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

"Father..."

Zhu Cilang wanted to persuade him further, but Chongzhen suddenly shouted:

"Shut up, this is my last shred of dignity. Step down..."

Seeing that his father's mind was made up, Zhu Cilang knew that he could not save him.

Thinking of the loyal and righteous emperor of later generations, Zhu Cilang, as a time traveler, clearly understood the great significance of sacrificing oneself for one's country for the Chinese nation.

The emperor guards the nation's gates, and the monarch dies for the state; Emperor Chongzhen accomplished this.

Compared to the emperors who called for the gates and the last emperor of the Jurchens, Emperor Chongzhen's integrity was unparalleled.

Although the Ming Dynasty fell during his reign, later generations only praised Chongzhen for his mediocre abilities, with no other negative aspects.

Having given up trying to persuade his father, Zhu Cilang was preparing for his own retreat. He knelt down and bowed three times to his father.

"Since Father has made up his mind, I can only leave first. Before I depart, I ask that Father issue two more imperial edicts for me."

Emperor Chongzhen bent down to help Zhu Cilang up and asked gently:

"Rise. Whatever my son desires, his father will grant it. What use is an imperial edict?"

Zhu Cilang cupped his hands and said:

"One edict is for the future succession of the prince, and the other is for Qin Liangyu, the pillar of the emperor, bestowing upon her the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Integrity, ordering her to wholeheartedly assist the prince!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen was taken aback, as there was nothing wrong with the edict of succession.

Why was Qin Liangyu granted the title of Marquis of Loyalty and was required to fully assist the Crown Prince?

Could it be that Zhu Cilang was unwilling to go to Nanjing to succeed to the throne, and instead wanted to go to Shizhu to find Qin Liangyu?

Emperor Chongzhen had no doubt about Qin Liangyu's loyalty to the Ming Dynasty; her entire family was loyal and devoted!

But at this time, Qin Liangyu was nearly seventy years old. What help could an elderly woman like her be to the Crown Prince? Even if she still had the ability, how many more years could she help him?

Emperor Chongzhen was puzzled and asked:

"My son, Qin Liangyu is old and it is not appropriate for her to go to Shizhu. If there is an opportunity, it would be best for her to go to Nanjing to succeed to the throne!"

Zhu Cilang bowed and said:

"Father, the Ming Dynasty is rotten to the core. Officials only fight among themselves. I have no troops under my command. If I go to Nanjing, I will be sidelined. The only option is to go to Shizhu."

Qin Liangyu is still in good health, and her authority in Shizhu is unshakeable. In the early stages, the prince can rely on the White-Spear Soldiers to protect himself and vigorously develop his own forces.

During this period, the Jurchens will inevitably enter the pass, forcing them to fight the bandits. When both sides are exhausted, the prince will have already controlled Sichuan and other places.

When the emperor's army arrives in Nanjing, he will ascend the throne and launch a northern expedition, vowing to annihilate all the rebels and Jurchens and recover all the lost territories of the Ming Dynasty...

Emperor Chongzhen knew of the corruption and incompetence of the officials in the court, and felt that Zhu Cilang's words made some sense. He did not ask any further questions and immediately picked up his pen to write the imperial edict...

What is a "central edict"? It is an imperial edict issued by the emperor, but which has not been reviewed and sealed by the cabinet.

For Zhu Cilang, there was no difference between an imperial edict and a decree; as long as it was written by Emperor Chongzhen himself and stamped with the imperial seal, it was sufficient to prove his identity.

After Emperor Chongzhen finished writing the imperial edict, he personally wrapped up the imperial seal and handed it to Zhu Cilang:

"My son, bring the imperial seal with you!"

Zhu Cilang took the imperial seal and placed it on the dragon desk. He could not take the imperial seal with him; he had to leave it to Li Zicheng.

After Li Zicheng enters the palace, he will inevitably search everywhere for the imperial seal. If he cannot find the imperial seal, he may very well start a massacre, and then the palace maids and eunuchs will all suffer.

After capturing the crown prince, Li Zicheng would definitely torture him severely, and the imperial seal would eventually fall into Li Zicheng's hands.

For his own safety and that of the palace maids and eunuchs, Zhu Cilang had no need to take the imperial seal with him; leaving the imperial seal could save his life!

"Father, the Imperial Seal cannot be taken away. I fear the bandits will kill in their anger if they cannot find it. Let it remain!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen nodded. For the sake of all the people in the city and the palace maids and eunuchs, it would be best to keep the imperial seal.

"Very well, it's decided then. Leave the Imperial Seal behind, my son, depart immediately."

"The capital may fall. I hope Father will dismiss the palace maids and eunuchs. Father, take care. I bid you farewell!"

Zhu Cilang kowtowed three times to Emperor Chongzhen. As he rose to leave, tears welled in his eyes. He knew that this parting would be forever…

……

Changping

In the bandit camp, Li Zicheng was discussing matters with his generals Niu Jinxing, Liu Zongmin, and Li Yan when intelligence arrived that Zhang Xianzhong had declared himself emperor.

Li Zicheng was furious. After cursing loudly, he prepared to send troops to attack Zhang Xianzhong. Prime Minister Niu Jinxing hurriedly advised him against it.

"Chuang Wang, no! Our army is at the gates of the capital. We cannot afford to disperse our forces. We should focus all our efforts on capturing the capital. Zhang Xianzhong and his ilk are not worth fearing."

To be honest, no one in the bandit camp expected that they would be able to successfully reach the capital region of the Ming Dynasty.

You should know that before, they were chased by government troops into the mountains every day. At their worst, Li Zicheng was left with only eighteen horsemen...

The Jurchens suddenly invaded the border, and coupled with severe natural disasters, the imperial court temporarily did not continue its suppression, allowing Li Zicheng, this indomitable cockroach, to rise again.

They initially rebelled simply to get enough to eat; they never imagined they could overthrow the Ming Dynasty, because they dared not even think about it…

After Chongzhen rejected Li Zicheng's conditions, they only wanted to capture Beijing as soon as possible and overthrow the Ming Dynasty, and had no intention of dealing with Zhang Xianzhong.

After Niu Jinxing, all the generals present expressed their support.

Upon hearing this, Li Zicheng burst into laughter:

"Alright, let's attack Beijing first. But Beijing's city walls are high and sturdy, and there's a moat tens of meters wide outside the city. Brothers, how do you think we can attack it..."

Liu Zongmin laughed heartily:

"The old method: use refugees to wear down the Ming army's strength. When they are exhausted, the main force will charge and break through the city. The beauties and silver in the city will all be ours..."

"Yes, we have nothing but plenty of manpower. We can just launch a fierce attack. The imperial court has no reinforcements, so it's only a matter of time before the city falls..."

……

Following Liu Zongmin, generals such as Niu Jinxing, Tian Jianxiu, Hao Yaoqi, and Li Guo offered their advice and strategies.

Thinking of the impending attack on the capital, they were all beaming with joy. They were all happy, thinking that once they broke through Beijing, they would become the masters of the city!

In the entire bandit camp, only one person had mixed feelings. While smiling, he also felt a little sad. This person was Li Yan, the greatest contributor to Li Zicheng's victory in reaching Beijing.

Li Yan was a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty. Now, he was the most educated person in the bandit army. Just when he was about to overthrow the Ming Dynasty, he suddenly couldn't be happy...

He simply watched the generals discuss, unusually remaining silent...

Li Yan was unaware that the Left Prime Minister Niu Jinxing was glancing at him from time to time...

After some discussion, Li Zicheng finally made the decision to besiege the capital city and try to capture it within ten days.

……

Qianqing Palace

After Crown Prince Zhu Cilang left, Emperor Chongzhen slumped weakly on the dragon throne. His temples were gray, his face was ashen, and he was completely devoid of energy.

He was once full of confidence and high spirits, but now he has been betrayed by everyone and has become a lonely figure!

Footsteps and clamor could be heard as palace maids and eunuchs began to flee...

"Wang Daban, go check what's going on!"

Emperor Chongzhen forced himself to stay alert and sent Wang Chengen to investigate. Soon, Wang returned, his face deathly pale, and reported:

"Your Majesty, the rebel Li Zicheng has already besieged the capital and has begun attacking the nine outer city gates..."

"What?"

Emperor Chongzhen trembled, his face turning even paler. The nine gates were the outer city; if any one of them fell, the rebel army would surely besiege the inner city. It was truly impossible to hold out any longer…

Wang Chengen knew that the Emperor had heard him clearly, but just didn't believe it, so he hurriedly added:

"Your Majesty, we must leave! The capital cannot be defended!"

"Prepare the horses, let's leave the palace!"

Before Wang Chengen could finish speaking, Chongzhen immediately rose and left the Qianqing Palace. Guards brought him a warhorse, which he mounted and rode out of the imperial city...

Emperor Chongzhen did not go to the outer city to check the military situation, but instead went to the inner city to check on the situation of his ministers and nobles.

After a round of visits, the gates of the official residences, nobles, imperial relatives, and eunuchs remained tightly shut, as if they wanted to isolate themselves from the world.

Chongzhen said to Wang Chengen:

"Knock on the door!"

Old Wang went to knock on the door, but no one answered or opened it. Furious, Old Wang kicked the door hard, but it didn't budge...