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

Luo Yangxing arrived at Qianqing Palace in a hurry.

"Your Majesty, I, Luo Yangxing, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, inquire after Your Majesty's well-being!"

Zhu Youjian said with dissatisfaction, "Li Zicheng is about to reach the capital. How can I be at ease?"

Luo Yangxing, looking terrified, said, "I deserve to die ten thousand times!"

"Alright, get up and answer!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Youjian asked, "I'd like to ask you, how many Embroidered Uniform Guards does the Ming Dynasty have?"

After a moment's thought, Luo Yangxing replied, "If it's a full-strength unit, it would be roughly 150,000."

"150,000? Haha, hahaha..."

Zhu Youjian suddenly burst into laughter, then his face darkened, and he said, "If I had 150,000 Imperial Guards, I would have sent them out to kill the enemy long ago. How could we have been driven to our doorstep?"

Luo Yangxing had no choice but to tell the truth: "As far as I know, there are indeed cases of soldiers drawing salaries without working in some garrisons. I will definitely take strict measures to rectify this situation after I go down to the front lines!"

"Putting aside the matter of rectification, tell me the truth, how many Embroidered Uniform Guards are there in the capital?"

"Roughly, roughly... there are seventy or eighty thousand."

Zhu Youjian then asked, "Are you sure there are as many as seventy or eighty thousand?"

Luo Yangxing felt uneasy; seventy or eighty thousand was already an exaggeration.

The actual number of officially registered Imperial Guards would not exceed 50,000.

Because most of the high-ranking officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were relatives of the emperor and held hereditary positions with deep roots, the phenomenon of drawing salaries without working was very serious.

Although he was the commander, sometimes he had to turn a blind eye.

"Well, well, we can always find fifty thousand..."

Zhu Youjian pondered for a moment, then asked, "Let me rephrase my question: If the rebel army were to enter Beijing, how many members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard would be able to fight on the front lines?"

Luo Yangxing's forehead was covered in cold sweat. After a long while, he finally said, "Aside from the spies we sent out, there are also some civil officials and the elderly and weak. I estimate that there are about twenty to thirty thousand men capable of fighting!"

Zhu Youjian secretly breathed a sigh of relief; twenty or thirty thousand was not a small amount.

Currently, military commanders who hold significant military power are all observing the situation, and are basically in a state of obeying orders but not proclamations.

Wu Sangui, who was guarding Shanhaiguan, is probably considering whether to surrender to Li Zicheng or Dorgon after the fall of Beijing.

Liu Zeqing, the general of Shandong, and Zuo Liangyu, who was far away in Wuchang, were both powerful and influential.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was the emperor's personal army; these people were his last trump card.

Since it is a knife, it must be sharp enough. If it is rusted or dull, how can it kill people?

"Listen carefully, conduct a thorough investigation immediately. I want the true list."

Luo Yangxing bowed and said, "Your subject obeys the decree. I will return immediately to make preparations!"

"Three days!"

Zhu Youjian slowly extended three fingers.

"what?"

Luo Yangxing was stunned. Tens of thousands of people, and they only give him three days?

Zhu Youjian said expressionlessly, "Three days from now, I will either see the roster or your resignation."

Luo Yangxing sighed inwardly and said, "Your subject obeys the decree!"

Zhu Youjian continued, "If I call upon any person on the roster and that person cannot immediately appear before me, you, as the commander, shall be punished for deceiving the emperor!"

Luo Yangxing was sweating profusely; the problem was more serious than he had imagined!

Deceiving the emperor is a capital offense, and a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family!

"Your Majesty, I obey your command. I take my leave!"

"Wait a moment!"

Zhu Youjian suddenly stopped him and said, "I have two more things I need you to do!"

Luo Yangxing hurriedly replied, "Please give your orders, Your Majesty, and I will certainly not fail in my duty!"

Zhu You calmly said, "First, we are in dire need of capable people right now. Li Ruolian is both brave and resourceful, and should be entrusted with important responsibilities. Second, I want you to keep an eye on someone."

Li Ruolian was a military officer by examination and is now a deputy commander in the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The military examinations in the Ming Dynasty were not about brute force; they required knowledge of military strategy, tactics, archery, and so on. Those who could break through the ranks were no ordinary people.

Zhu Youjian brought up this person on his own initiative, but more importantly, it was because of his loyalty.

When Beijing fell, Li Ruolian led his remaining troops in a desperate resistance, but seeing no hope of recovery, he ultimately committed suicide.

At this critical juncture for the Ming Dynasty, loyalty is of utmost importance in selecting and employing people!

It was nearly evening at the Duke of Cheng's residence.

A carriage slowly came to a stop, and a man stepped out—Zhang Jinyan, the Minister of War.

Duke Zhu Chunchen of Cheng had been waiting for a long time. He dismissed his attendants and specifically instructed that no one was allowed to enter.

These two men were, one was the Minister of War, in charge of all the military officers and equipment of the court, and the other was the Grand Commander of the Five Military Commissions, in charge of the Beijing Garrison and the garrisons throughout the country. It is no exaggeration to say that every move of the Ming army was under their control.

The two gestured to each other to invite each other to sit down.

Zhang Jinyan was the first to ask, "Duke Cheng, what is your opinion on His Majesty's actions today?"

Zhu Chunchen chuckled softly and said, "That old scoundrel Chen Yan knows nothing about leading troops. I think Your Majesty is grasping at straws in desperation and has lost your mind!"

Zhang Jinyan suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Duke Cheng, how have you considered that matter?"

Zhu Chunchen looked around cautiously, then said, "I have already sent someone to contact the rebel leader. The situation is dire. If Beijing cannot be defended, we must secure a way out for ourselves."

The Ming Dynasty's more than two hundred years of rule had come to an end. If Li Zicheng really captured the capital, the two men, holding military power, could surrender the city, become vassals, and install a new emperor.

With this merit of following the emperor, retaining the title of duke is a given.

If Li Zicheng fails, then he can continue to be a nobleman of the Ming Dynasty.

As long as one can preserve their wealth and status, what difference does it make whether the emperor's surname is Zhu or Li?

Zhang Jinyan rose to take his leave, went out the gate, got into a sedan chair, and hurried back to the palace.

At the street corner, a vendor selling sesame cakes packed up his stall and disappeared into the crowd.

This man wandered through the streets and alleys, and suddenly arrived at the Beizhen Prefecture Office, and went straight in.

It turned out to be a spy sent out by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, just to monitor the Duke of Cheng's mansion.

Luo Yangxing received the news, but dared not act rashly.

Logically speaking, there seemed to be nothing wrong with the meeting between the Minister of War and the Duke of Cheng.

However, His Majesty specifically requested that I personally monitor the Duke of Cheng. Could there be some hidden agenda behind this?

After much deliberation, I still dared not draw any conclusions. Both Minister of War Zhang Jinyan and Duke of Cheng Zhu Chunchen had a large number of protégés and former officials in the court. Monitoring these two individuals required even greater caution, as the slightest mistake could have unimaginable consequences.

At this moment, Li Ruolian arrived hurriedly, bowed, and asked, "What are your orders, Commander Luo?"

Luo Yangxing raised his head, thinking of Emperor Chongzhen's instructions, and wondered if this person was a suitable candidate.

Having made up his mind, he said, "Put what you're doing aside for now."

Li Ruolian was busy compiling the list, extremely busy, and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty needs to see the list in three days..."

"The roster will be compiled by someone else, but I have an important matter to attend to. I don't trust anyone else to do it, so it's safer for you to take charge personally."

"What exactly happened?"

"Monitor the Duke of Cheng's residence!"

Li Ruolian asked in confusion, "Duke Cheng? Why?"

Luo Yangxing said, "This is His Majesty's order. Recently, the Duke of Cheng and Zhang Jinyan, the Minister of War, have been in close contact. There may be something going on here. I need you to find out what they are plotting."

Realizing the seriousness of the problem, Li Ruolian said, "This subordinate needs to allocate some manpower."

How much do you want?

It's not clear yet.

Luo Yangxing nodded: "The Embroidered Uniform Guard is at your disposal, but remember, the people you use must be reliable, and this matter must not be leaked!"

"yes!"

Li Ruolian clasped her hands in a respectful greeting, then returned to her private quarters.

"Someone come here!"

"Your humble servant is here!"

A captain stepped forward from the doorway.

Li Ruolian glanced outside and said, "Come in, all of you!"

A cacophony of voices could be heard as a dozen or so people rushed in.

Li Ruolian instructed, "Immediately investigate the identities of all the servants in the Duke of Cheng's mansion, then find their relatives, fellow villagers, and friends. Find an excuse to invite them out for drinks, gambling, visiting brothels... In short, whatever method you use, get them to talk, understand?"

Everyone replied in unison, "Yes!"

Li Ruolian closed her eyes slightly and said, "This matter must be carried out in secrecy. If it leaks out, you'll all lose your heads!"

The crowd quickly replied, "We obey!"