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

While Zhu Family Army was training, Zhu Cilang summoned other local troops to observe Zhu Family Army's training methods.

After all, flintlock muskets will definitely be used in all armies in the future, so it's good for them to get familiar with them sooner!

On the training ground, Zhu's soldiers, wielding flintlock rifles, moved with practiced speed and skill.

They loaded, aimed, and fired in one seamless motion!
When everyone saw that the flintlock pistols in Zhu Jiajun's hands could fire five bullets per minute, they were all shocked, as if they couldn't believe their eyes.

Because most people here still carry the muskets and matchlock guns issued by the imperial court, some of which haven't been replaced for decades, only repaired when they break.

Moreover, muskets and matchlock guns have short ranges, slow firing rates, and low accuracy.

In comparison, the flintlock muskets in the hands of Zhu Jiajun's army during the Ming Dynasty were practically indistinguishable from divine weapons.

They were genuinely envious!

Why can't they all be equipped with such powerful weapons?
It should be noted that although the imperial court had already produced a considerable number of flintlock muskets, these muskets were prioritized for supply to the troops stationed in Liaodong and around the capital.

It has not yet been popularized in Sichuan and the Hubei-Hunan region, so for the time being, this group of people certainly has no way to equip themselves with flintlock muskets!

In fact, it wasn't just the soldiers who were envious of the flintlock rifle; even Liu Jiayin, the Sichuan General, and Lin Zhaoding, the Guizhou General, were also envious of it!

After discussing it, the two teamed up and went to Zhu Cilang in person to ask for some flintlock muskets.

Faced with the requests of these two generals, Zhu Cilang did not refuse. He gave each of them a thousand flintlock muskets for training and promised to leave a batch of flintlock muskets for them to equip the local garrison after the battle.

Having received Zhu Cilang's promise, the two generals naturally agreed with a smile.

They looked sweeter than honey!
They were all veterans who had served in the military for many years and could immediately see the advantages and disadvantages of flintlock muskets.

It is no exaggeration to say that if they had a thousand troops equipped with flintlock muskets, they would even dare to fight against an enemy army of more than five thousand men!

After all, this thing is really powerful; it can fire five bullets per minute, so a thousand bullets would be five thousand bullets.

Even with a 10% hit rate, you could take down 500 people in a minute!

This is absolutely a killer weapon!

On the battlefield, having such a powerful weapon is like having an ace up your sleeve, capable of turning the tide of battle and securing victory!
At the same time, they were increasingly looking forward to the upcoming Battle of Hanzhong.

In addition, Zhu Cilang then made a series of arrangements.

The first step was to relocate all the people in the Yangxian area to Hanzhong City, so that Li Zicheng would be unable to plunder or coerce the people after entering Hanzhong.

After all, Li Zicheng had been trapped in the mountains for far too long, and he was practically out of ammunition and food.

Therefore, after he arrives in Hanzhong, he will definitely plunder the local people on a large scale, and it is estimated that he will not even spare a single grain of rice.

Moreover, he would certainly try to recruit a large number of Hanzhong people into his ranks, so this situation must be avoided.

As a result, all the people in Yangxian County moved to Hanzhong City, leaving behind not a single grain of rice or a single animal.

Of course, the people were unwilling.

Zhu Cilang naturally considered this point as well, and therefore made appropriate compensation to these people.

After receiving compensation from the imperial court, the people were able to successfully relocate to Hanzhong City.

In addition, Zhu Cilang made corresponding adjustments to the upcoming battle plan.

First, the vanguard was still led by Zhu's army, plus 50,000 Beijing garrison troops, 5,000 Guan Ning cavalry, and Zhu Cilang's personal guards.

Secondly, the second force consisted of Sichuan troops, soldiers from Hunan and Hubei, and local garrison troops in Hanzhong.

The third army consisted of the Tusi army from Guizhou, the Qin army from Shaanxi, and Zuo Liangyu's troops.

In battle, Zhu Cilang first led the vanguard to fight against Li Zicheng's peasant army, while the other two teams stood by.

Seeing this, some people might wonder why these 200,000 people weren't just pushed over directly?
Just like when they fought the Jurchens in the Battle of Songjin, the two sides engaged in a direct battle to determine the victor!
However, this time the situation is clearly somewhat different.

Because the Jurchens were familiar with large-scale warfare, they were like a well-trained pack of wolves, with strict organization and discipline.

Even if they were faced with the imperial army of 200,000, they would not hesitate to press forward if they received the order!

Because they knew that if an army retreated during a battle, its morale would collapse and it would lose.

But the peasant army was different; for them, running away when they couldn't win was a normal thing.

They were like a group of scattered soldiers, lacking strict organization and discipline. If they encountered danger on the battlefield, they would all flee for their lives.

Both Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng had done this countless times!
Therefore, a head-on confrontation would not work, and Zhu Cilang made this decision precisely because he knew this.

The specific battle strategy was roughly as follows: Zhu Cilang would lead 80,000 troops to confront Li Zicheng's 200,000-strong army.

When Li Zicheng sees that the enemy's numbers are fewer than his own, he will definitely underestimate his opponents and decide to engage in battle. This is when Zhu's army should step in.

However, according to Zhu Cilang's estimation, the two sides might not even need to engage in direct combat. As long as Zhu's army doesn't cause any trouble, the peasant army will definitely fall into chaos after a few rounds of flintlock musket fire.

After all, the flintlock musket, such a magical weapon, has not yet been demonstrated in battles against the peasant army, and the peasant army is unaware of its power!
Um.
That's not entirely accurate, because Sun Chuanting had previously given Zuo Liangyu a hundred flintlock muskets, and Zuo Liangyu had even used these flintlock muskets to fight against Zhang Xianzhong.

Therefore, Zhang Xianzhong must have seen flintlock muskets.

However, while Zhang Xianzhong had seen it, Li Zicheng had not!
Therefore, even if Zhang Xianzhong persuaded Li Zicheng that the Ming army had new firearms, Li Zicheng would probably not care.

After all, who would believe something unless they saw it with their own eyes?
In Li Zicheng's view, Zhang Xianzhong was just afraid of the Ming army and was not a threat at all.

Under such circumstances, after a few rounds of flintlock musket fire, the peasant army would surely be thrown into chaos.

Zhu Cilang was quite confident in the flintlock musket!
At that point, Li Zicheng would definitely choose to retreat or flee, and then they would face an attack from a second force.

Even so, this second force could not completely eliminate or capture all the peasant army.

Even with the best encirclement, there will always be loopholes, so the remaining peasant army will still escape. That's when the last army, Zuo Liangyu's army, will make its move.

As long as Zuo Liangyu can intercept the remaining peasant army, and wait for the two front forces to press forward together, they can completely encircle the peasant army and then eliminate the peasant army's calamity in one fell swoop!
This is Zhu Cilang's entire plan for this operation!
However, it is clear that Zuo Liangyu is very dissatisfied with this plan.

After all, Zhu Cilang had promised him that if he could take the heads of Zhang Xianzhong or Li Zicheng, he would be granted the title of marquis.

If we can kill them all, then we'll make him a duke.

This was undoubtedly a huge temptation for Zuo Liangyu.

Therefore, Zuo Liangyu had been eagerly anticipating this war, only wanting to personally behead Zhang Xianzhong or Li Zicheng. He trained his troops day and night, studying tactics, all for the sake of demonstrating his skills and achieving great military exploits in this battle!

Unexpectedly, when the battle plan was released, he was assigned to the very back, responsible for preventing the peasant army from retreating and escaping.

This news was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the burning desire for meritorious service in his heart.

Zuo Liangyu was definitely unwilling, because he would have preferred to be a vanguard and lead the charge.

In his view, meritorious service can only be earned on the front lines, and only in fierce battles can one gain more credit.

As for me, since I'm staying in the rear this time, I estimate that at most I'll only be able to pick off a few enemies.

He has made some contributions, but certainly not any major ones, and forget about being granted a title or anything like that!
This made Zuo Liangyu extremely frustrated!
At this very moment, Zuo Liangyu was sitting in his tent, drinking alone and feeling sullen.

In Zuo Liangyu's view, the imperial court would definitely be able to completely resolve the scourge of the peasant army in this battle, and victory was almost a certainty.

If we miss this battle, then there will be no hope of making any contributions in the future!

Or rather, the only option left is to go to Liaodong to earn military merit.

However, Liaodong is a harsh and cold place, and the Jurchens are extremely fierce, making it much more difficult to achieve merit here!
Ugh!
Thinking of this, Zuo Liangyu sighed helplessly again. The sigh echoed in the tent, as if it were the endless sorrow in his heart.

Suddenly, at that moment, the tent flap was lifted open.

As a gust of cold wind blew into the tent, Zuo Liangyu couldn't help but shiver.

Then, without looking up, he shouted irritably:

"Didn't I tell you? Don't bother this general unless it's important. Now get out!"

His voice was full of anger and impatience, as if he wanted to vent all his dissatisfaction.

However, as soon as these words were spoken, the person who opened the tent did not leave, but instead walked in on his own.

Zuo Liangyu couldn't help but want to swear. He was about to open his mouth when a familiar yet frightening voice rang out.

"You seem to have a lot of free time; you're still drinking at a time like this?"

Zuo Liangyu shuddered violently, then abruptly raised his head.

The next second, he saw Zhu Cilang slowly walk in.

Upon seeing this scene, Zuo Liangyu was terrified. He quickly got up, took two steps to Zhu Cilang, and knelt down.

"I was unaware of His Highness's arrival; I deserve to die!"

His voice trembled, his heart filled with fear and unease.

The very next second, Zuo Liangyu raised his hand to slap himself!
You should know that alcohol is prohibited in the military. Although it's not a big deal if you're not caught, it's a different story if the supreme commander catches you!

Especially since this head coach is the crown prince!
Before Zuo Liangyu could slap himself, Zhu Cilang stopped him.

"Alright, alright, I'm not blaming you. Why are you making such a face? Get up."

After saying this, Zhu Cilang sat down in the main seat with great ease, as if this were his home turf.

Seeing this, Zuo Liangyu couldn't bring himself to slap himself again, so he stood up shakily.

However, my legs were still shaking violently.

He truly had no idea that Zhu Cilang would suddenly come to him!

Otherwise, how could he dare to drink?
At the same time, he began to carefully recall whether he had said anything he shouldn't have when he was sulking.

If you say something you shouldn't, you're in big trouble.

However, after thinking about it carefully, he realized that he hadn't said anything he shouldn't have.

Thinking of this, Zuo Liangyu finally breathed a sigh of relief, but the tension in his heart had not completely dissipated.

Just then, Zhu Cilang suddenly looked at the things on Zuo Liangyu's table.

It was a very peculiar bowl of food. It looked like tofu, but it contained some strange vegetables that stood out against the white tofu.

There was a bowl of what looked like cold noodles next to it, but it was hot and topped with a sauce, giving off an enticing aroma.

Zhu Cilang naturally recognized both items. He had traveled to Hanzhong in his previous life and knew that this bowl of tofu was vegetable tofu, while the other was hot rice noodles, a specialty of Hanzhong. Both were considered local specialties of Hanzhong.

However, Zhu Cilang had been in Hanzhong for several days and had not yet eaten these two things.

Firstly, his meals are handled by designated personnel, who, for safety reasons, would not arrange for him to eat local snacks.

Secondly, he was busy preparing for the decisive battle with Li Zicheng and was busy in the military camp every day, so he didn't pay attention to this matter.

Upon seeing these two items, Zhu Cilang was immediately tempted.

Zuo Liangyu, who had been observing Zhu Cilang's expression, immediately understood what was happening upon seeing this scene, and then quickly and cautiously said:
"Your Highness, did you not eat anything before you came? Fortunately, I have some freshly made vegetable tofu and hot rice noodles here today. I will have someone bring them to you right away."

Zuo Liangyu had already eaten both of the items on the table, so naturally he wouldn't give them to Zhu Cilang.

Fortunately, there were some readily available in his military camp, which he could obtain at any time.

Zhu Cilang nodded upon hearing this.

"Now that you mention it, I am indeed a little hungry. Well then, let's try it."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liangyu rushed outside and began giving orders to his soldiers.

"Quick! Go get a bowl of vegetable tofu and some hot rice noodles!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers at the gate hurriedly went down to prepare.

However, when he left, two Imperial Guards followed behind him.

Since it was something the Crown Prince was going to eat, these two Imperial Guards had to personally supervise the process and were also responsible for testing the food for poison.

Although this approach seems a bit redundant, after all, this is a military camp, and Zuo Liangyu had already eaten the food, so how could it be poisonous?

But who dares to be careless in this kind of matter? (End of Chapter)