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

"Useless trash, good-for-nothing, utterly useless!"

When news of the Southern Route Army's crushing defeat reached Juyong Pass, Li Zicheng flew into a rage.

Li Yan and his wife ultimately rebelled. Liu Fangliang, that good-for-nothing, would have been better off dying at Juyong Pass!

The role of the Southern Route Army was not only to tie down the main force of the Ming army, but more importantly, with such an army blocking the Central Plains, Chongzhen could not move south and could only stay in Beijing to wait for death.

Now things are much better. The Central Plains are open to all, and Chongzhen can go to Nanjing or stay in Beijing as he pleases. The initiative has been returned to their hands.

Now, Juyong Pass has been under siege for a long time without success, and their food supplies are almost exhausted.

If Chongzhen were to send troops from Tongguan or Zijingguan, he could launch a pincer attack, or even directly attack Xijing!

If we can't take Beijing, we'll lose Xijing too!

"Second Uncle..."

Li Guo burst in, only to inexplicably sense a murderous aura.

"No, um... Your Majesty!"

Li Zicheng glared angrily: "What is it?"

"There's someone named Liu Liangchen who says he has something important to discuss with you."

"Liu Liangchen? Who is that?"

"This man claimed to be Liu Liangzuo's younger brother."

Snapped!

The teacup in Li Zicheng's hand fell to the ground and shattered instantly.

Liu Liangzuo was originally an official of the Ming Dynasty, but later he joined Gao Yingxiang, the rebel leader. After Gao Yingxiang was defeated and killed, Li Zicheng led his remaining troops into the deep mountains of Shangluo. Liu Liangzuo rebelled again and surrendered to the Ming Dynasty.

Li Zicheng naturally despised this two-faced behavior.

What is this traitor sending his own brother to do? Is he here to persuade him to surrender?

"Bring him up; I want to see what his purpose is!"

Li Guo turned and left, and soon after, he led Liu Liangchen back to the main tent.

"Your humble servant Liu Liangchen greets His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Shun Dynasty!"

Li Zicheng sized up the other man and found that he did indeed bear some resemblance to Liu Liangzuo.

Suppressing his anger, he asked, "Did your traitorous brother send you?"

Liu Liangchen paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Your Majesty misunderstands. My brother and I have not met for many years. He is in Shaanxi, and I am in Liaodong. We only exchange letters occasionally."

Li Zicheng was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Didn't Liu Liangzuo send you?"

"This foreign official is a subordinate of Zu Dashou!"

"Zu Dashou? Didn't he surrender to the Jurchens?"

"It's the Qing Dynasty!"

Liu Liangchen corrected him, saying, "Since the reign of Emperor Tiancong, our Great Qing has won over many ambitious individuals; this is the will of Heaven!"

Li Zicheng looked on with disdain. Zu Dashou first surrendered to the Qing, then rebelled and returned to the Ming Dynasty, and then surrendered to the Qing again.

If Liu Liangchen follows Zu Dashou, wouldn't he be just like Liu Liangzuo, a two-faced villain?

"I don't care if you're the Jurchens or the Qing Dynasty, you're both barbarians from beyond the Great Wall. You're Han Chinese, so being a dog for the Jurchens must be unpleasant, right?"

"Your Majesty is joking. The Ming Dynasty is already at its last gasp, and the Qing Dynasty will take its place sooner or later. On the other hand, neither the Qing nor the Ming Dynasty can tolerate Your Majesty. It is Your Majesty who should be suffering now."

"presumptuous!"

Li Guo roared, "You traitor who betrays his own people, you recognize a thief as your father, and you have no shame! If that tyrant Chongzhen doesn't kill you, I'll help him!"

The peasant army's generals hated traitors the most, and Li Guo, with his fiery temper, was about to draw his sword.

"stop!"

Li Zicheng stopped him and said, "In times of war, envoys are not to be killed. If I kill you now, people will look down on me. Go away, I don't talk to traitors!"

Liu Liangchen said, "Your Majesty has been blocked at Juyong Pass for a month. Now that the southern army has lost its hold, Chongzhen will definitely have to combine forces. Your Majesty's time is running out!"

"This battle is a feud between me and the Ming court; it has nothing to do with the Jurchens!"

"Does Your Majesty know that my elder brother has already led his troops out, heading straight for Tongguan? I don't need to say more about what will happen next, do I?"

Li Zicheng's face grew even more grim. The main force of the Shun Dynasty was at Juyong Pass, leaving the rear vulnerable. If Liu Liangzuo were to advance unimpeded, the consequences would be unimaginable.

If we retreat to defend now, all our efforts will be in vain.

Emperor Chongzhen could not allow the Shun dynasty to occupy half of the country, and he would then mobilize the entire nation to conquer it.

"Where did you get this information?"

"Your Majesty, why ask such a question? It's not difficult for our Great Qing to plant a few spies in the Central Plains."

Liu Liangchen smiled and continued, "Emperor Chongzhen bestowed the title of Marquis of Pingxi upon Hongniangzi. The meaning of 'Pingxi' is self-evident, isn't it?"

"Your Majesty's trusted confidant, Li Yan, is now the Prefect of Zhen Ding in the Ming Dynasty. Oh, and Gao Jie is also preparing to lead troops out of Zijing Pass to cooperate with the Juyong Pass garrison in a pincer attack. Your Majesty, you really need to seriously consider the issue of cooperation."

Li Zicheng's expression was uncertain, and after a long while, he finally asked, "What is your current position?"

"I, Liu, am unworthy, but I hold the rank of Third-Class Captain and belong to the Bordered Yellow Banner of the Han Army."

The position of Canling was a military officer position in the Qing Dynasty. The Manchu, Mongol, and Han Eight Banners, as well as the Guard Battalion and the Vanguard Battalion, all had Canlings. In Manchu, it was called Jiala Zhangjing. The position was below the Dutong and above the Zuoling, equivalent to the Canjiang in the Ming Dynasty.

Li Zicheng looked disdainful and said, "Your position is too low; you can't make the decision. Let someone else talk!"

Liu Liangchen said, "Your Majesty, would you like to hear the conditions offered by our Great Qing?"

Li Zicheng thought for a moment, then said, "Tell me!"

"To be honest, Your Majesty, our Great Qing has already amassed 500,000 troops, who will soon march south from Gubeikou and reach Beijing! Emperor Chongzhen has dispatched the main force of the capital to Juyongguan and Zhengding Prefecture, leaving Beijing's defenses weak. By the time he returns... no, he may not be able to return!"

Li Zicheng suddenly realized that the general guarding Gubeikou was Tang Tong, who was currently at Juyongguan!

The Ming Dynasty thought that Wu Sangui could rest easy as long as he guarded Shanhaiguan. Little did they know that the Manchu Jurchens had already gathered an army of 500,000 and were seizing this opportunity to march south, intending to reap the benefits of the situation!

I've worked so hard for so long, and I was only one step away from the capital. But in the end, I was just doing all the work for someone else!

However, he still had doubts, so he asked, "After Huang Taiji died, how could a mere youth like him have such great courage and determination to rule?"

"The Shunzhi Emperor was young, therefore, all matters of state and military affairs were decided by the regent Dorgon."

"Dorgon... he wouldn't be thinking of seizing the throne himself, would he?"

"The struggle for power between uncles and nephews was a tradition in the Ming Dynasty, but it is different in our Qing Dynasty. His Highness the Regent wholeheartedly assists the Shunzhi Emperor and is the Duke of Zhou of our time."

Li Zicheng sneered, "Since Dorgon has already decided to send troops, why is he still coming to me?"

"Regardless of whether His Majesty is willing to cooperate, our Great Qing is determined to succeed!"

Looking at the expression on Li Zicheng's face, Liu Liangchen knew that he had achieved his goal, so he continued, "From now on, His Majesty will launch a more intense offensive. Chongzhen will definitely not return to the capital, but will send all his troops to Juyong Pass, and will most likely personally take command."

"Once Beijing falls, our Great Qing can join forces with the Great Shun to attack from both sides, leaving Chongzhen with only one path: death!"

"If Chongzhen retreats to defend Beijing, Juyong Pass will inevitably be undefended. Your Majesty can seize the opportunity to capture Juyong Pass, and Chongzhen will still face a pincer attack from both sides, leading to his certain death!"

After listening, Li Zicheng said, "What if I don't cooperate?"

Liu Liangchen said, "It doesn't matter if Your Majesty doesn't cooperate. Our Great Qing is determined to win this battle. However, once our Great Qing takes control of the Central Plains, there will be no place for Your Majesty to hide in this world!"

Li Zicheng frowned deeply: "Are you threatening me?"

Liu Liangchen quickly smiled and said, "It's not a threat, it's cooperation. It all depends on whether Your Majesty is willing."

"Since it's a collaboration, what will I get in return?"

"Your Majesty, remove the title of Emperor and become the Northwest King of my Great Qing. Everything west of the line from Juyong Pass and Zijing Pass to Tong Pass is your territory."

Hearing this, Li Guo became even more enraged, pointing at Liu Liangchen and cursing, "You Jurchen dog, how dare you defy your superiors! You're courting death!"

As he spoke, he raised his knife and began to slash.

Unexpectedly, Liu Liangchen neither dodged nor avoided, but simply watched Li Zicheng quietly.

"stop!"

Li Zicheng once again spoke up to stop Li Guo.

Li Guo said angrily, "Second Uncle, the Jurchens have gone too far! We cannot let them get away with this!"

"He's just a messenger, what's the point of killing him?"

"But... are we just going to let him humiliate us like this?"

Li Zicheng said calmly, "Since it's a cooperation, of course we need to talk. Are you going to just give them whatever they want?"

Li Guo was somewhat bewildered and asked, "Second Uncle, are you really planning to cooperate with the Jurchens?"