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

Although Li Zicheng was furious, he remained clear-headed.

With Emperor Chongzhen suddenly appearing, taking Juyong Pass will no longer be so easy.

"Summon all generals for a meeting!"

At the command, Tian Jianxiu, Liu Erhu, Hao Yongzhong, Niu Jinxing and others arrived one after another.

The group sat down in order, remaining silent as they had already learned of Liu Zongmin's defeat.

However, there was an empty seat to Li Zicheng's left.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, Marquis Li Guo of Bozhou finally arrived in a flurry of activity.

"Second Uncle, I heard..."

Li Zicheng's face was already ugly, and when he heard the title "Second Uncle," his eyes widened in anger.

Li Guo then realized what was happening, scratched his head, and said awkwardly, "Your Majesty, I heard that Juyong Pass was not captured. What happened?"

"Please sit down!"

"oh!"

Li Guo walked to the front of the group and sat down below Li Zicheng.

Li Zicheng looked at Liu Zongmin: "Tell me everything that just happened, in detail, without exaggeration or concealment!"

"yes!"

Liu Zongmin dared not conceal anything and recounted in detail how the surprise attack on Juyong Pass, the luring of Tang Tong into battle, and the subsequent pincer attack turned into a chaotic situation where he was attacked from both sides by the Ming army.

Li Zicheng looked at the crowd and asked, "Why did Emperor Chongzhen suddenly come to Juyong Pass? Can anyone explain this to me?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Li Guo, because Li Guo was responsible for contacting the informants in the capital.

Feeling watched, Li Guo had no choice but to say, "There was no prior warning. Why is Emperor Chongzhen not staying in Beijing but coming to the front lines?"

Li Zicheng said with dissatisfaction, "You were in charge of intelligence gathering, and such a major event happened, yet you knew absolutely nothing about it?"

"Your Majesty may not know this, but Emperor Chongzhen has recently taken some kind of medicine and his temperament has changed drastically. He has been killing people and confiscating property in the capital, and they are all high-ranking officials. Even his own father-in-law's brother-in-law was not spared. The situation in the capital is very tense now, and our people dare not make any rash moves. We can't send out any intelligence at all."

Li Zicheng angrily retorted, "This is your problem! How can we fight a war if we can't get intelligence?"

"I... I had no choice..."

Li Guo was also helpless; Chongzhen suddenly launched a massacre without any warning.

The spies in the capital are lucky to survive; at this critical juncture, who would dare to leave the city to deliver intelligence?

At this moment, Li Yan said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Emperor Chongzhen's visit this time is too strange. None of us expected it. It is not just the Marquis of Bozhou's negligence."

Upon hearing this, Li Guo looked at Li Yan gratefully and bowed with clasped hands.

Li Yan returned the greeting and continued, "Normally, Emperor Chongzhen's personal expedition is a major event for the court. The preparation of the army and provisions, as well as the itinerary, would take at least several months, or even a year and a half. However, there were no signs, no news, so there is only one possibility left..."

Li Zicheng immediately tensed up: "Continue!"

"Emperor Chongzhen appeared out of nowhere, without prior preparation, and he didn't even bring many troops with him!"

Li Guo quickly replied, "Yes, yes, sir is right, that must be it!"

The generals all turned their heads and began to whisper among themselves.

Liu Zongmin asked, "Regardless of whether this guess is correct, now that Emperor Chongzhen is personally overseeing the defense of Juyong Pass, what's the next step?"

Li Zicheng looked at Li Yan with a questioning gaze.

At this moment, Li Guo said, "If that's really the case, wouldn't it mean... the capital is empty?"

"That's exactly what I meant!"

Li Yan nodded and then said, "Our Great Shun Southern Route Army is currently attacking Baoding. According to intelligence, the Ming court has dispatched Grand Secretary Chen Yan to lead the troops. Although he is quite renowned among scholars, he is ultimately a civil official and lacks experience in leading troops. Moreover, since becoming Grand Secretary, he has cultivated his own faction and amassed wealth. We can entice him with bribes!"

With the two of them speaking in unison, Li Zicheng's expression finally softened.

All Liu Fangliang needs to do is capture Baoding or win over Chen Yan, and then march straight into the capital, leaving it an empty city!

Liu Zongmin, however, was very dissatisfied and said, "Emperor Chongzhen was by nature suspicious; how could he be so rash?"

Li Yan said, "The art of war says, 'When the enemy is weak, make him appear strong; when he is strong, make him appear weak.' This is not impossible!"

"This is war, not child's play. If you were Emperor Chongzhen, would you dare to take such a risk?"

"I'm only saying it's possible, not certain..."

"The soldiers on the front lines are fighting to the death. Do you know how many will die if you give a single uncertain word?"

Liu Zongmin refused to back down, thinking to himself, "I led my men to fight desperately on the front lines, and you say that Chongzhen only brought a small number of troops and defeated me. I am the Marquis of Ruzhou of the Great Shun Dynasty, and the General of Power bestowed by His Majesty. Do I not have any dignity?"

Li Yan seemed to sense Liu Zongmin's feelings, so he changed his approach, saying, "General Liu, I understand the hardships our soldiers are facing, but on the battlefield, strategy comes first. His Majesty's decision to divide the troops was like placing two cups of poison in front of Chongzhen. Now that he has chosen the northern route, our army will focus on defense while ordering the southern route army to launch a full-scale attack on Baoding. In this way, whether Chongzhen is bluffing at Juyong Pass or actually has a large force, we will have a clear strategy for advancing or retreating."

Liu Zongmin shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, I request to continue the attack on Juyong Pass. I swear I will not rest until this humiliation is avenged! That brat Chongzhen dared to humiliate my Great Shun soldiers like this; I will personally capture him!"

Li Zicheng remained silent for a long time before finally speaking slowly.

"Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Our army has been invincible all the way, and this is only one loss. There is no need to be stubborn. Let's do as Mr. Li said. However, the battle at Juyong Pass cannot stop. We just need to change our strategy and focus on probing the enemy's strength. We cannot easily deploy our main force. As long as Liu Fangliang takes Baoding, Chongzhen will be thrown into disarray, and Juyong Pass will fall without a fight."

"This humble general obeys the order!"

Seeing that Li Zicheng had made his decision, Liu Zongmin, though unwilling, had no choice but to obey.

After the meeting, the generals dispersed, but Li Zicheng kept Li Guo and Li Yan behind.

Li Guo asked, "Second Uncle..."

"How many times have I told you? I am now the Emperor of the Great Shun Dynasty. Can't you be a little more discreet?"

"Um... Your Majesty!"

Li Guo quickly changed his form of address, saying, "Nephew... I know I was wrong!"

"Alright, alright, just be more careful next time!"

Li Zicheng was helpless. His nephew was good in every way, except that he had no manners.

Although they are not related by blood, Li Guo has been by his side since he joined the rebel army. Over the years, they have shared life and death, and their bond is extraordinary.

He paused, then said, "We must strengthen our connections with our spies in the capital. I refuse to believe that the capital is a monolithic entity! No matter what it takes, we must open up intelligence channels. I need to know every move Emperor Chongzhen makes."

"Yes...as you command!"

Li Zicheng then looked at Li Yan and asked, "Sir, were you perhaps hesitant to say something just now?"

Within Da Shun, Liu Zongmin is clearly the second most important person.

However, Li Zicheng never regarded him as a confidant, and instead harbored some resentment towards him.

In contrast, Li Yan was originally a scholar who passed the imperial examination during the Tianqi era, and was one of the few educated people in the Da Shun army.

His father, Li Jingbai, once served as the governor of Shandong. In the early years of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, he was implicated in the Wei Zhongxian case and dismissed from his post. However, the Li family remained one of the most prominent local gentry and wealthy families in Qi County.

Growing up in such an environment, after passing the imperial examination, Li Yan not only did not continue to participate in the examination, but instead turned around and joined the rebel army.

This courage impressed Li Zicheng, and from then on, he kept him by his side and regarded him as a confidant.

Over the years, Li Yan has been the one devising strategies behind the scenes in the many battles fought in the north and south. What is even more commendable is that Li Yan not only understands military strategy, but also knows how to govern local areas and appease the people. With the slogan "Open the door to welcome the King of Chuang, and the King of Chuang will not pay taxes," he recruited a million soldiers.

Upon hearing this, Li Yan quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I was ultimately able to conceal my little thoughts from you."

Li Zicheng said, "Liu Zongmin didn't mean anything against you. He just suffered a defeat and is in a bad mood. Now that there's no one else around, you can say whatever you want."

Li Yan glanced at Li Guo beside him, somewhat hesitant.

Li Guo said with dissatisfaction, "If His Majesty asks you a question, just answer it directly. Why are you looking at me?"

Li Yan seemed to be making a very difficult decision, and finally, he slowly spoke.

"Has Your Majesty considered what to do if the capital cannot be captured?"

Before Li Zicheng could say anything, Li Guo immediately retorted, "What do you mean by that, sir?"

"Man proposes, God disposes. There is no such thing as a perfect outcome in this world. If Your Majesty truly cannot capture the capital, you should make plans as soon as possible..."

Li Guo continued to retort, "Why must you boost the morale of others, sir? Our army's morale is unstoppable, and the Ming Dynasty has reached its end. A single victory or defeat proves nothing!"

Li Yan did not answer, but looked at Li Zicheng.

"Has Your Majesty considered the possibility of the Great Shun and the Great Ming coexisting?"