then hurriedly bowed respectfully, saying:
"Thank you, Your Highness."

Then he carefully sat down at the stone table.

Zhu Cilang then picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Li Dingguo. The tea flowed slowly into the teacup like a clear stream, splashing up a few small water droplets.

In an instant, the aroma of tea filled the air.

"I was wondering if you would come to see me, but I didn't expect you to actually come."

As Zhu Cilang spoke, he pushed the teacup toward Li Dingguo.

Li Dingguo felt somewhat embarrassed upon hearing this, and accepted the tea, saying:
"I didn't want to come, afraid of disturbing His Highness the Crown Prince, but Uncle Luo said I should come and pay my respects to His Highness the Crown Prince, so I came."

Uncle Luo?

Luo Rucai?
Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang revealed a meaningful smile.

Because he had obtained the content of Luo Rucai and Li Dingguo's conversation that morning several hours earlier.

However, in his opinion, there was nothing wrong with the conversation between the two.

It was nothing more than the two men recounting how they surrendered to the imperial court, and Li Dingguo expressing his longing for his family and his worry about Zhang Xianzhong.

These are all common human feelings and nothing to worry about, so Zhu Cilang didn't pay any attention to them.

Zhu Cilang then took a small sip of tea and asked:
"Judging by the time, you've been in Liaodong for almost two months now. Is there anything you'd like to say?"

A complex look flashed across Li Dingguo's eyes before he sighed and said:
"To be honest, before I went to Liaodong, I actually looked down on the imperial army."

"But after I went to Liaodong, I realized that the peasant army had never been fighting the real main force of the court. The real main force was fighting the Jurchens in Liaodong."

"If the imperial court had sent the Liaodong cavalry to fight the peasant army earlier, the peasant army would probably have been wiped out long ago!"

When Li Dingguo said this, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

Zhu Cilang smiled and then said:
"It's quite impressive that you have such insight. Liaodong has been a frequent battleground since ancient times. The soldiers there have fought bloody battles against the Jurchens for many years and have gone through countless life-and-death trials. Naturally, they have extraordinary combat power."

"Even the local people are extremely fierce, unlike people from other places."

"However, the troops there cannot be easily moved, after all, we still have to be wary of the Jurchens, which is why the peasant army had the opportunity to develop."

Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo nodded in deep agreement.

Suddenly, at that moment, Li Dingguo seemed to remember something, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes, and then he asked:
"May I ask Your Highness, does the imperial court intend to take action against the peasant army next year and completely eliminate the scourge posed by them?"

Zhu Cilang paused in his tea-drinking motion, the teacup lingering in his hand for a moment before he slowly set it down, looking at Li Dingguo with a somewhat strange expression.

"You guessed right, the imperial court does indeed intend to completely eliminate the peasant army next year."

"Furthermore, since you have already met Luo Rucai, you should know that Li Zicheng is currently leading his peasant army to Sichuan, right?"

"He is delusional and wants to use the terrain of Sichuan to continue to develop his power and make enemies of the court. However, I can tell you that Li Zicheng will never be able to enter Sichuan."

When he uttered those last words, Zhu Cilang's voice was unusually calm, as if carrying an unquestionable authority.

Moreover, he wasn't exaggerating, because the imperial court had already mobilized troops from the surrounding provinces of Sichuan, intending to have them stand ready on the Sichuan border to prevent Li Zicheng's army from entering Sichuan.

In addition, troops from Shaanxi and Henan will begin to encircle Sichuan, concentrating their forces to trap Li Zicheng in the Qinling Mountains.

Once spring arrives, the imperial court will mobilize more troops to fight Li Zicheng to the death.

If nothing unexpected happens, this war should be completely over within six months.

Although many people may die at that time, including ordinary civilians and Ming soldiers, it is an inevitable event and the way to completely resolve the internal strife. It is absolutely unavoidable.

Upon hearing these words, Li Dingguo fell silent for a moment.

His eyes revealed a complex emotion, a sense of helplessness in the face of war and pity for the people.

He also knew the principle of "pacifying the interior before resisting external aggression." If the internal strife was not resolved, the court would not be able to concentrate on fighting the Jurchens.

After all, the Jurchens were eyeing the north with covetous intent, always thinking of invading the Central Plains. If the Ming Dynasty was constantly embroiled in internal strife, how could it possibly fight back against the Jurchens with all its might?

Therefore, the internal strife must be resolved as soon as possible!

The price is rather cruel; if tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people don't die, this civil unrest will probably not be so easy to quell.

Thinking of this, Li Dingguo sighed with deep emotion.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Cilang raised an eyebrow and asked in a slightly teasing tone:
"What? Feeling sorry for them? Can't you forget that you used to be a peasant army, so you don't want the court to take action against peasant armies?"

Li Dingguo shook his head, then slowly said:

"I spent two months in Liaodong and am well aware of the Jurchens' ambitions and the dangers they pose to the Central Plains. Therefore, I understand that the court must deal with the peasant army as soon as possible in order to focus on dealing with the Jurchens."

"But Your Highness, please don't forget that although Li Zicheng's peasant army still has 300,000 troops, at least 200,000 of them are ordinary people."

"They were originally law-abiding farmers, working at sunrise and resting at sunset, living ordinary and simple lives."

"They were forced to rebel only because of various natural disasters, man-made calamities, and heavy taxes. They shouldn't have died!"

"Does Your Highness really have the heart to kill them?"

Zhu Cilang fell silent. He knew, of course, that Li Dingguo was right. In fact, if he could, he would not want to start such a war either.

After all, in the end, it was the people of the Ming Dynasty who died.

But there is no way!

If this is not done, the internal strife in the Ming Dynasty will never end, and more people will die. The court will simply not have the time or energy to deal with the Jurchens.

In the end, the Ming Dynasty might still perish, and the Jurchens might still take over the Central Plains!

Therefore, in order to avoid such a tragedy, this war between the Ming Dynasty and the peasant army was absolutely unavoidable!

Either you die or I die!
There is no other way! Thinking this, Zhu Cilang looked directly at Li Dingguo and said, word by word:

"For the sake of the Ming Dynasty and for the sake of the people of the world, these sacrifices are unavoidable, and no one can stop this from happening!"

Li Dingguo didn't say anything more, because he knew that Zhu Cilang was right.

Immediately afterward, as if he had made up his mind, a resolute and determined look appeared in his eyes. He then abruptly stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhu Cilang, and said:

"Your Highness, I have a request, and I hope you will grant it!"

Zhu Cilang picked up his teacup, took another sip, and then said:
"tell me the story."

Li Dingguo took a deep breath before speaking:
"I implore Your Highness to allow me to persuade Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong to surrender! If we can persuade them to surrender, then there will be no need to continue this war."

"Han people should not kill each other. If they must kill, they should kill the Jurchens."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang couldn't help but laugh, a hint of helplessness in his smile.

Then he said:
“Li Dingguo, you should know that this is basically impossible.”

"Things have developed to this point, and the imperial court and the peasant army are now locked in a life-or-death struggle. Do you think it's possible for you to persuade them to surrender?"

"Even if Li Zicheng were to surrender now, would his men be willing? When someone is placed in a very high position, they no longer have the final say in what decisions they make."

"He needs to consider not only his own life and death, but also the fate of his many brothers, so let's not talk about this kind of thing again!"

Faced with Zhu Cilang's rejection, Li Dingguo was not discouraged, but continued:

"Even if Li Zicheng doesn't surrender, Zhang Xianzhong might. Moreover, I know many of Zhang Xianzhong's subordinates, and I am confident that I can persuade them to surrender!"

"If more people surrender, fewer soldiers and civilians will die. Wouldn't that be better?"

It must be said that Li Dingguo's words did indeed shake Zhu Cilang somewhat.

If Li Dingguo could persuade Zhang Xianzhong's subordinates to surrender to the imperial court, it would be a tremendous boon for the court and would greatly boost the morale of Li Zicheng's army!

After weighing the pros and cons, Zhu Cilang finally spoke:
"Alright, since you want to try, then I'll make an exception and let you give it a shot."

"After the New Year, you should go to Sichuan. If you can persuade them to surrender, that would be great. But if you can't, then you'll have no choice but to fight each other."

Seeing that Zhu Cilang had agreed, Li Dingguo immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and then quickly cupped his hands and said:

"Your subject will certainly do his utmost to live up to His Highness's expectations."

After a pause, Li Dingguo suddenly asked again:
"Your Highness, if Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong were truly willing to submit and surrender to the court, how would the court deal with them?"

Zhu Cilang was somewhat speechless upon hearing this, because it was simply impossible for such a thing to happen.

First of all, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong were both fickle people. They had surrendered to the court several times before, but rebelled again several times. The court was already extremely disappointed in them, so how could it easily accept their surrender again?

As for the previous imperial edict bestowing titles upon Li Zicheng, it was obvious to everyone that it was merely a means to control the situation, and no one took it seriously at all.

Furthermore, these two were ruthless and cruel, wantonly slaughtering members of the Ming imperial family, nearly wiping out the Zhu family bloodline wherever they went.

Even more appalling, they actually dug up the Zhu family's ancestral graves in Fengyang!

However, this is not Zhu Yuanzhang's tomb, but the tomb of Zhu Yuanzhang's parents, who are also the ancestors of Zhu Cilang.

Even if Zhu Cilang did not harbor such deep-seated hatred for Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, as the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty and bearing the dignity of the royal family, he was naturally destined to be irreconcilable with these two.

Even if he were truly willing to accept their surrender, the civil and military officials would certainly rise up in opposition, and the laws and norms of this world would never allow such a rebellious act to happen.

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang did not answer immediately, but instead slightly raised his eyes and calmly looked at Li Dingguo, saying:

Do you want the truth or a lie?

Li Dingguo was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting Zhu Cilang to respond in this way, but he quickly regained his composure and then asked:
"May I ask, Your Highness, what is the point of a lie? And what is the point of the truth?"

Zhu Cilang's lips curled slightly upward, revealing a meaningful smile, and he slowly said:
"If it were a lie, it would be that as long as they were willing to surrender to the court, the court would reward them according to their merits, grant them titles and land, and ensure that they would enjoy wealth and honor for the rest of their lives."

"What about the truth?"

Li Dingguo spoke again.

Zhu Cilang's expression darkened, and he said:
"Whether they surrender or not, they are doomed to die!"

"Of course, I might show leniency to Zhang Xianzhong and spare his life, allowing him to spend the rest of his life in this small place until he dies of old age."

"But Li Zicheng must die!"

As a time traveler, Zhu Cilang actually sympathized with Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, and knew that their rebellions were forced upon them.

However, he transmigrated into the body of the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, which made him inherently opposed to them.

Therefore, from his perspective, Li Zicheng had to die no matter what!
Because if he didn't die, the peasant uprising couldn't be completely ended; only his death could bring this internal strife to a complete close.

As for Zhang Xianzhong...
Considering that he ultimately died in the war against the Jurchens, Zhu Cilang could barely spare his life!
After listening to Zhu Cilang's words, Li Dingguo sighed softly and said nothing more.

Since things have come to this point, there's no point in saying anything more!
After finishing their business, Zhu Cilang planned to send them away.

He then continued:

"Since you've come all the way to the capital, I've already arranged a residence for you here. Someone will take you there in a moment."

"Let's enjoy the New Year first, and talk about other things after the New Year."

Li Dingguo didn't pay much attention to this when he heard it.

I thought it was just a house that the prince, being so wealthy, had casually bestowed upon me.

He immediately thanked them:
"Your Highness, I thank you."

Zhu Cilang stopped talking and simply waved his hand casually.

The next second, a young eunuch stepped forward and said to Li Dingguo:

"General Li, this servant will escort you away!"

Li Dingguo knew that Zhu Cilang was trying to get rid of him, so he clasped his hands in a salute to Zhu Cilang and then left under the guidance of a young eunuch.

Zhu Cilang smiled as he watched Li Dingguo leave.

Because Li Dingguo was about to see the gift he had prepared for her.

(End of this chapter)