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

Zhengding Prefecture, Shun Army Camp.

When Cheng Youde led the remaining soldiers back, Li Yan was completely dumbfounded. "Where's my wife?"

"What happened? Why are you the only one who came back?"

Cheng Youde, still shaken, stammered, "General, we...we've been ambushed! Hong Niangzi...she..."

"How is she? Is she dead or alive? Tell me!"

Cheng Youde stammered, "This humble servant doesn't know either. It was very chaotic at the time, and I'm afraid... the odds are against us!"

Li Yan was so angry he wanted to hit someone, but as soon as he raised his hand, everything went black and he fainted.

Ma Chongxi quickly supported the person from behind and placed him on the ground. He first checked the pulse on the wrist and then pinched the philtrum with his thumb.

When Liu Fangliang left, he took the main generals with him, but left Ma Chongxi behind.

Because the Red Maidens Army always acted alone and was uncontrollable, it was necessary to keep an informant by Li Yan's side.

Ma Chongxi is quite shrewd and can help with planning and strategizing, as well as monitor Li Yan and his wife. It would be perfect for him to stay.

"what!"

Li Yan slowly woke up, looked at Ma Chongxi, then at Cheng Youde, his heart burning with anger.

"General, please calm down, please calm down!"

Ma Chongxi hurriedly advised, "The most urgent task is to find out about Hong Niangzi and then make a decision based on the situation. The lives of tens of thousands of soldiers at the front are in your hands. You must not lose your composure at this time!"

Li Yan struggled to calm himself and said, "Cheng Youde, tell me everything that happened tonight. If there's even a single lie, I will not forgive you!"

"Yes, yes..."

Cheng Youde wiped the sweat from his forehead, having already made up his mind.

"Halfway through the march, I began to sense that something was amiss. The surroundings were eerily quiet; even the chirping of birds and insects had vanished. I tried to persuade Hong Niangzi to postpone the plan, but she was determined to continue. I had no choice but to obey her orders."

"At first everything went smoothly. However, when we passed an abandoned village, suddenly flames shot up all around us and shouts of battle arose. It turned out that the Ming army had already laid an ambush there. Although our army was extremely brave, we were eventually outnumbered and gradually fell into a bitter battle."

"I did my best to stay close to Hong Niangzi and cover her retreat, but the enemy was too numerous. In the chaos, I lost contact with Hong Niangzi and fought my way out of the encirclement in a daze."

"I was extremely anxious. I wanted to turn back immediately to provide assistance, but then I thought that if no one returned with the news, the consequences would be unimaginable. After much deliberation, I could only suppress my grief and rush back to the camp..."

Li Yan listened carefully, remained silent for a long time, clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palms.

If things go as Cheng Youde said, and tonight's operation fails, then Hong Niangzi should bear the main responsibility.

Ma Chongxi asked, "How did the Ming army know about our actions?"

Cheng Youde shook his head vigorously and said, "This subordinate doesn't know either..."

"Were you already exposed during the march?"

"No, I don't know..."

At this moment, Li Yan sighed and said, "Mr. Ma, there's no need to ask anymore. It was our carelessness!"

Ma Chongxi continued, "This matter is rather strange. The surprise attack on the Ming army's supply camp was a decision we made on short notice. If the Ming army had laid an ambush beforehand, could it be that there was a problem within our ranks, and the news leaked out in advance?"

"Things aren't that complicated at all!"

Li Yan shook his head and said, "The Ming army once raided our supplies, so they will definitely be wary of us raiding theirs, and might even use our supplies as bait to lure us in!"

Ma Chongxi's expression turned grave: "If that's truly the case, it means there's a master in their ranks; this battle will be difficult!"

"Sir, what should we do next?"

Li Yan is now in a state of utter confusion and has lost his composure.

He knew very well that with his current mindset, he was incapable of making the right decision.

Ma Chongxi said, "General Li, don't panic. Tomorrow morning, send out scouts to gather information before making any plans."

Li Yan nodded: "That's the only way!"

As dawn broke, the scouts had just set off when they brought back a man.

"Reporting to the general, we've captured a Ming spy!"

Li Yan looked the man up and down. He was about forty years old, slightly overweight, and had his hands tied behind his back, but his expression was very calm.

Neither his clothing nor his demeanor suggested he was a spy.

"Who are you? What brings you to my Great Shun army's camp?"

"I am Sun Cheng, the Prefect of Baoding, here to deliver a letter to General Li!"

Li Yan gave a signal, and immediately someone stepped forward to search them, and sure enough, they found a letter.

Sun Cheng said, "General Li, there's no need for that. I meant no harm."

Li Yan couldn't wait to open the letter. He quickly glanced at it and saw a lot of writing, but it only advised surrender and didn't mention Hong Niangzi at all.

Of course, he didn't know that when he wrote this letter, Hong Niangzi hadn't even taken any action yet!

"How is my wife? Is she alive or dead?"

Sun Cheng said, "Madam Hong is His Majesty's honored guest, and he will certainly not neglect her."

Li Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief; at least the person was still alive...

Wait!

He was suddenly startled and looked at Ma Chongxi.

Ma Chongxi also stared at Li Yan, both of them showing surprise in their eyes.

"Who did you say...?"

"Of course, it's Mrs. Li."

"no……"

Li Yan waved his hand and asked, "You just said... Your Majesty? Which Your Majesty?"

"General Li is joking; it is naturally His Majesty the Emperor!"

"Is the Chongzhen Emperor... in Baoding?"

"This imperial edict of amnesty was written by His Majesty himself, which fully demonstrates His Majesty's sincerity!"

Li Yan felt a bit confused. The Chongzhen Emperor was actually in Baoding!

This news came rather abruptly, as we had not received any prior intelligence.

No wonder the Ming army suddenly made such a meticulous deployment; it turns out that Emperor Chongzhen was personally leading the expedition!

"Tell me, what are your conditions?"

Sun Cheng looked puzzled and asked, "What are the conditions?"

"snort!"

Li Yan snorted coldly and said, "You captured my wife just to threaten me into submission. I warn you, if even a hair on my wife's head is harmed, when the army marches north, I will make sure Chongzhen dies a horrible death!"

"General Li, you've misunderstood!"

Sun Cheng shook his head and unconsciously took a step forward.

"stop!"

This action was quickly stopped by the guards, who then drew their steel swords and placed them against Sun Cheng's neck.

Sun Cheng smiled wryly and said, "Even in times of war, envoys are not killed. General Li's hospitality is rather stingy, isn't it?"

Li Yan wasn't afraid at all, and said, "Untie him. I want to see what he's capable of!"

The guards untied Sun Cheng's ropes, and Sun Cheng turned around, nodded, and thanked them.

Immediately afterwards, he stepped forward and said, "His Majesty once said that the reason why General Li, Lady Hong, and all the soldiers rose up in rebellion was because of the corruption of the court, the collusion between officials and merchants, and the unbearable suffering of the people. His Majesty did not blame anyone, but instead took this opportunity to vigorously rectify the court and restore a bright and clear world for the people."

Li Yan sneered, "You say Chongzhen vigorously reformed the court? Frankly, wasn't he just finding a few scapegoats? Who could he possibly reform among those who truly held power and influence?"

"General Li may not know that high-ranking officials such as Duke Zhu Chunchen of Cheng and Grand Secretary Chen Yan have been executed. In addition, His Majesty has issued an edict that taxes will never be increased and has implemented new policies in Baoding Prefecture, redistributing confiscated land to the people."

"Are you telling the truth? Chen Yan... was killed?"

Sun Cheng nodded and said, "Execute him by slow slicing right here on the main street of Baoding Prefecture!"

Li Yan finally realized that Liu Fangliang's feigned surrender was not due to Chen Yan's cunning, but rather because Liu's surrender attempt failed, and he was captured and executed by Emperor Chongzhen!

The Grand Secretary of the Cabinet was executed by slow slicing at will; Emperor Chongzhen was ruthless!

Seeing that the other party remained silent, Sun Cheng continued, "I have read through countless ancient books, from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to the present day. How many benevolent rulers like this have there been? Even if there were, they would only be mentioned briefly in historical records. Who could distinguish between truth and falsehood? However, Your Majesty's actions are all true..."

"Stop with your tricks!"

Li Yan didn't believe it at all, saying, "I know what you're trying to say, but forget about trying to persuade him to surrender! Go back and tell Emperor Chongzhen that if he's a man, he should go out of the city and fight a fair battle. What kind of ability is it to kidnap a woman and use her as leverage?"

"General Li..."

"Alright, that's enough for today. This general won't make things difficult for you. You may leave!"

Seeing this, Sun Cheng didn't say anything, but cupped his hands in greeting and turned to leave.

After the man left, Li Yan asked, "Mr. Ma, you saw everything, didn't you?"

Ma Chongxi nodded and said, "General, you did very well, neither humble nor arrogant, showing the demeanor of a renowned general!"

Li Yan waved his hand and asked, "Madam is still alive, what should we do next?"