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

After the shower, it was time for the welcome feast!

Several tables of fine food were set out. Although there were no precious ingredients such as ginseng, abalone, or sea cucumber, being able to eat chicken, duck, and fish in Henan at this time was considered a great luxury.

Yes, there's also a local Henan specialty called 'Braised Carp with Noodles', which has a unique flavor!
Zhu Cilang sat in the main seat, flanked by Zuo Liangyu, Zhang Shize, the Prince of Tang, and several other military generals.

In comparison, Zuo Liangyu's status seemed rather insignificant among this group of people.

Of course, Zuo Liangyu didn't care about this; he was aware of his own status and position.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they all left, but Zhu Cilang met with Zuo Liangyu alone.

Zhu Cilang sat down at the table, tapped the surface lightly a few times, and then said:

"Zuo Liangyu, I am very satisfied with your performance recently. Therefore, I would like to take you with me on this trip to Sichuan. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liangyu quickly replied:

"Your Highness, even if you didn't say so, I would still request permission to personally go to the Sichuan area to fight Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong to the death!"

"For the sake of the stability of our Great Ming Dynasty, these two must die!"

At this moment, Zuo Liangyu's voice was loud and firm, as if he were truly a loyal minister and general of the Ming Dynasty!

Of course, Zuo Liangyu had his own ulterior motives for saying this!

After all, Zuo Liangyu had not forgotten what Zhu Cilang had promised him: if he killed Zhang Xianzhong or Li Zicheng, Zhu Cilang would grant him a marquisate; if he was lucky enough to kill both of them, Zhu Cilang would grant him a dukedom.

What a temptation!
Moreover, Zuo Liangyu had already realized that Li Zicheng's defeat was inevitable in the face of the imperial court's formidable forces!

In other words, even if he does nothing but follow along on this trip, he will still earn military merit!
In this situation, only a fool wouldn't go!
Zhu Cilang didn't care what Zuo Liangyu was thinking. Seeing Zuo Liangyu's straightforwardness, he laughed as well.

He then added:

"Take these two days to reorganize the troops and arrange military affairs in the Henan area. You only need to bring 10,000 elite troops this time."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liangyu quickly replied:
"My minister obeys."

After giving some other instructions, Zhu Cilang went back to his room to rest.

After all, he was quite tired from the journey.

As dawn broke the next day, with the sky just beginning to lighten, Zhu Cilang got up early, changed into a brocade robe embroidered with golden dragons, and wore a jade crown. His expression revealed a composure and determination beyond his years.

He then led Zuo Liangyu, the Prince of Tang, and several generals from the Zhu family army, and the group set off in a grand procession toward the Prince of Fu's residence.

With the sound of horses' hooves and the dust flying, they finally arrived at the former Fuwangfu!
However, the scene before one's eyes evokes a sense of sorrow. The former Prince Fu's Mansion is no more, replaced by a desolate wasteland.

Everywhere there are charred beams and pillars, broken walls, and scattered rubble, all telling the story of past prosperity and present desolation.

A faint smell of burning still lingered in the air, a trace left by the fire.

Upon seeing this, the Tang Emperor's expression became complicated, and a trace of barely perceptible sorrow flashed in his eyes.

Because his Tang Prince's Mansion had also experienced a similar fate, his brothers and all his clansmen perished at the hands of Li Zicheng in that catastrophe.

This pain and hatred were branded into his heart, indelible!

Zhu Cilang looked around, his expression quite solemn.

The reason he brought these Zhu family soldiers here was not just to reminisce about the past, but also to make these members of the Zhu family clan remember something!
That is, the Zhu family and Li Zicheng were sworn enemies!
If Li Zicheng cannot be completely eliminated and the scourge of the peasant army cannot be completely resolved, then similar things will happen again in the future, and may even be more tragic!

Li Zicheng was not only their enemy, but also the sworn enemy of the Zhu family!

Seeing the somber expressions on Zhu Cilang's and the others' faces, Zuo Liangyu quickly stepped forward and whispered:

"Your Highness, after I entered Luoyang, I sent people to collect the remains of Prince Fu and a group of members of the imperial clan, and they were all properly buried in a place not far away."

"Your Highness, would you like to go and take a look?"

Zhu Cilang nodded silently upon hearing this, his expression showing little emotion.

The group then resumed their journey to the place where the remains of Prince Fu and other members of the royal family were buried.

The atmosphere was particularly oppressive along the way, with many members of the Zhu family clan lost in their own thoughts, unable to extricate themselves.

Before long, they arrived at the cemetery.

However, the scene before us once again evoked a sense of desolation.

All that remains of the once powerful Prince Fu is an inconspicuous grave, with a tombstone in front that reads "Tomb of Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun".

The grave stood there, as if telling of endless sorrow.

Behind it are a group of even more inconspicuous graves, belonging to other members of the imperial family. They were once prominent princes, but now they can only rest here in peace, forgotten by all.

These people don't even have tombstones!
Seemingly afraid that Zhu Cilang would be angry if he saw this scene, Zuo Liangyu quickly explained:
"Your Highness, there are really not many people available in Luoyang right now, so I am unable to build a good mausoleum for Prince Fu. He can only be buried simply."

"If Your Highness is not satisfied, I will immediately recruit craftsmen to build a royal mausoleum for Prince Fu."

However, upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang waved his hand and said calmly:
"No need. Since Uncle Fu is already dead, let's not bother him anymore."

"Besides, this is a good thing. After all, it is my Zhu family that has wronged the people of the world. Uncle Fu can be considered to be atoning for my Zhu family's sins."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liangyu said nothing more.

Afterwards, Zhu Cilang and others offered incense to Prince Fu before quietly leaving.

Over the next two days, Zhu Cilang was also busy. He personally met with the peasant army that had been incorporated into Zuo Liangyu's army and the prisoners he had captured.

When he appeared before everyone, they were all stunned. They seemed not to have expected that this Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty would be so approachable and come to see them, the common people, in person.

Zhu Cilang stood on the high platform, his gaze sweeping over everyone below, and then, in front of everyone, solemnly pardoned all their crimes.

They also promised that once they arrived in Liaodong, the imperial court would provide them with silver, grain, land, and houses so that they could start a new life.

Zuo Liangyu had said these things before, but at the time the people were skeptical.

In their view, when has the imperial court ever been so kind?

Are they going to send them to Liaodong to fight the Jurchens to the death?
But once Zhu Cilang said these words, the people immediately believed them!

Because they already knew that the person in front of them was the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Others might deceive them, but Zhu Cilang would never deceive them!
In an instant, the people knelt down and kowtowed, thanking the prince for giving them a way to live!
In this way, Zhu Cilang managed to appease the people of Luoyang and lay the foundation for the subsequent relocation.

Time flies, and two days have passed in the blink of an eye.

The troops have been reorganized, and with the addition of Zuo Liangyu's 10,000 elite soldiers, the army now numbers over 90,000!

These 90,000 people marched out of Luoyang and headed straight for Tongguan.

Luoyang City is not too far from Tongguan, and the weather is no longer so cold now, so it only took about ten days to reach Tongguan smoothly. Sun Chuanting on the Tongguan side had already learned of the news.

Therefore, early that morning, Sun Chuanting led his men ten miles outside the city to wait.

Behind him stood a group of generals from Tongguan.

When they heard the faint sound of horses' hooves approaching from afar, everyone held their breath and stared intently ahead.

Sure enough, not long after, a large army slowly approached from not far away.

In an instant, flags fluttered and swords and spears stood in the air; it was none other than the personal expeditionary army led by Zhu Cilang!

When the army approached, Sun Chuanting and the generals of Tongguan bowed down.

"Your subject, Sun Chuanting, along with the generals guarding Tongguan, pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince. May Your Highness live a thousand years!"

The people behind him also bowed down.

"Your Highness, we pay our respects! May Your Highness live a thousand years!"

"Your Highness, we pay our respects! May Your Highness live a thousand years!"

The next second, the dragon carriage slowly came to a stop in front of them.

Unlike the previous meeting with Zuo Liangyu, this time Zhu Cilang came down in person.

At this moment, he was dressed in a dragon robe and wore a jade crown, his expression revealing an indescribable majesty and domineering aura.

Upon seeing Sun Chuanting, Zhu Cilang quickly stepped forward and helped him up.

"Lord Sun, please rise quickly, and everyone else please rise as well."

Zhu Cilang said with a smile, his expression full of enthusiasm.

After all, Sun Chuanting was not Zuo Liangyu, and such a loyal and capable general should not be treated too harshly.

Seeing that the Crown Prince was so enthusiastic and even got out of his sedan chair to help him, Sun Chuanting was naturally extremely excited.

Then everyone slowly stood up.

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhu Cilang boarded the imperial carriage again and headed straight for Tongguan.

However, there was an extra person on the imperial carriage this time, and that person was none other than Sun Chuanting!
Um.
Zhu Cilang then pulled Sun Chuanting onto the imperial carriage as well!
Sun Chuanting originally dared not, after all, this was not something a subject like him could sit on, so he dared not overstep his bounds in the slightest.

However, under Zhu Cilang's repeated 'coercion,' Sun Chuanting had no choice but to nod in agreement.

When others saw this scene, they were instantly filled with envy.

After all, this is a royal carriage; what ordinary person is qualified to ride in it?

It's clear that His Highness the Crown Prince trusts Sun Chuanting completely, otherwise he wouldn't have done this!

Inside the imperial carriage, Zhu Cilang and Sun Chuanting sat facing each other, and Zhu Cilang then inquired about some recent events in Shaanxi.

Sun Chuanting naturally told the truth, detailing the current situation and sentiments in Shaanxi, as well as the difficulties they faced.

As Zhu Cilang listened, he couldn't help but sigh.

According to Sun Chuanting, the situation in Shaanxi is now even more severe than in Henan.

First, when Li Zicheng entered Sichuan, he abandoned a large number of peasant troops, most of whom headed towards Tongguan.

This has resulted in a total of 230,000 peasant soldiers surrendering in Tongguan City!
It should be noted that the garrison at Tongguan was only 70,000 men. With 70,000 garrison men facing 230,000 peasant soldiers, the pressure on Tongguan was unimaginable!

Although these peasant armies have already surrendered, no one can guarantee that they won't rebel again.

Therefore, Sun Chuanting's main task recently has been to prevent peasant army rebellions and ensure the safety and stability of Shaanxi.

In addition, although the imperial court had already issued an order to send all these peasant soldiers to Liaodong to reclaim wasteland, cultivate land, and defend the border.

However, this kind of thing can't be done right now, since the weather is too cold.

Secondly, there were tens of thousands of wounded and disabled civilians in Tongguan City. These people had basically lost their ability to work and certainly could not go to Liaodong, so they could only stay in Shaanxi or Henan.

How to settle them became the next thing to consider.

Besides these issues, the people in Shaanxi are also not doing well.

First, there were severe droughts every year, leading to poor harvests and widespread poverty.

Then there's the fact that winter is just too long, and the people are living in dire straits, suffering terribly.

Today, Shaanxi has a population of only two million, just twice that of Henan.

The only saving grace was that Li Zicheng did not penetrate into Tongguan Pass, so the people in Shaanxi Province were generally safe and secure.

After listening to Sun Chuanting's worried words, Zhu Cilang remained silent for a long time.

Silence, like a thick, dark cloud, slowly accumulated in his heart, lingering for a long time.

After a moment, Zhu Cilang slowly raised his head, his gaze firm and resolute, and said:

"No matter what, the imperial court will not abandon any people, whether they are wounded or were once followers of Li Zicheng in rebellion. As long as they surrender, they are subjects of our Great Ming!"

"In the past, the imperial court did indeed fail the people, causing them to suffer from war and famine, but such things will never happen again."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable power!

Sun Chuanting quickly cupped his hands and said:

"On behalf of these hundreds of thousands of people, I thank Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

After saying this, Sun Chuanting bowed deeply to Zhu Cilang, his heart filled with admiration.

Zhu Cilang continued:

"The capital has already formulated many national policies, such as vigorously promoting the planting of potatoes and sweet potatoes. These two crops have high yields and are easy to store, which can greatly alleviate the problem of food shortage."

"In addition, greenhouse technology is gradually becoming more widespread. By artificially controlling temperature and humidity, grains can grow even in the cold season, thereby increasing the overall yield of grains."

"Once these measures are implemented widely, it should ensure that people have enough to eat."

"In addition, the imperial court will continue to purchase large quantities of grain from overseas for disaster relief."

"According to my estimation, the problem of famine can be completely solved within three years at most. At that time, the people of my Great Ming will never have to go hungry again!"

Zhu Cilang wasn't bragging; after all, the yields of sweet potatoes and potatoes had already been tested!
If popularizing sweet potatoes and potatoes, along with greenhouse technology, couldn't solve the Ming Dynasty's food crisis, then this time traveler would be a complete failure! (End of Chapter)