The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Liu Zhe and Zhao Sheng acted quickly.

These prisoners of war were ordinary military households, whose loyalty to the court was never high to begin with. In addition, over the years, military households had been treated like beasts of burden by their superiors, living worse than ordinary farmers. Moreover, with their commander dead and the defeat devastating, these prisoners had long lost their will to fight and were only worried about their own fate.

At this point, Zhao Sheng made his intentions clear: as long as someone was willing to cooperate, the rebel army would spare their lives. Moreover, if they helped the rebel army take Fugu, the rebel army would treat the people and soldiers of Fugu well in return for their cooperation.

These prisoners were local military households, and by extension, fellow Shaanxi natives. Since they had a way to survive, it was natural to hold them tightly. Moreover, Zhao Sheng had made it clear that if they didn't cooperate, the rebel army could easily take Fugu by force. At that point, the situation would be very different. Considering their colleagues, families, and fellow villagers in Fugu, the choice would be obvious.

Everything is going smoothly.

After persuading the prisoners, Zhao Sheng had his men and the men selected by Liu Zhe change into the uniforms of the garrison, and then chose a few clever and sensible guys from among the prisoners to cooperate.

Zhao Sheng wasn't worried that any of the people he selected might turn against him later. He had put a lot of thought into choosing his people; they not only had to be smart and sensible, but also have someone they cared about.

For example, the captive cannot be alone; they must have relatives among them. This is not difficult. The garrison troops are composed of military households, and military households are organized by household. It is not uncommon for fathers and sons or brothers to fight together. It is only necessary to select a few people from these individuals who have relatives or relatives to support.

In this way, Zhao Sheng selected three people: a captain and two lieutenants, all of whom were the lowest-ranking officers in the garrison.

The captain was older, and one of his sons was among the prisoners; the other two junior captains were brothers who had fought together. By detaining their families, they weren't worried that the three of them might change their minds at the last minute.

After making the arrangements, Zhao Sheng led his chosen men, along with Liu Zhe's men, a total of more than 120 people, all dressed in the uniforms of the garrison troops, and carrying the enemy's weapons, and set off under the cover of night.

Heading north to Fugu, Zhao Sheng dared not delay for a moment. Considering the possibility that Ming soldiers might have escaped during the previous battle, they had to reach Fugu before the enemy returned to report.

After a hurried journey, the group finally arrived in Fugu on the afternoon of the second day.

Looking towards Fugu County not far away, Zhao Sheng, dressed in the uniform of an ordinary garrison soldier, glanced ahead and then whispered a warning to the captain beside him. The captain nodded repeatedly, a fawning smile on his face, assuring him that with him there, everything was fine.

When Lu Jinchun and Mai Danian went south, they left 300 soldiers to garrison Fugu, along with officials and yamen runners temporarily in charge of Fugu after the imperial court recaptured it. Perhaps due to Lu Jinchun's arrangements when he left, or perhaps because Fugu was misled by the news of the rebel army's southward advance, the defenses in Fugu were not as strict as expected.

When Zhao Sheng and Liu Zhe's group swaggered out from the official road and headed straight for Fugu City, the Fugu garrison was initially startled, but relaxed after seeing the banners of the approaching army.

As we got closer to the city gate, we could almost see the expressions on the faces of the soldiers guarding it.

At this moment, Liu Zhe's palms were slightly sweaty, and his heart was pounding. He even considered leading his men to charge straight in, seize the city gate, and storm into the city. But as soon as this thought crossed his mind, he forcefully suppressed it. He subconsciously glanced at Zhao Sheng beside him, who appeared calm and composed, and remembered Zhao Sheng's earlier instructions.

"Who's coming?" As they approached the city gate, the soldiers stationed in Fugu assumed a defensive stance. However, this stance was clearly somewhat perfunctory, since the other side was carrying the banner of a garrison and dressed the same as them, so they should have been government troops.

"Liu Scarface! Are you blind? It's me!" The captain stepped forward and shouted loudly.

"Who is it? It's you!" An officer, also dressed as a company commander, laughed upon recognizing a familiar face and asked, "Didn't you go south with the lord? Why are you bringing people back?"

"My lord sent me back to Fugu to take care of some business. It's such a hassle, this round trip has exhausted me." The captain continued walking towards Liu Balai without stopping, speaking as he went, and even took out a token from his pocket and flashed it at the other party.

Upon seeing this, Liu Scarface completely lowered his guard. He waved his hand behind him, and the soldiers at the city gate immediately relaxed, laughing and joking, and put away all their swords and spears.

Seeing this, Zhao Sheng gave the two flag bearers a wink. The two immediately understood and led the way, guiding Zhao Sheng and the others to meet them. Upon closer inspection, they greeted the men familiarly by name. Seeing their familiar colleagues, the city guards relaxed even more.

"What business does the lord have sending you back to Fugu?" At this moment, the squad leader had already reached Liu Balai. Liu Balai asked curiously, why did Lu Jinchun send him back? Wasn't it said that Lu Jinchun and Mai Danian went to pursue the rebel army south? They had only been gone for a few days, and the troops should have just arrived in Shenmu. Why was someone sent back out of the blue?

"The lord has ordered us to wait..." the captain said, but his voice gradually lowered.

Liu Balai couldn't help but take two steps forward, wanting to get closer and ask for clarification. But before he could hear what the other person said next, he suddenly felt a slight pain in his waist, as if something hard was pressing against him. He subconsciously looked down and his expression instantly changed drastically.

"Don't move! Move and you'll lose your life!" Liu Zhe pressed the dagger against the waist of this relative, his entire body pressed tightly against Liu Scarface's left side. On his right side, another burly man also pressed against him, his hands gripping Liu Scarface's arm like iron clamps.

"Why...why is this happening, brother..."

"Who says I'm your brother! I'm a subordinate of the rebel leader Li Zicheng!"

"The King of Rebellion?" Liu Scarface was taken aback, his mind racing as he tried to figure out which prince this "King of Rebellion" was. Suddenly, it dawned on him—wasn't the King of Rebellion the bandit Gao Yingxiang?

"Brother, I'm sorry..." At this moment, the captain bowed apologetically to Liu Balai and said in a low voice, "I had no choice. To tell you the truth, the commander and the garrison commander suffered a great defeat at Gaohan Ridge, and both of them have died in battle. We have all been captured by the rebel king."

"Wh...what!" These words struck Liu Scarface like a bolt from the blue, leaving him dumbfounded.

Lu Jinchun and Mai Danian's combined forces numbered nearly five thousand. How could they all be gone in such a short time? This... how is this possible! Leaving aside the fact that Mai Danian's thousand-strong army was an elite border force, even Lu Jinchun's garrison troops were handpicked soldiers from various garrisons. Moreover, as commander, Lu Jinchun also had a valiant personal guard unit by his side. How could they all be gone?

"Brother, it's true, absolutely true. Otherwise, why would I be here?" The captain gave a bitter smile, then continued, "King Chuang has no intention of causing further bloodshed, which is why he sent us to lead the rebel army to Fugu. As long as the people of Fugu surrender and give up resistance, King Chuang will guarantee our lives. As for the people in the city and our families, King Chuang has said he will not harm them in the slightest. But if there is fierce resistance in the city, causing casualties among the rebel army, then don't blame King Chuang for turning ruthless!"

At this point, the captain advised again, "Brother Scarface, a wise man submits to circumstances! Think about it, even the commander and the garrison commander, with so many men, were defeated by the rebel king. What chance do you have against a mere Fugu? Do you really think that the people of Fugu can hold out? Given the current situation, you might as well take the initiative to surrender to the rebel king; that's the only way to have a chance of survival!"

"You...you...you've ruined my life!" Liu Scarface said with a look of misery.

Not only did the enemy capture him right away, but they also forced him to order his men to lay down their weapons and surrender to the rebels. They even had to help the rebels take Fugu without bloodshed.

As Lu Jinchun's trusted subordinate, Lu Jinchun kept Liu Balai here because of his loyalty and reliability. But it was too late to say anything now; the other side had made it clear that Lu Jinchun was dead in battle, and their main force had been wiped out.

In this situation, I only have two options: one is to fight back and never surrender; the other is to do as the other side wants.

Liu Balai knew perfectly well what the outcome of the former would be. Even if he were still incapable of resistance, let alone having none, his men fighting the rebels would be like throwing an egg against a rock. The rebels' ability to annihilate Lu Jinchun and Mai Danian's main forces proved their overwhelming power and unstoppable strength. Further resistance at this point was pointless; it would not only bring no benefit and fail to defend Fugu, but would also endanger his family and brothers.

As for the second path...

At this moment, Liu Scarface subconsciously glanced towards the city gate.

The two flag bearers had already led their men to the city gate. The enemy had already positioned themselves, controlling key points around the gate. At a single command, they could attack. Caught completely off guard, they had no chance of resistance.

Faced with this reality, Liu Balai sighed helplessly and nodded painfully.