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

Liu Fangliang stepped forward, pulled out a knife, and held it to Li Yan's neck.

"Miss Hong, I advise you to surrender!"

"Let go of my husband, or I'll make your whole family pay with their lives..."

Before Hong Niangzi could finish speaking, a commotion suddenly broke out in the camp.

"The Marquis of Cizhou has been ordered by His Majesty to take command of the Southern Route Army. Anyone who disobeys will be executed without mercy!"

"Everyone lay down your weapons, or you will be charged with treason!"

"Stand there and don't move! I'm talking to you. If you move again, don't blame me for being rude!"

It turned out that Liu Fangliang's men were rapidly taking control of the key generals of various departments.

These people were ruthless. Some of the generals had followed Hong Niangzi for many years and naturally did not submit to Liu Fangliang. Just as they were about to resist, they were killed with a single blow.

Hong Niangzi angrily retorted, "Liu Fangliang, we've always kept to ourselves, why must you be so ruthless?"

Liu Fangliang said, "You and your husband are colluding with the Ming Dynasty, which makes you enemies of our Great Shun. Of course, enemies must be exterminated!"

"You're talking nonsense! This is a frame-up!"

"Still trying to argue!"

Liu Fangliang gave a cold laugh and said, "Let me ask you, Emperor Chongzhen captured you twice and released you both times. Is there really such a good thing in the world? Does he really think everyone else is a fool?"

"Emperor Chongzhen tried to persuade me to surrender, and even sent me back to persuade you, my lord, but I refused!"

"Who can prove your claims?"

"I, I..."

Hong Niangzi was extremely anxious but helpless, and could only say, "Anyway, I'm telling the truth, believe it or not!"

Liu Fangliang then asked, "Since that's the case, do you dare to come with me to see His Majesty? His Majesty will decide right and wrong!"

"Why wouldn't you dare?"

"Alright, put down the knife and come with me to see His Majesty!"

Hong Niangzi had a fiery temper, and immediately raised her two knives, ready to throw them to the ground.

Li Yan panicked and struggled to shout, "Wife, no! He's lying to you! As long as you live, he won't dare kill me. If you surrender, we'll all die! You must run..."

Liu Fangliang was secretly pleased with himself, but he neglected Li Yan. By the time he realized what was happening, Li Yan had already finished speaking.

Hong Niangzi suddenly realized that since the other party had come prepared, they had no intention of letting her and her husband go.

One good thing about her is that she knows she's not very bright, so she trusts Li Yan almost completely.

Even if they don't understand what Li Yan says, they will do whatever he says.

The situation on the ground was already very clear; if we didn't leave now, we would never be able to leave again.

"drive!"

Hong Niangzi's heart was breaking. She tried her best to suppress the flames of anger, turned her horse around, and began to gallop wildly.

Liu Fangliang shouted, "Stop her!"

However, the situation on the scene became chaotic again.

Many people, seeing Li Yan captured and Hong Niangzi forced to flee, picked up their weapons and began to resist.

At this moment, Ma Chongxi, who had been hiding in the shadows, suddenly appeared and shouted, "Li Yan and his wife have long been bribed by that dog Emperor Chongzhen. Today's military expedition is to lead you to surrender. If you don't surrender, you will only face death. Don't be fooled by them!"

Sure enough, this statement caused many people to hesitate.

Since Hong Niangzi was captured twice and released twice, various rumors have been circulating in the military camp.

It's considered mild to say that Hong Niangzi surrendered to the Ming Dynasty; some rumors have even evolved to the point that Emperor Chongzhen took a liking to Hong Niangzi and cuckolded Li Yan...

In short, all sorts of rumors were flying around, and now that Ma Chongxi had personally said these words, everyone was even more convinced.

While everyone was still hesitating, Liu Fangliang's men took action and killed several of the generals who were leading the resistance on the spot.

At this point, everyone voluntarily laid down their weapons.

Li Yan struggled to raise his head, gritting his teeth as he said, "Ma Chongxi, why did you harm me?"

Ma Chongxi didn't answer, but went straight to Liu Fangliang and bowed deeply.

"This humble official greets the Marquis of Cizhou!"

Liu Fangliang nodded and said, "Mr. Ma, we meet again!"

Ma Chongxi harbored some resentment, after all, his dream of replacing Li Yan had not come true.

However, he still wore a smile and said, "The Ming army is weak, and with the Marquis of Cizhou back in command of the southern army, we will surely be able to easily capture Baoding and march straight to the capital!"

Da da da……

After escaping the camp, Hong Niangzi ran wildly for an unknown amount of time until she could no longer hear her pursuers, at which point she stopped to rest.

She glanced behind her and saw that only a dozen or so people had followed her.

"General, what should we do?"

Looking at the distant camp, Hong Niangzi felt a deep sense of grievance, but had nowhere to confide in.

Li Yan's fate is unknown, and tens of thousands of troops have been taken away by others. On what grounds?

Unconsciously, she thought of Emperor Chongzhen.

Would the situation be like this today if it were under Emperor Chongzhen's rule?

She shook her head vigorously, clearing these distracting thoughts from her mind.

"Let's go see His Majesty. I refuse to believe that His Majesty will allow Liu Fangliang to run rampant!"

Having made up her mind, Hong Niangzi slapped her horse's rump and galloped off towards Zijing Pass.

As the sun set, we finally arrived at the border.

Liu Dadan stood atop the city wall, secretly wondering to himself.

What's going on today? Why are so many people trying to pass through this level?

"Who is it?"

"I am the Matchmaker, I need to leave the pass, please let me through immediately!"

Upon hearing that it was Hong Niangzi, Liu Dadan quickly put on a smiling face: "Oh, it's Madam Li! May I ask what brings you here?"

Hong Niangzi said impatiently, "I need to see His Majesty. If I delay important matters, can you take responsibility? Enough with the nonsense, open the door!"

Liu Dadan hurriedly said, "How could I dare to delay Madam Li's affairs? Please show Madam the Marquis of Cizhou's warrant, and I will immediately order the city gates to be opened so that she may pass."

Upon hearing Liu Dadan's words, Hong Niangzi flew into a rage.

"I, Hong Niangzi, am on equal footing with Liu Fangliang in the Da Shun army. What right does he have to boss me around? And he even needs my warrant? What a joke!"

Liu Dadan looked troubled: "Madam Li, this is an order personally issued by the Marquis of Cizhou. Without a warrant, no one is allowed to enter or leave. I am merely following orders, so please do not make things difficult for me..."

When Hong Niangzi heard Liu Fangliang give the order personally, she immediately understood.

The other party was clearly prepared; they intended to kill the couple!

Left with no other choice, he could only say, "The situation is urgent today, so please let me pass first. I will definitely repay you handsomely in the future."

Liu Dadan simply shook his head: "Madam, it's not that I don't want to release you, it's truly the Marquis of Cizhou's order, and I dare not disobey!"

"Why are you being so indecisive? I'll give you the money, okay? If you don't tell anyone, how will they know I've come out of seclusion?"

Liu Dadan shook his head vigorously, saying, "Madam, please spare this humble servant! I'm afraid I'll earn your money but not live to spend it!"

Hong Niangzi was both angry and anxious, and tried everything she could to persuade Liu Dadan, but he remained unmoved.

She was secretly anxious. Liu Fangliang had been on guard against her leaving the pass and had laid a trap in advance.

The pursuers might already be on their way, and if we delay any longer, we might not be able to escape.

"snort!"

Hong Niangzi glared fiercely at Liu Dadan, turned her horse around, and left with only a dozen or so people.