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

Everyone was surprised and delighted by the gift that Gou'er brought; it turned out to be more than twenty war horses!

What surprised Chongzhen even more was that this dog was actually the quartermaster of a cavalry unit under Li Yan of the Dashun Army! With the main cavalry unit supporting the siege, he had the final say on the supplies and military equipment left behind in the main camp. Thus, over twenty war horses easily fell into Chongzhen's hands.

At this time, Chongzhen couldn't help but feel puzzled. The appearance of Tiezhu and the dog was too coincidental.

After traveling this distance, he found no golden finger. Could it be that the words he shouted during the countdown to his journey had worked? Did the mysterious being who sent him through time arrange these two people for him? Otherwise, how could things proceed so smoothly? Is there a deeper conspiracy here? Or is there some unknown danger hidden behind this?

Putting aside Chongzhen’s wild thoughts, Li Ruolian and others were worried that the night would be too long and would bring more trouble, so they urged them to hurry up.

The journey from Beijing to Tianjin was over 200 li. Each man rode two horses, galloping through the night, and finally arrived in Tianjin at dawn. Although Li Ruolian and Gao Qianqiu were military commanders, they were exhausted after running over 200 li. Chongzhen, Wang Chengen, and Jin Xuan were so exhausted that their faces turned pale, and their inner thighs burned with pain. On the other hand, Gou'er and Tiezhu, despite their youth, showed no signs of fatigue.

Chongzhen breathed a sigh of relief, but he did not rush into the city. Instead, he asked everyone to take shelter in a small woods outside the city, waiting for the best time to enter the city.

"Your Majesty, should we enter the city now?" Li Ruolian asked in a low voice, with a hint of urgency in his eyes.

Emperor Chongzhen shook his head, his eyes penetrating the thin morning mist, gazing at the silent city in the distance.

In the early morning light, the city wall of Tianjin was still solemn and majestic, the heavy city gates were tightly closed, and the Ming Dynasty flags on the city wall fluttered weakly in the morning breeze, as if foreshadowing the end of an era.

"No, we can't just go in with such fanfare. The situation in Tianjin is complicated, and we must act with caution..." Chongzhen thought about it again and again and shook his head.

The city of Tianjin seems calm at this moment, but in fact there are undercurrents.

If Chongzhen remembered correctly, Tianjin Military Governor Yuan Yuzong and Deputy General Lou Guangxian had already secretly prepared to "submit a letter of surrender" to the Dashun Army. If they had entered the city with great fanfare at this time, the consequences would have been unpredictable.

Even if the soldiers and civilians of Tianjin City still remained loyal to the Ming Dynasty and welcomed him into the city, what would they do next? Abandon the city and flee? Or defend it and fight?

Historically, although the city of Tianjin nominally surrendered to the Dashun Dynasty, Li Zicheng did not send troops to take it over at first. It was not until the Dashun was defeated in the Battle of Shanhaiguan and the Qing army entered the pass that Yuan Yuzong, who had originally planned to "present a letter of surrender", wavered and refused to open the gate for Li Yan who came to take over Tianjin. Li Yan had no intention of attacking by force and could only lead his troops back to Beijing.

Li Zicheng was not in a hurry to recapture Tianjin because Chongzhen had already died and the Ming army had surrendered. But the situation was different now. If the Dashun army knew that he was in Tianjin, the main force would definitely head straight for it.

Chongzhen knew that even if he took control of Tianjin at this point, he wouldn't be able to hold it anytime soon, instead plunging the city into flames and causing widespread devastation. Therefore, he had to secretly contact Feng Yuanyang, but his whereabouts wouldn't be announced until he reached Nanjing. But could he really reach Feng Yuanyang so easily? Would something unexpected happen?

"Chengfu (Li Ruolian's courtesy name), Boyu (Jin Xuan's courtesy name), you two will follow me into the city to contact Lord Feng. The rest of you will remain here and wait."

As the sun rose, there were already traces of pedestrians on the road, and the originally closed city gate slowly opened. Chongzhen glanced at everyone and spoke.

"Yes, sir!" Li Ruo Lian and Jin Hyun bowed and accepted the order.

"Tiezhu and I will go with you." said Gou'er.

Although they had been running around all night, Gou'er and Tiezhu still maintained their true colors. There was no trace of fatigue on their two young faces, but instead they revealed a playfulness and vitality.

"You guys?" Chongzhen frowned.

"They are all wealthy masters who are used to a life of luxury. If you don't want to reveal your identity, we should follow them." The dog said with a smile.

"Okay." Chongzhen thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

The group left their horses behind, dressed up as refugees, and walked towards the city gate on foot.

Emperor Chongzhen was in an extremely heavy mood. He knew that once he entered the city, he would face more challenges and dangers. But he also knew that he had no way out and could only move forward bravely.

Although the city gate was open, the guarding was obviously strengthened, and a team of elite soldiers conducted strict checks on people entering the city.

Chongzhen and others were originally afraid of revealing some flaws, but they didn't expect that the dog would come forward and laugh with the soldiers, and secretly stuff some loose change into them. The leading captain waved his hand and let them into the city.

It seems this guy really has some skills, otherwise how could he become the quartermaster of the Dashun Army at such a young age!

The group entered the city smoothly. There were few pedestrians on the streets, and occasionally there were a few pedestrians passing by, all with worried looks on their faces.

After the capital was broken, all the officials in Tianjin were in a panic. Tianjin Governor Feng Yuanyang had repeatedly submitted resignations due to health reasons and had long since stopped caring about Tianjin's military and political affairs. Now the person in charge of military affairs was Yuan Yuzong, the military governor.

-

In the Feng Mansion, Feng Kaizhang had already dressed in his armor, and dozens of guards and servants were also ready, waiting for Feng Yuanyang's order.

"Father, the ship is ready. It's time for us to set off," Feng Kaizhang said softly, looking at Feng Yuanyang who was sitting upright. "We just received a message that Yuan Yuzong and Lou Guangxian have decided to surrender to the Dashun Army. The surrender letter and the notice to reassure the people have been written to welcome the Dashun Army. If we don't leave now, I'm afraid it will be difficult to escape..."

"Has there been any news from the capital?" Feng Yuanyang asked with a sigh.

"Just got the news that the capital has been breached and Li Zicheng, the King of Rebellion, has entered the city..."

"Then is there any news from the Emperor?"

"His Majesty has disappeared, and the Dashun Army is searching the city for him," Feng Kaizhang said after a moment's hesitation. "But I heard that when the city was captured, Minister of War Zhang Jinyan and Grand Secretary Wei Zaode led all the officials in offering congratulations and welcoming the invaders. His Majesty didn't even have a single guard by his side... I think he must be in grave danger!"

"Zhang Jinyan and Wei Zaode are two traitors! They are a disgrace to us literati!" Feng Yuanyang slammed the table and cursed when he heard this.

"Not only the officials in Beijing, but most of the officials in Tianjin are ready to surrender. The situation is hopeless..." Feng Kaizhang said with a wry smile. "Tianjin is only a little over 200 miles away from Beijing. The Dashun Army could arrive at any time. If we don't want to be involved, we should leave as soon as possible..."

"How prepared are you?"

"There are over twenty warships of 400 tonnes and over fifty warships of 200 tonnes or less. The personnel and supplies are ready and they are ready to set sail at any time..."

"Do you think His Majesty will escape from the capital?" Feng Yuanyang pondered for a moment and said, "When I asked you to go to the capital, you should have found a way to see His Majesty!"

"It's not that I don't want to, but I simply can't see him." Feng Kaizhang sighed and said, "Seeing that the enemy soldiers are about to besiege the city, I have no choice but to return..."

"Alas! God doesn't bless my Ming Dynasty!" Feng Yuanyang stood up irritably, thought for a moment and said, "You take your men to the beach and wait first. I'll wait here for another day. Just in case..."

"Father, there's no such thing as a 'what if'?" Feng Kaizhang advised. "The Emperor doesn't even have a single guard by his side. How could he possibly escape Beijing? If you wait here for another day, how could Yuan Yuzong let you go if he surrenders?"

"Humph! How dare he stop me?" Feng Yuanyang said disdainfully, "Although I haven't been involved in military and political affairs for a long time, I'm still not someone he can control!"

"Father!"

Just as the father and son were arguing, a servant suddenly came to report that a few people had come to the door, saying that they were old friends from the capital who came to visit!

"From the capital?" Feng Yuanyang was overjoyed when he heard this and quickly said, "Please come in!"

Although I don't know who is coming, since they came from the capital at this time, they must know what happened in the capital. But who are these people? What news do they bring?

Feng Yuanyang was extremely anxious as he watched the servant go to reply, but he could only wait patiently in front of the hall. Fortunately, after only a few minutes, the servant came in with several people.

"You..." Feng Yuanyang looked at the young man walking towards him and felt that he looked familiar. After looking at him carefully, he couldn't help but shout!

"His Majesty!"