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

The spring breeze is gentle, and the sky is clear and blue.

Liu Fangliang rode on his horse, enjoying the scenery along the way.

Although there wasn't much scenery around, it still looked very comfortable.

Ahead lies Baoding Prefecture, the last barrier standing before the capital.

I thought it was going to be a tough battle, but to my surprise, it came to me effortlessly!

Chongzhen, even your Grand Secretary has abandoned you. It seems the Ming Dynasty is truly doomed!

Ma Chongxi caught up and said, "My lord, scouts ahead report that the gates of Baoding Prefecture are wide open, awaiting your entry!"

With a smile on his face, Liu Fangliang said, "If we take Baoding, the capital will be within our grasp!"

Ma Chongxi said, "This humble servant dares to ask Your Excellency to slow down, so that I may send scouts to investigate further."

Liu Fangliang turned his head and asked, "Since the strategist personally negotiated this, is there perhaps something wrong with it?"

"The whole process was fine, except... it went too smoothly!"

"Isn't going with the flow good? Our Great Shun Dynasty is blessed by Heaven, so going with the flow is the right thing to do!"

"But……"

Ma Chongxi was meticulous. Although he did not find any problems during the two negotiations, he had a vague sense of foreboding.

Throughout the journey, he kept wondering which part of the process had gone wrong.

During the negotiations, Chen Yan was most concerned about his own interests; this kind of heartfelt greed could not possibly be feigned.

Moreover, according to reliable intelligence, he has already transferred his family and property.

This happened when the Ming Dynasty was on the verge of collapse. How could Emperor Chongzhen let him off so easily?

Since there's no going back, surrendering becomes the best option.

So it seems there's no problem!

Liu Fangliang suddenly sighed and said, "What a pity, we didn't get that old man's fortune, otherwise it would have been a huge sum of military funds!"

Ma Chongxi's expression suddenly changed, and he said, "My lord, this is the problem!"

"What's wrong with the strategist?"

"We still don't know which army defeated General Zheng Siwei."

Zheng Siwei rode his horse, following behind Liu Fangliang.

Hearing Ma Chongxi say this, he spurred his horse forward and said with dissatisfaction, "Strategist, why do you have to expose my shortcomings at this time?"

"I had no such intention!"

Ma Chongxi shook his head and said, "That army arrived too suddenly; it seems even the troops escorting the fleet were unaware beforehand. That's very strange!"

"They probably just happened to run into each other. With so many soldiers in the Ming Dynasty, it's perfectly normal for them not to know each other!"

"I have never believed in coincidences in my life!"

"Back then, I, Old Zheng, routed the escorting troops, and only one night later, the next force arrived. That's the truth, and there's no use denying it!"

Ma Chongxi's expression grew increasingly tense as he asked, "Haven't you considered what that army's objective is?"

"This... it could be an escort mission, or it could be just passing by. What's the difference?"

"Of course there's a difference!"

Ma Chongxi sighed first, then said, "What if that army is heading for the fleet?"

Liu Fangliang reacted quickly and asked, "Does the strategist mean that the troops were sent by Emperor Chongzhen to intercept the fleet?"

"It's absolutely possible!"

Ma Chongxi nodded vigorously and said, "Let's assume that the troops were Chongzhen's direct subordinates, specifically there to intercept the fleet. In other words, Chongzhen already knew that Chen Yan and other officials were going to Nanjing with their families and property, and General Zheng was only one day earlier than them. To be precise, he arrived one night earlier."

Zheng Siwei suddenly realized: "So, I arrived too early? If I had arrived a day later, wouldn't I have been able to watch the Ming troops fight amongst themselves and then reap the benefits?"

"The problem now isn't that, but rather, where did this Ming army go after its sudden appearance?"

"If it really was troops sent by Emperor Chongzhen, once they intercepted the fleet, they would naturally return to the capital!"

"Doesn't that mean Chongzhen already knew that Chen Yan and others were disloyal?"

"So what if he is? When he's out in the field, can he really control him?"

"Whether it's manageable or not, it should at least be managed, but right now, there's not a single sound! I went to Baoding twice, but didn't hear a single word of it. Now I realize that's where the problem lies!"

Ma Chongxi finally found the problem, but in the end, it was just suspicion.

Liu Fangliang pondered for a long time before saying, "Is the strategist overthinking things?"

Zheng Siwei then said, "I also think that the strategist is overthinking things. Although we rough men are uneducated, what is there to fear about Emperor Chongzhen? Even if he has an elite cavalry force, firearms, and knows that Chen Yan is disloyal, so what?"

Ma Chongxi said, "This matter is too strange; I still feel it's inappropriate."

Zheng Siwei said nonchalantly, "Since the strategist is worried, why not skip sending scouts? I, Old Zheng, will personally lead the team to scout ahead!"

After saying that, he called out to those behind him and then sped away.

More than a hundred cavalrymen rushed to a Ming army camp before slowing down.

Zheng Siwei raised his riding whip and pointed forward: "You two, go check on the situation!"

"yes!"

Two guards headed straight for the Ming army camp and returned shortly afterward.

"General Qi, the Ming troops here are ready to surrender and are just waiting for our army to take over."

Remembering Ma Chongxi's words, Zheng Siwei said, "Come with me to take a look. Everyone be alert. If there's an ambush, don't linger. Fight your way out and report back, understand?"

"clear!"

The soldiers agreed and followed Zheng Siwei to the camp.

"Who's in charge here?"

Upon seeing this, the Ming soldiers in the camp retreated one after another.

At this moment, a burly man, about forty years old, stepped forward.

"Zhao Yong, the detachment commander of the central army camp, awaits the arrival of the Marquis of Cizhou of the Great Shun Dynasty!"

Even on horseback, Zheng Siwei was only half a head taller than this man, which shows that he was at least eight feet tall and was indeed a fierce general!

"I am Zheng Siwei, the deputy commander under the Marquis of Cizhou."

Zhao Yong quickly clasped his hands in greeting: "Greetings, General Zheng!"

Zheng Siwei asked, "How many people do you have here?"

"Reporting to the general, there are a total of 30,000 soldiers, including 500 cavalry, 15,000 infantry, and the rest are logistics and miscellaneous troops."

"Do you have firearms and bows and arrows?"

"have!"

Zheng Siwei immediately tensed up and asked, "How many?"

"Five hundred muskets and three thousand bows and arrows!"

"Hand over the muskets and bows and arrows!"

Zhao Yong asked, "May I ask General Zheng, why do you...?"

"Just pay up when I tell you to. Stop talking nonsense!"

"Yes, Your subordinate obeys!"

Zhao Yong turned around and ordered, "Send the order: musketeers and archers, assemble! Quickly!"

Moments later, five hundred musketeers and three thousand archers had assembled.

Zhao Yong then ordered, "Everyone, listen up! Place your muskets and bows on the ground!"

The soldiers were greatly puzzled, but they had no choice but to do as they were told.