The Ming Dynasty began in the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign.

Li Zicheng was stunned upon hearing this...

He commanded nearly a million troops, half of whom were starving civilians. These people only needed to be fed and did not need to be paid military salaries.

However, there are still hundreds of thousands of main troops who have been waiting for months to respond, and they are all waiting for the King of Chuang's reward!

They had thought that by capturing the capital of the Ming Dynasty, they could obtain a huge amount of gold and silver from the Ming imperial palace, but now it seems that it may very well be all for naught.

Li Zicheng's soldiers were all in high spirits, dreaming of their bright future...

They had followed Li Zicheng for many years and experienced countless life-and-death situations, believing that after overthrowing the Ming Dynasty, they would be able to take charge of their own destiny.

At that time, weapons will be stored away, horses will graze freely, there will be no more fighting, and people can enjoy a life of luxury in the capital.

If military pay cannot be distributed, the army will gradually lose the support of the people.

The brothers followed the rebel leader through thick and thin, fighting tooth and nail until they finally overthrew the Ming Dynasty.

Now Li Zicheng is the emperor, but what about them?

They gained nothing, and even their regular pay couldn't be guaranteed. This would definitely discourage hundreds of thousands of soldiers loyal to Li Zicheng...

Li Zicheng certainly didn't want this to happen. After a moment of contemplation, he said:

"The gold and silver must have been hidden by Chongzhen beforehand. He ordered people to search carefully. We don't believe that Chongzhen only had tens of thousands of taels of silver."

"Here you go!"

Liu Zongmin bowed to Li Zicheng and led his men to continue searching for the treasure hidden in the Ming Dynasty palace!

Li Zicheng then said to Niu Jinxing:

"Prime Minister Niu, convey my decree: all Ming officials and nobles in the capital must appear before me in court within three days. Those who disobey will be executed without mercy!"

"As you command!"

Niu Jinxing accepted the order and withdrew from the Huangji Hall.

Li Zicheng, accompanied by his personal guards, went to the Qianqing Palace, where he intended to rest in Emperor Chongzhen's bedroom.

Historically, Li Zicheng went directly to the inner palace, took a liking to a palace maid named Dou, and bestowed upon her the title of Imperial Concubine, with Dou serving him in bed.

Because Zhu Cilang traveled through time and changed history, the palace maids had been dismissed, leaving Li Zicheng alone in his empty room.

Li Zicheng had very little sexual desire and rarely indulged in women, which led to Xing Shi running away with Gao Jie, a rare occurrence among leaders of rebel armies throughout history.

……

Let's talk about Zhu Cilang.

After the bandit army entered the city, he sent out a dozen men disguised as civilians, mainly to investigate the situation of the female soldiers entering the city.

Once a female soldier was spotted, he was immediately notified. No one knew why the Crown Prince was looking for female soldiers, but no one asked any questions and they all carried out the order.

Zhu Cilang knew very well that only the troops led by Li Yan had female soldiers in the rebel army. Those female soldiers were brave and good at fighting, and they were all under the command of Li Yan's wife, Hong Niangzi.

Zhu Cilang didn't want to associate with brutes. Most of the rebel generals were die-hard fans of Li Zicheng. Li Yan was both a scholar and a Ming dynasty scholar who had passed the imperial examinations. Zhu Cilang was confident that he could persuade Li Yan to leave.

It's not that Li Yan is indispensable, but given the current situation, Li Yan is the best candidate for Zhu Cilang to leave the capital.

The gentry class of the Ming Dynasty was rotten to the core. If Zhu Cilang wanted to change the Ming Dynasty, he had to overthrow everything and start over.

Li Yan had a track record of following Li Zicheng in fighting local tyrants and killing officials and gentry. His effectiveness in dealing with corrupt officials, nobles, and the gentry class was far superior to that of the Ming Dynasty officials. Zhu Cilang needed such an assistant.

Shortly after Liu Zongmin and Li Zicheng led their armies into the city, the Imperial Guards discovered a group of people entering the city, including many female soldiers. They hurriedly returned to report to the Crown Prince:

"My lord, we've spotted female soldiers entering the city. They're all dressed in red, and they look incredibly dashing..."

Zhu Cilang nodded upon hearing this, and ordered Gao Wencai to lead twenty men to guard the house, while he led Fang Zhenghua and others to see Li Yan.

……

When the rebel army broke through the capital, the rebel leaders were naturally overjoyed, as they all seemed to see an infinitely bright future for themselves.

Among the rebel leaders, some felt they could be ennobled, while others felt they could be ennobled as kings of different surnames. Only Li Yan was somewhat sullen.

Seeing that her husband was preoccupied, Hong Niangzi asked him many times, but Li Yan always made excuses and did not tell his wife his true thoughts.

Since following Li Zicheng, Li Zicheng has attached great importance to Li Yan; otherwise, the policy of equal land distribution and tax exemption proposed by Li Yan would not have been adopted.

When Li Yan first proposed this slogan, it was purely for the purpose of winning people's hearts in the short term. He knew very well that this was not a long-term solution.

Once the rebel army gained momentum and even overthrew the Ming Dynasty, the policy of equal land distribution and tax exemption would have been absolutely detrimental to ancient emperors.

In ancient times, there was no industry, and people relied entirely on agriculture for survival. The common people did not pay taxes, so how could millions of soldiers be fed, and how could officials across the country survive?

After the rebel army broke through Ningwu Pass, Li Yan mentioned this matter to Li Zicheng, but Li Zicheng did not take it to heart, and Li Yan was even targeted and suppressed by Niu Jinxing.

This shows that Li Zicheng was short-sighted, lacked ambition, and had no ability to rule the world.

As a scholar who passed the imperial examination in the Ming Dynasty, Li Yan still had some affection for the court. He was forcibly dragged into the rebellion by Hong Niangzi.

Thinking of the once bustling streets of the capital, now filled with ragged, emaciated refugees, and unidentified corpses lying on the streets.

Li Yan's heart clenched painfully. He suddenly realized that overthrowing the Ming Dynasty did not seem to improve the lives of the people.

"My lord, someone ahead requests an audience!"

Just as Li Yan was lost in thought, a personal guard came to report.

Li Yan was a humble person, and upon hearing this, he nodded and said:

"Do not harm anyone. Bring him to me!"

"Here you go!"

Soon, Zhu Cilang and Fang Zhenghua's group arrived in front of Li Yan.

Li Yan was handsome and dashing, and dressed in scholar's attire. From his appearance, one could not tell that he had any connection with the bandits.

Dressed in red, the Red Maiden was beautiful with a heroic air. Perhaps because she was a martial artist, she was slightly plump, which only made her more beautiful.

Seeing the handsome man and beautiful woman sitting on the two warhorses in front of him, Zhu Cilang knew that the two must be Li Yan and Hong Niangzi.

He cupped his hands and said:

"Greetings, General and Madam. I have discovered a shipment of gold, silver, and grain. Would you be so kind as to personally inspect it?"

With so many people around, Zhu Cilang didn't reveal his identity. He wanted Li Yan to go to the grain store to check, and then he would talk to Li Yan in detail.

Zhu Cilang left behind 300,000 taels of silver and 70,000 shi of grain, which was his pledge of loyalty to Li Yan.

There was no other way; when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. In the eyes of the rebel army, the status of the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty was like that of a fish on a chopping block!

While Zhu Cilang was observing Li Yan and his wife, Li Yan and Hong Niangzi were also sizing up Zhu Cilang and the others.

Both were seasoned veterans, and they could tell at a glance that Zhu Cilang and his companions were extraordinary; their attire and demeanor suggested they were no ordinary people.

"My lord, we mustn't! They are not ordinary people. Our army has just entered the city; it's best to be cautious!"

Before Li Yan could speak, Hong Niangzi immediately reminded him, worried that the young man in front of her might scheme against him.

Li Yan hesitated for a moment, realizing that Hong Niangzi's worries were not unfounded.

Seeing this, Zhu Cilang cupped his hands again and smiled:

"Rest assured, gentlemen. The capital has been completely controlled by the rebel army. We would never dare to have any disloyal intentions. If the general does not believe us, he may lead his army to the capital together."

Li Yan and Hong Niangzi exchanged a glance and decided to lead their troops there.

The couple has nearly ten thousand men under their command, so there shouldn't be any unexpected incidents.

Besides, who wouldn't want silver and grain? The army under my command is in dire need of money and supplies!

"Very well, you all lead the way. If what you say is true, there will be a generous reward!"

Zhu Cilang smiled and nodded, leading the way with several dozen of his men, while Li Yan and his wife followed behind with their troops...