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

The large tent was deathly silent.

Zhang Wenyuan couldn't help but ask, "My entire family is on the ship!"

"And aren't my family members also on this ship?"

Chen Yan, his face grim, continued, "I just convened a meeting of all the generals. Do you know why?"

Zhang Wenyuan shook his head: "This humble servant does not know."

"You're foolish!"

Chen Yan sighed and said, "With Liu Fangliang holding our lifeline, how can we fight this battle?"

"What Master Chen means is..."

Zhang Wenyuan had a general idea in his mind, but dared not say it aloud.

Chen Yan said irritably, "There are more than just our families on board. There are over a dozen high-ranking officials and nobles from the capital whose entire families have fallen into the hands of the Shun army. What will they do next?"

"If we insist on fighting, will the people in Beijing agree?"

"All they need to do is stab us in the back, and not only will we gain nothing, we'll actually be in the wrong!"

"At this point, is there still a choice?"

The more Zhang Wenyuan listened, the uglier his expression became.

Two hundred thousand troops! Did they really just surrender like that?

These troops are the court's last line of defense; if they surrender to Liu Fangliang, the capital will be completely finished!

Thinking of this, he cautiously asked, "Master Chen, is there no other way?"

"A petty person is no gentleman, and a man without ruthlessness is no true hero!"

Chen Yan lowered his eyes and said, "The sooner the better. We still have bargaining chips now. If we wait until we're at our wits' end, even if we surrender, it won't be worth it!"

"But, but..."

"Zhang Wenyuan, you were promoted by me personally. Now that things are at hand, you dare not back down?"

Zhang Wenyuan was sweating profusely and kept wiping himself with his sleeve.

"snort!"

Chen Yan snorted coldly, then said, "With the war at this point, the troops in my hands are of paramount importance. If we surrender now and follow the Shun army into the capital, it will be a meritorious act of supporting the emperor!"

"By then, Li Zicheng will at least bestow a title upon me, and the position of Grand Secretary will not fall into the hands of anyone else."

"If we continue to fight them, we will surely lose our families and property. However, the outcome is still uncertain. If we are defeated in the end, we will truly have nothing left!"

"Even if we manage to win by sheer luck, if Liu Fangliang plays a trick and exposes our wealth to the public, Emperor Chongzhen is narrow-minded. If he finds out that we are worth millions, how can we explain ourselves?"

After listening carefully, Zhang Wenyuan said, "What Lord Chen said makes sense, but..."

"Speak your mind. There's no time to think about it now!"

"My only concern is that the soldiers are not united!"

Chen Yan smiled dismissively and said, "I just asked you, what exactly is the purpose of this meeting today?"

Zhang Wenyuan finally realized: "This subordinate understands. Lord Chen wants to gauge the attitudes of the generals!"

"good!"

Chen Yan nodded and said, "If we're going to do this, we have to go all the way. Those who aren't of one mind with us absolutely cannot be allowed to live!"

"You mean...?"

"I've already made up my mind. If we submit to the Great Shun, we'll still have to attack Baoding Prefecture next. Let's just take Baoding Prefecture as a token of our loyalty!"

"what?"

Zhang Wenyuan felt a chill in his heart; indeed, experience matters most!

They haven't surrendered yet, but they're already thinking about what will happen after they surrender.

Admittedly, attacking Baoding Prefecture would be time-consuming and laborious. If it were captured now, the Shun army could march all the way north to Beijing!

Chen Yan said, "Go into the city now and invite He Fu, the prefect of Baoding, to the camp. Tell him I have important matters to discuss with him!"

Zhang Wenyuan nodded in agreement, knowing that He Fu was an upright man and would certainly not agree to surrender.

Luring them into the main camp and capturing them directly would bring Baoding Prefecture into our possession.

"I understand, but what about Zhao Yong and the others?"

Chen Yan said, "After capturing He Fu, spread the word that he is a traitor and that I will lead troops to take over Baoding Prefecture! Leave all the unreliable people, led by Zhao Yong, to guard the camp."

Zhang Wenyuan nodded repeatedly in agreement, saying that once the Shun army entered the city, Zhao Yong and his men would be no longer a threat.

After submitting to the Great Shun Dynasty, they followed the army north, captured Beijing, and the world was transformed into a new dynasty...

Thinking of this, his eyes were filled with excitement, for he was about to receive the merit of supporting the emperor!

"Rest assured, Lord Chen, I will do my utmost!"

"Remember, absolute secrecy is crucial until the time is right. If word gets out, you know the consequences!"

Zhang Wenyuan bowed respectfully, then turned and left.

Things went smoothly, and He Fu, having received the invitation, immediately came to keep it.

He didn't realize what was happening until a knife was held to his neck.

"Master Chen, what is the meaning of this?"

Chen Yan said in a deep voice, "Prefect He, your misdeeds have been exposed!"

He Fu stared in astonishment at the gleaming blade before him and Chen Yan's sinister face. A sense of foreboding welled up in his heart, but he still tried to remain calm and persuade Chen Yan with reason.

"Lord Chen, we are both officials appointed by the imperial court. Is there some trickery involved in what we are doing today? Or is there some misunderstanding? Please enlighten me, Lord Chen, I would like to hear the details."

Chen Yan chuckled lightly, his eyes revealing a chilling glint: "He Fu, the prefect of Baoding, is a traitor. The evidence is conclusive. Arrest him!"

"Wait a minute!"

He Fu quickly stopped him and asked, "Lord Chen says that I, He, am a traitor, and that the evidence is conclusive. Where is the evidence?"

"If I say it's there, it's there!"

"But shouldn't we at least let Mr. He take a look? There must be some misunderstanding..."

Chen Yan waved his hand impatiently: "Enough with the nonsense, take him away!"

"Chen Yan, you old scoundrel, you haven't betrayed us and joined the rebel army, have you?"

In his haste, He Fu didn't care about anything else and blurted out those words.

Unexpectedly, Chen Yan laughed instead of getting angry and said, "It's good that you understand. I have decided to submit to the Great Shun. There must be a gift for you. I have no choice but to ask you to hand over Baoding Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, He Fu was struck dumb, his face turning deathly pale.

He shook his head in disbelief, his voice trembling as he said, "Chen Yan, you are the Grand Secretary, you should prioritize the nation and its people. How can you disregard the fate of the country for your own selfish reasons? To betray the country and surrender to the enemy will be condemned for all time!"

"Hahaha……"

Chen Yan laughed loudly, then said, "You pedantic scholar, full of benevolence and morality, yet you know nothing of flexibility. Li Zicheng's momentum is unstoppable, and the fate of the Ming Dynasty is sealed. My actions are to save more lives; this is true concern for the common people."

He Fu glared angrily at Chen Yan and cursed, "Chen Yan, you scoundrel! As a high-ranking official of the court, you do not think of serving your country, but instead aid and abet the wicked! You are a disgrace to the Ming Dynasty! You have wasted your time studying the classics and know nothing of loyalty, filial piety, integrity, and righteousness! Even if I die, I will have no regrets, no shame before Heaven and my ancestors! But you will be infamous for ten thousand years and be spurned by future generations!"

Despite being severely reprimanded by He Fu, Chen Yan remained unperturbed, waving his hand and saying, "Take this ungrateful fellow away and keep him under strict guard. I'll deal with him after I take Baoding!"

He Fu was forcibly taken away, still shouting, "Chen Yan, you scoundrel, just you wait! The historian's pen is like a knife, the historian's pen is like a knife!"