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

Seeing their reactions, Zhang Bingwen couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

"Gentlemen, we need some kind of pretext, don't we? Back then, when Emperor Chengzu rebelled against his own nephew, he still had to use the pretext of 'purging the court of corrupt officials.' Are we just going to start a rebellion like that?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zeqing and Zeng Hualong suddenly fell silent.

Rebellion is not just about who has the most troops; since ancient times, raising an army has always required legitimacy.

Conversely, if one's name is not correct, one's words will not be proper. Rebellion will result in the extermination of one's entire family. Would one's soldiers be willing to risk their lives with one's subordinates?

If you can't command your troops, no matter how many soldiers you have, it's useless. Once the battle starts, everyone will be scattered and running away!

Zhang Bingwen continued, "Let's set aside everything else for now. What should we do after we raise an army? Should we establish a separatist regime in Shandong, or should we march on the capital?"

Zeng Hualong suddenly smiled bitterly and said, "If it were a few years earlier, I could have simply surrendered to the Jurchens, but now... sigh!"

That's where it ends, leaving only sighs.

There was a precedent for Shandong troops surrendering to the Jurchens; after Mao Wenlong was killed, Pi Island was leaderless. Generals such as Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, and Shang Kexi led their families and troops across the sea to Dengzhou. Sun Yuanhua, the then governor of Shandong, took them in and entrusted them with the important task of training troops.

In the fourth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, Kong Youde led his army to aid Liaodong, but a mutiny broke out en route due to a shortage of military supplies. The rebels looted and plundered along the way, capturing Dengzhou. Sun Yuanhua was captured and committed suicide. The imperial court mobilized a large army to suppress the rebellion. Kong Youde and his men, having nowhere else to turn, took cannons, warships, and tens of thousands of soldiers and crossed the sea to join the Jurchens. They were granted the title of king by Huang Taiji and lived a very successful life.

Now that the Jurchens have long since vanished, this path has been completely severed.

Given Shandong's current military strength, attacking the capital is certainly unrealistic. However, if the goal of the rebellion is merely to seize control of Shandong, it is even more unreliable, because the imperial court will eventually attack, and Shandong cannot possibly stand up to the imperial court in terms of either military strength or logistical support.

Liu Zeqing frowned and said, "It seems we were careless in this matter. If things go wrong, we might really have to retreat to that damn little island!"

Zhang Bingwen gave a bitter smile and said, "Even if we retreat to Jeju Island, it's only a temporary measure. The imperial court will never let us go."

Liu Zeqing said impatiently, "What good idea do you have? Just tell me!"

"I wouldn't call it a solution, it's just this matter..."

Zhang Bingwen paused for a moment, then continued, "Actually, the cause is quite simple: it's that batch of pension money. If the money had been distributed earlier, we wouldn't be in this situation today..."

"What's the point of saying all this now?"

"What I mean is... His Majesty didn't actually intend to attack us at first, so isn't it possible to talk now?"

Liu Zeqing asked, "Talk? How do we talk?"

Zhang Bingwen waved his hand: "Actually, it's simple. The ones we sent to the Embroidered Uniform Guard last time were all minor officials. They didn't care about them and instead arrested the prefect of Jinan. It seems the court is planning a major purge."

"Why don't we just send a few high-ranking officials over there? Ten or eight prefects, assistant prefects, commanders, and chiliarchs—wouldn't that be enough?"

"As long as things can be calmed down, a little bloodshed is fine. As long as we're alive, we can always fight again!"

After Zhang Bingwen finished speaking, Liu Zeqing and Zeng Hualong both fell into deep thought.

This method is indeed more reliable than direct rebellion, and it doesn't require serious consequences; it just requires a significant investment.

Liu Zeqing asked, "That's true, but to rise to the level of prefect or commander, no ordinary person would do it. They all have powerful and influential connections behind them. Who would willingly ruin their own future?"

"Then it depends on your attitudes. Will you sacrifice the pawn to save the king, or fight to the death? Please make your decision as soon as possible!"

The room fell silent again. After a long while, Liu Zeqing said, "We should prepare for both possibilities. On one hand, you should talk to Luo Yangxing one last time. If he agrees, everything will be fine. Otherwise, we'll have no choice but to raise an army!"

Zeng Hualong added, "If we are to raise an army, we must prepare early and strike first!"

Liu Zeqing said dismissively, "That's unnecessary. We haven't rebelled yet, and the court has no evidence. Can we really launch a preemptive strike?"

"Report!"

Just then, a series of urgent shouts came from outside.

The three frowned. Liu Zeqing replied, "Come in. What is it?"

A man in armor walked in, his clothes stained with blood, his face, hair and beard all in disarray.

Zeng Hualong immediately recognized the man and exclaimed in surprise, "Liu Qi, what are you doing here?"

This man was none other than Liu Qi, the commander of the Left Army of Dengzhou Guard. His face was ashen, and he cried out, "Commander Zeng, Commander Liu, something terrible has happened! The imperial court has sent troops to attack Dengzhou!"

"What the hell?"

Zeng Hualong looked shocked and asked, "Explain yourself! What happened?"

Liu Qi said tremblingly, "An urgent report just arrived; the imperial court is attacking Dengzhou..."

Zeng Hualong hurriedly asked, "What's the situation now?"

"This humble servant fought his way out of the encirclement, and now the Dengzhou Guard..."

"Tell me what happened!"

Liu Qi could only say, "The Dengzhou garrison offered no resistance whatsoever; most of the soldiers surrendered immediately!"

Zeng Hualong looked at Liu Zeqing, and the two stared at each other in disbelief.

Zhang Bingwen suddenly asked, "Which army did the imperial court send?"

"It seems to be... Changshanwei?"

"Changshanwei?"

Zhang Bingwen gasped, then said to Zeng and Liu, "No wonder our scouts didn't find anything. It turns out Changshan Guard bypassed Jinan and headed straight for Dengzhou!"

Zeng Hualong asked in bewilderment, "This shouldn't be! We're still plotting, we haven't done anything yet! How could the court...?"

After a brief silence, Liu Zeqing immediately said, "In any case, we're already at a disadvantage. Without Dengzhou Garrison, what's the point of rebelling? Let's hurry and prepare to go to the island!"

Zeng Hualong was also helpless. All he did was embezzle some pension money.

How did I become a rebel without even realizing it, and then get preemptively attacked by the imperial court!

"We can't go to Dengzhou, let's set sail from Weihai!"

"Get ready immediately!"

Once they made up their minds, they didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately got up to mobilize troops and prepare to set sail.

Zhang Bingwen sighed heavily, thinking about Luo Yangxing's words. He hadn't seized the opportunity when it was right in front of him, and now it was too late to turn back.

The city of Jinan became very tense that day, with soldiers running around everywhere. The people, unaware of what was happening, hid in their homes and dared not come out.

Zhang Bingwen packed some gold, silver, and valuables, took his family and guards, and then waited to set sail.

It was late at night, but he couldn't fall asleep at all; his mind was filled with the experiences of his entire life.

Thinking back to my youth, I was a child prodigy in the surrounding villages. I passed the county-level imperial examination at fifteen, became a provincial-level scholar at twenty, and a metropolitan-level scholar at twenty-five. I served as an official for nearly forty years, which can be considered a smooth career.

When the rebel leader Li Zicheng swept across the Central Plains, he held firm in Shandong; when Japanese pirates ravaged the land, he also held firm in Shandong.

He grew old, but his reputation was ruined in his later years, and he ended up being labeled a traitor.

It really is a matter of timing and fate. I can only blame myself for being blinded by greed, for the sake of money…

Boom!

Just as he was feeling sentimental, a tremendous earthquake suddenly shook the ground outside.

The violent explosion shook the entire city of Jinan. Zhang Bingwen was so startled that he almost fell off the bed.

He slipped on his shoes and quickly walked to the window, where he saw flames shooting into the sky in the south of the city.