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

However, Li Dingguo was not surprised when he saw this scene.

Recently, the troops sent to the Qinling Mountains to intercept Li Zicheng's army have been capturing many scattered peasant soldiers every day.

Some of these peasant soldiers were separated from Li Zicheng's army, while others were ruthlessly abandoned.

Once the Ming army discovers them, they will bring them back.

However, only a small number made it to Hanzhong alive; less than two out of ten survived.

But there's nothing we can do about it. After all, the Qinling Mountains are really difficult to traverse. They are high and densely forested, with rugged roads and cliffs and hidden dangers everywhere.

Even well-trained Ming soldiers had to be careful when traveling in these mountains, as a slight mistake could cost them their lives. How much more so for these peasant soldiers who couldn't even get enough to eat?

Just as Li Dingguo was about to continue, a voice suddenly rang out, carrying a hint of trembling and surprise.

"Brother Li, is that you?"

The sound was like a thunderclap, exploding in Li Dingguo's ears.

He suddenly stopped, a strange feeling welling up inside him, and then turned around in surprise.

The next second, his gaze fell on the peasant army, and a familiar face appeared in front of him.

He was a haggard-looking young man, but his eyes revealed the excitement of a long-awaited reunion.

Li Dingguo recognized the man; his name was Fang Yi!

Fang Yi's father was named Fang Jiong, a confidant of Zhang Xianzhong. He followed Zhang Xianzhong in his campaigns and made many contributions.

However, Fang Jiong was killed in battle. Fang Yi then succeeded his father in his position, but unfortunately, he was not very good at fighting and was gradually marginalized in the army.

Even so, they still knew each other!

It must be said that Li Dingguo was somewhat surprised to see acquaintances here.

Just then, Fang Yi finally confirmed that the other person was indeed Li Dingguo. His eyes glistened with tears of excitement, and he quickly said again:
"Brother Li, is it really you? You're really not dead! You...you surrendered to the imperial court?"

As he finished speaking, Fang Yi's voice sounded somewhat incredulous.

He couldn't understand how Brother Li, who had fought alongside him against the imperial court, could be here.

And in this kind of capacity?
Faced with Fang Yi's question, Li Dingguo was momentarily at a loss for words.

When the soldiers escorting Fang Yi and his entourage saw that Fang Yi actually knew Li Dingguo, they stopped and looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

Then, at that moment, Li Dingguo finally realized what was happening.

He strode up to the general escorting Fang Yi and said:

"This person is an old acquaintance of mine. May I handle him?"

The general hesitated upon hearing this.

According to regulations, these prisoners must be imprisoned together before being reported to the commander-in-chief, who can then decide on their next course of action.

Li Dingguo's blatant demand for people right now is clearly against the rules.

However, he also knew that Li Dingguo was no ordinary person. He was said to be someone favored by the Crown Prince, and he couldn't afford to offend him.

Li Dingguo seemed to have noticed this as well, and then said:

"Don't worry, I will personally report this to the General, and I'm sure he won't blame me."

Upon hearing this, the general felt it would be difficult to refuse.

He quickly cupped his hands and said:

"In that case, General, please do as you see fit."

He then had the ropes binding Fang Yi untied, and then left with the rest of the men.

However, just in case, he still planned to immediately send someone to report the matter to Liu Jiayin, the Sichuan General, aiming to avoid offending either side.

After everyone else left, Li Dingguo looked at Fang Yi with a complicated expression.

His eyes held both the joy of reuniting with an old friend and a sense of感慨 about the impermanence of life.

"Brother Li, what exactly is going on?"

Fang Yi looked at Li Dingguo again, his eyes filled with doubt and confusion.

He still couldn't understand how Li Dingguo, who had clearly "died" before, suddenly appeared in Hanzhong. Moreover, judging from his attire, he was obviously a military officer of the imperial court, and his position was not low.

But Li Dingguo did not rush to answer him. Instead, he turned to the commander standing beside him and gave an order:
"I have something to do today, so you will personally lead a team to inspect the defenses."

Upon hearing this, the commander quickly cupped his hands and said:
"As ordered."

Then he turned and left.

Immediately afterwards, Li Dingguo looked at Fang Yi and said:
"Come with me."

Fang Yi didn't know what else to say, so he could only lower his head and silently follow Li Dingguo to his own tent.

The tent was simply and practically furnished, with a wooden table in the center, on which were some documents and maps.

There was a bed next to it, covered with bedding.

A stove was placed in one corner of the tent, burning brightly and making the entire tent warm and cozy.

Li Dingguo first asked Fang Yi to sit down, and then instructed the soldiers at the door:
Go get some food!

Because it was not far from the barracks, a bowl of thick porridge, a bowl of meat and vegetables, and three large white steamed buns were served to Fang Yi in a short while.

The thick porridge and steamed buns go without saying, but the most precious thing is the meat and vegetable dish, which is made by stewing cabbage stored in summer with pork and tofu, and it is so fragrant that it is irresistible.

Fang Yi couldn't help but swallow hard when he saw these things.

You should know that he hasn't had a proper meal in a long time.

Yesterday, he only ate one cornbread given to him by the Ming soldiers. The Ming general in charge gave it to him out of pity. The cornbread was hard and astringent, and it was almost impossible to swallow.

But he ate it in order to survive, and he hasn't eaten a single bite since. He's starving.

How could he not be excited to see these things now?

In an instant, his eyes were fixed on the food, as if he had seen a lifeline.

Li Dingguo sighed, his eyes filled with pity and sympathy, and then said:

"Eat."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yi seemed to wake from a dream. He glanced gratefully at Li Dingguo, then began to eat heartily, taking a bite out of half a steamed bun.

At this time, disasters are raging everywhere in the Ming Dynasty. Although Hanzhong is a land of fish and rice, it is not rich in resources.

However, don't forget that the imperial court allocated a large amount of silver to fight this war.

Therefore, in order to ensure the army's supply, Liu Jiayin, the general of Sichuan, bought up almost all the meat in Hanzhong, including chicken, duck and fish.

Even the staple foods that people use to get through the winter, such as cabbage, pickled vegetables, and cured meat, were all sold out. Some of the ingredients were even transported from Sichuan and other places.

Of course, all of these were bought with money!
After all, Zhu Cilang was about to arrive in Hanzhong, and Liu Jiayin didn't want to be accused of plundering!

However, this does not include food!

Because the imperial court had already transported a large amount of grain to Hanzhong, enough to feed them for a year.

After Fang Yi finished eating everything in a whirlwind, he patted his stomach contentedly and let out a satisfied burp.

Seeing this, Li Dingguo personally poured him a cup of hot water.

While Fang Yi was drinking water, Li Dingguo finally recounted everything that had happened to him.

After hearing these stories, Fang Yi found it unbelievable; he never imagined that Li Dingguo would have such a tortuous experience.

After a long pause, he suddenly smiled wryly and said:

“Brother Li, you’ve turned misfortune into blessing. You’re no longer a rebel, and you’ve even become a fourth-rank military officer in the court. In comparison, the brothers are in a terrible situation.”

"Those who were unlucky died outside Tongguan City, and some died in the Qinling Mountains. Those who were lucky, like me, surrendered to the imperial court and barely survived."

As he spoke, a hint of desolation and helplessness flashed in his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo was filled with emotion.

He then asked:

"By the way, how is my godfather?"

Fang Yi nodded:

"Fortunately, although Li Zicheng and the King of the Great Western Kingdom had some conflicts before, their relationship was generally good."

"However, the Great Western King is not very free in Li Zicheng's army. He is now under house arrest in a de facto way, and his movements are restricted."

Li Dingguo was not surprised when he heard this, because he had already heard similar things from Luo Youcai.

Li Dingguo then continued to ask:
"How many people are left in this peasant army?"

Fang Yi said with a wry smile:

"When we set off from outside Tongguan, there were about 300,000 people, but after entering the Qinling Mountains, people kept dying and fleeing along the way, losing hundreds of people almost every day."

"Then, in order to save food, Li Zicheng dispersed more than 50,000 people intermittently."

"That's how I was dispersed. When I left, the peasant army only had 200,000 men left. Now it's probably even fewer, around 190,000."

For a moment, Li Dingguo's expression became somewhat complicated.

He never imagined that of the 300,000 people who entered the Qinling Mountains, only 190,000 remain.

If that's the case, wouldn't that mean that around 100,000 people died in the Qinling Mountains?

It should be noted that this completely contradicts his previous rebellion ideology. The reason he rebelled was to overthrow the corrupt Ming Dynasty and enable the people to live a better life, rather than let them die in the vast Qinling Mountains!
Just then, Fang Yi seemed to realize something, a complex look appearing in his eyes. He then looked at Li Dingguo and pleaded:

"Brother Li, could you please plead for me? I'm afraid they'll kill me!"

Li Dingguo came to his senses and then comforted him:
"Don't worry, the imperial court has already issued an edict that the Ming army must accept the peasant army if they surrender, so you will not die."

"They'll probably be moved to Liaodong eventually, but it's fine if they go there; it's no worse than Shaanxi!"

Fang Yi was still somewhat uneasy after hearing this, then he seemed to remember something, and looked at Li Dingguo with a pleading expression:

“Brother Li, you are now a general, why don’t you take me in? Even if I’m just a lowly soldier under you, it would be fine. Otherwise, with no relatives or friends around, I really don’t know when I’ll die.”

As he spoke, his eyes were filled with expectation and longing, as if Li Dingguo was his only lifeline.

Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo's resolve wavered.

However, he knew he couldn't make the decision on his own. After all, there were rules in the army, and even though he had Zhu Cilang backing him up, he couldn't act too recklessly.

Thinking of this, Li Dingguo slowly spoke:
“Brother Fang Yi, I really can’t agree to this on my own. After all, the rules in the army are very strict. I must first report to the General.”

"You stay here and wait patiently, I'll be right back."

"If the General agrees, you can stay by my side from now on, so we can look after each other."

"But if the General doesn't agree, there's nothing I can do!"

Upon hearing this, a flicker of surprise flashed in Fang Yi's eyes. He quickly clasped his hands in a fist salute and said excitedly:

"Thank you so much, Brother Li! I, Fang Yi, will never forget your great kindness!"

Li Dingguo nodded slightly, then turned and walked out of the tent.

When they reached the outside of the tent, Li Dingguo gave another order to the two soldiers at the door, telling them to stay put and not let Fang Yi out.

The two soldiers readily agreed.

Then Li Dingguo strode forward and headed straight for the camp of Liu Jiayin, the Sichuan general.

Meanwhile, in the camp of Liu Jiayin, the Sichuan General, the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

Liu Jiayin's face was even more unpleasant, because just now, he had learned that Li Dingguo had taken away a peasant soldier without permission.

Although strictly speaking it wasn't a big deal, he still felt that Li Dingguo was really outrageous!
How dare he, a peasant soldier who surrendered to the imperial court, take another peasant soldier away without permission? What is he trying to do?
If it were anyone else, Liu Jiayin would have already sent troops to arrest them!

After all, no matter how you look at it, the other party seems to be a traitor!
But when Liu Jiayin thought that Li Dingguo had been personally sent to Hanzhong by the Crown Prince, he suddenly felt helpless.

Just then, the guard at the door rushed in, bowing and announcing:
"My lord, Li Dingguo has come to request an audience."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jiayin couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

This is really what you think will come true!

He then suppressed his anger and said coldly:

"Let him in."

Shortly after, Li Dingguo entered and bowed to Liu Jiayin, saying:

"This humble general, Li Dingguo, greets Your Excellency."

The next second, a dramatic scene unfolded. Liu Jiayin, who had just been wearing a stern face and seemed eager to punish Li Dingguo, suddenly burst into laughter.

Then I heard him say enthusiastically:

"General Li, please rise. May I ask what brings you here today?"

The speed at which they changed their expressions was simply astonishing!
But Liu Jiayin had no choice!
After all, he was genuinely afraid of the princeling behind Li Dingguo!
And don't assume that Liu Jiayin's actions necessarily make him a treacherous official or a coward who fears death; in fact, that's not the case!
In the original history, although Liu Jiayin ultimately failed to defend Sichuan, he was unwilling to surrender and eventually committed suicide by drowning to die for his country!

He can be considered a loyal subject!

However, even loyal ministers fear the Crown Prince! (End of Chapter)