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

Even though Zhu Cilang hadn't considered these things beforehand, Zuo Liangyu believed that they were all part of Zhu Cilang's plan!
Um.
At this moment, Zhu Cilang's power truly relied entirely on Zuo Liangyu's imagination.
Of course, what Zuo Liangyu said at this time was completely true, without the slightest falsehood!
In fact, at the beginning, Zuo Liangyu was indeed very unhappy. It felt like a treasure that he was about to obtain had been suddenly taken away.

After all, Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng were right in front of him. With just a little more effort, he could take their heads and achieve his long-desired title of Duke. How could he let this easy prize slip away?

But just last night, in the middle of the night, he was sitting alone in his tent when he suddenly thought of this matter again. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, and the more frightened he became.

It should be noted that there were only a handful of Dukes in the Ming Dynasty, just over a dozen, and after more than two hundred years of succession, even fewer remained.

Those who became dukes were all people who had made great contributions. Their names shine brightly in the long river of history, and their achievements are still praised today.

Looking back at himself, although he had indeed driven Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng to the brink of defeat and even almost taken their lives.

But then again, is all the credit really his own?

Zuo Liangyu knew perfectly well that without the attrition inflicted by the previous two waves of Ming troops, how could he have defeated the peasant army so easily!
Zuo Liangyu has made contributions, but they are definitely not enough to warrant the title of Duke.

If he were to be granted the title of Duke for this reason, not only would the civil and military officials in the capital target him, but the civil and military officials currently in Hanzhong would likely also impeach him.

Furthermore, anyone who isn't a fool knows one thing: the greatest credit for this war should go to the Crown Prince right now.

Zuo Liangyu knew that it was precisely because Zhu Cilang had planned and commanded the war so effectively that they were able to win so easily.

If Zuo Liangyu were to become a Duke based on this, wouldn't that mean his achievements surpassed those of the Crown Prince?
This is the truly deadly place!

How could someone who only cleaned up the mess possibly have more credit than the Crown Prince who planned and orchestrated everything?

Is this guy out of his mind?
Thinking of this, Zuo Liangyu felt a surge of fear, as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on him, making it hard for him to breathe.

Therefore, Zuo Liangyu did not sleep all night, only managing to doze off for a short while when it was almost dawn.

After waking up, Zuo Liangyu hurriedly got out of bed, quickly washed up, and rushed over to see Zhu Cilang.

He walked hurriedly, with only one thought in his mind:
That is to speak frankly and avoid leaving a bad impression on the Crown Prince.

After all, the crown prince is the future emperor. If he accidentally offends the future emperor, he will be finished!

However, it is clear that Zuo Liangyu was overthinking things, because there were some things that even Zhu Cilang himself had not considered.

Although in the original history, Zuo Liangyu was not a good person. He was selfish and did not hesitate to sacrifice the interests of the people and the court for his own benefit.

But he never surrendered to the Jurchens until the very end, and was considered a subject of the Ming Dynasty until his death.

Therefore, Zhu Cilang was still willing to give him a chance, and it was clear that Zuo Liangyu seized the opportunity.

After offering a few words of comfort to Zuo Liangyu, Zhu Cilang saw him off.

Watching Zuo Liangyu's departing figure, Zhu Cilang was filled with mixed emotions.

He knew that people's hearts were complex in this chaotic world, and that in order to achieve great things, he had to learn how to manage all kinds of talents and make them work for him.

Zuo Liangyu is a perfect example!

For the next period of time, Zhu Cilang did not rush to return to the capital.

Because there are still many things here that he needs to handle.

For example, affairs in Guizhou require a large army to be stationed there to ensure the smooth progress of the plan.

In addition, because Hanzhong is far from the capital, the new tax system previously implemented by the imperial court has not been fully implemented here and in the surrounding provinces.

In many places, officials, for their own selfish interests, paid lip service to tax policies, resulting in a heavy burden on the people, which completely contradicted Zhu Cilang's original intentions.

Zhu Cilang could take this opportunity to implement the court's new tax policy in several surrounding provinces.

With 200,000 troops stationed here, he wanted to see who would dare to outwardly comply but inwardly defy him!

A few more days passed.

The night sky was exceptionally quiet that night, with countless stars twinkling like jewels set in the black canopy, shimmering with a mysterious light.

Zhu Cilang was just about to fall asleep when suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps outside the door.

Immediately afterwards, Ma Bao's voice suddenly rang out.

"Your Highness, an urgent message has arrived from Liaodong!"

An urgent dispatch from Liaodong?
Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang instantly perked up and was no longer sleepy.

After all, Zhu Cilang paid close attention to anything related to Liaodong, especially urgent messages like this one.

I just don't know what happened in Liaodong. Could it be that Huang Taiji died?
The thought flashed through Zhu Cilang's mind, and his heart began to beat faster involuntarily.

Lost in thought, Zhu Cilang spoke up:
"Let the messenger in."

After saying this, he casually put on a long robe and went out.

The guards standing at the door quickly followed, carrying lanterns that flickered faintly in the darkness, adding a touch of warmth to the tense atmosphere.

Before long, Zhu Cilang met the messenger on the way.

The messenger looked travel-worn, his face weary, and his armor covered in dust, clearly indicating he had rushed here.

Upon seeing Zhu Cilang, the messenger hurriedly knelt down and bowed:

"This humble general pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."

His voice was somewhat hoarse, carrying a hint of weariness and reverence.

Zhu Cilang waved his hand, his tone tinged with urgency:
"Get up, where is the memorial?"

Without saying a word, the messenger immediately took out a bundle from his pocket and handed it over.

Li Hu, who was standing nearby, took the package and, after unwrapping the layers of packaging, handed the innermost memorial to Zhu Cilang.

Zhu Cilang immediately opened the memorial, and his heart began to pound wildly at the first glance!

Because he guessed correctly, Huang Taiji really was dead!

After suppressing his inner elation, Zhu Cilang continued reading. When he saw that Fulin had succeeded to the throne after Huang Taiji's death, Zhu Cilang felt somewhat sentimental.

He originally thought that with his time travel, the situation on the Jurchen side might change, but it turned out that he was overthinking it.

The Jurchens' situation unfolded exactly as history had planned; Hauge ultimately failed to inherit the throne, and Fulin succeeded him.

However, this is undoubtedly a good thing for the Ming Dynasty, because a young emperor will inevitably lead to power turmoil within the Jurchen state. At that time, various factions within the Jurchen state will inevitably fight and restrain each other in order to seize power.

On the contrary, if Hauge succeeds to the throne, he will definitely consolidate power and integrate the forces within the Jurchens, making them more united and powerful, which is not a good thing for the Ming Dynasty.

Similarly, Zhu Cilang also deeply agreed with some of Hong Chengchou's views.

It must be said that Hong Chengchou was indeed a talented and strategic person, and his analysis and judgment of the situation were often very accurate.

If Zhu Cilang hadn't met Hong Chengchou before, he would have thought that this guy might also be a time traveler, because Hong Chengchou's guess was almost identical to the situation recorded in the original history!
As for Hong Chengchou's desire to take some action against the Jurchens during this period, Zhu Cilang naturally supported him.

After all, this was a good opportunity to strike at the Jurchens and weaken their strength, and it could not be easily missed.

As he pondered, Zhu Cilang grew increasingly excited and energetic. He then returned to his room and had Ma Bao bring him writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Immediately afterward, he wrote a secret letter to Hong Chengchou.

The letter contained a simple message: instructing Hong Chengchou and Zu Dashou to take advantage of the instability within the Jurchen regime and continue to harass them.

In addition, contact the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) previously stationed in Shenyang and have them sow discord among the Jurchens, ideally turning Dorgon and Hauge into enemies!
After writing the letter, Zhu Cilang immediately ordered it to be sent to Liaodong by express courier.

As for whether Hong Chengchou's memorial would be sent to the capital, and what arrangements would be made there, Zhu Cilang didn't care at all.

Because he knew in his heart that this matter was of great importance, and that the people in the capital must have known about it long ago.

However, he was not worried that Chongzhen would give Hong Chengchou any orders, because according to the previous agreement, Zhu Cilang had the final say on such matters, and Chongzhen should not interfere.

Even if they intervene, with the cabinet involved, there shouldn't be any major problems.

The cabinet ministers are all experienced and shrewd people; they should know how to handle this matter and maintain the stability of the court.

After doing all this, Zhu Cilang was still wide awake.

He stepped out of the tent, and the cool night breeze swept over him, instantly making him more awake.

He looked at the moon hanging high in the sky, and saw that the moon was like a huge silver plate, casting silvery light that illuminated the whole earth.

Hey!
In this situation, Zhu Cilang sighed softly, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

He suddenly remembered something: the news of the great victory in Hanzhong should be arriving in the capital soon.

This victory was of great significance to the Ming Dynasty, no less than the previous Battle of Songjin!
This is because it not only completely eliminated the peasant army's power, but also enhanced the prestige and morale of the imperial court.

However, Zhu Cilang was more concerned about something else: if he remembered correctly, Empress Zhou was due to give birth in the next couple of days.

Although Zhu Cilang already had many younger brothers and sisters, he didn't care about this one.

But don't forget, this child didn't exist in history. It was his time travel that indirectly led to the child's birth.

This made Zhu Cilang somewhat look forward to this unborn younger brother or sister.

However, he was far away in Hanzhong and there was nothing he could do but hope that everything would be alright!

Meanwhile, the scene shifts back to the capital city.

At this moment, the entire Kunning Palace is like a fortress shrouded in tension and anticipation, and everyone is already extremely busy.

Above the majestic Kunning Palace, more than a hundred lanterns hung high, swaying gently in the night breeze, emitting a soft yet bright light that illuminated the entire palace as if it were daytime.

The warm yellow light shone through the carved window frames, illuminating every inch of the palace floor and reflecting the busy and flustered figures of the palace maids and eunuchs.

A large group of palace maids and eunuchs were seen walking back and forth in Kunning Palace with hurried steps and anxious expressions.

Their faces were filled with anxiety and tension. Although they kept working, they were inevitably a little flustered.

Some palace maids carried hot water, walking quickly and carefully, afraid of spilling a single drop.

Some eunuchs carried clean cloths and weaved through the crowd, constantly calling out:

"Give me, let me!"

Outside the Kunning Palace, Chongzhen's usually stern face was filled with anxiety. His eyes were fixed on the gate of the Kunning Palace, and his feet were pacing back and forth unconsciously.

The reason was simple: this was the crucial moment when Empress Zhou was giving birth.

It's strange, but perhaps it really is the wonderful bond between mother and child that's at play.

Just as Zhu Cilang, far away in Hanzhong, was experiencing some indescribable feelings, Empress Zhou in Kunning Palace was preparing to give birth.

Although Empress Zhou had given birth to many children before, she was an experienced person in childbirth.

But for women, childbirth is always like crossing the gates of hell; each time is a life-or-death test that cannot be taken lightly.

The midwives, eunuchs, palace maids, and imperial physicians in the palace were naturally aware of this, so they dared not slack off in the slightest and were all busy to the point of exhaustion.

They only hoped that Empress Zhou could give birth to the child safely. Otherwise, if anything happened to Empress Zhou and the child, even if they were not buried alive with the deceased, they would still be punished.

In severe cases, it can even implicate family members.

At the palace gate, Emperor Chongzhen watched the figures constantly coming and going, his anxiety burning ever brighter like a raging fire.

Although this wasn't his first time becoming a father, he had never been in such a rush as this time.

Hearing the heart-wrenching sounds coming from inside the house, his hands clenched involuntarily, his eyes filled with worry and anticipation.

Suddenly, at that moment, a young eunuch rushed over.

The young eunuch was running so fast that he almost knocked over several palace maids along the way, eliciting a series of low gasps.

After finally reaching Wang Chengen, he first calmed himself down, then whispered a few words in Wang Chengen's ear in a mysterious manner, and took out a memorial from his pocket and carefully handed it to Wang Chengen.

When Wang Chengen received the memorial, his head suddenly felt like it was going to explode.

Because this memorial was sent from Hanzhong!
Without even looking, I knew this must be a military report sent by the Crown Prince.

And if nothing unexpected happens, it should contain news of a great victory for the Ming army.

This was originally a great thing, worthy of national celebration, but at this time, Wang Chengen really dared not show it to Emperor Chongzhen.

He understood Chongzhen's feelings all too well. Chongzhen was preoccupied with Empress Zhou and only hoped that she could give birth smoothly. He probably didn't care about these important military and national affairs at all.

However, things are never certain. After all, the Crown Prince's resounding victory is a matter of great importance to the Ming Dynasty, and if it were to be delayed, I couldn't bear the consequences. (End of Chapter)