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

Midnight, Juyong Pass.

Clang, clang...

In my sleep, I suddenly heard a rapid sound of gongs and drums.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

Zhu Youjian suddenly woke up, put on his clothes, and went out of the barracks.

Li Ruolian stopped him: "Your Majesty, the rebel army is launching a night attack. Please retreat immediately!"

"What a joke! This is the front line. Where can I possibly hide?"

Zhu Youjian refused to listen to advice and went straight to the city wall after leaving the barracks.

These days, the rebel army's offensive has been very fierce. Fortunately, Juyong Pass was built on natural defenses and is easy to defend but difficult to attack. As long as there are no spies inside to open the city gates, it will be very difficult to launch a strong attack.

Fortunately, troops from Baoding arrived one after another, which relieved a lot of the pressure.

On the city wall, a tall figure was directing operations.

"Left forward camp, proceed to the western hilltop; Right forward camp, proceed to the eastern hilltop!"

"The rest of you, come with me to the main gate to provide support. Hold it to the death!"

Zhu Youjian stepped forward: "Zhao Yong!"

"Your subject is here!"

Zhao Yong turned around, planted the knife on the ground, and knelt down on one knee to pay his respects.

"No need for formalities!"

Zhu Youjian reached out to help him up, then asked, "What's the situation now?"

Zhao Yong replied, "General Tang is fighting fiercely at the city gate, but a large number of enemy troops have been spotted on the flanks. I have already arranged for men to take their place!"

"very good!"

Zhu Youjian nodded, glanced at the torches outside, and decisively ordered, "Open the city gates and go out to fight!"

Zhao Yong was taken aback and said, "Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

"Why not?"

"But...you're still here, I dare not advance rashly!"

"What are you afraid of? Just do it!"

Zhu Youjian's gaze was resolute as he said, "I will send the Warrior Battalion to provide cover with firearms. You just go out and fight. I will let Li Zicheng know that the soldiers of my Great Ming are not to be trifled with!"

After a moment's thought, Zhao Yong said to Li Ruolian, "Commander Li, send men to escort His Majesty back to the capital. We will go out of the city and fight the rebels to the death!"

Zhu Youjian waved his hand and said, "I am the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty, how can I desert my post in the face of battle!"

"But, but..."

"This is my decree, execute it!"

"As you command!"

Zhao Yong gritted his teeth and shouted, "Open the city gates! Follow me to fight the enemy!"

Li Ruolian looked anxious: "Your Majesty, you should go back to the barracks. What if something goes wrong..."

"I'm not leaving! Bring out all our muskets and cannons, and let's fucking get them!"

"As you command!"

Helpless, Li Ruolian immediately ordered the musketeers to aim at the rebel army below the city and begin firing.

The cannons were also brought out, roaring continuously, and the shells streaked across the night sky, exploding in the enemy ranks.

The battle lasted from midnight until dawn. The rebel army was unable to advance an inch and eventually retreated to Chadao City, leaving behind hundreds of cold corpses.

The morning sun shone through the clouds and onto the ancient city walls of Juyongguan.

Zhu Youjian looked at the corpses scattered all over the ground. Although he had won once again, his face was filled with even more sorrow.

Just last night, these corpses were still alive.

They all had parents, wives, and children; they were all subjects of the Ming Dynasty…

During his time at Juyongguan, he kept thinking about one question.

What strategy should be adopted to deal with Li Zicheng?

In his mind, the biggest hidden danger always lay outside Shanhaiguan.

Based on historical trends, after the Manchus entered the Central Plains, they massacred countless Han Chinese.

The Central Plains faced annihilation, and the subsequent policy of isolation only sowed the seeds of future disaster.

Li Zicheng's uprising, which killed officials and turned the Ming Dynasty upside down, ultimately showed that everyone was Han Chinese, sharing the same roots and origins. Faced with foreign invasion, they could still join forces to resist the enemy.

Although Li Zicheng entered Beijing, he only reigned as emperor for a month.

After the Manchus entered the pass, Li Zicheng was killed in battle. Most of his subordinates were unwilling to surrender to the Qing, so they joined the Southern Ming court and continued to resist the Qing.

Therefore, these people can be brought under control.

Li Zicheng was different. If he had been given a title before he became emperor, he could have commanded the troops in the northwest, quelled rebellions within the country, and killed enemies without, and perhaps even become a fierce general.

But he had already declared himself emperor!

Once you get involved with power, it's impossible to let go.

In this world, no one can resist the temptation of power!

Now that things have come to this, Li Zicheng can no longer be allowed to live.

Otherwise, even more people will die.

"Report!"

A fast horse galloped in, carrying an urgent report from Baoding Prefecture.

After reviewing the document, Zhu Youjian immediately ordered Li Ruolian, Tang Tong, and Zhao Yong to come and discuss the matter.

The memorial stated that Liu Fangliang personally led 50,000 rebel troops out of Zijing Pass to support Li Zicheng.

The garrison commander of Zhengding Prefecture was replaced by Li Yan. After arriving in Zhengding, he began to tighten the defenses and refused to engage in battle no matter how the Ming army provoked him.

After reading it, Tang Tong was the first to say, "Damn it, no wonder the rebels' attacks have become increasingly fierce lately; it turns out Liu Fangliang and Li Zicheng have joined forces!"

The fact that the two armies had joined forces meant that Li Zicheng was prepared for a fight to the death.

Juyong Pass will become the site of the decisive battle between the Ming and Shun dynasties!

Zhao Yong said, "Since the rebel army has already joined forces, why not send Miao Gang to reinforce Juyong Pass as well? We'll fight the rebels to the death!"

Zhu Youjian looked at the two of them, then at Li Ruolian, and asked, "Minister Li, what do you think?"

Li Ruolian frowned and said, "Although Li Yan is not as brave as Liu Fangliang, he is deeply trusted by Li Zicheng and his status in the rebel army is even higher than that of Liu Fangliang."

Tang Tong said, "That's strange. Liu Fangliang has already taken the main force away, clearly preparing to abandon the southern front. Why then did he send Li Yan to oversee the operation?"

During their conversation, Zhu Youjian suddenly asked, "Does Li Zicheng still have any troops?"

Li Ruolian said, "There is also a Red Detachment of Women operating in the Henan area."

Zhu Youjian nodded and said, "That explains it!"

Everyone immediately realized that Li Zicheng had not given up on the southern route.

Hong Niangzi's original name is unknown. She was originally an actress from Zhongzhou, Henan. Due to the continuous floods, droughts and locust plagues in Henan, the people suffered greatly. The government still levied three additional taxes, which led to widespread uprisings. Hong Niangzi also organized a group of folk artists and poor people to start an uprising at Jigong Mountain in Xinyang, Henan.

Although this army nominally submitted to Li Zicheng, it always remained an independent force.

Moreover, Hong Niangzi came from a poor background and resolutely forbade her subordinates from robbing the people. This rule angered many rebel generals and they often fought each other in public.

Li Zicheng had no choice but to send him to Henan specifically to rob landlords and wealthy people.

If Liu Fangliang had stayed in Zhengding, Hong Niangzi would never have gone to cooperate.

However, Li Yan was different, because the two were husband and wife.

Li Ruolian said, "Baoding Prefecture is militarily weak. Although Hong Niangzi is a woman, she is no ordinary person. If this army attacks Baoding, the situation will not be optimistic!"

Zhao Yong said, "Miao Gang still has 20,000 troops. If he can't hold them, we can send some more troops back to him."

"No need!"

Zhu Youjian slowly raised his hand, a playful smile appearing on his lips.

"Li Ruolian, prepare yourself and come back to Baoding with me."

Li Ruolian hurriedly tried to dissuade him: "Your Majesty, the Red Maiden Army numbers in the tens of thousands; they should not be underestimated!"

"Rest assured, I have my own plans!"

Zhu Youjian stood up, looked at Zhao Yong and Tang Tong, and said, "After I leave, Juyong Pass will continue to be defended. I will fight alongside Li Zicheng for as long as he wishes!"

"You two must remember this: we are on the defensive. We cannot be impulsive or reckless. No matter what tricks Li Zicheng uses, ignore them. If he dares to come, don't try to be polite. Just use your muskets, cannons, and arrows!"

"Draft two more imperial edicts. The first one will be sent back to the capital, ordering the Ministry of War, Wanggongchang, and the Imperial Workshop to produce cannons, muskets, and ammunition at full capacity. The Ministry of Revenue will provide full support. Don't worry about the money; I have plenty of silver now. Just produce as much as you want!"

"The second imperial edict is to write a letter to Li Zicheng urging him to surrender. You can write whatever you want in it, since he won't accept it anyway."

Zhao Yong and Tang Tong bowed and said, "Your Majesty, we obey!"