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

Moreover, in order to stabilize the situation, they might have to kill a group of Zhu's troops to establish their authority!

But these people were all members of the imperial family, so Zhu Cilang couldn't easily take action against them!
Therefore, considering all factors, Zhu Cilang planned to have the Zhu family army stay in the rear at the beginning, and then launch an attack after the battle had progressed to the second half!
Um.
From this perspective, it does indeed have a bit of a "taking credit" feel to it.

However, there's nothing that can be done about it. After all, what leader would put a group of people who have never fought a war at the front to fight the first battle?
Winning is fine, but if we lose, the morale of the entire army will be gone!
Zhu Cilang did not expect that the Prince of Tang would suddenly take the initiative to request that the Zhu family army fight the first battle, which completely disrupted his plans.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Cilang slowly stood up and paced back and forth in the Thousand Household Office, pondering the pros and cons.

After a moment, he stopped and looked at the Tang Emperor with a serious expression, saying:

“Uncle Tang, you have experience in leading troops, so you should know what the first battle means for an army.”

“If we win the first battle, it will greatly boost morale and give the soldiers a lot of confidence. But if we lose, it will be a huge blow to morale and will plunge the soldiers into frustration and despair.”

"At that time, in order to stabilize the situation, I might have to kill a group of people to intimidate the entire army and maintain the discipline and order of the army."

Upon hearing this, the Tang Emperor immediately stood up, knelt down, and said with a very firm expression:
"Your Highness, rest assured, I had already thought of these things beforehand."

"I have come to see you today after consulting with the soldiers of the Zhu Family Army. They have agreed and are willing to fight to the death for the Ming Dynasty!"

"Therefore, I can guarantee that our Zhu family army will fight this first battle brilliantly!"

“Even if Li Zicheng himself leads the troops, we can still defeat him.”

"Furthermore, I will personally lead the troops into battle. I request Your Highness to supervise the battle from the rear. If anyone is found to flee without a fight, execute them immediately! Our Zhu family cannot afford to lose face like that!"

Hearing the Tang King's words, Zhu Cilang couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

And now that things have come to this point, he probably can't refuse anymore.

So he slowly nodded and said:
"If that's the case, then let's do as Uncle Tang says!"

"Furthermore, please convey to the soldiers of the Zhu family army that war always results in death, which is an unavoidable and cruel reality. But I can guarantee that their deaths will be worthy of their lives!"

"Those who die in battle will have their titles inherited by their descendants, and those below the rank of General of the State can be promoted!"

"Even if they are to be enfeoffed overseas in the future, the rewards received by the families of those who died in battle will be higher than those of others. I will also enshrine them in the Imperial Ancestral Temple so that the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty will know their heroic deeds and their names will be forever engraved in the long history of the Ming Dynasty."

"In short, I will never mistreat any of the Zhu family men who have sacrificed their lives for the Ming Dynasty. This is my promise to you!"

Upon hearing these words, the Tang Emperor was already filled with fervor.

He immediately bowed down, his voice choked with emotion, and said:
"Your Highness, I thank you! Please rest assured, Your Highness, the Zhu Family Army of the Great Ming will never disappoint Your Highness, His Majesty, or the ancestors of the Great Ming!"

"We will defend the dignity and glory of the Ming Dynasty with our lives!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded in satisfaction and then personally stepped forward to help the Prince of Tang up.

Afterwards, the two sides discussed some other matters, such as the specific deployment of the battle.

When night fell, the Tang king finally took his leave.

The night remained deep.

Inside the garrison, candlelight flickered, but Zhu Cilang sat at the table, wide awake.

Because he knew that this battle was both a challenge and an opportunity for Zhu's army.

He hoped that Zhu Family Army could avenge their previous defeat on the battlefield and let the people of Ming Dynasty know that the Zhu family could also sacrifice their lives for Ming Dynasty.

At the same time, our gaze shifted to the southwest of the Qinling Mountains.

The majestic and continuous Qinling Mountains resemble a sleeping dragon, stretching across the sky and earth. The mountains are steep, the peaks are layered, and the swirling clouds and mist exude an indescribable sense of vastness and solemnity.

In a relatively flat valley within this ancient and mysterious mountain range, a massive army of approximately 200,000 men is miraculously stationed.

Needless to say, this is the peasant army led by Li Zicheng!
At this moment, they were located roughly between what would later become Ningshan County and Yang County, a mere ninety kilometers away from Yang County.

For ordinary people, this might only be a journey of a few days, but for the peasant army, which was in dire straits, every step was extremely difficult.

Yangxian was the gateway to Hanzhong; once they arrived there, it meant they had truly come to Hanzhong.

According to Li Zicheng's plan, the army would rest and recuperate in Hanzhong before smoothly entering Sichuan.

However, ideals are always beautiful, but reality is cruel.

The final eighty or ninety kilometers were undoubtedly an insurmountable natural barrier for the peasant army.

Cold weather, difficult mountain roads, and lack of clothing and food were problems that the peasant army had to face at all times!

But these pale in comparison to the frequent harassment by the Ming army.

Recently, the Ming army has been roaming around the peasant army like ghosts, constantly harassing them.

Among them, several thousand people came from Tongguan. Although their numbers were small, they were like a persistent carbuncle that was hard to get rid of.

Tens of thousands of troops were waiting in ambush ahead, launching continuous harassment against them day and night.

The Ming army would set traps and ambushes ahead, making it impossible for the peasant army to defend against them, and causing them great suffering.

The peasant army suffered losses day by day, which Li Zicheng saw with great anxiety, but he was helpless.

After all, this place is deep in the mountains and forests, with complex terrain, which is really not conducive to large-scale operations.

Although the peasant army was numerous, they were like giants with their hands and feet bound in these deep mountains and forests, with no way to use their strength.

This has led to the peasant army's marching speed becoming increasingly slow, even to an appalling degree!
Take these past few days for example, in five whole days, they have only advanced less than twenty miles!

This drove Li Zicheng absolutely crazy.

With Hanzhong just ahead, yet stuck here, this sense of powerlessness nearly drove him to the brink of collapse.

But reality is cruel; no matter how anxious he was, it was no use. Li Zicheng could only grit his teeth and persevere.

However, the peasant army's current situation is far from optimistic.

When they first entered the mountains, the peasant army numbered 300,000, but after the losses over the past few months, they now have only 170,000 left!
Correct!
You heard right, a total of 300,000 people, but now only 170,000 remain!
Of the remaining 130,000 people, some starved or froze to death in the mountains, and their bodies may have been devoured by wild animals.

There were also those who surrendered to the imperial court. At least these people could still have food to eat!

In short, the peasant army has suffered heavy losses and is severely weakened. Even so, the remaining food is still not enough to feed them.

After all, that's 170,000 people!

Even if each person only needs half a pound of grain per day, they would still consume more than 80,000 pounds a day. The grain they brought is already running out!
If they can't reach Hanzhong in another half month at most, then they will probably all die in these mountains.

The night was as dark as ink, enveloping this vast and desolate mountain range.

Li Zicheng was truly unable to sleep. After putting on a coat, he slowly walked out of the tent and looked up at the endless sky.

In an instant, a strange sadness welled up in Li Zicheng's heart.

He couldn't understand why things had suddenly turned out this way.

Everything was going well, and he was about to invade Shaanxi when suddenly Sun Chuanting arrived at Tongguan, blocking his path like a god or demon descending to earth.

Then, the Ming Dynasty adopted a scorched-earth policy in Henan, transferring all the people and grain to the surrounding provinces, making it impossible for Henan to replenish its food and military strength.

Ultimately, he was forced to enter the Qinling Mountains in an attempt to reach Sichuan and find a new world.

Unexpectedly, the journey was just as difficult.

More than four months have passed, and we haven't even reached Hanzhong yet, let alone Sichuan!
Was it really that Heaven was not on Li Zicheng's side?
Or perhaps, the Ming Dynasty's fate was not yet sealed?
Thinking of this, Li Zicheng glanced at the desolate moon once more.

It hung alone in the sky, emitting a faint light, but it could not illuminate his path.

Hey!
For a moment, he couldn't help but sigh, his heart filled with helplessness and confusion.

Of course, despite his sighs and confusion, Li Zicheng's beliefs remained unchanged!

That means we must fight the Ming Dynasty to the death!
Because he is no longer just a simple bandit, but a leader who is similar to an emperor!

A man like him would have no way out if he surrendered, so he must stick to his beliefs and never surrender!

At this point, some people may have questions.

So, even though Li Zicheng was unwilling to surrender, did none of his soldiers want to surrender?

After all, the imperial court had issued several imperial edicts before, telling them that as long as they were willing to surrender, the court would accept them, exempt them from all their crimes, and provide them with money and food.

Logically, this should have been very tempting for the peasant army, because peasants would never want to rebel as long as they had enough to eat.

Why were the peasant armies under Li Zicheng unwilling to surrender?

There are several reasons for this:

Firstly, there was a lack of trust between the imperial court and the peasant army.

After all, everyone knows that Emperor Chongzhen was too fickle; he might say he would accept the peasant army's surrender today, but he might change his mind tomorrow.

The situation was similar on the peasant army side; surrendering and then rebelling again had become commonplace.

This led to a complete loss of trust between the two parties.

Therefore, even if the imperial court were truly willing to accept the surrender of the peasant army, most of the peasant army still did not believe it.

They feared that if they surrendered, they would face retribution and punishment from the imperial court.

Secondly, Li Zicheng strictly controlled the spread of information.

Even though he knew the court was willing to accept the peasant army's surrender, he treated his soldiers differently.

He told them that it was all a scheme by the imperial court, and that if they surrendered, the court would surely settle scores with them and make sure they died without a burial place!

This led most of the soldiers to not dare to even think about surrendering; they could only follow Li Zicheng closely!
Secondly, and most importantly, Li Zicheng firmly controlled his core troops, the Old Camp!

These veteran soldiers were absolutely loyal to Li Zicheng, and they would never abandon him and surrender to the imperial court!

Because they were no longer ordinary peasant armies, but rather a core component of Li Zicheng's forces.

Furthermore, most of them are related by blood, either as father and son or as members of the same clan, forming a close-knit group.

Moreover, since such a group was formed around Li Zicheng, it was even less likely that they would surrender to the imperial court.

Of course, precisely because he knew the importance of the old camp, Li Zicheng generally wouldn't mistreat the soldiers in the old camp.

As long as he has a bite to eat, he won't let these veteran soldiers go hungry!
Imagine you have a leader who can feed your whole family during a famine, and a leader who has no credibility, is capricious, and might chop off your head any day. Which one would you choose to follow?
The result is self-evident!

However, this is not absolute.

If the Ming army can demonstrate overwhelming strength, leaving the peasant army utterly hopeless and without any chance of victory, then some of them will surely be willing to surrender.

Of course, that's a matter for the future.

Li Zicheng could not foresee the future changes; he could only hold tightly to the power in his hands and lead this exhausted army forward.

Moreover, Li Zicheng is still unaware that the imperial court has mobilized a large army to engage him in a decisive battle.

However, this is understandable, because by this time Li Zicheng had long lost the ability to obtain information from the outside world.

You should know that the reason he was able to obtain information from the court in the past was because they would send out scouts to gather intelligence.

Secondly, because government officials and soldiers kept surrendering to the peasant army, they brought the government's movements and strategies, allowing Li Zicheng to quickly obtain various information and make responses.

But now, both of these methods are completely useless!
The scouts sent out by Li Zicheng almost never returned. It's unknown whether they were captured by the Ming army or died in the deep mountains and forests.

As for the surrender of officers and soldiers, that goes without saying!

Since Zhu Cilang reformed the tax system, he has basically made up for the military pay of officers and soldiers all over the country. With these soldiers receiving their pay and rations, how could they possibly surrender to the peasant army?
This has led to Li Zicheng being completely ignorant of everything outside, like a headless fly!
However, even if Li Zicheng knew that the imperial court had mobilized a large army to Hanzhong to fight him in the final battle, Li Zicheng had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue his march towards Hanzhong!

Because he's now forced into a corner!

If they don't go to Hanzhong, then this entire army will die in the Qinling Mountains!

On the contrary, going to Hanzhong offers a sliver of chance of survival; the choice is self-evident!

In short, even if it means facing mountains of knives and seas of fire, Li Zicheng is determined to go to Hanzhong! (End of Chapter)