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

Looking at the muskets and bows and arrows scattered all over the ground, Zheng Siwei was at a loss.

He had assumed that these things, capable of long-range shooting, posed a significant threat.

The major defeat a few days ago was due to the Ming army's firearms.

Simply removing the muskets and bows would significantly reduce the Ming army's fighting capacity, even if they were ambushed.

At the same time, it could also be used to test the Ming army's willingness to surrender.

If they are only feigning surrender, they certainly won't easily hand over their most powerful weapon.

It's easy to hand it over now, but the problem is... how do we take it away?

He looked behind him and saw only about a hundred people.

Five hundred muskets and three thousand bows and arrows—this is still a physically demanding task.

Moreover, this is only one campsite; according to scouts, there should be four more ahead.

Zhao Yong asked, "As General Zhang instructed, the muskets and bows and arrows are here. What should we do next? Please advise!"

A sudden inspiration struck Zheng Siwei, and he said, "Take out all the matchlocks!"

Zhao Yong asked in confusion, "Without a match, how can it be fired...?"

"Do I need to explain my actions to you?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Zhao Yong ordered his men to step forward, pull out the fuses from the five hundred muskets, and then put them into a sack.

Zheng Siwei nodded in satisfaction and then said, "Remove all the bowstrings!"

Zhao Yong said nothing more and directly ordered, "Men, remove the bowstring!"

Three thousand bowstrings, bundled into thirty large bundles, were neatly arranged in front of him.

Zheng Siwei ordered his men to load bowstrings onto their horses, then said, "Your troops shall remain in place and await orders. No one is to act without permission. Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

Zhao Yong clasped his hands in a salute: "This humble general obeys!"

Zheng Siwei didn't linger and led his men to the next campsite.

After everyone left, Zhao Yong looked at his subordinate and said, "Is this guy stupid? Doesn't he know there are spare fuses and bowstrings?"

His subordinates were equally puzzled and said, "They probably really don't know."

In military equipment, a bow is usually equipped with two to three bowstrings.

Because bowstrings are easily damaged, if one is damaged during combat, simply replacing it with a new one will allow the battle to continue.

Needless to say, matchlocks are consumables, and there are still plenty in the warehouse!

Zheng Siwei came from a peasant army background. In the early days, he had no weapons and carried hoes with him.

Although we have grown bigger and stronger, we are still far behind the regular army.

He thought that removing the matchlock and bowstring would render the musket and bow useless.

In Zhao Yong's view, this idea was simply unbelievable.

"Go to the storeroom and fetch the match and bowstring!"

"yes!"

Everyone sprang into action, and in no time the musketeers and archers had been reinstalled.

Zhao Yong then summoned several more men and instructed them: "Go to the left, right, front, and rear camps respectively and relay my orders. Whatever the rebel army asks you to do, do not contradict them, just do as they say. After they leave, re-equip yourselves and proceed according to the original plan!"

Zheng Siwei was busy collecting matchlocks and bowstrings at the front.

Liu Fangliang led the main force forward without incident, which made Ma Chongxi somewhat doubt his life.

"Could it be that I'm overthinking things?"

"Being cautious is a good thing, but the Ming army isn't as clever as the strategist thinks."

Ma Chongxi said awkwardly, "It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright!"

Liu Fangliang continued, "Taking Baoding Prefecture will allow us to march straight to the capital. The strategist has rendered invaluable service this time. I will petition His Majesty for the strategist's reward!"

Ma Chongxi said, "I wonder how the battle is going on Your Majesty's side? If you can break through Juyong Pass and attack the capital from two directions, the Ming Dynasty will surely perish!"

Liu Fangliang chuckled and said, "That's simple. We just need to send one detachment of troops to cooperate with His Majesty in attacking Juyong Pass."

"I still feel there's something strange about this matter. The whole process went too smoothly. Perhaps I should go and take over to ensure everything goes perfectly before Your Excellency enters the city."

"The strategist is going to take over? Hahaha..."

Liu Fangliang suddenly burst into laughter and said, "The strategist handled the first two negotiations, and now we need to trouble him again to take over the city? Doesn't that make me look like an incompetent coward?"

"Your Excellency is too kind. I was merely ensuring..."

"Strategist, say no more!"

Liu Fangliang waved his hand and said, "Over the years, I have followed His Majesty all over the country. What kind of scene haven't I seen? Let alone that old codger Chen Yan, even if he really did play some kind of self-inflicted injury ruse and set up an ambush in the city, what do I have to fear?"

Having said that, Ma Chongxi had no choice but to drop the matter.

After all, he didn't have any real evidence; it was just speculation.

The army continued its march, passing by the Ming army camp unharmed.

Zheng Siwei, who was halfway there, said, "Reporting to the Marquis, everything went smoothly!"

Liu Fangliang was very satisfied: "You've worked hard, go back to the team!"

Ma Chongxi tensed up again, saying, "This place is only a few miles from Baoding City. If there's an ambush in the city, wouldn't it cut off our army's retreat?"

Zheng Siwei grinned and said, "Strategist, please rest assured. I, Old Zheng, have already collected all the fuses and bowstrings from the Ming army's firearms. Even if they have malicious intentions, without firearms and bows, their fighting strength will be greatly reduced. We can then send a separate force to deal with them!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Chongxi felt slightly relieved.

Clearly, he hadn't figured out that Zheng Siwei had only taken away the matchlock and bowstring from the Ming army's equipment.

They have a whole bunch of spares in their warehouse!

Liu Fangliang asked, "Does the strategist still have doubts?"

Ma Chongxi thought for a moment and said, "In my opinion, we should leave a force on each side of the Ming army camp to ensure a smooth surrender!"

Zheng Siwei said, "Isn't that unnecessary? I've seen it all; those Ming troops aren't prepared for battle at all."

Liu Fangliang hesitated, and seeing this, Ma Chongxi stepped forward again to persuade him.

"My lord, we are only one step away from taking over Baoding. This final step must be taken with utmost care and stability!"

"Alright, pass on the order!"

Liu Fangliang could not refuse, so he had to give the order: "Brothers Ma Shiyao and Ma Shitai, each lead a group of troops to guard the left and right armies of the Ming army. Father and son Zuo Guangxian and Zuo Xiang, guard the front and rear armies of the Ming army. Wang Liangzhi leads troops to guard the central army camp."

"All troops, be on high alert! If you detect any unusual movements by the Ming army, immediately launch an attack!"

The order was passed down, and the generals led their troops forward.

Liu Fangliang then asked, "Strategist, is there anything else to add?"

Ma Chongxi quickly bowed and said, "With this arrangement, there's no chance of anything going wrong!"

"May I leave now?"

"Please, Your Excellency!"

Liu Fangliang was getting impatient and immediately ordered them to continue advancing.

At noon, we finally arrived at the city of Baoding.

Ma Chongxi looked closely and saw that the city gate was wide open, but there was no one on the city wall.

Liu Fangliang was about to go directly into the city, but was stopped again.

"My lord, please wait!"

"What is it now, strategist?"

"It's too quiet, it's a bit strange..."

At this moment, a troop of cavalry came out from inside, and Zheng Siwei hurriedly went to meet them.

"Who goes there?"

"This humble servant, Wang Dalong, has come to welcome the Marquis of Cizhou on the orders of Chief Minister Chen!"

Zheng Siwei looked the man up and down. Seeing that he was not carrying any weapons, he relaxed his guard and asked, "Where is Chief Minister Chen? Why didn't he come out of the city to greet me?"

Wang Dalong said, "Chief Minister Chen, along with officials from Baoding and the city's gentry, has prepared a banquet in the city to await their arrival!"

Zheng Siwei turned around and gave Liu Fangliang a questioning look.

Ma Chongxi said, "Your Excellency can order Chen Yan to lead officials and gentry out of the city to welcome us!"

Liu Fangliang, however, did not think so. Along the way, Ma Chongxi seemed to have more concerns.

This person is quite cunning and suspicious all day long, so naturally he won't easily trust others.

This is a good thing, but being too cautious makes one seem petty.

"Chen Yan is the Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty. Even if he surrenders to my Great Shun, he can still rise to the highest position of the court based on his merit in surrendering the city, and even sit on equal footing with me. It is really inappropriate to ask him to come out of the city to welcome me."

"Your Excellency is mistaken. No matter how high Chen Yan's status is, he is still a surrendered general. How can he be considered an equal to Your Excellency?"

"This is inappropriate, this is inappropriate!"

Liu Fangliang waved his hand and said, "Chen Yan's students and former officials are all over the world. His submission to our Great Shun means that a large number of scholars will be loyal to His Majesty. His Majesty is a person who loves talent and will surely treat him with the utmost respect. I, as the Marquis, should also show courtesy to the virtuous and learned. Otherwise, wouldn't I be looked down upon by the world?"

"But……"

"Strategist, no need for further words. Issue the order: Enter the city!"

Liu Fangliang was already very impatient because Ma Chongxi had repeatedly tried to dissuade him, and he was already overstepping his bounds.

Upon receiving the order, Zheng Siwei immediately said to Wang Dalong, "Please lead the way!"

"yes!"

Wang Dalong turned his horse around and sped into the city.

Zheng Siwei, as the vanguard officer, still led the team at the forefront.

However, as soon as he stepped through the city gate, he realized that something was amiss.

Wang Dalong was running too fast; he even accelerated after entering the city.

Could it be that he's rushing to deliver a letter to Chen Yan?

Thinking of this, he felt a little relieved.

At the same time, he secretly mocked himself, wondering how he had become as suspicious as Ma Chongxi.

The Shun army began to enter the city in an orderly manner, first passing through the barbican and then the inner city gate.

Zheng Siwei turned around unintentionally, it was just a subconscious action...

In that instant, it felt as if all the blood in my body had frozen.

"Retreat quickly, there's an ambush!"