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

The next morning, at the Governor's Mansion in Yangzhou City.

Sunlight streamed down the spacious meeting hall. Shi Kefa sat in the center, his face solemn. Huang Degong and Li Chengdong flanked him, their expressions grave, as if awaiting something important. Chongzhen, in casual clothes, sat at the side, quietly observing everything.

Liu Liangzuo had arrived in Yangzhou yesterday, but he did not rush into the city, but instead set up camp outside the city. Shi Kefa had no choice but to send an envoy to ask him to come into the city to discuss matters.

"Reporting to the commander-in-chief, Liu Liangzuo has arrived at the city gate, but..." While everyone was talking, Yan Yingyuan strode in with a hint of helplessness on his face and said.

"Just what?" Shi Kefa asked when he saw Yan Yingyuan was hesitant, his eyes full of confusion.

"Liu Liangzuo will bring his thousand cavalrymen into the city," Yan Yingyuan said with a wry smile. "How can a large army enter the city at will? He's currently being stopped at the city gates and is causing a huge uproar."

"Haha, this Liu Liangzuo," Chongzhen smiled and shook his head, a hint of sarcasm on his face, and said, "He is guarding against us..."

"If he uses this excuse not to enter the city, what should we do?" Shi Kefa said with a frown and worry. His hands clenched unconsciously, as if he was thinking about how to deal with the situation.

"What kind of trouble can a mere thousand cavalrymen cause?" Chongzhen waved his hand, his expression relaxed. "Since he's wary of us, let him enter the city. That'll give him peace of mind, right? The troops will be stationed at Liheng's barracks... Liheng, are you okay with leaving these cavalrymen?"

"Your Majesty, it's not that I underestimate them. Dealing with these people is easy." Yan Yingyuan said with a smile, "I have already made a plan, don't worry!"

"They are all soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. There should be no unnecessary casualties." Chongzhen shook his head and said earnestly, "These soldiers have come from afar. You must treat them well!"

"This..." Yan Yingyuan nodded and said, "I know my limits!"

"What about Liu Zeqing? Is there any news?" Shi Kefa asked, with a hint of worry on his face, and he was quite concerned about Liu Zeqing's situation.

"Liu Zeqing sent a messenger saying that he has been in poor health recently and is bedridden and unable to travel. He asked us to just discuss the matter. He will definitely obey orders for whatever is required of him!" Yan Yingyuan shook his head and said, his words full of sarcasm.

"This is really his usual style," Chongzhen said sarcastically, "I wonder what the reason is this time. I don't think it was a fall from a horse."

Chongzhen's words were filled with disdain and disgust for Liu Zeqing. When Li Zicheng was approaching Beijing, Chongzhen had ordered all provinces to come to the emperor's aid, specifically commanding Liu Zeqing, the Shandong general, to come to his rescue. However, Liu Zeqing falsely claimed to have fallen from a horse and was injured, refusing the order.

"This man is vicious and vindictive. He's capricious, selfish, and cruel," Shi Kefa sighed, a look of deep helplessness on his face. "But now he commands a large army, and there's nothing we can do to him!"

"Hmph! Let him be happy for a few more days. I'll have my own way to deal with him when the time comes!" Chongzhen said coldly, his eyes revealing a firmness and determination. "Today, we should first take care of Liu Liangzuo!"

With Shi Kefa's order, Liu Liangzuo led more than a thousand cavalrymen to station in Yan Yingyuan's camp, while Liu Liangzuo brought dozens of cavalrymen to the outside of the commander-in-chief's mansion.

"Sir Liu, do you and your men want to come into my Commander-in-Chief's Mansion with me?" Shi Kefa was afraid that Liu Liangzuo would cause trouble again, so he went to the gate of the Commander-in-Chief's Mansion to greet him. When he saw Liu Liangzuo with dozens of cavalrymen, he couldn't help but taunt him.

"Master Shi, what are you talking about? How dare Liangzuo lead his troops into the Commander-in-Chief's Mansion?" Seeing Shi Kefa's unfriendly expression, Liu Liangzuo hurried forward to greet him, a flattering smile on his face. He said, "It's all because of my lack of discipline. My subordinates heard that there was some friction between General Gao and General Huang, and they were afraid that something might happen to me, so they insisted on following me... I told them, with the Commander-in-Chief here, how could anything happen? I will punish them later. Master Shi, you are a great man who does not bear grudges, but please don't bother with them!"

"Hmph!" Shi Kefa snorted coldly and turned to walk into the commander-in-chief's mansion.

"Sir Liu, please come in!" Yan Yingyuan hurriedly stepped forward to invite Liu Liangzuo in. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes revealed a hint of vigilance.

"You all wait outside." Shi Kefa had come to the door in person, so Liu Liangzuo naturally could not ignore him anymore. He turned around and told the leader of his personal guards to wait outside, and he went into the commander-in-chief's mansion with two followers.

"Yao Er, arrange for someone to look after the horses for you brothers. You take them to the restaurant across the street to rest for a while," Yan Yingyuan instructed with a smile. "I'm familiar with the restaurant across the street. Have them serve you some tea and snacks. Don't let the sun get you burned!"

"Leave two of us here to watch," said Chen Han, the leader of the personal guards, looking at the sun in the sky and hesitating for a moment, "Let's go to the restaurant to hide from the sun!"

Chen Han was Chen Shouting's nephew, and Chen Shouting had specifically instructed him to be extremely careful on this trip. However, since entering the city, everyone had been on the verge of a fight, and Shi Kefa had simply given Liu Liangzuo a cold look. He assumed nothing would go wrong, and his initial wariness had long since subsided.

"You have to listen carefully for me. If the Marshal is done, please inform us in advance," Chen Han instructed Yao Er and led his men into the restaurant opposite the Governor's Mansion.

"Where is Liu Zeqing?" After everyone entered the meeting room of the Governor's Mansion and sat down, Liu Liangzuo looked around and found that Liu Zeqing was nowhere to be found. He asked hurriedly with a hint of confusion on his face.

"He's seriously ill, unable to get out of bed, and can't come!" Huang Degong sneered, "Our Lord Liu is good in every way, except for his poor health!"

"That old rascal!" Liu Liangzuo naturally knew what was going on, but he didn't care. Instead, he looked at Shi Kefa and said, "Master Shi, why did you summon us today? Could it be that the promised silver and wages have been found?"

"It seems that Lord Liu only cares about the silver salary." Chongzhen stood up from his seat beside him with a smile and said, "What if there is no silver salary?"

"Without silver wages, what will my subordinates eat? How will the war horses be fed? Am I going to let soldiers who haven't eaten fight against the enemy?" Liu Liangzuo slammed the table and stood up and said.

"Liu Liangzuo, the Marquis of Guangchang, is stationed in Linhuai. His government is magnificent and he spends thousands of gold coins every day... The army has no food or pay, but I don't know where such a huge waste comes from?" Chongzhen was not annoyed. He slowly walked to Liu Liangzuo and said.

"You..." Liu Liangzuo only then realized that the person who spoke was actually an aide, and his face became even more embarrassed. He looked at Shi Kefa coldly and said, "Commander-in-Chief, this person questioned me like this, is it your intention?"

Liu Liangzuo felt despised when an aide spoke to him like this, and his words were full of anger and dissatisfaction.

"It's not his idea, it's mine," Chongzhen said coldly, the smile on his face gradually disappearing, his eyes revealing majesty and domineering.

"I...you..." Liu Liangzuo was shocked when he heard this. He looked carefully at the man in front of him. Although he had become darker and thinner, his eyebrows and eyes were still the same as before. "You...you are...Your Majesty?"

Liu Liangzuo's voice was full of surprise and disbelief. Wasn't Emperor Chongzhen dead? How could he appear here?

"Yes, you can recognize me," Chongzhen nodded, his expression slightly relaxed.

"But...but you are not...not..." In front of Chongzhen, Liu Liangzuo was unable to say that word for a moment, and a look of fear and panic appeared on his face.

"Dead, huh?" Chongzhen said with a smile, "I'm sorry to disappoint you... I'm lucky and still alive."

"Your Majesty...you..." Liu Liangzuo suddenly realized that Chongzhen had appeared before everyone with such a swagger. Except for him, no one else showed any sign of surprise. What did this mean? It meant that these people had already colluded with each other...

Isn't this like walking into a tiger's mouth? These people are going after me! What do I have in my hands that they can covet? Only military power! This is my lifeblood. Once I give it up, I'll be like a tree without roots.

At this time, Liu Liangzuo secretly hated himself for not listening to Chen Shouting's advice. He thought that Shi Kefa could not do anything to him, but now Shi Kefa had already set a trap for him to jump into.

"I suddenly remembered that there are some matters in the camp that need my attention, so I'll take my leave now," Liu Liangzuo made up his mind and turned to leave.

"Why is General Liu leaving when the meeting hasn't even started yet?" Shi Kefa said coldly, his voice revealing majesty and unquestionableness.

As soon as he finished speaking, several soldiers stepped forward and blocked Liu Liangzuo's way.

"Let me see who dares to stop me? Someone come here!" Liu Liangzuo shouted loudly without any nonsense, with anger and fear on his face.

But after he finished speaking, there was no response.

"I've arranged for someone to take good care of your two personal guards," Chongzhen said with a smile, "As for the cavalry you brought with you, they should be fast asleep by now."

"You killed them?" Liu Liangzuo said in horror, with despair and anger on his face.

"How is this possible? These will all be my soldiers in the future. How could I kill them?" Yan Yingyuan smiled and waved his hand. "I have some extraordinary people under my command. They have at least some knockout drugs. They will be fine after a good night's sleep. It's no big deal!"

"Well," Liu Liangzuo accepted his fate. He sighed deeply, turned to look at Chongzhen and said, "But I wonder what Your Majesty needs Liangzuo for?"