Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 233 Chongzhen: "I don't want to!"

Although it is only late autumn, the wind in the south of the Yangtze River is very strong, the cold penetrates into the bones, and the mountains and rivers in the distance are weeping.

The bloody battles of these days also cooled down in the cold wind.

Every time Hongniangzi passed a place, she would stop to inquire. In addition, there were many government troops along the way, so the travel speed was not fast.

Moreover, the Jiangnan region had experienced war, and the people looked at strangers with scrutiny. She was almost reported as a relative of a corrupt official several times.

The hatred and resentment in that look forced her to change her strategy: she dressed herself in rags and smeared mud on her face, which made her feel much better.

"Going forward, right? Okay, thank you!"

After paying her respects to an old man, Hongniang jumped on her horse again and galloped away.

She didn't know if it was her illusion or the truth, but she found that the people in the Jiangnan area seemed to be more kind than before.

She grew up in an acrobatic troupe, so she had a different feeling towards people. She could tell at a glance whether they were kind or malicious, how they were doing, whether they were rich or poor, happy or sad.

Because since she was a child, she grew up watching other people's cold eyes.

Those people had dull eyes that were filled with anxiety and despair, but she never went to them with a gong to beg for money.

Because they themselves are almost starving to death, even if you kneel down, they will not pay a penny.

Only those with sparkle in their eyes will spend money.

But now...it seems to be completely different from before.

Those who used to have dull faces now all have light in their eyes.

This impression made her a little dazed. She had never made a mistake, whether as a child or later when she became the boss... But now, she suddenly found that it didn't work.

"What's going on?" Hong Niangzi couldn't help but clench her hand around the iron spear again and gritted her teeth, "Go!"

Regardless of other things, there are some things you can give up, but there are some things you must get back.

……

Suzhou,

With the entry of the five major camps, the major peasant armies suffered heavy casualties, while Sun Kewang and Shi Daoshen also suffered extremely heavy casualties.

The troops of the Beijing camp were mighty, and 30,000 of them had already stepped into the edge of the moat.

In the sunlight, the armor's cold light sparkled brightly, and there was no end in sight. The front army had already reached the foot of the city, while the rear army was still on the lake.

Zhang Shize rode a tall horse and wore a phoenix-wing headband helmet. There were various decorative beasts in the center of the headband, and the armor on his body was decorated with the iconic mountain patterns and fish scales.

The nail plates are neatly tied on leather or textiles and have decorative gold edging, creating a bright and vivid color contrast.

"Dad finally let me wear this."

Zhang Shize had coveted this set of armor since he was a child, but his father had always kept it in the ancestral hall and even his eldest brother was not allowed to wear it. Unexpectedly, his father gave it to him for this expedition.

The implication of this is, of course, tacit acceptance of his status.

"In the end, everything still depends on your majesty's appreciation!" Zhang Shize is just a second-generation rich man, but now he has made many military achievements and has become a leader of the young generation of nobles.

This made the old Duke of England blush every time he talked about it. Even Zhu Changgan knew the old Duke of England Zhang Zhiji's catchphrase: "Who said that my military merits have long been extinct?"

"Suzhou? Your Majesty means that if the other party surrenders, then you can appease them..." Zhang Shize whispered, looking at Suzhou City with flashing eyes.

Suzhou City is a big city. With cannons and muskets in hand, even if the bandits are fierce, they cannot be defended.

But since His Majesty has said so, we must naturally try to persuade them to surrender.

Sun Kewang claimed that he had an army of more than 200,000 and could resolve the issue peacefully. He did not want to be stained with the blood of the peasant army, nor did he want to use the flesh and blood of his own soldiers in the Beijing camp to chew on this tough bone.

Your Majesty's imperial edict has arrived. The war in Liaodong is tense. We can go fight the Tartars immediately. That will be the real military achievement.

The opportunity to retrace his ancestors' steps was about to come, how could he let it go?

But after Zhang Shize wrote two letters of surrender to Sun Kewang in Suzhou City, they were all rejected. He couldn't help but get angry.

"Siege!"

"Blast them away with artillery!"

"Don't worry about the ammunition. His Majesty said that nothing is more important than the lives of the soldiers..."

……

At the same time, Chongzhen was riding his horse at full speed towards Suzhou City.

The reason why they came to Suzhou City first was because Suzhou City was further north and was the first to engage in war with the Ming Dynasty's official army.

But even though Chongzhen had been hurrying and was about to see Suzhou City, he suddenly heard the news that the government troops were attacking the city.

"How far is it?"

Old Han took a look and said, "Reply to the king, there are still twenty miles."

"quick!"

"Faster!"

When Chongzhen arrived at Suzhou City, he found that three large holes had been blown in the city wall.

The troops of the Beijing camp, divided into units of 10,000, tightly controlled the three defense lines of Suzhou City.

Zhang Shize sent troops on three fronts at the same time, but forced Sun Kewang's army of 200,000 to retreat step by step.

Cannons... muskets... took turns to be used. The peasant army tried several waves of charge, but under the huge firepower, they could only retreat after leaving behind thousands of corpses.

A strong wind suddenly arose,

The wind blew dust and hit the peasant army in the face, blinding all the soldiers and horses, and also made the flags of both sides flutter.

“How could this be…” Sun Kewang felt extremely cold despite wearing thick armor.

Li Dingguo's forehead was bleeding, but he still insisted on fighting the government troops. However, he was also terrified when he saw the scene in front of him. "I have only heard that if the Manchu army is less than 10,000, it is invincible! But..."

He didn't say the second half of the sentence: When did the government troops become so powerful?
Just as they were hesitating, a clamorous sound suddenly came from behind them.

However, the government troops broke through the defense lines of Suzhou's inner city on the southern and western fronts and attacked from behind.

Li Dingguo quickly raised his sword and shouted, "Brothers, follow me and fight the government troops!"

He knew that if he did not fight at this moment, the 200,000... even 300,000-strong army would be completely defeated by the government troops and there would be no possibility of counterattack.

This is the biggest difference between bandits and government troops.

You can only fight when the wind is in your favor.

The battle between the two sides began fiercely, like two huge beasts.

One was huge, with bared fangs and claws, but the other was like an iron fist, constantly tearing off the flesh of the giant beast.

The blood on the ground continued to seep into the Suzhou River.

Countless corpses fell into the river, instantly dyeing the water red.

……

At the same time, outside Suzhou city.

"drive!"

A group of men and horses approached quickly, their horses' hooves raising clouds of dust, and the cool autumn sunlight was instantly stained with a lot of gray. "Who are you? If you come any closer, I will kill you on the spot!"

The scouts of the Beijing camp aimed their muskets at Lao Han and Chongzhen.

"Don't shoot. Han Laoju, a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is here with the emperor's handwritten order." Lao Han shouted at the other party, holding up his badge.

When the scouts from the Beijing camp heard this, two of them looked at each other, and one of them came forward to check while the other was on guard.

Soon, Old Han's badge and documents were checked and approved, but the other party still asked, "Captain Han, why are you coming from the south?"

"We were delayed on a mission to the south."

The man still did not let down his guard and asked again, "There are nine monkeys on the tree and seven monkeys on the ground. If I shoot, how many monkeys are left?"

"No more, not one."

The scout finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the code matched. "Captain Han, wait a minute. I'll report to you right away."

Less than an incense stick of time later, Chongzhen finally saw Zhang Shize and asked, "How is the war going?"

"They are just chickens and dogs. We will surely defeat them within an hour."

The muscles on Chongzhen's face twitched. "General Zhang, please tell the soldiers to stop immediately."

"Hmm?" Zhang Shize's eyes suddenly changed when he heard this, and his tone suddenly became higher, "What did you say?"

Chongzhen didn't bother to get angry with him. He took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and said, "I have the emperor's order. You will know it after you take a look."

After hearing that the Beijing Army had already fought with Sun Kewang, Chongzhen took the opportunity of going to the toilet to write a "handwritten edict".

The emperor's handwritten edict can be written however you want.
"This..." Zhang Shize was stunned when he saw the handwriting. "His Majesty asked you to go and persuade them to surrender? Who are you?"

"I am Zhu Changgan, the prince of Xiang."

Zhang Shize lowered his head and looked at the imperial edict in his hand again, "But... if it is an imperial edict, why doesn't it have the seal of His Majesty, let alone the seal of the Imperial Household Department?"

This is obviously against etiquette. The emperor's handwritten edict, even if it did not require the emperor's private seal, should have the seal of the Imperial Household Department on it.

Chongzhen thought to himself, "It's already this late, where can I find the seal for you?"

But he said, "It's enough for you to know that it's the imperial edict from the Ming Emperor. Besides... I'm a relative of the Ming Emperor, but I'm not afraid. What are you afraid of? Going there to persuade them to surrender won't affect the overall situation, and it's even less likely to be treason. Even if this imperial edict is fake, if it succeeds, the credit goes to you. If it fails and I'm killed, you have this imperial edict in your hand, so the blame won't fall on you, right?"

Zhang Shize smiled when he heard this, "If you put it that way... I believe it. This deal is not a loss."

He laughed and told the lieutenant general, "Let the soldiers stop, and let our Ming clan member go and persuade them to surrender!"

"But I have one last piece of advice for you. The bandits are brutal and cruel. They are not polite to the Ming clan members..."

Zhang Shize's lieutenant general also laughed when he heard this.

However, the next moment, Chongzhen jumped on his horse, the horse neighed, and rushed into the broken city gate. Following closely behind him was Han Laoju, a captain of the Jinyiwei, and dozens of Jinyiwei men.

Zhang Shize's face turned serious. He was stunned for a moment before muttering, "Who said that all the clan members are idiots?"

"Ouch~"

Zhang Shize staggered and saw that it was an old man who kicked him. He immediately yelled in anger, "You old thing... who are you?"

"Prince Xiang, Zhu Yiming!" Prince Xiang angrily cursed, "Who are you calling a fool?"

He was already worried enough about his son's affairs, and now Zhang Shize is walking into trouble. Who else should he beat?

"Prince Xiang?" Zhang Shize's face suddenly turned green. "Why are you here too? Don't... don't..."

……

Chongzhen led Lao Han and rushed all the way inside. Due to Zhang Shize's instructions, the troops of the Beijing camp stopped advancing, and the sounds of artillery and muskets gradually weakened.

"What's going on? Why aren't the government troops attacking?"

"I don't know, what are they doing... Are they pulling something?" Li Dingguo was leaning on the steel knife in his hand, blood pouring from his arm. No matter how brave he was, he couldn't withstand the artillery and muskets and was shot.

"My men, the government troops are out of ammunition. Follow me and charge over and kill them."

"kill……"

The bandits, who were on the verge of collapse, finally got a chance to catch their breath. Seeing that their own general was so brave, their morale was instantly boosted.

The crowd rushed towards the people from the Beijing camp, but stopped again.

Because they were stopped by a group of people.

"King Xin?"

"Who?"

Li Dingguo had never met Prince Xin, but the others under Sun Kewang had, so when they were halfway through their run, they suddenly stopped, and one of the lieutenant generals knelt down on the ground, "Greetings to Prince Xin!"

"Prince Xin... why are you here?"

Seeing that Prince Xin had actually arrived, the bandits' eyes all turned red and their morale was greatly boosted.

"Prince Xin is mighty!"

“Prince Xin…”

Chongzhen jumped off his horse and asked, "Where is Sun Kewang?"

"General Sun is in the central army camp."

Chongzhen followed them all the way to the outside of the central military tent, but saw Sun Kewang running out in a hurry.

"Sun Kewang is here to pay his respects to Prince Xin. It is so dangerous. I will have someone take you out right away. Li Dingguo, come here..."

Chongzhen interrupted him and asked, "Can you win?"

Sun Kewang's face suddenly froze. "The government troops are too well-equipped. I'm afraid it will be difficult to win."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"Fight...even if we can't win, we must fight to the last drop of blood. Now the Wuchang Conference is imminent, and all the rebel kings are led by Prince Xin. If we retreat, how can Prince Xin convince the people?" Sun Kewang said with red eyes.

"Is it worth it to shed the blood of hundreds of thousands of brothers just for my own honor?"

"It's worth it!" Sun Kewang stared at Chongzhen's eyes like a torch, "We have never had enough food to eat, clothes to wear, or a wife to marry. But since we followed Prince Xin, we have been able to live like human beings."

"Now that we have the opportunity to serve King Xin, none of us will back down!"

“Yes, don’t back down!”

"Don't back down..."

"I do~"

Tens of thousands of soldiers present shouted in unison, their voices as loud as thunder and deafening.

Chongzhen looked at these people and his eyes suddenly turned red. He had thought before that Sun Kewang would definitely fight to his last breath. If that happened, the Beijing camp would probably sacrifice a lot of people.

It can be said that when he brought people here to persuade them to surrender, he was more concerned about the Ming Dynasty and the government troops...

But when he really saw that these people were willing to sacrifice their lives for him, something deep in his bones suddenly loosened.

His eyes were red, and he suddenly choked up and shouted at them, "But I don't want to."

(End of this chapter)