As the sky was beginning to darken, a Jinyiwei came up to Li Ruolian, whispered a few words, and then hurried away.

"Your Majesty," Li Ruo Lian bowed and saluted, "According to the news reported by the merchants, although there was drought in Shaanxi and Shanxi last year, it was not serious overall."

"but..."

Chongzhen raised his eyebrows: "But what?"

"However, Guanzhong is poor, and the trade routes are blocked, so the transportation of materials is not smooth, so the people in Guanzhong don't live very well. It is said that there were small-scale uprisings in Qingyang Prefecture, Pingliang Prefecture, Suzhou Guard, and Xining Guard, but they were all suppressed by the bandits."

Chongzhen was stunned for a moment and then burst into laughter.

Li Zicheng, ah Li Zicheng, I never thought you would have this day!

You rebelled against the Ming Dynasty, and then the people rebelled against you. It really is a changing world.

Chongzhen thought for a moment after laughing, and said, "Pick some smart and capable people from the Jinyiwei and go to Guanzhong to deal with Li Chuang the thief with the bandit's methods."

"How do you deal with bandits using bandits' methods?"

Chongzhen nodded: "Yes, the bandits are rebelling against the Ming Dynasty. They are rebelling against the bandits and have set off a wave of rebellion in Li Zicheng's lair."

Since the first day of his time travel, Chongzhen has been always thinking about how to wipe out the bandits.

After thinking for a long time, he came to a conclusion: it is impossible to completely wipe out the bandits in a short period of time.

Even if Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong were dead, their subordinates would inherit their mantle and continue the rebellion.

Historically, there were reasons why the generals of the Dashun Army and the Dashi Army surrendered to the Southern Ming Dynasty.

On the one hand, they could not accept the rule of the Qing Dynasty.

In their eyes, whether it is an uprising or a rebellion, it is all internal strife.

On the other hand, they could not defeat the Qing Dynasty and needed to find help.

After weighing the pros and cons, the only way out is to unite with the Southern Ming to fight against the Qing Dynasty.

But the course of history has changed.

If the Manchus had not taken control of the Central Plains, they would not have stopped fighting among themselves.

Li Ruo Lian lowered his head, thinking about how to make this happen.

This is indeed an idea. After all, when the world is in chaos, anyone can start an uprising.

Chongzhen had already thought of a countermeasure and said, "After entering Guanzhong, you choose a county that has been hit hardest and where the local officials have a bad reputation. Then take the opportunity to kill the county magistrate, rise up in rebellion, and shout slogans such as "Carry out justice on behalf of heaven and eliminate violence and protect the good."

"To uphold justice and eliminate violence?" Li Ruolian recited the slogan silently, feeling its meaning.

Faced with the Ming Dynasty's heavy taxes and levies, Li Zicheng shouted the slogan of equal distribution of land and exemption of grain taxes.

Faced with the various atrocities committed by Li Chuang's "Shun Army", they shouted slogans of "acting on behalf of heaven" and "eliminating violence and upholding the good".

Wonderful, really wonderful!

Li Ruo Lian raised his head happily: "Your Majesty, please give this righteous army a name."

"Let's call it...Ming Cult!" Chongzhen said lightly.

Ming Cult!

Li Ruolian was shocked.

The Ming Cult actually existed in history.

There are many theories about the origin of the Ming Cult. Some say it originated from the White Lotus Sect, while others say it evolved from Western religions.

But both the Ming Cult and the White Lotus Sect were illegal religious organizations in the Ming Dynasty.

The imperial court repeatedly banned it.

The White Lotus Sect, in particular, had many branches and followers during the late Ming Dynasty, and its strength should not be underestimated.

In the Qing Dynasty, influenced by the idea of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty, all factions of the White Lotus Sect were hostile to the Qing government.

So much so that in the 18th year of the Jiaqing reign, more than 200 members of the Tianli Sect (a branch of the White Lotus Sect) launched a mutiny in the capital and successfully broke into the Donghua Gate and Xihua Gate of the Forbidden City, almost taking the Forbidden City.

It was because of this incident that Chongzhen realized how terrifying the power of religion was.

Only with such power can we gain a foothold in Li Zicheng's heartland.

"I obey your order." Li Ruolian engraved Chongzhen's words in his heart.

Chongzhen nodded again and asked, "Is there a suitable candidate?"

"Yes, Zhang Feng, the Jinyiwei pacification envoy of Xuanfu Town, can take on this task! Not only did he make great contributions in the process of recovering Xuanfu Town, he also went to Mobei alone to contact the Mongols to move south."

"Suitable for working behind enemy lines."

"Well, tell Zhang Feng something," Chongzhen was worried and instructed: "The backbone of the rebel army should be people from the court as much as possible, so that when the rebel army counterattacks Guanzhong, it will not get out of control."

"The people below are mainly local people. They gather together during wartime and disperse to different places during leisure time. When they are together, they are like a fire, but when they are apart, they are like stars in the sky."

Li Ruo Lian took out the notebook he carried with him and started taking notes carefully.

Chongzhen continued to instruct: "Don't always think about occupying cities and defending one side in the early stage. If the government troops can't defend the city, Zhang Feng can't defend it either."

"In the early stages, we should follow the strategy of attacking while roaming around, not confronting the bandits head-on, but lurking in the dark to launch surprise attacks and sabotage."

"Focus on attacking the bandits' food transport teams, scouts, messengers, etc., so that their supplies cannot be delivered immediately and government orders cannot be effectively transmitted. Retreat immediately after success, adhering to the idea that if the enemy advances, we retreat; if the enemy stays, we harass; if the enemy retreats, we pursue."

"As time goes on, the rear of the bandits will be in chaos without a fight. Once the rear is in chaos, Li Chuang will have no time to take care of the Central Plains."

Li Ruolian put down his pen and paper and looked at Chongzhen blankly with a look of shock on his face.

Where did your Majesty get this theory from?

He didn't even have to practice it; he knew how feasible it was just by listening to it once.

At this moment, he really wanted to say: Your Majesty, you are truly a genius at wreaking havoc behind enemy lines!

Chongzhen couldn't help but smile, and accepted Li Ruolian's admiring look with a guilty conscience.

He only learned the basics of the theory of working behind enemy lines from books.

The real essence has not been learned.

"Your Majesty, can we apply this theory to Liaodong? And cause sabotage in the rear of the Jiannu?" Li Ruolian asked by analogy.

Chongzhen thought for a moment and said, "Theoretically, it's possible, but it's not the right time yet."

"Not the right time?"

"Well, although Li Chuang also killed people, he did not kill indiscriminately. The Jiannu were different. If they suspected that there were bandits in a village, they would massacre the whole village to eliminate future troubles! The purpose of an uprising behind enemy lines is to cause destruction, not to make meaningless sacrifices."

"What's more, the Jiannu army is stationed in various places in Liaodong. Even if they can launch an uprising, it will be quickly suppressed."

"Okay, write a letter to Zhang Feng and ask him to prepare for this matter. Give as much people and money as you can."

"I accept your order."

"Wait," Chongzhen suddenly remembered something, "How was the autumn grain harvest in Liaodong last year? Was there any drought?"

Li Ruo Lian was prepared and answered immediately: "Your Majesty, according to the Jinyiwei secret guards, the autumn grain harvest in Liaodong last year was average. We couldn't have enough to eat, but we wouldn't starve either."

Chongzhen nodded and asked again: "Did many livestock freeze to death in Mongolia during this cold winter and cold spring?"

Li Ruolian broke out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, I asked this question when I was exchanging letters with Zhang Feng before, otherwise I really wouldn’t be able to answer this question.

"Your Majesty, according to Zhang Feng, the northern frontier was very cold this winter and spring, and many of the Mongolian livestock froze to death. A few days ago, Subadi sent 2,000 people to the south to plunder, but they were repelled by the guerrilla general Ding Yi."

"If nothing unexpected happens, Subati will soon send an envoy to request the opening of trade."