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

Zuo Liangyu originally thought that he could take the heads of Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng tonight and make great contributions, so that he could also become a Duke!
Unexpectedly, Li Dingguo interfered, and he didn't get a single kill!
Li Dingguo is simply his nemesis!

Zuo Liangyu truly regretted sending Li Dingguo to the capital!

However, all that is happening now is absolutely beneficial to the overall situation, because the value gained from persuading the peasant army to surrender is far greater than the value gained from annihilating the peasant army!
Therefore, even if Zuo Liangyu was very unhappy, he could only silently endure it.

At the same time, torches began to appear on the mountain, their lights like stars in the night sky, gradually converging into a winding fire dragon.

These were none other than the surrendered peasant army!

By this time, they were in a terrible state, their clothes were tattered and covered in blood and mud, and their faces were full of exhaustion and caution.

Zuo Liangyu already knew that these peasant soldiers had surrendered, so naturally he would not attack them anymore.

However, seeing Li Dingguo walking ahead, Zuo Liangyu's anger flared up again, and he stared intently at Li Dingguo.

If looks could kill, Zuo Liangyu would have killed Li Dingguo several times over!
Just then, Li Dingguo took the initiative to greet Zuo Liangyu, bowing slightly and smiling faintly.
"General Zuo, thank you for keeping your promise."

Zuo Liangyu snorted coldly upon hearing this, revealing a hint of disdain. The next second, he saw Zhang Xianzhong standing behind Li Dingguo.

At this moment, Zuo Liangyu's murderous intent resurfaced, and his gaze toward Zhang Xianzhong grew increasingly fierce, as if he wanted to devour him alive.

At the same time, Zhang Xianzhong also noticed the look in Zuo Liangyu's eyes. His body trembled involuntarily, and his legs went weak, almost causing him to lose his balance.

After all, he had been reduced to only 3,000 men by Zuo Liangyu before he joined Li Zicheng.

Now that they meet again, they are like enemies meeting again, their eyes blazing with hatred. However, at this moment, Zhang Xianzhong has no hatred for Zuo Liangyu, only a deep-seated fear!
He was really worried that Zuo Liangyu might suddenly lose his temper and stab him!

If that's the case, then I'm doomed!

Thinking of this, Zhang Xianzhong couldn't help but hide behind Li Dingguo again!

Seeing this, Li Dingguo naturally understood what Zhang Xianzhong was afraid of, and then he deliberately raised his voice and said:
"Zhang Xianzhong, rest assured, you surrendered voluntarily. According to His Highness the Crown Prince's military order, those who surrender will not be punished for their past actions. Therefore, no one can harm you right now."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liangyu knew the words were directed at him. He gave a cold laugh, a laugh filled with sarcasm and dissatisfaction, and then fell silent.

Because at that time he really couldn't do anything to Zhang Xianzhong.

But the next second, his gaze was drawn to the corpse being carried by the peasant army!
Because he recognized it as Li Zicheng's corpse at a glance!
There was no way around it; Li Zicheng's head was just too distinctive. It only had one eye, and the other eye was covered by a specially made eye patch, making it look particularly eerie in the torchlight.

At this moment, Zuo Liangyu's body trembled slightly, and his eyes revealed a hint of greed and desire.

He really wanted to rush over and cut off Li Zicheng's head, then present it to Zhu Cilang to claim credit.

But he can't do that!
If he had personally killed Li Zicheng on the battlefield, he could certainly have cut off his head to claim credit.

But now it seems that Li Zicheng most likely committed suicide, so even if his head is cut off, the credit will not be his, and it may even force the remaining two thousand or so peasant soldiers to rebel.

All his previous achievements will be nullified, and he may even be punished!
Thinking of this, Zuo Liangyu couldn't help but shudder.

Zuo Liangyu would never do something so foolish.

Thinking of this, Zuo Liangyu suppressed his impulse and said expressionlessly:
"Let's go, so I'm going to see His Highness the Crown Prince."

After saying this, he turned around, and at the same time, the Ming soldiers behind him quickly made way for him.

Then Zuo Liangyu walked directly in the direction where Zhu Cilang was.

At the same time, Li Dingguo led the peasant army and followed Zuo Liangyu forward.

However, since they were just peasant soldiers who had recently surrendered, in order to prevent any mishaps on their way to see Zhu Cilang, Zuo Liangyu's army quickly surrounded them and then advanced together.

It seems a bit redundant, since Li Zicheng is already dead, and these people probably won't cause any more trouble.

But who can say for sure about these things?

What if some idiot suddenly gets a brain fart and tries to assassinate the king? Wouldn't that be the end of us?
Therefore, it's always best to take precautions against these kinds of things!

On the other side, the Guizhou chieftain's soldiers on the mountaintop were also coming down the mountain one after another.

Because they had just heard the peasant army shouting their surrender, and knew that they had already gone down the mountain.

Since that's the case, there's no point in them staying here.

Faced with their companions who had died on the mountain, they could only sigh helplessly and decide to come back to collect the bodies the next day.

After all, it was so dark that even walking was difficult, so there was really no way to bring their bodies down.

In any case, with Li Zicheng's death, the war finally came to a complete end, and even the air seemed to be filled with a sense of relief.

Just as Zuo Liangyu and Li Dingguo arrived at Zhu Cilang with the corpses of Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng, scouts had already reported this information to Zhu Cilang like arrows released from a bow.

"Your Highness, according to reports from the front, Li Zicheng committed suicide, and the remaining peasant army has surrendered, including Zhang Xianzhong."

Upon hearing this, Li Hu, who was standing next to Zhu Cilang, looked at Zhu Cilang with excitement, because he knew that with the death of Li Zicheng and the surrender of the remaining peasant army, the war that had plagued the Ming Dynasty for decades was finally over!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang sighed slightly, a hint of regret in his eyes.

He had hoped that Li Zicheng would survive, but unexpectedly, he ultimately committed suicide.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. This might be the best way out for Li Zicheng. Given his status, even if he surrendered, he would only face life imprisonment and spend the rest of his life in a dark and hopeless cell.

Since that's the case, it would be more carefree to die here.

A few moments later, the corpses of Zuo Liangyu, Li Dingguo, Zhang Xianzhong, and Li Zicheng were all brought before Zhu Cilang.

The next second, Zuo Liangyu and Li Dingguo were the first to kneel down.

"Your subject, Zuo Liangyu, pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Your subject, Li Dingguo, pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

After the two of them finished their worship, Zhang Xianzhong and his two thousand peasant soldiers also knelt down.

Zhang Xianzhong spoke first:

"Zhang Xianzhong, a criminal, pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince! Long live Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

His voice trembled slightly, tinged with fear and awe.

Seeing this, the peasant soldiers behind him also started shouting:

"Your Highness, this sinful subject pays homage! Long live Your Highness!"

Then everyone lay down on the ground, not daring to lift their heads, their bodies trembling slightly.

Although Zhu Cilang had promised that he would forgive their past transgressions if they surrendered, they were still incredibly nervous when they actually reached this point.

Ultimately, if the other party were to change their mind and insist on killing them at this point, they would have no recourse but to be slaughtered!

Just then, a series of footsteps suddenly came from ahead, and the footsteps stopped in front of Zhang Xianzhong.

Then a voice rang out.

"You are Zhang Xianzhong?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xianzhong, who was kneeling on the ground, raised his head shakily and found that the person in front of him was indeed a boy who looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old.

Although the boy was young, the wisdom and composure in his eyes were not something an ordinary person should have; it seemed to conceal endless depth and strategy.

Swallowing nervously, Zhang Xianzhong quickly replied:

"Your Highness, the criminal is Zhang Xianzhong."

After saying this, Zhang Xianzhong kowtowed heavily again, his forehead hitting the ground with a muffled thud.

Zhu Cilang glanced at Zhang Xianzhong, then at the others, and finally said:
"Arise! And all of you, rise!"

"My previous promise still stands. As long as you surrender, all your past crimes will be forgiven!"

His voice was gentle yet powerful, giving people a sense of inexplicable peace of mind.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xianzhong quickly got up from the ground, and the people behind him also stood up, their faces showing expressions of relief.

Then, Zhu Cilang walked directly toward the direction of Li Zicheng's corpse.

Seeing this, the people around him spontaneously made way for him, and as Zhu Cilang walked forward, his personal guards also spontaneously gathered around him.

They held weapons and scanned their surroundings warily.

Clearly, they were afraid that the peasant army might suddenly attack Zhu Cilang at this time. Regardless of whether this was possible, they had to fulfill their duty to protect Zhu Cilang's safety.

Before long, Zhu Cilang saw Li Zicheng lying on the ground.

Just as described in historical records, Li Zicheng was blind in one eye, leaving him with only one eye. He also looked to be about forty years old, with wrinkles on his face etched with the vicissitudes of time and the cruelty of war.

At first glance, he seems to be just an ordinary farmer!

But this very farmer turned the Ming Dynasty upside down and ultimately succeeded in destroying the entire Ming Dynasty in the original history!
Immediately afterward, seemingly worried that Zhu Cilang wouldn't believe this was Li Zicheng, Zuo Liangyu quickly spoke up:

"Your Highness, I have confirmed that this person is definitely Li Zicheng!"

"I have fought him many times and I would never admit my mistake."

Zuo Liangyu's voice was firm and certain, and his eyes revealed a hint of confidence, because he really didn't say anything!
Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang simply nodded silently without saying a word.

Because Zuo Liangyu completely misunderstood his meaning, he did not suspect that the corpse in front of him was fake!

After all, at a time like this, how could anyone dare to impersonate Li Zicheng with a dead man?
It should be noted that many people in the Ming army knew Li Zicheng, and at the very least, they could easily identify Li Zicheng by capturing any peasant army leader. Therefore, it was absolutely impossible for him to impersonate Li Zicheng.

He simply wanted to meet this man who had turned the Ming Dynasty upside down, and see what kind of person this culprit who had plunged the Ming Dynasty into turmoil was.

After a moment, Zhu Cilang spoke again:

"By my order, no one is to desecrate Li Zicheng's body. His body and Li Guo's body should be properly prepared and buried in a suitable burial site in Hanzhong."

His voice was calm and solemn, as if he were announcing an important decision.

Upon hearing this, Li Hu, who was standing nearby, quickly replied:

"As ordered!"

Upon hearing this, the peasant soldiers were instantly moved, tears welling in their eyes, seemingly surprised that the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty would treat Li Zicheng's corpse so kindly.

After all, in their view, given Li Zicheng's past actions, even whipping his corpse would be too lenient!

But it was this unparalleled tolerance and magnanimity that gave them a glimmer of hope for the future.

Of course, Zhu Cilang wasn't really that magnanimous. He had his own considerations, the main one being to stabilize the emotions of the surrendered peasant army and avoid unnecessary trouble.

After all, there are as many as 90,000 farmers who have surrendered so far, so we must appease them properly!
As for what happens next, Zhu Cilang doesn't need to worry about it anymore.

Zhu Cilang then returned to the makeshift tent he had just set up and quietly awaited further news.

At this moment, his eyes revealed a hint of fatigue, but even more so, excitement and anticipation.

Meanwhile, the troops on the Hanzhong Plain were still busy with their tasks.

There are many things to do, but the most important thing is naturally to treat the wounded.

Outside the tents, the groans of the wounded and the busy work of the military doctors mingled together, creating an extremely noisy scene.

Countless Ming soldiers carried the wounded to the makeshift medical tents, where military doctors raced against time to treat them.

In addition, many Ming troops began to spread out in all directions to search for the scattered peasant soldiers.

Finding these people is also necessary, otherwise they will likely become bandits after escaping into the mountains, causing great trouble for the local people. Therefore, it is necessary to gather them all together as soon as possible.

Time flies, and it was morning in the blink of an eye.

As the sun gradually rises, golden sunlight shines on the earth, bringing warmth and hope to the entire land of Hanzhong.

That night, Zhu Cilang was wide awake and stayed awake until dawn.

There was nothing he could do; he was just too excited to sleep.

Looking at the rising sun in the distance, Zhu Cilang felt exceptionally cheerful.

Because he knew that a new day had finally begun, and the rebirth of the Ming Dynasty had begun! (End of Chapter)