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

Immediately afterward, under Li Zicheng's orders, the army marched forward again, heading straight for Hanzhong City!

Li Zicheng knew very well that ordinary people's families certainly didn't have much surplus grain, and the only way to get enough grain was to plunder from those large cities.

And Hanzhong City is the best choice!

Once we capture Hanzhong, it will be enough to feed the army for several months!
Moreover, it is said that there is a prince in Hanzhong City. You should know that the princes of the Ming Dynasty were famous for having plenty of grain and money.

Those princes lived luxurious lives, their mansions filled with grain, gold and silver treasures, silks and satins and all sorts of precious items.

Every time the peasant army conquered a city with a vassal king, they would seize a large amount of supplies.

And this time, naturally, is no exception.

Thinking of this, a smug smile crept onto Li Zicheng's lips. He could almost see the mountains of grain and gold and silver treasures piled up before his eyes.

What no one noticed was that shortly after the peasant army left, an army of tens of thousands suddenly appeared in the mountains on the other side.

The army moved silently, like a group of ghosts.

They cleverly used the cover of the mountains and forests to quietly form a blockade line behind the peasant army.

And this army was none other than the army led by Zuo Liangyu!

With this, the Ming army completed the first encirclement.

Watching the peasant army's retreating figures, Zuo Liangyu was filled with rage.

In fact, he had seen Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng through his binoculars long before. To be honest, at that time he really wanted to lead his army to charge out and personally cut off their heads!

But in the end, he gave up because he knew that facing such a large peasant army, he would not be able to directly defeat Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng. Instead, he would alert them and make them aware of the danger.

After that, they will either flee back into the mountains or head towards Hanzhong City, and they will become even more vigilant!

In either case, it will affect the subsequent plans.

Therefore, Zuo Liangyu had no choice but to suppress his inner impulse and continue to deploy his troops according to the established plan.

However, if the plan goes smoothly, Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng will eventually return here!
Thinking of this, a glimmer of hope welled up in Zuo Liangyu's heart again.

Although Zhu Cilang had previously promised that as long as he could hold off the peasant army and wait for the main army to encircle and completely annihilate the peasant army, he would be granted a title.

But people always have bigger dreams. If he could go even further and personally take the head of Zhang Xianzhong's Li Zicheng, that would be the best thing for Zuo Liangyu!

After all, who would complain about having too many military merits?

Time flies, and more than three hours have passed in the blink of an eye.

The sun was gradually setting in the west, and its golden afterglow bathed the earth, draping the whole world in a golden veil.

Seeing this, Li Zicheng had no choice but to order his troops to set up camp.

So the peasant army got busy.

Before long, tents were set up and campfires were burning brightly.

Li Zicheng sat in his tent, his brows furrowed, a hint of worry in his eyes.

After the army entered Hanzhong, it had already traveled about twenty li, but still had not seen a single civilian.

The scouts he sent to gather information brought back pretty much the same news: there was still not a single living person or even a single animal within ten miles ahead, and there was not a trace of grain, gold, silver, or valuables!
This made Li Zicheng somewhat afraid. He feared that the imperial court might really relocate all the people of Hanzhong to other places.

If that's the case, wouldn't we be doomed?
Without civilians, there would be no food or manpower to replenish the army, and his army would be in dire straits!

But a moment later he dismissed the idea.

Because in his view, this was simply too absurd!

It seems impossible to relocate all the people of Hanzhong to other places at once!
And what is the purpose of doing this?
Is the imperial court going to fight him to the death in Hanzhong?
That's even more ridiculous!

He didn't believe that the imperial court could still mobilize a large army to Hanzhong to fight him to the death at this time!

However, to ensure absolute safety, Li Zicheng still ordered the defenses to be strengthened!

He ordered the soldiers of the old camp to strengthen patrols and be more vigilant to prevent Ming army surprise attacks!

However, what Li Zicheng did not know was that just as they were setting up camp, a second army had already completed its encirclement of them!
This army consisted of the Sichuan Army led by Lin Zhaoding, the General of Guizhou, and the Huguang Army from Hunan and Hubei.

Like Zuo Liangyu, they had already secretly hidden themselves beforehand, and only began to deploy the second line of defense after Li Zicheng's army had passed by!

Next, they just wait for the peasant army to retreat after fighting with Zhu's army, and then they will ambush the peasant army!
At this point, some brilliant minds might ask, "Why not launch a night raid?"
It should be noted that Li Zicheng's army was completely unprepared at this time. Wouldn't a night attack have a miraculous effect?

That's true, but you have to understand that the enemy isn't just a few tens of thousands of soldiers, but a full 170,000!

How many Ming soldiers would need to launch a night attack on them?

Moreover, night raids have the highest casualty rate in combat. In the dark, it is difficult for both sides to distinguish friend from foe, and friendly fire is very likely to occur!

Furthermore, Zhu Cilang possessed flintlock muskets, which allowed him to defeat the peasant army openly and fairly, minimizing his own losses. Therefore, there was no need to choose a night raid!
Furthermore, if a tragedy like the one that occurred at Tongguan were to happen again, resulting in the casualties of tens of thousands of peasant soldiers, that would not be what Zhu Cilang wanted!
Ultimately, most of these so-called peasant armies were innocent civilians who joined the peasant army out of necessity. Zhu Cilang did not want to exterminate them!
Therefore, proceeding according to the original plan is in the best interest of the moment.

Meanwhile, the scene shifts to Hanzhong City.

At this moment, Hanzhong City resembles a giant beast sleeping in the long river of history, shrouded in a solemn atmosphere.

Below the city, countless tents were scattered across the land like stars, stretching as far as the eye could see.

More than 70,000 Ming soldiers slept fully clothed in their tents, their breathing weaving into a somber melody in the quiet night.

And tonight's night scene is as beautiful as a painting.

The moon, hanging high in the sky, was like a giant pearl, casting its silvery light and enveloping the entire city of Hanzhong.

The stars in the sky are like jewels set in the black sky, shimmering with a mysterious and enchanting light.

A gentle breeze, carrying a hint of coolness, rustled the corners of the tent flaps.

Such fine weather seems to foreshadow an exceptionally sunny day tomorrow, and also foreshadows a resounding victory in this war!

Just then, a tall, slender figure slowly walked onto the city wall.

His steps were steady and firm, each step seemingly stepping on a historical juncture. Behind him followed Li Hu and a group of others.

This person was none other than Zhu Cilang.

Perhaps because a great battle was imminent, Zhu Cilang couldn't sleep tonight, so he wandered aimlessly and unknowingly arrived at the city wall.

He stood quietly by the city wall, peering down at the densely packed tents and sleeping soldiers below, a complex emotion suddenly welling up within him.

The next second, he looked up and saw the moon hanging high in the sky. Its pure white light shone on him, but it could not dispel the trace of melancholy in his heart.

Although Zhu Cilang had made thorough preparations for this war, from the allocation of troops to the arrangement of tactics, every detail had been carefully considered.

But Zhu Cilang still felt inexplicably nervous.

He then clenched his fists tightly, trying to calm himself down. Those behind him, seeing this, remained silent, simply following quietly at a distance.

A moment later, accompanied by a rhythmic sound of footsteps, a person hurriedly came to Zhu Cilang's side.

He bowed slightly and respectfully greeted them:

"Your subject Zhu Yujian pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."

The person who arrived was none other than Zhu Yujian, the Prince of Tang.

Zhu Cilang nodded slightly, looking at him calmly, and casually asked:

"Uncle Tang, what brings you here so late?"

Upon hearing this, the Tang Emperor quickly replied:
"Your Highness, according to the scouts, the rebel leader has already set up camp thirty miles away from Hanzhong City."

"In addition, Zuo Liangyu and Lin Zhaoding's troops have also completed the encirclement. If nothing unexpected happens, the rebels will be able to reach Hanzhong City tomorrow."

Zhu Cilang's expression didn't change much when he heard this, because it was all within his expectations.

Then he said calmly:

"understood."

His calm tone made it impossible to discern his inner thoughts from his face.

Seeing this, the Tang king decided to take his leave.

Before he could speak, Zhu Cilang suddenly said:
"Uncle Tang, if you have nothing to do, please chat with me for a while."

His voice carried a gentle tone, as if he were inviting an elder to share their innermost thoughts with him.

The Tang emperor was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and then quickly replied:

"The minister obeys the order."

He then went to Zhu Cilang and waited quietly for him to continue.

Just when the Tang Emperor thought Zhu Cilang was about to ask about the decisive battle with the peasant army, Zhu Cilang suddenly changed the subject and asked:

"Uncle Tang, how many troops do you think the court will need if it were to fight the Jurchens in the future?"

When the Tang emperor heard this, he was immediately stunned.

His eyes widened, and his face was full of surprise.

He never expected Zhu Cilang to suddenly ask this question. Right now, they were supposed to be fighting the peasant army, but Zhu Cilang asked about fighting the Jurchens. This was completely unexpected.

Fortunately, the Tang emperor reacted quickly, and he had been paying close attention to the situation in Liaodong, knowing that the Jurchens' strength was not to be underestimated, and he had been thinking about countermeasures.

After a moment's thought, the Tang Emperor said:
"May I ask, Your Highness, do you mean defeating the Jurchens, or do you mean annihilating them completely?"

Zhu Cilang glanced at the Tang Emperor, a hint of admiration in his eyes, and said:
"What's the difference?"

The Tang emperor then spoke eloquently:
"Your Highness, it is naturally different."

"If we only want to defeat the Jurchens, we can rely on the local garrison in Liaodong. After all, with the equipment of flintlock muskets, the local garrison in Liaodong is already unstoppable! Defeating the Jurchens is more than enough."

"But if His Highness the Crown Prince wants to destroy the Jurchen state and wipe it out, then this matter will not be so easy."

"Because if it were just a regular battle, the Jurchens might only send out about 100,000 troops, but if it were a war of annihilation, the Jurchens would definitely mobilize the entire population."

"According to my estimation, even with the losses from the previous Battle of Songjin, they can still muster an army of 300,000 or even 500,000 men."

"In wars of annihilation throughout history, one's own military strength must be at least three to five times greater than that of the enemy."

"Because in a war of annihilation, the other side will definitely go all out, and children, the elderly, and women may all take up arms and become soldiers."

"Therefore, my estimate of 300,000 or even 500,000 might be an underestimate. If we want to be more secure, according to my calculations, even with flintlock muskets, we would need at least a million troops!"

Hey!
Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang sighed slightly, his eyes revealing a hint of helplessness and worry.

Because he knew that the Tang emperor was right; to launch a war of annihilation against the Jurchens, an army of more than a million would indeed be needed.

This is also the best number of people who can completely wipe the Jurchens off the world!
Firstly, the Liaodong region is simply too vast, almost twice the combined area of ​​Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei Province, Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province, and Shanghai!
Or the total area of ​​more than fifty capital cities!
If there aren't enough soldiers, it's impossible to conquer all the areas!

Secondly, the Jurchens were never static targets; they would learn, adapt, and even attempt to acquire and imitate flintlock muskets.

Just like when they copied the Ming Dynasty's red-coated cannons.

If nothing unexpected happens, they should already be researching how to replicate flintlock muskets.

But even so, reality is never that easy.

It should be noted that, to date, the total number of troops in the entire Ming Dynasty is at most a little over 500,000, which is still half short of one million!

Moreover, there are logistical issues to resolve, and in the end, the number of people involved in this war will likely exceed three million.

Just thinking about this number sends chills down your spine, as if an insurmountable mountain is blocking your way.

However, there is another way to reduce the number of people and achieve the goal of destroying the country!

That means Bi Maokang's rifle was successfully developed!
It's important to know that although rifles and flintlock guns may look similar on the surface, they are actually products of completely different eras.

Rifles have a longer range, higher accuracy, greater power, and extremely fast reloading, making them far superior to flintlock muskets!
If Bi Maokang had been able to develop the rifle before the court launched its war of annihilation, then according to Zhu Cilang's estimate, the required number of troops could have been reduced by at least two-thirds.

It would take roughly 300,000, or even less than 300,000, to completely destroy the Jurchen state and exterminate its people!
See? This is the benefit of developing technology. It can save manpower as much as possible and make warfare more efficient and faster!
Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang suddenly found it somewhat amusing, and a helpless smile appeared on his lips.

He was still facing the problem of peasant armies, and the tense situation was like an arrow on a bowstring that could be released at any moment. Why did he suddenly think of the Jurchens?
Perhaps it was because I was too nervous that my thoughts were like a wild horse, running rampant and out of control.

Shaking his head helplessly, Zhu Cilang continued:
“You’re right. We can discuss this in more detail after the war is over.”

"By the way, regarding tomorrow's battle, is Zhu's army ready?"

Zhu Cilang's eyes regained their resolve as he turned his attention back to the war at hand.

Upon hearing this, the Tang Emperor's expression immediately turned serious, and he quickly assured him:
"Your Highness, please rest assured! I guarantee with my life that the Zhu family army is fully prepared and every soldier is full of fighting spirit."

"In tomorrow's battle, the Zhu family army will absolutely not disappoint His Highness the Crown Prince!"

At that moment, his voice was strong and clear, as if he were making a solemn pledge to Zhu Cilang.

Zhu Cilang nodded, then looked again at the area where Li Zicheng was in the distance.

His gaze was deep and distant, as if piercing through the layers of night to see the figure of Li Zicheng.

Tomorrow will be the final battle between the Ming Dynasty and Li Zicheng.

This battle will determine the fate of the Ming Dynasty, and the life and death of countless people! (End of Chapter)