Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

Zhang Xianzhong used his failure to prove his incompetence.

Although Li Zicheng felt that his army was stronger than Zhang Xianzhong's, it was still too small compared to the fully awakened and recovered behemoth of the Ming Dynasty.

With Sun Chuanting's Qin troops in the north and Zhang Shikang and Qin Liangyu in the south, he would not have any chance.

Although it was painful, Li Zicheng knew that this might be the only way to survive.

It was for this reason that after the Battle of Yongchuan, Li Zicheng did not take advantage of the government army's pursuit of Zhang Xianzhong, but led his troops to invade the rear of the government army.

Nothing makes sense.

Zhang Shikang dared to bring 40,000 guards to destroy them, so he must have made complete preparations.

If they fail to do so, the imperial court will mobilize more troops, and the current imperial court has the ability to do so.

But even though Li Zicheng had made up his mind to surrender, there were reasons for this surrender.

If you are defeated in a war, you will surrender unconditionally and accept all demands of the victor unconditionally.

But Li Zicheng was not defeated. Not only that, he had 50,000 soldiers behind him. If the Jianmen Pass defense line was included, he had more than 70,000 soldiers, and their combat power was extraordinary.

This is what he relies on.

Therefore, he concentrated all his forces in Jianmen Pass and Baoning City, and did not set up defenses in other prefectures and counties, in order to let the court and Zhang Shikang understand that even if it was a fight to the death, the court would inevitably pay a heavy price.

He can surrender, but he must be given the protection he deserves.

He will never forget that he dug up the ancestral tomb of the current emperor.

Not to mention how many members of the Ming royal family he had killed over the years, just the fact that he had dug up the emperor's ancestral tomb was something that Emperor Chongzhen would never let him off easily.

He had been waiting outside Baoning City for too long, but he was still surprised when he saw that the person coming was Li Dingguo.

In those days, he and Zhang Xianzhong both followed Gao Yingxiang to start an uprising. It was also at that time that Li Zicheng met Li Dingguo who followed Zhang Xianzhong.

At that time, Li Dingguo was only eleven or twelve years old, but he liked the child very much and even promised a large sum of money to Zhang Xianzhong in order to bring Li Dingguo under his command.

Zhang Xianzhong had agreed to it at first, but Li Dingguo refused to do so.

Later, when Gao Yingxiang was captured, everyone elected him as the second generation leader of the King of Rebellion. He also had many conflicts with Zhang Xianzhong, and they rarely met since then.

He originally thought that Li Dingguo would also die in this attack by the imperial court, but he did not expect that Li Dingguo was not only unharmed, but also surrendered to the imperial court.

What was even more unexpected was that compared to before, Li Dingguo was even more ambitious at this time.

When did the imperial court, or Zhang Shikang, treat their rebel army so well?

"Li Dingguo, deputy general of the Grand Marshal of the Imperial Guards of the Ming Dynasty, invites Li Zicheng, the Prince of Rebellion, to have a conversation."

The soldier seemed to know Li Zicheng. He walked straight to within a dozen steps of Li Zicheng. After being stopped by Li Zicheng's personal guards, he bowed to Li Zicheng and spoke loudly.

"Your commander is quite straightforward." Li Zicheng said with a hint of sarcasm.

On the one hand, it was said that Li Dingguo did not respect his elders and did not know etiquette, and on the other hand, it was naturally mocking Li Dingguo's straightforward surrender.

The soldier ignored Li Zicheng's ridicule and said directly:

"Please tell me whether you agree?"

"How dare you! Who do you think you are to dare to speak to King Chuang like that?" Hao Yaoqi said angrily.

"If you disagree, then I will go back and report to you so that you can know that the Grand Marshal's army will arrive here within an hour at the latest."

After the soldier said this, he was about to go back. Hao Yaoqi immediately drew his bow and arrow, wanting to shoot the soldier to death, but was stopped by Li Zicheng.

"Forget it, let him come to the front of the battle." Li Zicheng sighed.

"King Chuang, be careful of traps." Niu Jinxing warned.

Li Zicheng shook his head. He was well aware of Li Dingguo's character and he simply disdained to do such a thing.

Then he kicked his horse's belly and ran towards the battle alone.

Soon, Li Dingguo also came over on his war horse.

Li Zicheng was about to say a few words of greeting, but Li Dingguo spoke first:

"I am delivering a message to you on the orders of the Marshal."

Li Dingguo did not want to give Li Zicheng a chance to reminisce about the past. He cherished everything he had now and no longer had to wander around to avoid the government troops.

He is now a government soldier.

Since he has an old relationship with Li Zicheng, he should handle matters impartially. Since his status is different, he should do his job according to his position.

Li Zicheng saw what Li Dingguo meant, and was somewhat disappointed, so he replied dryly:

"What did your commander-in-chief tell you to say?"

Li Dingguo's face changed when he heard this, and he coughed strangely and said:

"Just tell me straight, do you surrender or not?"

When Li Zicheng heard this, his brows immediately furrowed into knots.

According to the countermeasures he discussed with Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance, in order to have certain bargaining chips, they could not bring up the issue of appeasement first no matter what.

It would be best to let Zhang Shikang see the appearance and morale of his own army, and then take the initiative to propose surrender after he realizes that they are a tough nut to crack.

But the current situation is that Zhang Shikang did speak first.

But this tone... doesn't taste right!

Zhang Shikang didn't even realize how powerful he was, and he directly sent Li Dingguo to persuade him to surrender. Not only did he show no respect, but his tone was even full of sarcasm.

"Nephew, what do you mean? Do you really think I'm afraid of the court?" Li Zicheng asked with a frown.

"I am only delivering a message on behalf of the Marshal. You are not afraid of the court, but the court is not afraid of you either. You should know the outcome.

Besides, I am not your nephew." Li Dingguo said calmly.

In fact, he didn't really understand why the Marshal asked him to pass on the message in this way. It seemed like there was a sense of evil in it.

"King Chuang, I'm only reminding you once, you don't have a chance." Li Dingguo said again.

This was a goodwill gesture from a previous acquaintance, and was also Li Dingguo's true opinion after he had a deep understanding of the combat effectiveness of the Guards.

According to other generals in the Guards, the Marshal not only held military power, but also set up a manufacturing bureau specializing in the research of firearms.

Now the muskets and cannons in their hands can be mass-produced soon, and the Ming Dynasty court has great foundation.

It is conceivable that one or two years later, when hundreds of huge cannons are placed in front of him, even the king of heaven would tremble.

Li Zicheng naturally knew that what Li Dingguo said was right.

But even so, he was still very dissatisfied in his heart, the gap was too big.

"If I lead the army to surrender, I can also receive such courtesy from you. There is nothing wrong with surrendering." Li Zicheng suppressed his dissatisfaction and said reluctantly.

This way of speaking is somewhat humble for Li Zicheng, the King of Rebellion, but the form is stronger than the man.

"I am only responsible for delivering the message. If you don't agree, we will fight.

As for how the Marshal deals with you, that is his business.

However, the Marshal is not a person who is good at killing, unless the person is guilty of a heinous crime.

Now, can you answer me?" After saying that, Li Dingguo looked at Li Zicheng calmly.