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

Bang bang bang!

The sound of gunfire rang out continuously, and smoke filled the air.

The Shun army inside Juyong Pass was attacking Tang Tong from both sides and had no idea that someone was coming from behind, so they were stabbed in the back.

When they came to their senses and prepared to fight, they discovered...

We simply can't beat them!

This army is too fierce. Not only are their firearms powerful, but they are also no match for them in close combat!

Both were Ming troops, but the Ming troops encountered along the way were very weak, no different from refugees.

These people are quite different; some are burly and incredibly strong, while others possess superb swordsmanship and can even coordinate attacks, making each move deadly!

The Shun army had never seen such a scene before, and could only retreat in panic. However, they were also surrounded by Ming soldiers!

When Tang Tong saw the great dragon banner, it was as if he had seen a god descend to earth, and he fought desperately.

"Kill them!"

"Charge!"

The tide of battle began to turn. The Shun army that had launched a surprise attack on Juyong Pass was surrounded and unable to escape, so they had no choice but to lay down their weapons and surrender.

Surrender is contagious; once the first one does, a second, a third…

Liu Zongmin watched helplessly as Tang Tong withdrew to Juyong Pass.

Moreover, he was puzzled as to where this Ming army came from.

Wasn't the main force of the Ming army in Baoding?

"withdraw!"

Helpless as they were, the Ming army had already retreated to Juyong Pass and had no choice but to withdraw!

Liu Zongmin was very depressed. He had lost both his wife and his army today, and he was sure to be laughed at when he got back.

Especially that scoundrel Li Yan, who always says things like we should appease the people first before trying to conquer the world.

He once said that being impatient for quick success is not advisable, but now he's definitely going to make a big fuss about it...

After Liu Zongmin withdrew his troops, there was a jubilant atmosphere inside Juyong Pass.

Tang Tong, covered in blood, quickly approached Emperor Chongzhen and knelt in obeisance.

Your subject, Tang Tong, inquires of Your Majesty's well-being!

"I am well!"

Zhu Youjian waved his hand and then asked, "Are you well?"

Tang Tong's eyes suddenly reddened, and he choked out, "If Your Majesty had not led troops to rescue us, we would already be dead..."

At this point, he suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, please wait a moment. I'll go and get that spineless eunuch, Du Zhizhi!"

"I have already ordered his arrest, and he is awaiting punishment."

Tang Tong knelt on one knee again and said, "Your Majesty, please grant me a request!"

Zhu Youjian nodded: "Tell me about it."

"Don't let this bastard die too easily! We, along with our valiant soldiers, must each eat a piece of his flesh to quell our hatred!"

"Alright, I agree!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After Tang Tong finished speaking, he looked around and asked, "What troops did Your Majesty bring this time? Why is there no sign of the main army?"

"Li Ruolian, come here!"

"yes!"

Li Ruolian stepped forward, clasped her hands in a salute to Tang Tong, and said, "Formerly the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, now the Commander of the Warriors Battalion, Li Ruolian!"

Tang Tong returned the greeting and asked, "Haven't the Warriors Camp been around for a while...?"

"His Majesty personally issued an edict to select three thousand elite soldiers from the Embroidered Uniform Guard to reorganize the Warrior Battalion!"

"No wonder……"

Tang Tong sighed. Among tens of thousands of Jinyiwei, three thousand elites were selected, and their combat skills were undoubtedly exceptional.

However, even if the Warriors' Camp consisted of experts capable of fighting ten men each, there were only three thousand of them.

Is it too reckless for Your Majesty to personally lead three thousand men to confront Li Zicheng's army head-on?

If anything goes wrong, the Ming Dynasty will truly be finished!

Tang Tong voiced his doubts, and Li Ruolian then gave a general account of the battle at Baoding.

The Warriors Battalion was just the vanguard; there were still hundreds of thousands of troops following behind, led by Zhao Yong, who were arriving in batches.

As the two were talking, someone came forward to report that the battlefield had been cleaned up.

In this battle, the Ming army suffered more than 600 dead, more than 800 seriously wounded, and countless others with minor injuries.

The results were also remarkable, with more than 2,200 enemy soldiers killed and more than 3,500 captured.

The rebel army of 5,000 who launched a surprise attack on Juyong Pass were almost completely wiped out.

Du Zhizhi was bound hand and foot and brought before Zhu Youjian.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty...this servant is innocent..."

Seeing this, Tang Tong stepped forward and opened a large sinus!

With a sharp crack, Du Zhizhi spat out a mouthful of blood, along with two bloody teeth.

"I'm innocent! I'm truly innocent..."

Tang Tong became even angrier and kicked him away.

Du Zhizhi fell heavily to the ground. With his hands bound, he could only twist and turn like a tortoise, and kneel down again, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Your Majesty, spare me! This servant has been deceived..."

Tang Tong wanted to make another move, but Li Ruolian stopped him.

"General Tang, don't kill him! Follow His Majesty's orders!"

"Ha, tui!"

Tang Tong, unable to contain his anger, spat a mouthful of phlegm onto Du Zhizhi.

Zhu Youjian silently watched Du Zhizhi, thinking to himself, "Luckily we arrived in time, otherwise Juyong Pass would have been lost!"

If Juyong Pass falls, it means that Li Zicheng will be able to reach Beijing!

The Ming Dynasty's empire was nearly destroyed in this man's hands.

"Du Zhizhi, you tell me yourself, how do you want to die?"

"Your Majesty, spare me! This servant has truly been deceived..."

Du Zhizhi kowtowed repeatedly, his face covered in blood.

Zhu Youjian slowly asked, "Who has deceived you?"

"Yes, yes... That scoundrel Chang Ning, last night Chang Ning secretly entered the city and instigated me to secretly open the two city gates after General Tang came out of the pass, letting the Shun army... not the rebel army, no, no, the rebels enter the city..."

Du Zhizhi was so frightened that he was incoherent and did not know what to do.

Zhu Youjian frowned and said, "The supervising eunuch Chang Ning? Wasn't he dead in Datong?"

"This man did not die, but surrendered... to Li Zicheng..."

At this moment, a captain from the Warriors Battalion walked over, holding a letter in his hand.

The Warriors Battalion were originally from the Imperial Guards, and searching for stolen goods was their specialty. They quickly found the letter that Chang Ning had brought.

Upon seeing this, Du Zhizhi's face turned ashen, and his whole body trembled...

After reading it, Zhu Youjian asked, "Is this the letter Chang Ning brought you?"

"Yes, yes..."

"Li Zicheng is quite stingy. He surrendered Juyong Pass and only gave him the position of Director of the Imperial Secretariat? Such a great achievement should at least have earned him a noble title, don't you think?"

"This servant deserves to die ten thousand times, ten thousand times..."

Du Zhizhi's lips moved, and a pale yellow liquid kept flowing out from his trouser leg...

Zhu Youjian put down the letter, a cold smile on his face, and said, "I'll ask you one more time, how do you want to die?"

Du Zhizhi, with a mournful face, said, "This servant has worked diligently for many years, and I hope Your Majesty will remember me..."

Zhu Youjian interrupted, "When you opened the city gates, did you ever think about my fate?"

Du Zhizhi was utterly desperate because he could feel an intense killing intent.

"Your Majesty, spare me! Spare me..."

"Look at those soldiers who died in battle!"

With red eyes, Zhu Youjian shouted, "When you opened the city gates, did you ever think about who would spare their lives?!"

Du Zhizhi looked around and saw that the soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield, taking care of the wounded, and clearing away the corpses.

Finally, the last bit of strength in his body was drained, and he collapsed helplessly to the ground.

Zhu Youjian coldly replied, "Tang Tong!"

"Your subject is here!"

Tang Tong, quick-witted, immediately stepped forward and bowed.

"I am now handing this person over to you. Do as you see fit."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

Tang Tong turned to look at Du Zhizhi, a smile appearing on his lips.

Du Zhizhi was terrified and hurriedly shouted, "This servant deserves to die! I beg Your Majesty to grant me death!"

Tang Tong grabbed him and pulled him up, saying, "You want to die now? It's not that easy!"

"General Tang, I'm not human! I... I let the rebel army into the city to cut off your retreat! Kill me! Kill me now..."

Du Zhizhi finally felt fear and now only wanted to die!

"Can your sins be atoned by death alone?"

Tang Tong's voice was deep and powerful. He then grabbed Du Zhizhi and pulled him up as if he were dragging an inanimate object. He then strode towards the busy soldiers.

"Soldiers!"

Tang Tong shouted, "We are fighting valiantly on the front lines, yet this man opens the city gates, attempting to surrender and plunging our Great Ming Dynasty into utter ruin! What do you say we should do?"

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

The soldiers shouted in unison, filled with boundless excitement.

Tang Tong immediately ordered that his clothes be removed and then covered with a net.

Simply tighten the net, and the skin and flesh will immediately bulge out from the mesh.

Next, a special trial began.

Tang Tong took the initiative, cutting a piece of flesh from Du Zhizhi's body with a dagger, then throwing it into his mouth and chewing it.

"what!"

Du Zhizhi screamed in pain, his voice extremely pitiful.

The soldiers lined up, each taking a piece of meat and stuffing it into their mouths.

Du Zhizhi screamed repeatedly until his voice became hoarse and he no longer had the strength to scream.

The trial lasted for two hours. When the last soldier stepped forward, he found there was nowhere left to attack; only a skeleton remained.