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

"This humble general, Liu Liangzuo, greets Your Highness, the Prince of Tang!"

Liu Liangzuo led his men to greet them and saw a middle-aged man wearing a python robe. He quickly bowed and paid his respects.

This man bears a striking resemblance to Emperor Chongzhen in his features, though he is older and has more wrinkles and signs of age on his face.

Zhu Yujian said calmly, "General Liu, you may dispense with the formalities. I have come here on His Majesty's orders to discuss important matters with you."

Liu Liangzuo quickly stepped aside and said, "Your Highness is too kind. Please come into the tent for a chat!"

Zhu Yujian nodded, got up and walked towards the main tent.

Liu Liangzuo then looked at Li Ruolian and nodded, "Lord Zhongyong, please!"

Li Ruolian followed, but the thirty-odd people behind her were stopped.

Of these, twenty-six were guards of the Tang Prince's Palace, and ten were Li Ruolian's personal guards.

Seeing this, Li Ruolian frowned and asked, "General Liu, what is the meaning of this?"

Liu Liangzuo, feeling guilty, smiled and said, "Lord Zhongyong, please don't misunderstand. Since His Highness says he has important business, unauthorized personnel..."

"Are these all His Highness Prince Tang's personal guards, or just random people?"

"That's not what I meant. There are ten thousand elite soldiers in the camp, more than enough to protect His Highness Prince Tang's safety, Shen Bao!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

Liu Liangzuo instructed, "Go and arrange for the brothers to rest, and treat them to good wine and food!"

"yes!"

However, Li Ruolian remained firm, insisting, "They will stay here!"

Shen Bao had just taken a step when he heard this and was at a loss for words, so he could only look at Liu Liangzuo.

At this moment, Zhu Yujian turned around and said, "General Liu, are you perhaps worried that I will harm you?"

"Your Highness is too kind. This humble general merely sees the brothers exhausted from their journey..."

"Alright, I still have His Majesty's decree to carry out; let's get down to business!"

"yes!"

Liu Liangzuo dared not say anything more, so he gave Shen Bao a wink.

Shen Bao understood and immediately led his men to guard the entrance of the main tent.

Zhu Yujian and Li Ruolian entered the tent, and Liu Liangzuo hurriedly greeted them, "Please have a seat, I'll go and tell someone to make tea."

"No need!"

With a flash of cold light, Li Ruolian drew her knife and held it to Liu Liangzuo's neck.

Liu Liangzuo was shocked, but he reacted quickly and hurriedly said with a smile, "Lord Zhongyong, you must be joking..."

"Who's joking with you!"

Li Ruolian remained expressionless, and pushed the knife forward a little further.

At the same time, Prince Zhu Yujian of Tang began rummaging through the tent, seemingly looking for something.

Seeing the two men's actions, Liu Liangzuo was greatly alarmed.

"Your Highness, didn't you say... you wouldn't harm me?"

"Just kidding!"

As Zhu Yujian spoke, he walked to the bedside and began rummaging through the bedding.

Liu Liangzuo's heart leaped into his throat, and he hurriedly asked, "Lord Zhongyong, what exactly happened?"

"I'm asking you, who have you seen recently?"

"I, Liu, do not understand what the Earl of Zhongyong is saying!"

"Then let me remind you, you have a brother named Liu Liangchen!"

Liu Liangzuo's face turned ashen: "Your Majesty, have you perhaps listened to some slanderous words...?"

"Found it!"

Zhu Yujian found a letter in the quilt and then came to Liu Liangzuo.

Now that things have come to this, Liu Liangzuo finally understands what has happened.

"Your Highness, and you, surnamed Li, this is my main camp, with over ten thousand elite troops. You'd better think carefully before making a decision!"

Li Ruolian ignored her and asked, "Your Highness, what did the letter say?"

Zhu Yujian opened the letter, glanced at it, and said, "It is indeed Liu Liangchen's letter of persuasion to surrender. It even says that Dorgon promised to enfeoff Liu Liangzuo as the Earl of Guangchang. Ha, using Guangchang County of my Great Ming as a gift, Dorgon is really stingy!"

Liu Liangzuo immediately flew into a rage: "I'm talking to you!"

Li Ruolian then said, "The evidence of collusion with foreign enemies is irrefutable. What else is there to say?"

"I...I just received the letter, I haven't had time to..."

"Didn't you have time to hide it properly?"

"I didn't have time to refuse, I... I didn't agree!"

"You received the letter, yet instead of refusing it or truthfully informing His Majesty, you hid it. This is sufficient grounds to convict you of treason and collusion with the enemy!"

Liu Liangzuo was shocked and quickly said, "Li, don't push your luck! This is just a letter. I have never betrayed His Majesty, and I am not afraid even if I were to stand before him!"

Li Ruolian smiled gently: "Let me ask you again, what were His Majesty's instructions to you?"

"His Majesty has ordered me to lead a large army out of Tongguan Pass, into Shaanxi, resist the rebel army, and recover the lost territory!"

"Then why did you defy the imperial decree?"

"I am on a military campaign, how can I be disobeying an imperial order?"

"To travel less than a hundred li in three days—isn't that defying an imperial order?"

"I... I've only been a little slower. When we arrived in Zhengding from Zhengyang, the army had been traveling day and night, and the soldiers were already exhausted. What's wrong with being a little slower now?"

The sound of arguing came from inside. Shen Bao sensed something was wrong and was about to come in to check when he heard the sound of steel knives being drawn. By the time he reacted, he was already being held at knifepoint by more than a dozen knives and was unable to move.

At this moment, Qin Dapeng arrived with his men. Seeing the situation, he hurriedly shouted, "Put down your knives! What are you doing?"

Unexpectedly, instead of retreating, these people advanced and rushed towards Qin Dapeng.

Qin Dapeng immediately drew his sword and ordered, "These people must be spies sent by the rebel leader. Kill them!"

He brought over fifty elite soldiers, thinking he would quickly gain control of the situation. However, after just one round of fighting, his numbers were halved.

Before Qin Dapeng could react, he felt a chill and a knife was already at his throat.

He finally witnessed what elite troops were like—it was too fast!

The people Li Ruolian brought were, of course, highly skilled, and the guards Zhu Yujian brought were all seasoned veterans with extensive combat experience.

These people are quick to kill, giving their opponents no chance to retaliate.

The tent flap was lifted, and Li Ruolian walked out, holding a knife to Liu Liangzuo's throat.

Emperor Zhu Yujian of Tang then stepped forward and said, "By His Majesty's decree, Liu Liangzuo has been found guilty of treason and collusion with the enemy, and deserves to be executed!"

Qin Dapeng and Shen Bao exchanged a glance, both showing expressions of surprise.

Liu Liangzuo shouted, "This Tang King is an imposter! He's a spy sent by the rebel Li Zicheng! Don't listen to him!"

Qin Dapeng glanced at Zhu Yujian, then at Li Ruolian.

Even if you don't know the Tang Emperor, do you still not know Li Ruolian?

He is a trusted confidant of His Majesty. How could it be a fake that the Prince of Tang is with him?

Seeing this, Liu Liangzuo shouted again, "What are you all standing there for? Kill them!"

But no matter how much he shouted, no one moved.

Qin Dapeng suddenly threw down his knife, and then Shen Bao also threw down his knife. Seeing this, the others followed suit.

Liu Liangzuo was in despair. This was his own camp, with more than 10,000 soldiers, and it had been taken down by a mere 30 men!

"Are you two deaf? He's a fake! I'm telling you to kill them!"

The surroundings were quiet, except for Liu Liangzuo's furious roar.

The nearby soldiers surrounded them, but seeing this scene, they dared not take a step forward.

Zhu Yujian took out the imperial edict, held it high above his head, and said, "His Majesty decrees that Liu Liangzuo has colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, a crime punishable by death. Those who resist him are considered his accomplices and will be killed without mercy!"

Liu Liangzuo shouted frantically, "I have shed blood for the Ming Dynasty, you cannot kill me!"

brush!

A cold glint flashed, and a head fell to the ground.

Li Ruolian looked at everyone and said, "Receive the imperial decree!"

Qin Dapeng was the first to react and knelt down with a thud.

Shen Bao followed, then the other soldiers, and in an instant, they all knelt on the ground.

Zhu Yujian opened the imperial edict and read: "Liu Liangzuo, as the General of Zhengyang, is responsible for guarding the territory. However, he has betrayed his country and forgotten his ancestors, secretly colluded with the Jurchens, and betrayed the nation. His evil deeds are obvious and cannot be forgiven under the law. I think that you may not have known about his treachery, so I hereby pardon your ignorance and will not investigate further."

From this day forth, all military command of Zhengyang is hereby transferred to the command of Prince Zhu Yujian of Tang. Prince Zhu Yujian is a descendant of the imperial family, and his loyalty and bravery are commendable. He will surely live up to my high expectations, leading you soldiers to fight bravely against the enemy and defend our homeland. You must respectfully heed Prince Zhu Yujian's orders and diligently perform your duties. This is my decree!

After a brief silence, Qin Dapeng was the first to shout, "Your Majesty, we humbly obey your decree! Long live the Emperor!"

The soldiers then shouted in unison, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Zhu Yujian put away the imperial edict and said, "With the nation in peril, as a descendant of the founding emperor, I must fulfill my duty and fight bravely on the battlefield. I urge you all to do the same!"

Qin Dapeng declared loudly, "From this day forward, we will follow Your Highness's lead without question!"

"We will follow Your Highness's lead without question!"

"We will follow Your Highness's lead without question!"