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

Because the army was still advancing, Zhang Shilu did not dismount. Instead, he remained on horseback, bowed respectfully to Zhu Cilang inside the imperial carriage, and then said:
"Your Highness, Luoyang Prefecture is just ahead. I sent people to scout ahead, and they found that there is a large army stationed in the city, which is Zuo Liangyu's troops."

"May I ask, Your Highness, is it possible for you to spend the night in Luoyang?"

Zuo Liangyu?
When Zhu Cilang heard the name Zuo Liangyu, he was somewhat dazed.

If he hadn't met Zuo Liangyu once before and given him a warning, Zhu Cilang would definitely have executed Zuo Liangyu without hesitation this time.

After all, historically, this guy wasn't a good person!
He was greedy, cruel, and cunning, willing to sacrifice the interests of the court for his own benefit, making him arguably the biggest warlord of the late Ming Dynasty!

However, because of the previous reprimands, Zuo Liangyu has now completely changed his ways. He has made great contributions to the court and changed Zhu Cilang's opinion of him.

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang gave the following instructions:
"Pass down the order: advance at full speed and set up camp in Luoyang tonight."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shilu quickly said:

"As ordered."

He then turned around and went to report it.

After defeating Zhang Xianzhong's army, Zuo Liangyu captured approximately 70,000 to 80,000 peasant soldiers.

According to the imperial court's orders, these peasant armies were originally to be relocated to Liaodong to bolster the frontier's military strength and population.

Zuo Liangyu naturally dared not disobey the imperial court's orders, but he still selected some young and strong men to join his ranks to strengthen his forces.

As for the remaining people, they were naturally transferred to Liaodong.

In this way, Zuo Liangyu's army had exceeded 30,000 men, and these 30,000 men had been stationed in the Luoyang area of ​​Henan, guarding this ancient and vicissitude-ridden land.

But don't assume they have nothing to do.

Because when Li Zicheng entered Sichuan, he dispersed many peasant armies, which totaled about 200,000.

Some of them rushed towards Tongguan, while others fled in panic towards Henan province.

Therefore, Zuo Liangyu led his troops to arrest them again.

As a result, Zuo Liangyu's army, along with the captured peasant soldiers, now numbered more than 80,000 in Luoyang!

However, this number is nothing to Luoyang, because at its peak, Luoyang could accommodate hundreds of thousands of people!
Although it cannot compare to the capital, it is still one of the best in the Ming Dynasty!

Meanwhile, in Luoyang, Zuo Liangyu was directing everyone to tidy up his residence in preparation for Zhu Cilang's arrival.

He knew that Zhu Cilang, as the crown prince, was of extremely high status, and he could not afford to be negligent in the slightest.

Therefore, he personally directed everyone to clean the mansion and prepare food, striving to do everything perfectly.

"Yes, yes, right there. Clean that area up, and hang two more lanterns there, the red kind, to make it look more festive."

"And bring out all the chicken, duck, fish and meat for me. His Highness the Crown Prince is coming today, so we must treat him well."

"Are you stupid? Who told you to prepare women? His Highness the Crown Prince is not even fifteen years old yet. What would he need women for? You idiot."

With a shout and a reprimand from Zuo Liangyu, the entire mansion was in chaos as everyone busied themselves making final preparations for Zhu Cilang's arrival.

In fact, Zuo Liangyu had received news of Zhu Cilang's personal expedition a month earlier.

He knew that this battle was no small matter, so he began preparations early on, personally handling everything from troop training to the preparation of supplies, without daring to slack off in the slightest.

Similarly, he was also prepared to welcome Zhu Cilang!
However, when Zhu Cilang was actually about to arrive, Zuo Liangyu suddenly felt that the previous preparations were not sufficient. So he made a decisive decision to make detailed preparations again, which led to the chaotic scene before him.

At this moment, he was residing in the government office of Luoyang Prefecture.

Although this government office was not particularly magnificent, it was already one of the best buildings in Luoyang, a city ravaged by war.

Originally, there was a hereditary prince in Luoyang, the Prince of Fu, who was turned into the "Feast of Fortune and Prosperity" by Li Zicheng.

The Prince of Fu's mansion was extremely luxurious, with pavilions and towers arranged in a well-organized manner, exotic flowers and rare plants vying for beauty in the garden, and treasures piled up like mountains in the mansion.

Previously, Li Zicheng led a large army to besiege Luoyang. After the city fell, Li Zicheng's army rushed into the Prince of Fu's mansion like a pack of ferocious beasts, slaughtering the entire Prince of Fu's lineage without leaving a single survivor.

They looted all the treasures in the Prince's mansion and then set it on fire, the raging flames instantly engulfing the entire mansion.

And so, the once glorious palace was reduced to ruins in the flames, leaving only broken walls to tell of the vicissitudes and sorrow of the past.

Looking across the entire city of Luoyang, this government office is probably the only one that remains relatively intact.

This is also one of the important reasons why Zuo Liangyu chose to use the government office as his residence.

However, even though the Prince Fu's mansion still stood there intact, Zuo Liangyu did not dare to move in rashly.

After all, he was just a subject; how could he dare to stay in the Prince's mansion?
Once someone finds something to use against him and files a complaint, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to chop him off!

After a flurry of activity, Zuo Liangyu finally nodded in satisfaction.

At this moment, the entire government office, inside and out, looked brand new, as if it had been transformed.

A string of large red lanterns hung on the gate, adding a festive atmosphere to the otherwise somewhat deserted county government office.

The ground was spotless, and every stone slab shone with a clean luster, as if it could reflect a person's shadow.

Stepping into the courtyard of the county government office, one sees that the corridors on both sides have been wiped clean, and the carvings on the railings are clearly visible, as if telling stories of the past.

Zuo Liangyu put a lot of thought into preparing the food.

He knew that with Zhu Cilang personally attending, there could be no carelessness in the matter of food and drink.

They eventually managed to get dozens of sheep, a dozen cows, and a flock of chickens and ducks.

To save these resources, Zuo Liangyu has been eating very little meat lately, so that he can have meat to eat when Zhu Cilang comes.

After all, we can't let the Crown Prince suffer!

Perhaps in the past, Zuo Liangyu might have had other ulterior motives, outwardly obeying the court's orders while secretly developing his own power.

But now, he really doesn't dare to.

Firstly, Zhu Cilang had previously reprimanded him, and the scene was still vivid in his mind, making him dare not slack off in the slightest.

Secondly, his only son was still in the capital. If he did not obey the court's orders, his son would surely die!

Therefore, Zuo Liangyu has no other choice but to serve the court wholeheartedly.

Suddenly, at that moment, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from outside, breaking the tranquility of the government office.

Zuo Liangyu quickly ran out of the government office and immediately saw a fast horse galloping towards him like a black lightning bolt.

Upon arriving before Zuo Liangyu, the scout dismounted, knelt on one knee, and reported:

"General, the imperial army is already five miles away!"

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liangyu was initially excited, but he quickly regained his composure. After tidying his armor, Zuo Liangyu hurriedly ordered, "Pass down the order: all generals of the rank of one thousand and above shall accompany me to welcome His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers nearby all said in unison:
"As ordered!"

Immediately afterwards, the group hurriedly mounted their warhorses and sped off like arrows out of a bow towards the city.

Before long, they saw the slowly approaching army.

When the army set out from the capital, it originally numbered only 70,000. However, as it continuously absorbed local troops along the way, its number exceeded 80,000 when it arrived in Henan.

The sight of these 80,000 troops spread out was truly magnificent.

Banners blotted out the sun, swords and spears stood like a forest, and the soldiers' armor gleamed brightly in the sunlight, resembling a silver ocean.

Moreover, the quality of these 80,000 troops was vastly different from that of Zuo Liangyu's 30,000.

Although Zuo Liangyu's army had a certain fighting capacity, it also included some rabble with poor discipline.

The army that Zhu Cilang brought was rigorously trained and reorganized, disciplined, and highly motivated. In addition, the equipment rate of flintlock muskets reached 80%, making it virtually an invincible force!
If Zuo Liangyu dares to have any ulterior motives, I'll wipe him out in a heartbeat!
Of course, Zuo Liangyu now dared not harbor any ulterior motives.
Upon seeing the army appear, Zuo Liangyu immediately led his soldiers to kneel down.

When the imperial carriage appeared, Zuo Liangyu shouted loudly:

"Your subject Zuo Liangyu, leading all the generals of Luoyang, pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince. Long live Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Immediately afterwards, the other soldiers also joined in the shouting.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince. May Your Highness live a thousand years!"

"Your subject pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince. May Your Highness live a thousand years!"

At the same time, the imperial carriage slowly came to a stop, and the curtain was gently lifted by a hand.

Zhu Cilang glanced indifferently at Zuo Liangyu and the other soldiers kneeling on the ground, and after a moment he spoke:
"Be flat!"

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liangyu immediately got up, as did the others.

However, Zhu Cilang had no intention of getting out of the sedan chair, and instead remained seated in the dragon carriage, saying:
"General Zuo, it's been a long time."

Zuo Liangyu quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:

"Your Highness, it has indeed been a long time. I have missed you dearly since we parted ways in the capital."

At that moment, his face was full of smiles, a smile that carried a hint of ingratiation and flattery.

Zhu Cilang just smiled when he saw Zuo Liangyu's expression; he didn't care at all whether Zuo Liangyu was being insincere or not.

In his view, as long as Zuo Liangyu could do some practical work and not be two-faced, nothing else mattered.

Zhu Cilang then added:
"Let's go into the city first and then talk about it."

Zuo Liangyu quickly cupped his hands in greeting again.

"I obey!"

He then quickly mounted his horse and led the way.

Normally, large armies are not allowed to enter any city, because their presence would cause many inconveniences to the lives of the people.

In addition, the soldiers are mostly rude and lack discipline, making them prone to serious incidents such as robbery and assault.

But it's clear that these are not problems at all right now!

Since Li Zicheng captured Luoyang, this once prosperous city has suffered utter destruction. Coupled with the previous policies of the imperial court, there are no ordinary people left in the city.

All that remained were Zuo Liangyu's army and captured peasant soldiers.

Therefore, the army entered Luoyang at this time without much worry.

Furthermore, this army has not had a proper rest for many days, and the soldiers are exhausted. Now is the time when they need to rest.

Although Luoyang was dilapidated, it at least provided a place to rest and shelter from the wind and rain, which was much better than living outside.

However, when they saw the scene inside Luoyang, everyone couldn't help but sigh.

At this moment, this ancient city, which was once famous throughout history, has been completely destroyed.

Most of the houses on both sides of the street have collapsed, leaving only some ruins shivering in the cold wind.

There are very few intact buildings. Occasionally you can see one or two houses that are somewhat complete, but they are all just ordinary houses.

Zhu Cilang looked at the scene before him and sighed helplessly, feeling somewhat disappointed.

Subsequently, led by Zuo Liangyu, Zhu Cilang and his entourage went directly to the Luoyang Prefectural Government Office.

Compared to other places, this place looks relatively intact, and after Zuo Liangyu's careful arrangement, it now stands out from the crowd.

After Zhu Cilang alighted from the sedan chair, Zuo Liangyu hurriedly said:
"Your Highness, this is the only relatively intact building in Luoyang Prefecture. We would be honored if you would stay here."

Zhu Cilang nodded:

"Let's leave it here! Also, send word that the army will rest here for three days."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shize, who was behind him, quickly said:
"My minister obeys."

He then went down to relay the order.

Before long, the soldiers began to get busy preparing to set up camp there.

Although Zhu Cilang was riding in the imperial carriage, he still smelled a bit because he hadn't bathed for several days.

Fortunately, Zuo Liangyu had also considered this point, so he had already made all the necessary arrangements.

So Zhu Cilang immediately took a hot bath.

Of course, as the crown prince, he didn't need to do his own bath.

Zuo Liangyu specifically recruited several seventeen or eighteen-year-old girls to do this task.

These young girls, all with delicate features and pretty faces, were busy in the steamy bathroom.

See? Although Zuo Liangyu kept saying that the Crown Prince didn't want women, he still kept these girls to serve the Crown Prince in the end!
After all, whether the Crown Prince wanted him or not was his business, but whether or not to send him away was Zuo Liangyu's own business!
Besides, this kind of service is more suitable for women.

Of course, Zhu Cilang was already used to this kind of thing. When he was the Crown Prince, palace maids always served him when he took a bath.

At first I felt a little embarrassed, but gradually I didn't feel it anymore!

There's nothing we can do; he's the crown prince!

Therefore, Zhu Cilang simply accepted it comfortably; it was just a bath, and he had no other intentions! (End of Chapter)