Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 234: Lady Matchmaker: He is a vassal of the Ming Dynasty!

As he spent more time with these bandits and rebels, what he heard most from them was how they cursed the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Suspicious, jealous... Seemingly listening to everything, but actually believing only one side... Impatient and irritable... Insistent and cold-blooded...

After hearing these words, Chongzhen was so angry at first that he wanted to beat the other party to death. But as he listened more and more, he actually began to reflect seriously and found that he had these problems. However, the things in his bones cannot be changed overnight.

Often becoming aware of a problem is the beginning of solving it.

He has indeed changed a lot these days.

The simplest thing was that every time he exchanged bodies with Zhu Changgan, he slept more soundly than before.

The suspicion, jealousy, impatience and irritability he used to have...are now much less. He can't even remember the last time he lost his temper.

Not only that, both appetite and sleep are greatly improved.

The imperial physician of the palace examined his pulse and said that the heat in his heart had been eliminated, which was a sign of good health.

Even he himself did not realize that he had become more humane.

Zhu Changgan's original intention was to have the Beijing Camp eliminate most of these bandits and then recruit them. This would be more appropriate and safer for the Ming Dynasty.

But Chongzhen just couldn't bring himself to do it no matter what, which was why he rushed to Suzhou. It was not until the fall of Wuchang City that he realized that he had developed feelings for this group of bandits.

Compared with the civil and military officials in the court, these people are more pure and more pitiful.

These people believe in themselves so much...

"But... I don't want to!" Chongzhen looked at everyone with red eyes.

"Why are you rebelling? Isn't it for your parents, wives and children to have land, food and clothing? But now you have all these things, and you want to give them up and die? Have you ever thought about how your family will live?"

Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo and other bandits looked at Prince Xin in shock, not understanding what he meant.
Chongzhen took a deep breath and temporarily suppressed the excitement in his heart, "What if... I mean, what if I can not only save you from death, but also make you rich and prosperous, and be granted a title of nobility?"

"what?"

The scene froze for a moment.

Silence fell.

Even Sun Kewang was stunned for a long time before he reacted, "Prince Xin...what do you mean?"

The muscles on Chongzhen's face twitched a few times. "That's what you understand. It means that you will have a glorious reputation, outstanding achievements, a high title, and a smooth promotion."

"Prince Xin, we are almost at the end of our rope right now. You must have seen how fierce the government troops' artillery fire is. Even if we want to live, how can they let us do so..."

This country is about to be destroyed, and you tell us that we can be granted a title of nobility right away?
Are you hysterical?

Sun Kewang didn't believe it, and his brothers didn't believe it either. They stared at Prince Xin, each of them filled with grief and indignation. "Prince Xin, there is no need to do this. We will fight to the death to get you out."

Chongzhen could not explain, so he could only flick his sleeves and say, "Brothers, you have been stranded in this humble alley, suffering from poverty and the hustle and bustle of the world. Today, I will make you generals and nobles... just wait."

After saying that, he mounted his horse and rushed out.

Old Han also ran out immediately after.

"Prince Xin...Prince Xin..." Li Dingguo tried to catch up with him but failed, leaving a group of people staring at each other in amazement.

"What happened to Prince Xin?"

"What should we do? Should we charge out while the government troops are not attacking?"

"Don't act rashly for now!" Sun Kewang scratched his head hard, frowning.

"No... There's something wrong here. Think about it. The battle was so intense just now, but Prince Xin was able to lead his troops to charge in from outside the city? What does this mean?"

"Yes, the battle was so intense, how did he get in?"

……

Soon, Chongzhen met Zhang Shize again. "General Zhang, the matter of recruiting and pacifying has been resolved. You don't need to use weapons anymore. Just be patient. I will let them leave the city and accept the amnesty later."

"Ouch~" Zhang Shize was stunned when he heard it, and the hot water spilled all over him.

I haven't even finished my cup of tea, and this guy told me that he has been persuaded to surrender?

Before attacking Suzhou Prefecture, Zhang Shize had done some investigation. There were more than 200,000 ferocious bandits.

They killed people without blinking an eye and were brutal and cruel. All the officials and gentry in Suzhou city were slaughtered by them.

The officers and soldiers from several surrounding prefectures did not even have the courage to fight them. Even facing the guns and artillery of the Beijing camp, they still put up a desperate resistance. In the past, the bandits would have been defeated at the first contact.

This group of bandits fought for two hours but remained indomitable, like wolves and tigers, with amazing fighting power.

The key point is that they have the advantage in numbers. It's not that there is no hope of fighting. Zhang Shize himself is not sure that he can annihilate everyone in this battle. As a result... you tell me they are going to surrender?
"How is this possible?" Zhang Shize threw the cup in his hand on the table. "I am telling you, Your Majesty, war is no joke. Can you please stop teasing me here?"

Even local officials don't give a shit about the Ming Dynasty's vassal states, so who is he?

The son of the Duke of England and the commander-in-chief of the Ming Dynasty's capital camp, he looked down upon the Ming Dynasty's vassal states.

“……” Chongzhen stared at the other person seriously.

Zhang Shize felt his scalp tingling as Chongzhen stared at him. He seemed to have seen this look before. His energy suddenly weakened. "You...you..."

"You let your people withdraw from Suzhou City!" Chongzhen shouted coldly: "Prepare to pacify the peasant army."

Zhang Shize was stunned for a while, then looked at Lao Han, the captain of the Jinyiwei next to him, and saw the latter nodded to him, as if he understood something.

He ordered his men, "Let the soldiers withdraw from Suzhou City, but they are not allowed to take off their armor."

That means, we should make all preparations for battle, and launch a thundering attack once the bandits in the city recur.

Chongzhen walked directly into Zhang Shize's central army camp without any hesitation, and the old blind man followed closely. Zhang Shize was about to go in, but was stopped by Old Han, "General Zhang, you'd better wait outside for a while. I'm doing this for your own good."

Zhang Shize was stunned and looked towards the tent in surprise. Through the gap, he saw the other party placing a brush on the inkstone, dipping it in ink, and writing something.

His eyes flickered a few times, and finally he gave up insisting.

Less than a cup of tea later, the old blind man came out and said, "Hand me the seal of your Beijing camp."

"The big seal?"

Zhang Shize stared blankly at the surrender letter with wet ink on it, raised his head and looked at him like a fool, "No, this... did you write this surrender letter?"

The old blind man said impatiently, "Just cover it if I ask you to. There is no point in talking so much. Just cover it on the table and it will be a great contribution for you. What else are you unwilling to do?"

Zhang Shize looked at the surrender letter again and again, but as the old blind man said, he would just stamp it. If it succeeded, it would all be his credit, and if it failed, the blame would not fall on him.

Under the gaze of everyone, Zhang Shize took out his military seal and stamped it on it.

Chongzhen did not delay. After getting the document, he stood up and mounted his horse again.

Old Han was about to leave, but was stopped by Zhang Shize, "Captain Han, who is this person? How could he be so capable?"

"You'll know in a moment." Old Han whipped the warhorse, and the horse flew into the air, leaving Zhang Shize behind.

… “Prince Xin is back!”

"Prince Xin is back..."

Amidst everyone's astonished gaze, Chongzhen appeared in sight again.

"I promised you that I would give you wealth and honor, and grant you titles of nobility..." He unfolded the document in his hand and placed it in front of Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo.

Sun Kewang stared at the document in his hand.

"Sun Kewang was the general of the Ming Dynasty's Liao-removing army, Li Dingguo was the deputy general of the Ming Dynasty's Liao-removing army, Quan Xianzhi, Shi Zhengyou, and Rao Yishu were the lieutenant generals of the Ming Dynasty, and Wan Tiegang, Zhuo Shaobai, Ni Huizhen... and six others were guerrilla generals of the Ming Dynasty."

"Yan Xiangzu and nine others are guarding the Ming Dynasty..."

"Wait, wait... How could this happen?" Li Dingguo looked at these words in disbelief. "What does this mean? Prince Xin, have you... surrendered to the Ming court?"

Chongzhen was silent for a while. "The imperial court has strong soldiers and horses, and Wuchang Prefecture has already fallen. Even if we drag it out, we will not be able to defeat them."

"Instead of dying in battle, it is better to surrender to the Ming court. Not only can you save your life, but you will also have a chance to be granted a title of nobility in the future."

"But...how can we trust the imperial court?" Li Dingguo stood up suddenly, veins popping out on his forehead. "The Eighth Prince surrendered to the Ming court, but what happened? Wasn't he still harmed by the Ming court?"

"That's right. When the Eighth King surrendered to the Ming court, he was only given a garrison general. But now, he directly asked for a general and a deputy general. Even I became a lieutenant general. Isn't this obviously trying to fool fools?" Quan Xianzhi also stood up.

"Prince Xin, you must not be fooled by the imperial court. Once we surrender, I'm afraid the imperial court will kill us all the next moment." Shi Zhengyou also said: "We all know that the Ming court has never trusted us bandits."

"Even if they surrender, they will not be given a high position. Liu Guoneng, the leader of Chuangtatian, is only a garrison commander."

"Prince Xin, you can't be fooled by them!"

"Please think twice, Prince Xin~"

"As long as we can hold on in the first phase, the Ming court will certainly make concessions." Sun Kewang finally spoke: "According to the news from the north, the Manchus in Liaodong are using troops against the Ming Dynasty. The Ming court will certainly dispatch troops to Liaodong."

"This way we will have more opportunities. After we get through this winter, the Ming army will surely march north. Once the government troops retreat, the officials and gentry in Jiangnan will all be cowards. By then, the whole Jiangnan area will be ours."

"Prince Xin, as long as our peasant army is not defeated in one fell swoop, it will be like grasshoppers, filling the fields again in summer."

"Rather than being killed by them like the Eight Great Kings, it is better to fight them..."

"Fight~"

Instantly the cheers were deafening.

Chongzhen's face turned blue and purple, and he was filled with regret. He only wanted to give an explanation to his brothers, but ignored the fact that when the court tried to surrender in the past, he was so stingy that he didn't even want to give up a deputy general.

He directly brought out the general, which made them suspicious.

But things have come to this point and cannot be changed. Chongzhen could only bite the bullet and say: "The Eighth King was killed by the court in Gucheng. Unlike our situation, he was preparing to rebel again, while we just tried to pacify him."

"How is it different? Zhu Youjian has never had any credibility. We would never trust him even if we die."

"I don't believe in the Ming court~"

Chongzhen was confused when he heard the indignation of the crowd. "What do you want me to believe?"

"I am already the deputy general. I would like to ask what position the court will give you?" Li Dingguo asked.

"That's right. Could it be possible that the imperial court could directly confer you a title of nobility?"

"I……"

Chongzhen was about to speak, but suddenly turned around and saw a horse riding fast rushing towards him, with a cold light suddenly flashing.

……

The Beijing troops withdrew from Suzhou City. The peasant army was also worried that the government troops would cheat, so they did not immediately take over the city defense of Suzhou City, resulting in a short-term vacuum.

So much so that when a war horse rushed into the city, neither side intercepted it.

In addition, the two sides had just ended a fierce battle, and there were many wounded soldiers on the peasant army side who were being treated. The painful groans, shouts, and movement of people, the neighing of war horses, and the arrival of Chongzhen attracted the soldiers' attention and voices to him.

So when the horse rushed close to him, Old Han only reacted belatedly.

The cold light of metal suddenly cut through the sky at such a fast speed that it knocked Lao Han's steel knife away. The attack route of the iron spear deviated a little and pierced the arm of a bandit next to Chongzhen.

"Ah~"

A wave of chaos suddenly arose, and the bandits who were unable to discern the situation, those who reacted and those who did not, collided with each other in an instant.

"Who is so bold?"

"Take it for me~"

Ding Ding Dang Dang~
The sound of metal clashing was like a surge, pushing violently in all directions. One after another, the bandits were hit by the iron spears and knocked away.

Most of the peasant army were of peasant origin, and few of them had martial arts skills, so several of them were knocked down in just a few breaths.

Even when Li Dingguo attacked, he could only block a few moves before being blasted several meters away by the opponent's taut iron spear, hitting the ground with dust everywhere.

But after Li Dingguo's move, the peasant army formed an encirclement and trapped the people in the middle.

Chongzhen was under the protection of Lao Han at this moment. Although he fell, he was not seriously injured. He stood up and saw clearly who the person was.

The atmosphere was intense and solemn.

Soon several more people were seen bleeding, and the other party's face was also covered in blood, so he had to wipe it off hard.

"Why is it a woman?"

It was not until this moment that everyone could see clearly that the person who beat them like this was actually a tall woman in a black dress. Even though her face was covered in mud, she still looked pretty.

Not to mention that she has a curvy figure, every time she runs in a small area, her figure is full of surging waves.

Despite her thin body, she swung the iron spear in her hand like a wind wheel. No matter who it was, if they touched it, they would be hit by a carriage and fly away.

"Red Lady?"

Finally, someone recognized her. Sun Kewang stared at the woman in the field and shouted angrily, "Do you know what you are doing?"

In the anti-king conference, all the anti-kings have always regarded King Xin as their leader. Even if you, Hong Niangzi, did not participate and did not want to acknowledge it, it does not matter. But now you are trying to assassinate him, which is completely against benevolence and morality.

Hong Niangzi raised the iron spear in her hand and pointed it at Chongzhen. "Of course I know what I am doing. You may not know that the master you respect as the leader of the rebel king is actually a vassal of the Ming Dynasty!"

shuh~
Everyone's eyes were focused on Chongzhen.

"Zong...Zongfan?"

……

ps: There may be another chapter later, or it may be morning.

(End of this chapter)