Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 177 Li Zicheng, the Rebel King (Bonus Chapter by Silver Alliance Leader Nuanyang1314)

The Chongzhen era, the Zhou family mansion in the capital.

The original owner, Zhou Guozhang, had already been sent to accompany his son-in-law after being tortured for three days and three nights.

The new master, Commander Lin, was having dinner at that moment.

"I've heard you're a skilled dancer?"

Lin Dao, who was picking at his bowl and chopsticks, casually asked, "Can you do the squat dance?"

Gu Hengbo, who was serving the meal, shook his head and replied, "I have never heard of it."

After putting down his chopsticks, Lin Dao took out his phone and showed her a video.

Looking at the slender figure on the screen, half-squatting in front of the table, swaying back and forth, Gu Hengbo's pretty face flushed slightly.

She came from a family of skilled performers, but skilled performers are particular about music, chess, calligraphy, painting, singing, and playing instruments.

I would never do something like this, using my looks to amuse myself.

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With a slight sigh, Gu Hengbo spoke softly, "This dance is not difficult, but I need time to make the dance costume."

Lin Dao, who picked up his bowl and chopsticks again, asked with slight surprise, "You can make clothes?"

"I am a woman, so I naturally know needlework."

"Nü ye" refers to female workers, including needlework, weaving, embroidery, and sewing.

There were no ready-made clothing stores in ancient times, unless you went to a pawnshop to retrieve clothes that had been pawned.

Everyday clothing was sewn by women stitch by stitch.

"Row."

Lin Dao shoveled rice into his mouth, his words muffled, "As soon as possible, I'm going to send troops out in a few days."

The Guan Ning Army has set off, recovering lost territory along the Liaoxi Corridor and heading straight for Shenyang.

Liu Sandao's side has already pacified Xuanda and Shanxi, and now only the bandits in Shaanxi remain.

Two days later, Lin Dao, who was to set out with his troops the next day, finally got to see the Ming Dynasty version of the squatting dance.

With her dance background, Gu Hengbo performed effortlessly.

Specially designed dance costumes, captivating dance moves, and charming smiles.

Without a doubt, Lin Dao had a wonderful night.

"I have already made arrangements."

The next morning, as Lin Dao dressed with Gu Hengbo's help, he instructed, "I'll take you to Jinling City."

"Li Xiangjun and Dong Xiaowan are both acquaintances of yours, so there's no need to worry."

"Yes." Gu Hengbo lowered her head and straightened Lin Dao's clothes.

Reaching out, he pinched her chin and lifted her pretty face, asking, "Why are you always so gloomy?"

"I have none."

"to be frank!"

"I have only a tragic fate, and I thought I had found my home."

"Unexpectedly, it ended up being given away as a gift."

Lin Dao laughed and said, "That's because you've met the wrong person."

"Gong Dingzi and the others are going to the execution ground in the next two days. Do you want to go see them off?"

Gu Hengbo's beautiful eyes flashed with hatred. "I offered my heart to the bright moon, but I never expected to encounter such a scoundrel!"

"See him off? He doesn't deserve to!"

As expected of Gu Hengbo, who possesses a chivalrous spirit, she is quick to repay kindness and vengeance without any affectation.

"it is good."

Lin Dao laughed and said, "Even if we don't see him off, we can find a restaurant and watch him set off to vent our pent-up anger."

Two days later, Gu Hengbo, dressed in a scholar's robe, arrived at the second floor of a restaurant near Caishikou.

Sitting by the window, holding a wine glass.

One after another, former nobles and civil and military officials, dressed in prison garb, were dragged to the execution platform for punishment.

The surrounding Beijing residents, who were watching the spectacle, frequently erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

When she saw Gong Dingzi, who was being dragged onto the execution platform in a panic, she clenched her wine glass tightly, her beautiful eyes filled with hatred.

This man failed her expectations.

They gave her away like merchandise in an attempt to save their own lives.

Seeing this despicable woman reduced to this state, Gu Hengbo felt nothing but boundless joy.

"Deserve it!"

The large official ship sailed south to Nanjing on the Grand Canal.

Gu Hengbo, who was looking forward to reuniting with Li Xiangjun, Dong Xiaowan and others, came to the deck to play the zither in a great mood.

When the music ended, cheers erupted from behind.

Turning around, she saw a girl in public uniform smiling and nodding at her.

Gu Hengbo assumed that this was a beauty that Lin Dao had acquired in the capital, and thought that they would be living under the same roof in the future, so she took the initiative to get up and go forward to greet her.

"May I ask who you are, sister?"

The girl's bright eyes flickered slightly, and she curtsied in return.

“Zhu Meichu”.

The family members left behind by Emperor Chongzhen could not possibly remain in the capital.

These individuals all carry strong symbolic meanings, and if exploited by those with ulterior motives, they could cause unnecessary trouble.

Of course, Emperor Chongzhen's sons are not included in this list.

Xi'an, Shaanxi Province.

"King Chuang." The towering Liu Zongmin entered the room. "The rebel army has been wiped out."

"I didn't want this either." Li Zicheng closed his eyes and shook his head. "We were all brothers who ate meat and drank wine together. I never imagined we'd turn against each other like this. Sigh..."

“There’s no need for the rebel king to do this,” Niu Jinxing reassured him. “It’s Cao Cao, those idiots don’t know what’s good for them.”

"The world is about to be settled, yet they are still thinking about setting up their own independent entities, going against the tide."

"The King of Chuang dealt with them in accordance with the will of the people."

Song Xianze and others offered words of comfort, saying that Chuang Wang was right.

Those who disobey orders should be severely punished.

"Oh~~~"

Li Zicheng opened his eyes and said, "After all, we were brothers, so give him a proper burial."

"I obey your orders~~~"

After capturing Kaifeng, Li Zicheng marched south to Xiangyang and proclaimed himself the New Shun King.

Upon learning that the Eighth King had been killed by Lin Dao, he dared not go south but instead went north to fight a bloody battle with Sun Chuanting, who had come out of Tongguan.

After a resounding victory in the field battle, he captured Tongguan, killed Sun Chuanting, and seized control of the entire Shaanxi province. He intended to establish a genuine regime and wanted to incorporate Luo Rucai and the five battalions of the Left Army who had joined forces in the battle.

Having been bandits for many years and accustomed to their wild ways, Luo Rucai and his men were unwilling to be annexed.

Luo Rucai and his men attempted to split their forces, each wanting to take their own troops with them.

But for Li Zicheng, these veterans were already considered his for the taking, so how could he possibly agree?

As a result, Li Zicheng launched an attack, killed Luo Rucai, nicknamed Cao Cao, and others, and seized their troops.

From this point on, Li Zicheng's regime had reached its peak.

"The Rebel King".

Niu Jinxing then declared, "Now that the time, place, and people are all in our favor, we request that you establish your capital and declare yourselves kings!"

Liu Zongmin and others all offered their opinions in agreement.

Only Song Xianze expressed his doubts: "King Chuang, Lin Dao has already led a large army to attack and is about to establish his capital and declare himself king. Should we wait a little longer?"

"How absurd this statement is!"

Niu Jinxing immediately rebuked, "Precisely because the bandit Lin has attacked, King Chuang should establish his capital and declare himself king to boost the morale of the army and the people, so that we can unite as one and defeat the bandit Lin!"

To put it bluntly, even those in positions of power are sometimes forced to act by circumstances.

At this moment, almost everyone suggested establishing a capital city and declaring themselves kings.

The root cause lies in their excessive desire for progress.

After all, only when the rebel leader Li Zicheng declared himself king and established a regime could they achieve success and rise to power.

It concerns everyone's well-being, and no one can stop it.

"That's it."

Li Zicheng stood up and said, "Then we will do as the Prime Minister wishes."

When Lin Dao's army entered the Central Plains, Li Zicheng officially proclaimed himself king in Xi'an and established his regime there.

From then on, they transformed from bandits into a formal state.

All the civil and military officials under his command were rewarded.

Afterwards, they assembled a large army at Tongguan, awaiting the decisive battle with Lin Dao.

"Defend Tongguan?"

Inside the military camp outside Luoyang, Lin Dao learned that Li Zicheng had not come out of the pass to meet the enemy, and he chuckled, "Can you hold out?"

Tongguan was indeed a natural fortress in ancient times.

But things are different now.

This era had firearms and cannons.

Even the strongest city walls cannot withstand the fierce bombardment of firearms.

"Since you want to fight a decisive battle at Tongguan, then let's fight."

Several days later, the vanguard of the rebel army arrived at Tongguan Pass.

The news that came back was that the Shun army had set up a defensive line on the mountain in front of the pass and built a fortified camp to garrison it.

As the various units of the rebel army arrived one after another, a standoff ensued between the two sides.

"The Rebel King".

Inside Tongguan Pass, Liu Fangliang, who had been granted the title of Marquis of Ci, volunteered to "lead the brothers on a night raid."

Li Zicheng looked at Song Xianze.

Compared to Niu Jinxing, who focused on political affairs, Song Xianze, who was more proficient in military affairs, was Li Zicheng's strategist. "It's worth a try."

That night, Liu Fangliang led more than a thousand veterans out of the camp in the dark, heading towards the rebel camp seven or eight miles away.

"These southern barbarians are truly useless."

Liu Fangliang, who had a smooth journey, scoffed inwardly, "There isn't even a hidden sentry or a prone sentry."

"How did the Eighth Prince lose to these southern barbarians?"

He had been raiding at night, but had not seen any guerrillas among the rebels, which made him feel contemptuous.

Unbeknownst to Liu Fangliang, a sentry observing from a patch of grass just a short distance away had already reported their movements back to camp via walkie-talkie.

"Dangdang~~~"

Shunjun, attempting to climb over the barbed wire fence, accidentally triggered it.

As it was shaken, the various canned food boxes hanging on the wire mesh made a crisp sound.

The next moment, many torches lit up in the rebel camp not far away.

Before Liu Fangliang could give the order to retreat, several searchlights were lit up in the rebel camp.

The bright white light swept over, making it difficult for the veteran soldiers of the Shun army to open their eyes.

The roar of muskets rang out, and rows of Shun soldiers who had come for a night raid were shot down.

"Get down! Everyone get down!"

Liu Fangliang, with his eyes closed, fell to the ground and shouted, "Run back!"

The gates of the rebel camp were opened, and a large number of rebel cavalry rushed out, flashlights in hand.

They used specially left passages to cross barbed wire and trenches, charging into the Shun army that came for a night raid and indiscriminately hacking and killing.

Liu Fangliang stomped his feet angrily, but there was nothing he could do.

The night raid was discovered, and they were pursued by cavalry; there was no way they could escape.

Fortunately, he had been a bandit for many years and had not been wiped out by the government army, so he had his own way of surviving.

Without hesitation, he found a hole and jumped in, covering himself with grass, dead branches, and soil.

Once the surrounding rebel forces have dispersed somewhat, he can quietly escape.

He had used this tactic many times before.

But this time is different.

When the auxiliary soldiers came to clean up the battlefield, the rebel soldiers who followed them were carrying thermal imaging cameras.

Those Shun soldiers who had been feigning death were found one by one.

Liu Fangliang, hiding in the pit, heard the dense footsteps all around him, but he dared not move and could only continue to play dead.

Then~~~
The beam of the flashlight suddenly fell on him.

More than a dozen spears thrust down in succession!

Liu Fangliang never understood how he was discovered until his death.

They didn't even bother to search; they just came at you and stabbed you to death with a flurry of bullets.

He naturally wouldn't understand what technology is.

The more than 1,000 veteran soldiers of the Shun army who came to launch a surprise attack were almost completely wiped out.

This news dealt a severe blow to the morale of the Shun army.

The other side seems to be terrifyingly powerful.

(End of this chapter)