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

The army entered the city and successfully captured Baoding.

Chen Yan didn't want to wait even one night and wrote a letter of surrender overnight.

"Respectfully submitted by Grand Secretary Chen Yan, and personally addressed to Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, and Liu Fangliang, the rebel general..."

I felt something was wrong after writing this, so I tore up the paper and took out a new one.

"Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Shun Dynasty, and Your Excellency the Marquis of Cizhou, your subject Chen Yan pays his respects!"

"As the Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty, holding a high position in the imperial court, I have witnessed firsthand the decline of the government, the corruption of officials, and the suffering of the people. The pain of the common people is deeply felt. Now, His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Shun Dynasty, by the mandate of Heaven, has raised an army to attack the Ming. Wherever he goes, the people's hearts are with him. I hear this as a gentle spring breeze and nourishing rain; this is truly the will of Heaven..."

"To demonstrate my loyalty, I hereby offer up all the money, grain, military equipment, and supplies from the Baoding treasury for military use. Baoding is located in a strategically important area near the capital, serving as a vital passage between north and south and a crucial hub between east and west. If Baoding is captured, the gates to the capital will be wide open, with no further obstacles. I am willing to serve as the vanguard, assisting Your Majesty in your efforts to secure the capital..."

He wrote over a thousand words, stamped his seal on it, and sealed it with wax.

It was already late, but Chen Yan, worried that things might change if he delayed, summoned his trusted confidant and ordered, "Deliver this to the rebel army... no, the Shun army camp tonight. You must personally deliver it to General Liu Fangliang!"

After doing all that, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Now all we have to do is wait for the Shun army to enter the city, and then we can claim credit for supporting the emperor...

"Master Chen, Master Chen, are you asleep?"

Zhang Wenyuan's voice came from outside, sounding very urgent.

"Come in!"

"yes!"

Zhang Wenyuan looked excited and bowed respectfully.

"It's so late at night, what can't we talk about tomorrow?"

"Lord Chen, the local gentry and wealthy families of Baoding Prefecture have come to visit!"

Chen Yan asked疑惑地问道, "What are they going to do?"

Zhang Wenyuan turned around and closed the door, then said, "Since Liu Fangliang's troops entered Zhengding, the gentry and wealthy households in Baoding have long been prepared to surrender. They even went to He Fu to discuss it, but were scolded mercilessly by He Fu!"

"Now that these people have heard that He Fu is colluding with the enemy, they are coming to report him, saying that he is a hypocrite, all talk and no action, that he is extorting money, embezzling the government's disaster relief funds, and even having an affair with a brothel madam..."

"Anyway, there are all sorts of opinions, and they've even written a joint letter, preparing to submit it to the imperial court to impeach He Fu!"

After listening, Chen Yan frowned and said, "The Shun army will be entering the city soon. At this critical juncture, why are you still paying attention to those people?"

"Master Chen is unaware of something!"

Zhang Wenyuan continued, "These people's true intention is still to surrender to the Shun army. Impeaching He Fu is just a pretext. In fact, they came here specifically to test my opinion."

Chen Yan's expression changed, and he frowned, asking, "What did you say to them?"

Zhang Wenyuan quickly waved his hand and explained, "Without Lord Chen's permission, I didn't say anything!"

"Um!"

Chen Yan nodded and then said, "As you said, these people do have some brains."

"If Liu Fangliang captures Baoding, he will surely plunder extensively, and they will not be able to protect their wealth, and may even lose both their lives and their possessions."

"Although surrendering the city would require spending some of our family wealth to reward the soldiers, it would buy us peace, making it a worthwhile deal."

Zhang Wenyuan asked, "How should these people be dealt with? Please give your instructions, Chen."

Chen Yan thought for a moment, then chuckled and said, "They're only thinking about protecting their family wealth and lives, but why should I help them?"

"Does Master Chen mean... to just abandon the idea?"

"We can intervene or not; it depends on their behavior."

"Understood, sir!"

Zhang Wenyuan's eyes lit up, and he finally understood the meaning of the sentence.

What does it have to do with us if you're worried about your family's wealth being plundered after the city falls?

In other words, if you want to follow us and get some benefits, you have to show some sincerity.

Chen Yan added, "Given the current situation, they can ask for a higher price; if anyone's in a hurry, it's them."

"Understood, understood!"

Zhang Wenyuan's mouth was practically stretched to his ears in a wide grin.

Unexpectedly, I was able to make a fortune before surrendering!

"Oh, right..."

Zhang Wenyuan had only taken two steps when he suddenly remembered something and turned back, saying, "After Miao Gang was defeated, a small group of his soldiers escaped to Baoding. I just inquired, and Miao Gang may not be dead, but we don't know where he went!"

Chen Yan thought for a moment and said, "Since he neither returned to the camp nor entered the city, there's only one possibility left: he went back to the capital!"

"Having suffered a defeat, wouldn't returning to the capital be tantamount to suicide?"

"Leave him alone for now. Get your business done before the Shun army enters the city!"

"yes!"

Zhang Wenyuan accepted the order and turned to leave.

Chen was right just now; Miao Gang has indeed arrived in the capital.

Instead of fleeing back, he took Li Ruolian's memorial and went to the capital in person to plead guilty.

When they entered the city, it was already late, and the palace guards stopped Miao Gang outside the Meridian Gate.

Miao Gang had no choice but to send the memorial in and continue to wait.

About fifteen minutes later, a young eunuch came to announce that Miao Gang had been summoned and led him to the Imperial Study.

"Your humble servant Miao Gang kowtows to Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"

Miao Gang kowtowed and bowed, feeling uneasy.

Whether it was losing a battle or helping Chen Yan and others transfer their family wealth, it was a serious crime.

Zhu Youjian slowly spoke: "Stand up and answer!"

"This humble subject dares not!"

"Oh?"

Zhu Youjian smiled and said, "Why wouldn't I dare?"

"I am guilty!"

"Where is the crime?"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty has committed two crimes. First, you assisted Grand Secretary Chen Yan and others in secretly transferring their families and enormous wealth to Nanjing. At a time when Beijing was in grave danger, such actions were tantamount to betraying the court and disregarding the nation's peril. This is disloyalty and injustice!"

"Secondly, the battlefield defeats and failure to halt the advance of the rebels resulted in the loss of a large number of troops, for which I cannot shirk my responsibility!"

Zhu Youjian listened quietly, then asked, "Both of these crimes are capital offenses!"

"I deserve to die ten thousand times!"

Miao Gang lay on the ground, his heart pounding.

"Li Ruolian praised you highly. The hardest thing in this world is to face your own mistakes. The fact that you were able to turn back from your wrong path shows that you still have a conscience and there is still hope for you."

"The court is in dire need of capable men right now, so I'll give you a chance. I'll relieve you of your post as guerrilla general and have you remain in the Warriors' Camp to atone for your crimes. However, you'll have to start as a common soldier. If you want to be promoted, you'll need to earn merit by killing enemies yourself. Are you willing?"

Miao Gang was extremely grateful and quickly replied, "Your subject obeys the decree!"

At this moment, he finally let go of his burdens, as if he had been reborn.

Thinking back on all these years, serving as Chen Yan's dog and being scolded by Chen Ruxiu, he finally felt a sense of relief.

From this moment on, I will live with dignity and never be anyone's dog again!

...Except for His Majesty!

Zhu Youjian then asked, "How many people were in the fleet that Chen Yan sent you to escort?"

Miao Gang thought for a moment and said, "There are seven large ships in total, with about five hundred people on board."

Zhu Youjian asked in surprise, "How can there be so many?"

"Your Majesty may not know, but Chen Yan's family alone numbers over forty people. Oh, by the way..."

Miao Gang quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a small booklet.

"I have a detailed list here; please take a look, Your Majesty!"

After reading it, Zhu Youjian frowned deeply.

There are thirteen people on the list, and if you include Miao Gang himself, that makes fourteen.

Among these people, the Grand Secretary Chen Yan was the leader, and the group included many officials from the Six Ministries, as well as military officers from the Beijing Garrison. Needless to say, they were all Chen Yan's protégés and former subordinates!

"It seems my chief minister is busy forming cliques and pursuing personal gain every day!"

Zhu Youjian chuckled self-deprecatingly and then asked, "How much gold and silver is on the ship?"

Miao Gang replied, "The total exceeds eight million taels!"

"How many?"

Zhu Youjian gasped. Eight million taels? Did I hear that right?!

Miao Gang truthfully stated, "There are eight million taels of silver in cash alone, plus one million two hundred thousand taels of gold. The value of jewelry, jade, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings is currently incalculable, but it certainly won't be a small amount."

"Sun mother!"

Zhu Youjian stood up abruptly, his face flushed.

I remember a few days ago, when we called on all the officials to donate, they all tried to plead poverty.

Very well, they are all my good ministers!