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

Faced with the enthusiastic Liu Jiayin, Li Dingguo did not stand up, but instead continued to bow with his hands clasped in greeting:

"My lord, while I was on patrol just now, I ran into an acquaintance who was also a member of the peasant army."

"Thinking of our past relationship, I took him away without permission and asked him some questions."

"I know that this matter violates military regulations, so I have come to report it to you, sir. I hope you will forgive me."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jiayin's eyes flickered slightly, and then he pretended to have just realized it, his face showing a look of sudden understanding.

Then he waved his hand, pretending to be casual, and said:
"Hey, I thought it was something serious, but it turns out to be such a trivial matter. General Li is a man of great loyalty and righteousness, this is nothing to worry about."

Li Dingguo breathed a slight sigh of relief when he saw that Liu Jiayin did not pursue the matter too much.

Then he continued:
"My lord, I have a request, and I hope you will grant it."

"Although this man was once a peasant soldier, he is now determined to reform himself. I hope that you, sir, can hand him over to me and let him serve as a soldier under my command, so that he may have the opportunity to serve the court."

Good heavens, Li Dingguo is really pushing his luck!

It should be noted that the imperial court had already issued an order that surrendered peasant soldiers should be sent directly to Liaodong, but Li Dingguo actually dared to openly propose to keep the surrendered peasant soldiers by his side.

For a moment, Liu Jiayin couldn't help but silently complain, and his face instantly turned somewhat ugly.

But in just a moment, his smile returned, and he readily agreed:
"It's just a trivial matter; I agree!"

Li Dingguo seemed surprised that things would go so smoothly, a hint of astonishment flashing in his eyes.

He originally thought that Liu Jiayin would most likely not agree, and was even thinking of arguing his case, but to his surprise, Liu Jiayin agreed immediately.

This was somewhat unexpected for him.

After realizing what was happening, Li Dingguo quickly cupped his hands and said:

"In that case, thank you for your kindness, sir. I will remember your great kindness and virtue forever."

Liu Jiayin continued to laugh:
"It's nothing serious, not worth mentioning!"

For a general, this was indeed a minor matter.

But just then, Li Dingguo suddenly thought of something. He hesitated for a moment, but still said again:
"My lord, I have one more request."

Again? ? ?

Upon hearing this, Liu Jiayin almost couldn't help but curse, feeling that the person in front of him was really pushing his luck and didn't know what was good for him!
But when he thought that Li Dingguo was sent by the Crown Prince, although he was angry, he still put on a friendly face and said:

"Speak freely, and I will not refuse to do anything that I can do."

Li Dingguo straightened his expression and continued:
"My lord, the war is now at a critical juncture, and we are about to engage in a final battle with Li Zicheng. I would like to recruit some people from the peasant army that has surrendered and train them."

“These people are familiar with the peasant army, which may be helpful in the upcoming decisive battle.”

Oh shit!

As expected of someone the Crown Prince values, they're really taking advantage of him!

Liu Jiayin cursed inwardly, his anger almost burning up.

In his opinion, this was obviously unnecessary, but he also felt that he could not offend Li Dingguo. What if Li Dingguo tripped him up in front of the Crown Prince? Wouldn't he be in trouble then?
So he could only suppress his anger and force a smile as he said:
"You're doing this for the sake of the war, so I agree. General Li, just do as you're told. If you need anything, just let me know!"

Li Dingguo was overjoyed, feeling that Liu Jiayin was far too easy to talk to, and quickly cupped his hands in greeting:
"Thank you, sir. I will take my leave now. Rest assured, sir, I will not fail in my mission."

Liu Jiayin said with a smile:

"Go ahead, I hope General Li will not disappoint the court."

Li Dingguo then stopped talking, turned around and left the tent.

But after Li Dingguo left, Liu Jiayin's face suddenly darkened, as if the sky was overcast before a storm.

The next second, he slammed his hand on the table and said through gritted teeth:
"Damn it! This guy is really disrespecting me!"

In Liu Jiayin's view, Li Dingguo was simply too lawless. If he hadn't been sent by the Crown Prince, he would have arrested and punished Li Dingguo long ago!
However, this is not entirely Li Dingguo's fault.

Firstly, Li Dingguo was naturally carefree and came from a peasant army background, so he didn't know how to handle interpersonal relationships in officialdom.

Secondly, after surrendering to the imperial court, he was directly sent to Liaodong, where he served as a guerrilla general under Zu Dabi.

Zu Dabi was also a rough and unrefined man, naturally carefree and never playing the game of officialdom, which led to Li Dingguo's personality becoming somewhat rigid.

Therefore, he has always said whatever he wants.

Before long, Li Dingguo returned to his tent.

As soon as he entered the tent, Fang Yi came to greet him, his eyes full of anticipation.

Before Fang Yi could ask, Li Dingguo said:
"The General has agreed. From this day forward, you will serve as a lowly soldier under me!"

Fang Yi was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then his face lit up with ecstatic joy.

Then he excitedly said:

"Brother Li, thank you so much! From now on, if you tell me to go east, I will never go west; I will follow your lead without question!"

When Fang Yi first arrived in Hanzhong, he was devastated, thinking that given his status, he would at least be imprisoned, and might even lose his life.

Unexpectedly, he encountered Li Dingguo here, and under Li Dingguo's influence, he was able to clear his name and become a legitimate Ming Dynasty soldier!

How could he not be excited?

Of course, Li Dingguo was so willing to help for two reasons. First, he genuinely cared about their past relationship. Second, it was what he had told Liu Jiayin before.

He planned to select some peasant soldiers to form an army, and then personally persuade Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong to surrender.

However, he couldn't tell others about these things because he could tell that most of the Ming soldiers were actually unwilling to accept the peasant army's surrender.

The reason is simple: accepting the enemy's surrender does not earn military merit, but killing the enemy does!
On the battlefield, military merit is the lifeblood of soldiers. With military merit, they can be promoted, make money, and bring glory to their ancestors. Therefore, they are eager to kill more peasant soldiers in exchange for military merit!
But if the peasant army surrenders, wouldn't they lose their military merits?

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Back when I was just a peasant soldier, didn't I also want to kill more government officials and soldiers to earn merit?
It's just a difference in perspective; there's nothing more to say.

Everyone is fighting for their own interests and beliefs; that's the cruelty of war. Alas!
Thinking of this, Li Dingguo sighed helplessly in his heart.

Because he knew that many people were destined to die in the Battle of Hanzhong.
Just as all the armies were beginning to converge on Hanzhong, preparing for the final battle with Li Zicheng, a major event occurred on the Jurchen side!
That means Huang Taiji was truly finished!
At dawn, the first rays of sunlight fell on the palaces of Shengjing, but could not dispel the gloom within.

Just then, Hauge, Dorgon, Jirgalang, and several princes in the capital rushed to the inner palace. They all looked anxious and walked hurriedly, as if they were being chased by evil spirits.

They had just received news that Huang Taiji had suddenly been coughing up blood all night and was now completely terminally ill.

According to the imperial physician, Huang Taiji's life hangs by a thread!
In the past, the imperial physicians would certainly not have dared to say such a thing. After all, Huang Taiji was the emperor of the Jurchens, and who would dare to easily predict his life or death?

But now Huang Taiji is truly on the verge of death, his life hanging by a thread like a candle in the wind, and even they are powerless to stop him. Therefore, there is nothing to worry about in this matter.

This was a momentous matter, and even Da Yu'er dared not conceal it. Therefore, she sent someone to inform everyone, which led to the current situation.

Almost everyone who could come did, including Han officials such as Fan Wencheng, as well as important Jurchen officials such as Sony and Tulai.

A group of people gathered outside the palace gate, staring anxiously into the palace, their eyes filled with worry and unease.

If someone were to observe closely at this moment, they would see that Hauge's arms were bulging, as if he were hiding something in them.

Indeed, that was the case, because Hauge came with the edict of succession!

Because he knew that Huang Taiji might really be dying soon, according to the previous plan, he would take out the edict of succession after Huang Taiji's death and then announce his succession to the throne!

With the overall situation settled, he could become the new emperor of the Jurchens and control this vast empire.

Meanwhile, the others present also noticed that Hauge's behavior was somewhat unusual.

Everyone else looked worried, but Hauge had a hint of joy on his face, as if something good was about to happen!
Taking into account all the previous speculations, even a fool could see that Huang Taiji had indeed designated Hauge as his successor.

For a moment, everyone's expressions were different.

Some eyes gleamed with jealousy, their hearts filled with resentment, while others wore pensive expressions, seemingly contemplating the future situation.

Although they also wanted to see Huang Taiji as soon as possible, Huang Taiji had not issued an order to summon them, so no one dared to go in.

After all, Huang Taiji was still alive at this time!

The scene shifts to the inner palace.

At this moment, Huang Taiji, lying on his sickbed, was already emaciated and terminally ill.

His once robust body is now thin and frail, as if a gust of wind could blow him away.

His face was as pale as paper, devoid of any color, and his eyes were tightly closed; he remained in a deep coma.

The imperial physician was kneeling beside the bed taking Huang Taiji's pulse, but it was no use at this point, because Huang Taiji was so thin that he was almost emaciated, and the pulse on his arm was almost gone, the faint beating seemed to stop at any moment.

The imperial physicians had previously considered using thousand-year-old ginseng to prolong his life, but every time they tried to administer the medicine, it would drip down Huang Taiji's lips.

Huang Taiji couldn't even swallow anymore!
If they forced it down his throat, they were afraid it would choke Huang Taiji to death!
In short, Huang Taiji was really going to die!
Sure enough, after a moment, the imperial physician who had taken Huang Taiji's pulse shook his head helplessly and then stood up shakily.

Seeing this, Da Yu'er quickly went to greet him, her eyes fixed on the imperial physician, and asked:
"Imperial Physician, how is His Majesty?"

The imperial physician swallowed nervously before whispering:

"Your Majesty, please accept my condolences. I am truly powerless to help. His Majesty is on his last legs and his life hangs in the balance. You should make preparations as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Da Yu'er was overjoyed, for once Huang Taiji was dead, she could begin her own plan!
But then, she still feigned a sorrowful appearance, and finally threw herself at Huang Taiji's bedside, crying out in tears:
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! How could you abandon me? What will I do without you?"

The cries were so poignant and moving, as if she truly loved Huang Taiji to the core.

Seeing Da Yu'er in this state, the imperial physician quickly comforted her:
"Your Majesty, please do not be sad. Birth, aging, sickness and death are the will of Heaven, and no one can resist them."

"His Majesty was brave throughout his life and made great contributions to the Qing Dynasty. He is worthy of the ancestors of the Aisin Gioro family. You should be proud of him."

Upon hearing this, Da Yu'er stopped crying.

She first wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, and then had the imperial physicians led to a side hall far from the palace.

As the imperial physicians gradually disappeared into the distance and around the corner of the palace, Dayuer's eyes suddenly sharpened, like two sharp daggers fixed on a certain spot on the bed.

The place that Dayuer was staring at was the secret compartment where Huang Taiji had hidden his edict of accession!
Da Yu'er knew in her heart that now was the time to take action!

If we don't act now, it will be too late when Hauge and his men come in!

Hauge will become emperor, and she and her son Fulin will inevitably be in dire straits.

Thinking of this, a resolute glint flashed in Dayuer's eyes.

She then planned to bypass Huang Taiji, retrieve the edict hidden in the secret compartment, and then replace it.

As for the forged edict of succession, Da Yu'er always carried it with her!
Just when Da Yu'er thought everything was foolproof, a sudden change occurred.

Suddenly, Huang Taiji, who had been keeping his eyes closed, opened them wide, his gaze revealing an extremely sharp expression.

Da Yu'er was startled and felt her heart suddenly race, as if it were about to burst out of her chest.

Her body froze instantly, abruptly stopping her movements. Her foot, which had already extended halfway, seemed to be nailed to the ground, unable to move forward even an inch.

Then, Huang Taiji's gaze slowly turned to Dayuer.

His lips trembled slightly as he used his last bit of strength to say with difficulty:

"Summon Hauge to see me immediately!"

It was obvious that Huang Taiji knew he was about to die, and he wanted to take advantage of his last breath to announce Hauge's succession to the throne and settle the matter once and for all!

However, upon hearing this, Da Yu'er's heart sank.

She then took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice calm, and looked at Huang Taiji on the bed, asking:

"Your Majesty, do you really intend to pass the throne to Hauge?"

what?
Upon hearing this, Huang Taiji looked somewhat taken aback, and his already pale face became even more ashen.

He didn't understand how Da Yu'er knew. (End of Chapter)