Travel back in time and become Chongzhen, watch me turn the tide

The place Shi Kefa and Li Chengdong had agreed to meet at wasn't far away; it was on a small hill beside the road. Led by the messenger, they soon arrived there.

Li Chengdong looked out from afar and saw two people sitting peacefully in a pavilion halfway up the mountain, sipping tea. Several guards stood outside. The scene was like a tranquil landscape painting, but Li Chengdong had no desire to appreciate it.

He was apprehensive, unsure of what kind of situation he would soon face. However, the scene before him finally put his mind at ease. After all, this scene at least showed that the situation wasn't too bad to be out of control.

"General Li Chengdong pays his respects to the Commander-in-Chief." Li Chengdong hurried to the pavilion and spoke loudly. His voice echoed through the mountains, carrying a hint of respect and nervousness.

"General Li, there's no need to be so polite. Please sit down..." Shi Kefa sat aside, his expression calm and composed. Instead, the person next to him spoke, his voice steady and powerful.

"This..." Li Chengdong carefully examined the person who spoke and realized he didn't recognize him. He was filled with confusion. Who was this person? Why was he here with Shi Kefa? He looked at Shi Kefa again, feeling a bit lost for words.

"Tingzhen is curious about who I am," Chongzhen said with a laugh.

"I dare not." Li Chengdong replied with an apologetic smile.

Anyone who could sit with Commander Shi Kefa must be a distinguished figure, but he searched his mind for a long time and could not recall such a person. This person's appearance was so sudden that he was completely clueless.

"Don't bother thinking about it, you've never seen me," Chongzhen said with a smile, his smile was like a spring breeze, making people feel a little warm. However, Li Chengdong's doubts became even stronger.

"General Li, the person in front of you is the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Why don't you pay your respects quickly?" Shi Kefa finally stood up and said solemnly.

"The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty?" Li Chengdong was stunned when he heard this. He had seen the emperor of the Hongguang Dynasty, but the person in front of him did not look like that.

He looked at Shi Kefa in confusion, his heart filled with shock and doubt. What on earth was going on?

"I'm not who you think I am," Chongzhen smiled and shook his head. "I'm not Zhu Yousong, but Zhu Youjian."

"You...you are...Emperor Chongzhen!" Li Chengdong couldn't help but cry out: "You...you haven't passed away yet?"

"It is true that I died once, but Emperor Taizu didn't want to see me, so he kicked me back!" Chongzhen said with a smile. There was a hint of humor in his words, but it also made people feel a kind of open-mindedness after experiencing vicissitudes of life.

"This... Your Majesty, I, Li Chengdong, pay my respects!" Li Chengdong hesitated for a moment, but ultimately knelt down. His heart was filled with conflict; he didn't know how to respond to this sudden appearance of the former emperor.

"I'm sorry for the trouble. Hurry up and get up." Chongzhen stood up and helped Li Chengdong up, saying, "I'm just a poor man now. Let's sit down and talk."

"As you command." Li Chengdong glanced at Shi Kefa, his mind racing. What was going on? He gathered his thoughts and said, "I wonder what orders Your Majesty has summoned me for?"

At this time, Li Chengdong naturally understood that it was Emperor Chongzhen who asked him to come, but how did this former emperor get involved with Shi Kefa?

Could it be that... Li Chengdong's mind was full of questions, but he didn't dare to think further.

"I'm guessing Tingzhen is heading to Gao Jie's camp," Chongzhen asked as he poured a cup of tea for Li Chengdong. There was a round stone table in the pavilion halfway up the mountain. The three of them were sitting around it.

His movements were graceful and natural, as if he was doing something very ordinary.

"I received an order from the Marshal, ordering me to move to the central army camp!" Li Chengdong hurriedly stood up and took the tea poured by Chongzhen with great trepidation.

You know, this was the emperor personally pouring tea for himself, which was unprecedented in the entire Ming Dynasty. Li Chengdong was filled with fear and anxiety, not knowing how to respond to such an honor.

Seeing how flattered Li Chengdong was, Shi Kefa couldn't help but shake his head secretly.

Emperor Chongzhen seemed like a different person. If it were in the past, how could he do something like pouring tea for others?

Since seeing Chongzhen again, such things have happened too many times, so many that sometimes even Shi Kefa doubted whether the person in front of him was really Emperor Chongzhen. This made his heart full of emotion and doubt.

"Do you know what happened before?" Chongzhen asked directly without beating around the bush. His eyes were fixed on Li Chengdong, revealing a sharp light, as if he could see through everything.

"Huang Degong and Huang Fei ambushed the Marshal, and the Marshal fought hard but was captured!" Li Chengdong hesitated and replied.

The people sent by Li Benshen had already told Li Chengdong the whole story. This was the unanimous statement after everyone discussed it. He felt a little uneasy, wondering whether this answer would satisfy Chongzhen.

"Tingzhen, tell me the truth, do you believe this statement?" Chongzhen smiled faintly and shook his head.

"That's indeed the news from the camp," Li Chengdong said, his eyes averted.

"If that's the case, how do you think this matter should be resolved?" Chongzhen knew from his expression that he already knew the truth. There was a hint of probing in his tone, wanting to gauge Li Chengdong's attitude.

"Of course, we should ask the commander-in-chief and the court to make the decision for us!" Li Chengdong glanced at Shi Kefa and said.

There was a hint of tact in his words. He didn't want to offend Chongzhen, but he also didn't want to express his opinion easily.

Chongzhen smiled to himself after hearing this. This Li Chengdong was really slick. He only mentioned the court but not Chongzhen. He was afraid of falling into his own language trap. He had a deeper understanding of Li Chengdong in his heart.

"Hahaha, good, good!" Chongzhen laughed and said, "Tingzhen is truly impeccable. In that case, let's speak frankly. The Ming Dynasty is in turmoil and can no longer withstand any more turmoil. Gao Jie's ambush on his colleagues is extremely serious. If Huang Degong and Huang Fei raise an army to punish him, it will inevitably lead to a major war."

"In order to avoid the loss of lives and internal strife, I hope General Li can step forward and shoulder the heavy responsibility to assist Lord Shi in resolving this feud. What do you think?" Chongzhen's eyes revealed an expectation, as if he was waiting for Li Chengdong's response.

"Me?" Li Chengdong was stunned for a moment and said, "How can I have this ability?"

"Tingzhen, don't be so modest. If you want to end this matter, Gao Jie can no longer be in charge of the army... Lord Shi, Huang Degong and Huang Fei will assist you in taking over Gao Jie's troops. What do you think?" Chongzhen said.

"The Marshal's wife and son are still alive, and he has generals such as Hu Maozhen and Li Benshen under his command. How can I control them?" Li Chengdong shook his head and said.

"With the cooperation of Lord Shi and the two generals, it will be easy for you to remove their military power." Chongzhen smiled and said, "Don't tell me you don't even have this ability."

"Then what will you do with Madam Xing and the young master?" Li Chengdong did not answer. After a moment's thought, he asked back. Although Chongzhen's offer was tempting, he had been with Gao Jie for so many years and could not harm his wife and children.

"Of course I won't harm their lives and let you bear the blame," Chongzhen said with a smile, "I promise you, as long as they can be content with the status quo and have enough food and clothing for their family, I can still do it."

"But... why did His Majesty choose me?" Li Chengdong asked, staring intently into Chongzhen's eyes. He was filled with curiosity, wondering what was so special about him that Chongzhen chose him.

"Because you are upright, loyal, and have justice in your heart!" Chongzhen said with a serious expression, enunciating each word.

"Your Majesty, who is the one who gave me the guarantee? Is it the current Emperor Hongguang or... you?" Li Chengdong still had some doubts in his heart and wanted to get a clear answer.

"Of course it's me!" Chongzhen said proudly. His words were full of confidence and majesty. At this time, he was the emperor who was high above everyone else.

"But now everyone knows about the Hongguang court," Li Chengdong refused to let Chongzhen go and continued to ask, "Although you have Lord Shi by your side, you don't have a single soldier under your command. How can you guarantee me?"

"Hahaha! You, you really are a naive person..." Chongzhen laughed and said, "Who said I don't have any soldiers? I told you before that Huang Degong and Huang Fei follow my orders. Even without these two generals, Lord Shi alone is worth a million soldiers! If General Li agrees to help me, I will control two of the four towns in northern Jiang. As for Liu Liangzuo, Liu Zeqing and the like, I don't even care about them!"

Chongzhen's words were full of arrogance and confidence, which made people unconsciously infected by him and feel his powerful strength.

"But the orthodox one now is the Hongguang court!" Li Chengdong had been persuaded at this time, but there was still some final hesitation in his heart.

"Orthodoxy? Who dares to compete with me in orthodoxy? Prince Fu Zhu Yousong? He's not worthy!" Chongzhen said coldly. His words were filled with anger and disdain, making people feel a strong emotion.

"Orthodoxy is not just empty talk. The dispute between Emperor Yingzong and Emperor Daizong of the previous dynasty is still vivid in our memory..." Li Chengdong said after hesitating for a moment.

"I know, power comes from the barrel of a gun..." Chongzhen spread his hands and said with a smile, "That's why I came to you instead of going directly to Nanjing to fight Zhu Yousong for legitimacy..."

"Political power comes from the barrel of a gun..." Chongzhen's words left Li Chengdong speechless for a long time, and even Shi Kefa pondered for a long time.

This sentence was like a key that opened a door in their hearts and allowed them to see a new possibility.

"One last question!" Li Chengdong gritted his teeth and said, "Why should I listen to you?"

"Why?" Chongzhen stood up, his hands behind his back, and gazed toward the sky. "I will lead you to rebuild the Ming Dynasty and allow you to live a prosperous and happy life. And by following me, your talents will surely be fully utilized, and your names will be recorded in history!"

Chongzhen's words are full of passion and hope, which makes people feel a strong appeal.

"Do you believe me?"