The video takes us to ancient times; Li Er transforms into the Tongtian Emperor of Shu Han.

The burly man's words reflected the sentiments of the vast majority of people present.

Many people can share hardship but not prosperity.

Li Zicheng was like this, and Zhang Xianzhong might be the same.

However, Zhang Xianzhong has no chance of wealth and power at the moment. He is trapped in this land of Shu. He may seem to be the King of the Great Western Kingdom, but in reality, he is fighting like a cornered beast.

He currently treats his generals well, and therefore they are extremely loyal to him.

Upon hearing this man's words, Zhang Xianzhong did not show much joy; instead, he shook his head with a hint of helplessness.

"Since you all remember that I raised an army to give you a way to live, then you should know that I want to save far more than just you."

"Although I am now at odds with Li Zicheng and have been suppressed by him for so long."

"Logically speaking, we should seize this opportunity to turn the tables and strike while the iron is hot."

“But look closely, who exactly is the enemy who drove Li Zicheng to such a desperate situation?”

"They're Tartars from beyond the Great Wall!"

"Although we have never been to that pass, we have all heard of the brutality of the Tartars. It is no exaggeration to say that no grass grows where they go."

"If we were to kick Li Zicheng while he's down at this time, and the Manchu Tartars were to gain control of the country, wouldn't I and you all become the sinners of the entire world?"

"At that time, how many ordinary people like you and me will perish at the hands of the Tartars?"

This is what Zhang Xianzhong truly cared about.

If it were the Southern Ming or other Central Plains rebels that forced Li Zicheng into such a desperate situation, he would certainly have acted without hesitation.

In this fierce competition, the loser has to obediently withdraw from the arena—that's the truly cruel aspect of this war.

But when the enemy changed from the Southern Ming to the Tartars outside the Great Wall, it was a completely different story in Zhang Xianzhong's mind.

He could accept Li Zicheng's failure, and he could accept his own failure, but he absolutely could not accept that the Manchu Tartars would be the ones to finally rule the Central Plains!

"So Your Majesty means... to remain still?"

Shouldn't we avoid kicking someone when they're down?

Should we give up this golden opportunity?

If that's the reason, then it makes sense, and everyone present can accept it, though they might feel somewhat disappointed.

However, Zhang Xianzhong wanted to do far more than that.

"What I'm going to do is not stand idly by. Our army will still leave Sichuan, but not to betray Li Zicheng!"

"With the battle situation so chaotic and the capital city indefensible, and with forces of equal strength, Li Zicheng's army has suffered repeated defeats. He is unlikely to win this final battle either."

"Turning hostility into friendship is naturally impossible; I am not that magnanimous."

"But after the defeat of Li Zicheng's Shun army, I hope that my Great Western Army can become the last line of defense in the Central Plains!"

"Perhaps I am no match for those Manchu barbarians, but in any case, I cannot sit idly by and watch these barbarians gain this empire!"

At that moment, Zhang Xianzhong felt that whether or not he had betrayed him was no longer of much concern.

He was a soldier who had led troops in battle for many years, so he naturally had a very clear understanding of the current situation between the Shun army and the Manchu Qing dynasty.

One side won battle after battle, and its morale soared; the other side, with ten times the strength, still suffered a crushing defeat.

The two sides were so different in morale, but their troop strength was not much different.

In addition, the Manchu cavalry led by Dorgon was also extremely elite.

Under these circumstances, he truly did not believe that Li Zicheng had even the slightest chance of winning.

"Huh? Going to support that thief?"

"Your Majesty, isn't this going a bit too far..."

Although Zhang Xianzhong verbally claimed that it was impossible to reconcile with Li Zicheng, his decision clearly reflected this.

These generals found this outcome absolutely unacceptable.

In their view, it would be more than enough not to seize such a golden opportunity and gain some benefits.

Should we send troops to help?

What about those brothers who died fighting against the Shun army in the past?

"Too much of what?"

"Would you like to take a look at this other intelligence report?"

"Look at what those towns and villages looked like after being looted by the Manchus?"

Zhang Xianzhong angrily threw the two letters brought back by his spies onto the table.

The officers below looked at each other, and after a moment two literate men came up and picked up the intelligence.

They didn't even finish reading it; they only read half of the description of the horrific scene before their faces turned deathly pale.

It turns out that humans can be called "two-legged sheep" and eaten like livestock.

It turns out that after a village is looted, even the corpses can be eaten as spoils of war.

The real cruelty was that the entire village was so devastated that not even a single intact corpse could be found.

Zhang Xianzhong's spies could only find piles of bones in the villages looted by the Manchu army.

It wasn't the bones weathered by time, but rather bones that had been completely devoured, leaving only a few remnants.

Even though some of them had done such things because they were too hungry, no one ever considered it normal, or even a delicacy!

"Can these people still be called human beings?"

Do they even have any humanity left?

The two men's hands trembled, their eyes filled with disbelief.

They never imagined that humans could do such terrifying things!

"Don't overthink it. They have no humanity. In their eyes, the people of the Central Plains, including you and me, are not even human. They can only be called livestock."

"Do you still think it would be alright to let them defeat Li Zicheng's army and take control of the capital?"

No problem?

Of course not!

If they are such beasts, then even death cannot be allowed to allow them to truly run rampant in this home that belongs to them!

"Your Majesty, just tell us what to do. Since we brothers are following you, we will fight wherever you point!"

"Even if you really want to join forces with that bandit, we'd be willing to grit our teeth and do it!"

"Just don't let these beasts wreak havoc on our hometown!"

Most of them had living relatives or had started families after the uprising.

They all had loved ones to care about, and they absolutely did not want this intelligence-related incident to happen to their own families.

"Unfortunately, even if we send troops now, we probably won't be able to keep up with the speed of Li Zicheng's defeat."

Faced with the sudden surge of fighting spirit among these people, Zhang Xianzhong had no choice but to pour cold water on their enthusiasm.

It's better to pour cold water on things now than to be disappointed when you face the Qing army alone soon.

"When the intelligence reached me, war between the two sides was already imminent, and in my opinion, Li Zicheng would not last more than a month."

"Our army needs to prepare enough food and supplies. It will take at least a month and a half to leave Sichuan and march."

"In other words, when our army arrives, it will probably be fighting alone."

"Now, I will give you the opportunity to choose."

"If the Manchu Tartars could defeat the Shun army so easily, then even if our army fights to the death, we will probably only have a slim chance of survival."

"Generals who are willing to go on the expedition may accompany me, while those who are unwilling may remain in Shu. I will not blame them!"