I, Emperor Chongzhen, have extended the life of the Ming Dynasty by five hundred years.

Inside the city of Zhen Ding, soldiers in full armor were searching house to house.

The wealthy households in the city were searched again and again; if they obediently handed over their grain, they might be spared.

Some people thought they were clever and hid the grain in a safe place, but they were caught, beaten, and immediately confessed. In the end, they lost both the grain and their lives.

At the camp near the north gate, the grain transport officer pulled a cart full of grain and called for people to move it into the barracks.

The driver also got off to help, and everyone worked together to carry the grain inside. They couldn't wait to open a bag and prepare to start a fire and cook.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the rice bag was opened, a musty smell wafted out.

"This rice is moldy, is it still edible?"

"They even mixed in sand and stones, aren't they afraid of knocking out their teeth!"

"Damn it, what's that black stuff? Rat droppings?"

The soldiers were filled with righteous indignation, which caused a commotion and soon alerted Guo Mang, the commander of the camp.

"Commander Guo, look at this rice! It's all moldy, stale rice, mixed with sand, stones, and rat droppings. Isn't this blatant bullying?"

"Exactly! Why do their main force eat the new rice, while we have to eat this stuff? Liu Fangliang is so biased!"

Guo Mang stepped forward to investigate, his face extremely grim. He immediately ordered, "Where is the grain transport officer?"

"Your subordinate is here!"

The grain transport officer was named Wang Er. He was among the first group of people to join the uprising led by Hong Niangzi. Later, he was injured and unable to go to the front lines, so he stayed behind to be responsible for transporting grain.

Guo Mang put down a handful of rice and asked, "Is this the military rations you brought back? Is this even edible?"

Wang Er looked troubled and said, "I also went to ask for new rice, but they wouldn't give it to me."

"Why shouldn't you give it to me?"

"Ugh!"

Wang Er sighed and said, "They said we are Hong Niangzi's direct followers. Since Hong Niangzi has defected to the Ming Dynasty, we should all be punished along with her. Giving us a bite to eat is already an extraordinary act of mercy."

"Bullshit!"

Enraged, Guo Mang threw the rice away, splattering it all over the ground.

"The lady surrendered to the Ming Dynasty because she was forced to by those two scoundrels, Liu Fangliang and Ma Chongxi! They made us cannon fodder on the city walls and forced us to eat moldy rice mixed with rat droppings. They don't treat our brothers like human beings at all!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd reacted even more vehemently, shouting, "Why should they eat new rice while we eat rat droppings? Let's go find Liu Fangliang and reason with him!"

Wang Er quickly stopped them, saying, "Everyone, calm down. Commander Guo, please calm down too. The situation is dire. All the wealthy families in the city have been arrested, and I heard quite a few people have been killed. Liu Fangliang suffered a defeat and must be furious. Let's not provoke them!"

Guo Mang was unwilling, but he knew that now was not the time, because the other party was not going to reason with him at all.

We're all rebels, or to put it bluntly, traitors. What rules are there to speak of?

Food is scarce in the city right now. If we anger Liu Fangliang, we might not even be able to eat this moldy rice.

"Alright, let's make do for now. The Ming army will be attacking the city soon. Now is not the time to argue. Let's wash the rice and eat our fill first!"

In those days of scarcity, poor families never washed their rice. Because if they washed it, they would lose three ounces of rice per pound – and that was all precious grain!

However, this rice was simply inedible, and even if half a pound of it was washed away, we had no choice but to accept it.

As night fell, smoke finally rose from the barracks. The soldiers ate moldy rice, feeling resentful, but it was better than starving.

After Guo Mang finished eating, he got up and went to inspect the city wall. The Ming army's camp was set up five miles ahead, and the lights of the enemy camp could be seen from the city wall.

"Commander Guo!"

A voice came, and Guo Mang turned around abruptly. The person's attire was not that of an ordinary soldier. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was a driver who had been transporting grain during the day.

The guard stepped forward and asked, "Who are you? Why are you approaching the general?"

The driver said calmly, "Someone asked me to pass on a message to Commander Guo. I'll leave after that."

"Who sent you to deliver a message...?"

"You all go down first!"

Guo Mang suddenly realized something was wrong and stopped the man.

"Commander Guo, this man's movements are suspicious, and I'm worried he might harm you!"

"I recognize him, you can leave now!"

"yes!"

Upon hearing this, the guards on either side stepped aside.

Guo Mang stepped forward, looked him up and down, and said with some surprise, "You are... Xiao Wu from the outpost?"

"Commander Guo has a good eye!"

This man, named Jiang Xiaowu, was a spy from the outpost battalion, specializing in infiltrating enemy territory to gather intelligence.

Guo Mang was a little nervous. He looked around and lowered his voice, asking, "How did you sneak in?"

"That's easy. Liu Fangliang suffered a great defeat today. I followed his men into the city, and no one noticed."

"What...what are you going to do?"

"Commander Guo, are you really going to risk your life for Liu Fangliang?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Mang had already guessed the other party's intentions, and could only say, "Xiao Wu, out of consideration for our comradeship, I won't make things difficult for you. You should leave now!"

Jiang Xiaowu remained calm and continued, "Look at how Liu Fangliang treated General Li Yan and his wife, and then look at how he treats you! The North Gate is the main force of the Ming army. On the day of the decisive battle, you will be cannon fodder! Guarding the most dangerous place, yet eating moldy rice, Commander Guo, do you think it's worth it?"

"Enough, stop talking!"

Guo Mang hurriedly tried to stop him, but Jiang Xiaowu showed no sign of stopping.

"I'll answer for you: It's not worth it! We're all brothers who've fought side by side through thick and thin. We followed Hong Niangzi to kill officials and rebel because we had no other way to survive. What's the difference between Liu Fangliang's actions now and those corrupt officials we killed back then?"

Sweat began to drip from Guo Mang's forehead. He said, "Stop talking. Hong Niangzi has defected to the Ming Dynasty. Now we are enemies, not friends. Out of consideration for our past relationship, I will spare your life. Go!"

Do you still remember Tian Laosan?

Guo Mang paused for a moment, then said, "I seem to remember him. He was from the same hometown as me, but we got separated later. I heard he went to northern Shaanxi with Liu Fangliang. Why did you suddenly bring him up?"

"I saw him."

"What? Where?"

Jiang Xiaowu said, "He's in Baoding, no more than a hundred miles from here."

"He also defected to the Ming Dynasty?"

"No!"

Jiang Xiaowu shook his head and said, "Before we came to Zhengding, Liu Fangliang's army suffered a great defeat, leaving behind tens of thousands of remnants who fled. Emperor Chongzhen personally issued an edict to pardon all the Shun army for their serious crimes of rebellion. Those who were willing to go home were given travel expenses, and those who were unwilling to leave could settle down in Baoding Prefecture, with each person allocated five mu of fertile land and only needing to pay 10% tax. Tian Laosan and many others did not leave, and I personally saw them cultivating the fields."

Guo Mang's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty. After a long pause, he finally said, "Rebellion can be pardoned, and land can be allocated? Have you already defected to the Ming Dynasty and are here to spread rumors?"

Jiang Xiaowu smiled and said, "If you don't believe me, don't you believe Hong Niangzi? She chose to serve the Ming Dynasty because Emperor Chongzhen's decrees were all for the benefit of the people. Look at what Li Zicheng's men are doing! They only know how to fight for power and oppress the people. Even if Li Zicheng conquers the world, won't the Shun Dynasty just be another Ming Dynasty? Commander Guo, you need to think carefully. Is it worth dying for these people?"

Guo Mang's expression grew even more solemn. He had seen everything Liu Fangliang had done.

He betrayed Li Yan, forced Hong Niangzi to leave, and then plundered and killed indiscriminately throughout the city.

Looking again at the Ming army poised to attack from the north of the city, if a battle were to break out, the north gate would be facing the main force of the Ming army, and its chances of survival would be slim.

The brothers held their ground in the most dangerous positions, yet they ate moldy rice mixed with rat droppings, and even with such rice, they had to be subservient to others.

Jiang Xiaowu is right. Liu Fangliang now is no different from the corrupt official who oppressed the people back then!

but……

Guo Mang looked around and said, "Xiao Wu, you know I only have five hundred men. How can I possibly contend with Liu Fangliang?"

Jiang Xiaowu laughed and said, "Commander Guo has five hundred men, but what about Commander Wang and Commander Zhao? When Liu Fangliang took over Zhengding, he only brought two thousand men with him. We have more than thirty thousand men. As long as we work together, what are we afraid of?"

"That being said, Liu Fangliang has replaced the main commanders of each battalion with his confidants. For example, on my side, the higher-ups have even sent a centurion, who is one of Liu Fangliang's men, specifically to supervise us and prevent us from defecting."

"Wasn't it much more difficult to kill officials and rebel back then than it is now? Why weren't you afraid then, but are now hesitant and worried?"

Guo Mang's face slowly darkened, and he seemed to be struggling internally.

Jiang Xiaowu continued, "I'm not the only one entering the city this time. Commander Wang and Commander Zhao have already begun preparations. Commander Guo, please make plans early, lest you be used by others, lose your life in vain, and be scorned by the world."

After hesitating for a long time, Guo Mang finally asked, "What do you need me to do?"

Jiang Xiaowu then said, "The Ming army will launch a general offensive at midnight tonight. I urge Commander Guo to open the city gates to prevent further bloodshed!"