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

Ma Chongxi did not rush to reply, but instead began to think seriously.

Sun Cheng just came to persuade us to surrender, but something felt off.

"The Prefect of Baoding is just a low-ranking official of the ninth grade. Is this person really sent by Emperor Chongzhen?"

"Mr. Ma believes...this person is lying?"

Ma Chongxi nodded, then shook his head, frowning as he said, "I can't say for sure either..."

Li Yan then said, "Regardless of whether she was sent by Emperor Chongzhen or not, the fact that Hong Niangzi has fallen into the hands of the Ming army is now confirmed. What should we do next?"

After pondering for a long time, Ma Chongxi said, "I think the general should wait a while and not be impatient."

Li Yan let out a heavy sigh: "Alright, I'll do whatever you say, sir."

For three consecutive days, more than a dozen groups of scouts were sent out, and the intelligence they brought back was all the same.

Hong Niangzi was indeed captured by the Ming army, but there was no news of her being killed.

Furthermore, Emperor Chongzhen did indeed come to Baoding, and Chen Yan was indeed executed by slow slicing in the street. It is said that the entire city's population went to watch, and the scene was quite lively.

What made Li Yan uneasy was that the Ming army did not send envoys again.

And they even said they were sincerely trying to win over the government? Ha! Is this their attitude?

Finally, Li Yan could no longer bear it and summoned Ma Chongxi.

"I can't wait any longer, I've decided to take the initiative!"

Ma Chongxi asked, "General, have you made up your mind? Hong Niangzi is still in the hands of the Ming army. Aren't you afraid of being hesitant to act against her?"

"If we continue to wait like this, we'll only become more passive."

Li Yan was worried about Hong Niangzi's safety, but he also had to be responsible for tens of thousands of soldiers.

This army came from Henan to provide support, but suffered a defeat in the first encounter, which severely damaged their morale.

We desperately need a victory to boost the morale of the entire army!

Ma Chongxi nodded and said, "Since the general has made his decision, I will fully cooperate!"

Li Yan spread out the map, which already had several circles drawn on it with a vermilion pen.

"This time we won't launch a sneak attack; we'll go straight for the kill!"

Ma Chongxi hesitated and said, "Our army's food supply problem hasn't been solved yet. If we rashly go into battle, I'm afraid..."

"We can't just sit at home and wait; the supplies won't come to us on their own."

"What if we suffer another defeat at the front..."

"Mr. Ma, we can't wait any longer!"

Li Yan interrupted Ma Chongxi and said solemnly, "His Majesty ordered me here to contain the Ming army and buy time for Juyong Pass. Even if we can't capture Baoding, we must distract the Ming army and, ideally, force them to withdraw their troops from Juyong Pass to defend it. Then we will have achieved our goal."

Ma Chongxi nodded: "In that case, I will say no more and leave the decision to the General!"

The two began to discuss military deployments, from the main attack direction and feint attacks to logistical supply routes, preparing to fight a fair fight with the Ming army.

"That's settled then. The whole camp should rest early tonight, and we'll go to war tomorrow!"

"General, you must be prepared. If the Ming army uses Hong Niangzi to blackmail us, what should we do?"

Li Yan gritted his teeth and said, "Let's take it one step at a time. But please rest assured, Mr. Ma, I, Li Yan, will never disregard the lives of our soldiers for my own selfish desires!"

"General, you'd better think this through. The Ming army has captured Hong Niangzi, and this situation was bound to happen sooner or later."

"But, but..."

Li Yan shook his head, his expression conflicted.

"I don't know either. If that moment really comes, and I lose my mind, you may take my place!"

As he spoke, Li Yan took out his token and handed it over with both hands.

Ma Chongxi smiled faintly and pushed the token back.

"I was merely offering a reminder!"

Li Yan said solemnly, "I have thought it through very clearly. If I really have to choose between Hong Niangzi and the soldiers, I, Li Yan, will never be swayed by personal feelings. I will..."

"Husband, what are you saying?"

Just then, a voice came from behind.

Li Yan was startled and slowly turned around to look at the doorway.

Ma Chongxi also looked on incredulously as he watched Hong Niangzi walk into the tent.

Although I don't know how she got back, that's not important.

She must have heard what was just said...

Oh no! Li Yan was just about to sacrifice his wife for the greater good!

"Since we've been apart for so long, I won't disturb you any longer!"

Ma Chongxi left after saying that, and ran away without looking back.

Hong Niangzi's face was gloomy as she stepped forward to stand in front of Li Yan.

Li Yan felt it was all unreal. He rubbed his eyes hard and pinched his thigh before finally asking with delight, "Wife, how...how did you escape?"

As he spoke, he opened his arms, ready to give a warm hug.

Unexpectedly, the matchmaker was not enthusiastic at all; instead, she was cold and pushed Li Yan away with the hilt of her knife.

"I didn't hear you clearly. You said... how to choose?"

"I, I..."

Li Yan looked embarrassed and said, "My wife, please don't be offended, I didn't mean it..."

"What is it?"

"Oh dear, as the commander-in-chief, I must consider the overall situation. But don't worry, I will never abandon you!"

"Really?"

Hong Niangzi smiled faintly and said, "Why didn't you go to rescue me while I was captured?"

"It's just that... I'm worried about my wife's safety, so I dare not act rashly!"

Li Yan felt a bit scared and wanted to explain, but he didn't know where to begin.

"By the way, how did you escape, my lady?"

Hong Niangzi said, "Who said I escaped?"

"That is..."

"The Chongzhen Emperor personally released me and brought me back!"

"what?"

Li Yan was immediately stunned. What was going on?

"My lady, did you really see Emperor Chongzhen?"

Hong Niangzi nodded and said, "I have seen him. He is not as incompetent as the legends say; he even has some qualities of a wise ruler."

Li Yan panicked and hurriedly said, "My lady, don't be fooled by that Chongzhen Emperor. If he weren't so incompetent and foolish, how could there be so many refugees in the world?"

"Alright, you don't need to try to persuade me, I know what I'm doing!"

Hong Niangzi sat down by herself, poured herself a glass of water, and drank it down in one gulp.

"I made a bet with Emperor Chongzhen: avenge me, and I'll surrender!"

Li Yan asked, "What bet did my wife make with him?"

Hong Niangzi recounted the entire story of her trip to Dingxing.

After listening attentively, Li Yan said, "I understand. This is a Ming army's scheme to induce surrender. Emperor Chongzhen is personally appearing, pretending to be a wise ruler. As for that county magistrate, he is nothing in his eyes. If you really believe it, my lady, take your troops to surrender, and we can wipe them all out!"

Hong Niangzi chuckled lightly, "You think I didn't think of that? Since we each serve our own masters, whether he's truly incompetent or feigning incompetence, we're destined to be enemies, not friends. My offer to surrender was just a lie!"

"It's good that my wife is back. So what if I lied? All's fair in love and war. What's wrong with lying to him?"

Li Yan was in a great mood. His wife was back, and she was perfectly safe and sound. That was wonderful!

As for agreeing to surrender, just consider that a load of rubbish!

Hong Niangzi said, "Since they are enemies, not friends, of course we cannot show mercy!"

Li Yan asked, "Has my wife decided to fight him to the death?"

"Of course we must have a decisive battle, but before that, there's one more thing we need to do!"

"What is it?"

Li Yan grew impatient and couldn't help but say, "My dear wife, why have you started keeping me in suspense like this?"

Hong Niangzi was stunned for a moment. Yes, she had spent three days with Chongzhen. How did she pick up this habit?

"Do you remember what our mission was that night?"

"You want to use the same old trick of raiding the Ming army's supply camp? The Ming army is heavily guarded; I think we should forget about it!"

Hong Niangzi smiled mysteriously and said, "Emperor Chongzhen confiscated over three million taels of silver and tens of thousands of shi of grain from Dingxing County, which are about to be transported to Baoding!"

"real?"

"Of course, I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be fake?"

Li Yan paced back and forth, pondering for a long time, before asking, "My lady, have you ever considered that Emperor Chongzhen, being so cunning, might have deliberately leaked this information to you?"

"impossible!"

Hong Niangzi waved her hand and said, "When Chongzhen went to Dingxing to investigate and confiscate the property of Magistrate Xie Jinrong and salt merchant Fan Liuyang, it was all on a whim. The money and grain were originally intended to be transported back to Beijing, but considering that the front line was in dire need of money and grain, they were registered and then transported directly to the front line."

"Is the route for transporting money and supplies clear? Are there many troops?"

"The official in charge of escorting the grain supplies was He Fu, the prefect of Baoding. This man was a scholar who knew nothing about warfare. Moreover, Dingxing was in the rear, and Chongzhen had no intention of launching a surprise attack. Was he still waiting for me to lead the troops to surrender?"

After listening, Li Yan thought for a while and said, "Dingxing is not far from Baoding, and the Ming army should not send heavy troops to escort it. If you lead the cavalry to attack, you can steal the money and grain without anyone noticing!"

Lady Hong nodded: "That's exactly right!"

"Very well, my lady, take stock of the troops, we'll attack tonight!"

"Of the men I brought, how many escaped back?"

"More than half of them are back. Oh, and Cheng Youde escaped back too. That old bastard's pretty clever; let him continue to go with you!"

"Cheng Youde!"

Upon hearing this name, Hong Niangzi's eyebrows suddenly furrowed.

Li Yan was somewhat at a loss and asked, "What...is there a problem with this person?"

Hong Niangzi gritted her teeth and said, "Desertion in the face of battle undermines our morale; he shall be punished according to military law today!"

Li Yan then realized that what Cheng Youde said was not necessarily true.

Come to think of it, who exactly is Hong Niangzi?

Although he has a somewhat straightforward personality, he is not stupid.

Otherwise, how could they possibly muster an army of tens of thousands?

It turns out that Cheng Youde was the one who escaped first!

In the midst of a great battle, the worst thing to do is to desert your post.

Because if someone escapes, there will be a second, a third...

If morale is low, how can you fight a war?

"Wait, my lady!"

Li Yan quickly stopped him, saying, "Slaying a general in battle is a grave taboo. Let him atone for his crime by performing meritorious service!"

After pondering for a long time, Hong Niangzi finally said, "Then let's give him another chance!"