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

The others present were not fools either; they had actually guessed the whole story as soon as they saw Li Dingguo.

He was simply captured, surrendered to the imperial court, and was then given a high-ranking official position!

This wouldn't have been a big deal in itself. After all, they had been defeated and captured. They couldn't just give up high-ranking positions and generous salaries to go and seek death, could they?
If it were them, they would most likely choose to surrender as well!

But then again, you can't just come here and hang around in front of us after doing this, can you?

Isn't this just asking for death?
In an instant, the way everyone looked at Li Dingguo became extremely complicated.

In those eyes, there was envy, jealousy, and hatred.

This complex emotion spread through the crowd like a flood bursting its banks.

The next second, a hot-tempered peasant army leader in the crowd could no longer contain his anger and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Li Dingguo, you treacherous dog! You were clearly also from a peasant army background, just like us, a poor and miserable commoner. Why did you betray us and surrender to the imperial court?"

"You are utterly shameless, a complete spineless coward!"

As soon as this person finished speaking, another person, like a drumbeat in accompaniment, immediately shouted:

"That's right! After your defeat, you should have died like a man, upholding your loyalty and righteousness. Why did you choose to live a cowardly life?"

"A person like you shouldn't be living in this world!"

"Kill him! Kill him!"

His voice was impassioned and furious, as if he were about to unleash all the anger in his heart.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the entire venue became like a powder keg that had been ignited, reaching a fever pitch of anger.

It's unclear whether these people were jealous of Li Dingguo's current status or extremely angry about the betrayal, but they all turned red in the face and shouted that they wanted to kill Li Dingguo.

Upon seeing this scene, Zhang Xianzhong was the first to react from the chaos.

He knew that if he let these people continue to cause trouble, things could get out of control.

Moreover, Li Dingguo was his adopted son, and Zhang Xianzhong had no intention of letting him die!

Immediately afterwards, Zhang Xianzhong hurriedly shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Brothers, don't be angry! He was forced to surrender to the court. After all, when you're under someone's roof, you have no choice but to bow your head."

"Brothers, how about you do me a favor?"

Hearing this, everyone felt even angrier.

After all, Zhang Xianzhong of today is no longer the mighty King of the Great Western Kingdom he once was. He is now practically a commander without any real power, so how dare he still care about saving face?
Immediately, a burly man with a fierce face couldn't help but rebuke:

"Zhang Xianzhong, do you still think you're the Great Western King of the past? You're nothing but a piece of trash now! If it weren't for the King of Chuang taking a liking to you and letting you stay out of consideration for our past relationship, do you think you'd still be alive? You would have been hacked to death by us long ago!"

Although what he said was true, and many people present actually thought so too, no one had ever dared to say it so directly.

Therefore, the atmosphere changed immediately after those words were spoken.

The already indignant crowd became even more agitated, their eyes filled with disdain for Zhang Xianzhong, while some turned their angry gazes toward Li Dingguo once again.

At the same time, Zhang Xianzhong was furious when he heard this. His face turned red, veins bulged on his forehead, and his hands clenched into fists. He wished he could kill the people in front of him.

But he knew this wasn't the time to make a scene, so he could only look to Li Zi for help.

Given the current situation, only Li Zicheng has enough prestige to stop them from acting recklessly.

"King Li Zicheng, kill him! Kill him!"

Just then, the crowd began to shout again, their faces filled with determination, as if only by killing Li Dingguo could they quell the anger in their hearts.

At the same time, Li Zicheng was also sizing up Li Dingguo in front of him.

Of course, Li Zicheng would not kill Li Dingguo directly, after all, he was not an idiot!
It should be noted that Li Dingguo was an envoy sent by the Ming army. Even if we really wanted to kill him, we should at least wait until he finished speaking and understand the other party's intentions and trump cards before killing him.

He also wanted to get some information from Li Dingguo about the Ming army, such as their troop deployment and battle plans, which would be crucial for the upcoming battles.

Thinking of this, Li Zicheng slowly stretched out his hand and waved it gently in the air, signaling everyone to quiet down.

Upon hearing Li Zicheng speak, the crowd gradually quieted down.

Then Li Zicheng looked at Li Dingguo, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny, and said:

"Li Dingguo, you've seen it all. Now everyone is demanding your execution. What do you think?"

Li Dingguo did not panic at all upon hearing this.

He tilted his head back slightly, a carefree smile appearing on his face, a smile that carried a heroic spirit of facing death without fear.

The next second, he said loudly:
"King Chuang, since I dared to come to see you, I have naturally already disregarded life and death. You can kill me whenever you want, but before you kill me, at least let me finish what I have to say, right?"

"After I have said what I need to say, I will leave myself to the King of Chuang's disposal without complaint."

Upon hearing this, a glint of appreciation flashed in Li Zicheng's eyes. He nodded slightly and then said:
"Come with me."

Immediately afterwards, Li Zicheng looked at several trusted generals and Zhang Xianzhong beside him, his eyes conveying a clear signal.

The others immediately understood and followed.

A moment later, the group arrived at a deserted place.

After stopping, Li Zicheng asked directly:

"What message does the Ming emperor want you to convey to me? Now you can speak."

Li Dingguo was slightly taken aback when he heard this, but then he realized that Zhang Xianzhong had misunderstood. He seemed to think that it was Emperor Chongzhen who was leading the expedition in person.
However, it seems that Li Zicheng cannot be blamed for this, since throughout history, it has mostly been emperors, not crown princes, who personally led military campaigns!

Thinking of this, Li Dingguo slowly said:
"Chuang Wang, gentlemen, you have all misunderstood. This time, it is not the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty who has come."

what?
Upon hearing this, Li Zicheng was momentarily stunned, his face filled with surprise, as were the other generals.

They had all prepared to face Chongzhen, but they never expected that the person they were facing would not be Chongzhen!

That being said, if it wasn't Emperor Chongzhen, then who would it be?
Immediately afterwards, Li Zicheng eagerly pressed on with the question:

"If it's not Emperor Chongzhen, then why is there a dragon banner? Who is it that's here?" In Li Zicheng's view, the dragon banner was a symbol of the emperor, so when it appeared here, they naturally assumed that the Ming emperor was personally leading an expedition.

But things didn't turn out that way.

When pressed by Li Zicheng's men, Li Dingguo did not hide anything but answered truthfully:

"It is the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty."

Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty?

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Their faces were filled with doubt and confusion, because they had no impression of this Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, let alone seen him or even heard of him.

I don't know how old he is or what kind of person he is.

Zhang Xianzhong couldn't help but ask first:
"As far as I know, Emperor Chongzhen is only in his thirties this year. His crown prince is probably still a minor. How can he lead an army into battle?"

"Is the imperial court so incompetent that they sent a child?"

Li Dingguo didn't care that Zhang Xianzhong called Zhu Cilang a child, and continued:
“My godfather is right. This Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty is only fourteen years old this year and is not yet an adult.”

After a pause, he continued:

"However, do not underestimate this Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty. He is far more intelligent than anyone else, and his wisdom and strategy are far beyond those of an ordinary young man."

But clearly, this statement went unnoticed by others.

When Li Zicheng heard that the person coming from the other side was not Emperor Chongzhen, but an underage child, his expression immediately relaxed. His tense nerves loosened up considerably, and he even showed a hint of disdain.

He slightly raised his chin, a contemptuous smile playing on his lips, thinking:
What skills could a little kid possibly have?
To be honest, if it were Emperor Chongzhen coming from the other side, Li Zicheng would be somewhat afraid. After all, Chongzhen was a legitimate emperor who had reigned for many years and had some prestige and methods.

But if it's just a little kid, then they have nothing to be afraid of.

In their view, a little kid wouldn't know anything about fighting and is not worth fearing at all.

However, Li Zicheng then became somewhat disappointed.

Because he originally thought he could defeat Chongzhen and then take his place, but now it seems that this is no longer feasible.

Just then, Liu Zongming couldn't help but laugh:
"We thought it was Emperor Chongzhen who came, but it turns out to be just a little kid. It seems we've got this battle in the bag!"

Immediately afterward, someone nearby chimed in:
"That's right! What does a little kid know about war? He's probably still breastfeeding!"

"It's a pity it wasn't Emperor Chongzhen who came. After all, killing the emperor is much more exciting than killing the crown prince!"

Amidst the laughter and chatter of the crowd, Li Zicheng's previously tense mood completely relaxed, and he then said with a smile:

"I never expected this! I thought that after all that had happened, the court would take us seriously, but I never expected them to look down on us so much and send a child to fight us."

"It seems the imperial court really doesn't take us seriously!"

At this point, Li Zicheng suddenly seemed to remember something, and then looked at Li Dingguo and asked:
"Who is the commander-in-chief of the Ming army this time? Did Sun Chuanting come with them?"

It has to be said that Li Zicheng was somewhat afraid of Sun Chuanting. If Sun Chuanting were also among them and became the commander-in-chief, then he would have to treat him with great care!

But the next second he breathed a sigh of relief, because Li Dingguo replied truthfully:
"The commander-in-chief of the Ming army this time is none other than the Crown Prince of Ming. As for Sun Chuanting, he did not accompany the army this time!"

good good!
Li Zicheng silently exclaimed "Good!" three times in his heart! He felt as if even the heavens were on his side!
With the person he fears most absent and the commander-in-chief a mere fourteen-year-old kid, he is bound to win this battle!

Compared to the excitement of the others, Zhang Xianzhong remained silent at this moment.

His brows were furrowed, and a hint of worry was in his eyes.

Because he knew things weren't that simple at all. After all, the Ming Dynasty wasn't stupid; why would they send a child to be the commander-in-chief and fight against them?

But that's exactly what happened, which can only mean one thing: this Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty is no ordinary person!
At the same time, seeing the dismissive attitude of the crowd, Li Dingguo was speechless for a moment. He shook his head helplessly and continued:

"Gentlemen, please forgive my bluntness, but do not underestimate this Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty. Luo Rucai once told me personally that even he felt inferior to this Crown Prince."

"Although the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty is young, he is by no means an ordinary child. Moreover, he had previously accompanied the Emperor on a personal expedition to defeat the Jurchens. Can an ordinary child do such a thing?"

The moment these words were spoken, the laughter of the crowd abruptly ceased.

Anger was evident on almost everyone's face, burning like a raging fire in their eyes.

Of course, this was not because Li Dingguo kept praising Zhu Cilang, but simply because Li Dingguo mentioned Luo Rucai!
It should be understood that it was because of Luo Rucai's previous actions that they were forced to travel over mountains and valleys to reach Hanzhong, and all the hardships they suffered and the deaths of all their companions along the way should be attributed to Luo Rucai!

If we add the peasant soldiers who died outside Tongguan, the number of peasant soldiers who died because of Luo Rucai is at least over 100,000!

Luo Rucai is absolutely the biggest traitor in the peasant army!

Of course, Li Dingguo in front of us is one of them!
Moreover, judging from what he just said, it's not hard to tell that they had met before, and Luo Rucai has most likely already become an official!

Upon realizing this, everyone's anger level instantly soared!
Even Li Zicheng was seething with hatred at this moment. If Luo Rucai were here now, Li Zicheng would definitely tear him apart with his own hands!

At the same time, Li Dingguo realized that he had said the wrong thing, but once the words were out, he couldn't take them back, so he could only leave it to fate.

Just then, Li Zicheng spoke up and asked:
"It seems you've met Luo Rucai. I wonder what position the court gave him after he surrendered?"

Li Dingguo stated truthfully:
"A third-rank military officer, barring any unforeseen circumstances, should be serving in Liaodong now."

Upon hearing this, a fierce glint flashed in Li Zicheng's eyes, followed by a sinister grin as he said:

"That bastard betrayed us for the sake of a third-rank military officer position, causing us to lose over a hundred thousand men!"

"But he can't escape. I will definitely catch him and then personally chop him into mincemeat to comfort my dead brothers!"

Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo remained silent, knowing that Li Zicheng had no chance.

Hey!
Seeing that the people in front of him were still unaware of how serious the current situation was, Li Dingguo couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

This group seems truly beyond saving! (End of Chapter)