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

Upon hearing these words, Sun Chuanting felt a surge of emotions coursing through his heart.

Looking at the young crown prince before him, he seemed to see the hope for the future of the Ming Dynasty.

He then quickly cupped his hands again, his voice trembling slightly as he said:

"Your Highness, please rest assured, this has also been my long-cherished wish!"

"Your Highness, I am willing to follow you to achieve this goal, even if it means sacrificing my life."

Zhu Cilang nodded slightly, then walked over and reached out to help Sun Chuanting up, saying in a gentle tone:

"Lord Sun, please rise. I am relieved to hear your words."

"The Ming Dynasty is currently going through a turbulent period and needs loyal ministers and capable generals like Lord Sun."

Zhu Cilang then pondered for a moment before continuing:

"This trip to Sichuan is long and the situation is complex. How many troops does Lord Sun plan to send to me?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Chuanting quickly and respectfully replied:
"I will follow Your Highness's decision."

Zhu Cilang smiled and shook his head, then continued:
"Although I have learned some things about what is happening in Shaanxi, I certainly don't know as much as you do. So, it's up to you to decide how many troops to send to me."

"While I hope for as many troops as possible, I also know that I must consider the overall situation."

If possible, Zhu Cilang really wanted to take all 70,000 elite troops from Tongguan to Sichuan.

After all, having more troops gives one peace of mind and makes them more confident when facing the enemy.

But he knew this was unrealistic, because the troops in Shaanxi had other uses and he couldn't take them all with him.

Seeing this, Sun Chuanting didn't hold back.

He thought quickly, weighing the defenses of Shaanxi against the war in Sichuan in his mind, and then solemnly said:
"Your Highness, I believe it is appropriate to send 30,000 elite troops to accompany you to Sichuan this time."

"The remaining troops should be enough to defend Shaanxi. As long as they are deployed properly, we can definitely keep Shaanxi safe."

Zhu Cilang nodded, not surprised by the number.

But then he said with a hint of helplessness:

"Originally, I planned to bring you to Sichuan with me. You are a seasoned veteran with rich experience. With you by my side, I can be of more help."

"But it seems that Shaanxi is still in a difficult situation, so we have no choice but to let you stay in Shaanxi."

While a decisive battle with Li Zicheng was important, securing Shaanxi was equally crucial, so Zhu Cilang decided to leave Sun Chuanting in Shaanxi.

In any case, the plan against Li Zicheng was already very well-developed, and no one needed to come up with any ideas!
Sun Chuanting was somewhat disappointed, after all, he had fought with Li Zicheng for more than ten years, and he wanted to get to know Li Zicheng personally.

However, he is now the Governor-General of the Three Border Regions, in charge of all military affairs in Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia and other places, and even Henan is now under his jurisdiction.

Under such circumstances, he indeed could not leave Shaanxi to confront Li Zicheng in Sichuan!

Thinking of this, Sun Chuanting then said:

"Your Highness, as long as I can be loyal to His Majesty and to the Ming Dynasty, I am willing to be anywhere."

"Whether it is to defend Shaanxi or to accompany Your Highness to Sichuan, I will do my utmost and will never fail Your Highness's expectations."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded in satisfaction and said:
"I am very pleased that Lord Sun has made such a determination. With you guarding Shaanxi, I can fight with peace of mind at the front."

Before long, the group arrived outside Tongguan.

From afar, this ancient pass appears as a towering giant standing on the earth, guarding the eastern gateway of Shaanxi.

Despite the passage of time, the city wall remains as sturdy as ever.

On the city tower, banners fluttered in the breeze, as if displaying its majesty to the world.

However, Tongguan was not like Luoyang before. There were no civilians in Luoyang, which is why it was able to accommodate a large army to enter the city for rest and recuperation.

Tongguan Pass is strategically important and has limited space. In addition, it already houses 200,000 people, so a large army would definitely not be able to enter.

Therefore, Zhu Cilang only brought 5,000 personal guards into the city, while the rest set up camp outside the city.

After entering the city, Zhu Cilang felt a wave of fatigue wash over him, and then took a hot bath as arranged by Sun Chuanting.

After taking a bath, Zhu Cilang went to attend the welcome banquet that Sun Chuanting had prepared for him.

The banquet was held in a spacious hall, which was brightly lit and had braziers everywhere, making the whole space warm and cozy.

Similar to the banquet in Luoyang, the welcoming feast also featured wine and meat, with chicken, duck, and fish filling the table and emitting an enticing aroma.

To Zhu Cilang's surprise, there were several dishes of bright green vegetables on the table.

In the dead of winter, with snow everywhere outside, how could there possibly be such a rare thing as vegetables here?

Seeing that Zhu Cilang seemed quite interested in the vegetables, Sun Chuanting quickly explained with a smile:
"Your Highness, these fresh vegetables were not obtained by me. In this cold winter month, it would be very difficult for me to obtain such fresh vegetables."

"This was sent personally by the King of Qin, who knew that Your Highness the Crown Prince would be passing through Shaanxi."

So that’s it!
Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang suddenly realized what was going on.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Given Sun Chuanting's personality, he probably wouldn't go to the trouble of having someone use greenhouses to grow vegetables.

If it were the King of Qin, then it would be different.

After all, the King of Qin was a prince with a noble status, so eating fresh vegetables in winter was not a difficult thing for him at all.

Just then, Sun Chuanting continued:
"In addition, the King of Qin also asked me to give one million taels of silver to His Highness the Crown Prince, saying that it was a small token of his appreciation."

"The silver is currently in the treasury, and Your Highness can inspect it at any time."

Good guy!
Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang couldn't help but laugh.

He simply hadn't expected that after being "exploited" several times before, the King of Qin would still be able to come up with such a large sum of money!
It seems the King of Qin has quite a lot of wealth!
Of course, Zhu Cilang was not an unreasonable person.

He knew that from the beginning until now, the Qin Prince's Mansion had spent at least four million taels of silver.

This is extremely rare among the princes of the entire Ming Dynasty!
The King of Qin was simply a model prince of the Ming Dynasty!
Therefore, he did not intend to do anything more to the King of Qin. After all, the King of Qin had been so obedient, it would be unreasonable to harm him again.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cilang smiled and looked at the others at the banquet, saying:
"It seems I underestimated Uncle Qin. His loyalty is truly beyond question!"

Hearing this, the others joined in the laughter.

A burst of lighthearted laughter immediately filled the hall.

After the dinner, Zhu Cilang went to rest.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Zhu Cilang got up, quickly washed up, and then, along with Ma Bao, Li Hu, and others, quietly set foot on the city wall of Tongguan.

Climbing the city wall and looking out, the scene before them filled them with a myriad of emotions.

Looking ahead, you see the entire land of Henan, a vast and boundless region that was once a prosperous and wealthy place, but now it has become a desolate wasteland due to war and natural disasters.

Looking ahead is Shaanxi, a region that has also suffered greatly and remains largely desolate. The only saving grace is that the weather has recently warmed up, and the heavy snow has begun to melt.

Soon spring will arrive, and a new cycle will begin on this land.

Zhu Cilang looked into the distance, and a glimmer of hope suddenly filled his heart.

Because he knew that spring was coming for the Ming Dynasty.

Over the next two days, just as he had done in Luoyang, Zhu Cilang personally received the surrendered peasant soldiers.

Faced with the boy surrounded by a crowd, the surrendered peasant soldiers all wore expressions of fear and apprehension.

Because they had already heard that the young man before them was the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, the future emperor!

And what they created before can also be said to be his rebellion!
Zhu Cilang looked at the peasant army in front of him and sighed inwardly, because these people did not look like rebels at all; they were just ordinary peasants!

They were thin and frail, hardly resembling rebels.

If the Ming Dynasty could provide them with enough to eat, why would they follow Li Zicheng in rebellion?
Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang waved his hand, signaling the crowd in front of him to disperse. Then he slowly walked up to the peasant soldiers and looked at them, saying:

"I am very pleased that you have surrendered to the court. Rest assured, the court will treat you well after you go to Liaodong."

"Because everything you did before was forced by Li Zicheng and was not your own intention, I hereby pardon all your previous crimes on behalf of the Emperor."

"No matter who you were or what mistakes you made before, from this moment on, you are all innocent!"

"This is my promise to you, the Crown Prince of the Great Ming Dynasty. If anyone dares to use this matter to punish you in the future, I will personally draw my sword and kill him!"

When he said those last words, Zhu Cilang's tone turned noticeably colder!

Sun Chuanting had said these words many times before, and the peasant army had heard them many times before, but when these words came from the mouth of the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, the future Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the meaning they represented was not the same!

Because many of these peasant soldiers were Li Zicheng's old comrades, who had followed Li Zicheng in his campaigns and even killed members of the imperial family and dug up the Zhu family's ancestral graves!
Therefore, they were afraid that the imperial court would hold them accountable and would settle scores with them later!

However, with Zhu Cilang's promise, all their previous actions were wiped clean.

After they went to Liaodong, they were able to live as ordinary people.

For a time, the peasant army...
Do not!
There are no peasant armies here now, only the people of the Ming Dynasty!

The people knelt down to express their gratitude, their eyes filled with thanks and joy.

"Thank you, Your Highness. We will definitely work hard to cultivate the land after we arrive in Liaodong!"

"Your Highness is wise! I will never rebel again!"

"Me too, I'll just focus on farming from now on!"

Zhu Cilang looked at them and felt a sense of relief.

After resting for two days at Tongguan, the army set off again to Sichuan.

This time, the army size increased to 120,000.

This army of 120,000 men was like a giant steel dragon, marching mightily towards Sichuan.

Three days later, the army successfully arrived in Xi'an.

Unlike before, Zhu Cilang did not intend to stay in Xi'an Prefecture, because he did not want to waste any more time.

However, since I've come all this way, I should still meet with the King of Qin.

After all, the King of Qin had provided considerable support to the court during this period, so it was only right and proper that he be granted a meeting.

Meanwhile, the King of Qin had received news of the approaching army early on, so he personally led his men out of the city to await Zhu Cilang's arrival.

Not long after, a loud hoofbeat suddenly came from not far away.

The sound, like war drums, grew clearer and clearer as it approached from afar.

Then, a troop of cavalry charged straight towards them.

The King of Qin was overjoyed at the sight, for he knew that these must be scouts sent by Zhu Cilang to deliver a message.

But it was clear that the King of Qin had guessed wrong.
When the cavalry approached, the King of Qin realized that the leader was none other than Zhu Cilang!
Since Zhu Cilang did not intend to stay in Xi'an Prefecture, he traveled light, leading a troop of cavalry to meet the Prince of Qin, exchange greetings, and then continue on his journey.

Upon seeing Zhu Cilang, the King of Qin hurriedly bowed and said:

"Your subject, Prince Zhu Cunji of Qin, pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince. Your Highness has come to Xi'an Prefecture, and I have failed to greet you from afar. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Although the Prince of Qin is a prince, Zhu Cilang is the crown prince and the future emperor. According to etiquette, as a prince, he should bow to the crown prince.

Upon seeing this, the people behind the King of Qin also hurriedly knelt down.

"Greetings, Your Highness! Long live the Crown Prince!"

"Greetings, Your Highness! Long live the Crown Prince!"

In an instant, shouts erupted.

Faced with this scene, Zhu Cilang quickly dismounted, then rushed to the King of Qin, personally helped him up, and said with a smile:

"Uncle King of Qin, why be so polite? We are all family, so please rise."

"Everyone, please rise!"

Hearing this, the King of Qin felt a warmth in his heart and then stood up.

Then he added:

"Your Highness, you must be tired from your journey. Please come into the city for a chat. Everything is ready on my side."

Zhu Cilang smiled and said:

"Uncle King Qin, the reason I have come here is to tell you that I will not be entering the city this time; it is more important to continue our journey."

"The war in Sichuan is urgent now. Only by fighting Li Zicheng as soon as possible can we quell the rebellion and save the Ming Dynasty from disaster. Therefore, I will not enter this city to avoid wasting time."

"When I return after the war, I will definitely stay in Xi'an for a few days and then come to bother Uncle Qin again."

Upon hearing this, the King of Qin immediately realized he could no longer persuade the king to stay.

With such a major event looming, what could he possibly say?

Thinking of this, the King of Qin quickly said:
"In that case, Your Highness, I will not try to keep you any longer."

"When Your Highness returns, I will certainly accompany you to explore Xi'an Prefecture and let you fully appreciate its local customs and culture."

Zhu Cilang smiled and nodded, then looked at the King of Qin and said:

"Uncle King of Qin, I have seen everything you have done. Rest assured, my father and I will not mistreat you!"

Upon hearing this, the King of Qin immediately understood; it was the one million taels of silver he had previously sent that had taken effect. (End of Chapter)