Chapter 1: The Twelfth Year of Chongzhen

Listening to Abao's lengthy and grandiose speech, Liu Jun was utterly impressed. Abao appeared to be only around thirteen or fourteen years old, likely just a middle school student, yet he was so remarkable. However, something seemed off; Abao had just mentioned that at the beginning of the month, Zhang Xianzhong had rebelled again by killing officials. But Zhang Xianzhong was the leader of the bandits during the late Ming Dynasty, so what is happening now

Who does not know about "Eight Great Kings" Zhang Xianzhong? It is said that he studied in his youth and once served as a constable in Yan'an Prefecture. After being dismissed from his position due to certain matters, he joined the army. However, he was sentenced to death for violating military regulations. In the end, the commanding officer spared his life due to his unusual appearance, imposing a punishment of one hundred military lashes before discharging him from service.

Liu Jun squinted his eyes and surveyed the surroundings. The first thing that caught his eye was a bedroom filled with Ming and Qing style, featuring a canopy bed with a door frame. Beside the bed was a bamboo basket for clothes and a high washbasin stand, on top of which rested a towel. Next to it stood a floor coat rack and a large trunk placed on a low cabinet.

Liu Jun is truly confused; something is very wrong.

He was utterly perplexed, wondering how he had awakened in a bedroom filled with Ming Dynasty furniture, with a clever, articulate, and pure-hearted young girl keeping watch over him

He has basically confirmed that this is neither a prank nor a dream, although it is stranger than a dream. Yet his reason is telling him that all of this is real. This is no longer the world he is familiar with, but rather the twelfth year of Chongzhen, at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

As soon as he uttered this name, a multitude of memories immediately surfaced in his mind and from the books.

"What era is it?" Under the skeptical gaze of Abao, Liu Jun steeled himself and asked again, "Jimao, who knows which year it is? The sexagenary cycle repeats every sixty years.

Liu Jun tried to maintain a calm tone, "A Bao is really smart. Sigh, I am feeling a bit tired again. Could you let me lie down by myself for a while?"

"What the hell!" Liu Jun couldn't help but exclaim softly. Zhang Xianzhong, a notorious figure of the late Ming Dynasty, was on par with the rebel leader Li Zicheng. How could the wanted notice in his hand actually be for Zhang Xianzhong? He must be dreaming; everything was too strange and difficult to explain. This bizarre bedroom, the peculiar girl, and the inexplicable bounty notice for Zhang Xianzhong.

Beneath this well-executed portrait, there is a poem: "This is the traitor of Gucheng, now facing imminent death. Xingan and Pingli roam far and wide, as the heavenly soldiers pursue them. Fleeing, they change their names and identities, escaping alone into the night. The military and civilians bind them to surrender, and they are rewarded with jade belts and brocade garments. Below, there is an even larger inscription: 'Those who can capture Zhang Xianzhong will be rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces and granted the title of Marquis.'

"You must not remember," Liu Jun observed that being straightforward was ineffective, so he took a roundabout approach. Sure enough, A Bao snorted, lifted her little head, and said, "It is now the twelfth year of Chongzhen, in the fifth month. The Ming Dynasty has enjoyed its reign for a full two hundred seventy-one years since its founding by the Taizu. Young master, do you think A Bao is correct?"

Who are you?" Looking at her, Liu Jun felt an overwhelming sense of unfamiliarity

"Lord Jun, you were quite intoxicated yesterday at hetushu.com, to the point that you can't even remember me. It's not me, Abao, or anyone else; there is no one else who has been here serving you all night." The young girl spoke in a gentle voice, yet her words were sharp, "Do you want some tea? I will pour it for you."

Liu Jun reached out to grab the crumpled piece of paper, and once again he was taken aback; that hand felt somewhat unusual

A Bao curled his lips, seemingly casting a disdainful glance at him

Liu Jun nodded to her, then sleepily scanned the bedroom once more. Inside, an oil lamp cast its light, while outside it was pitch dark, as if it were still the middle of the night and dawn had not yet arrived. Could this be a dream?

Where exactly am I

The hand extends out, and the wide sleeves slide down to the elbows, revealing a strong arm. It is clearly not my own hand; my own arms are also quite muscular, but they are very fair. However, what is going on with this arm? It is thick and dark. I pinch it, and a red mark appears where I pinched, with a pain radiating from that spot, it hurts so much

At this moment, his gaze focused on a somewhat crumpled piece of paper on the bedside table. On it was a portrait depicting a man in his thirties, tall and thin, wearing an old white pointed felt hat. He had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a connected beard. Clad in iron armor over a long robe made of blue cloth and sheepskin, with a bow slung across his back and a sword hanging at his waist, he appeared to be a very formidable man

Liu Jun slowly awakens

A Bao, what year is it now

In the twelfth year of the Chongzhen reign, Liu Jun shook his head, murmuring bitterly, "More than three hundred years ago?"

"Well, I will wait outside. Call me if you need anything." A Bao nodded, helped Liu Jun lie down, carefully covered him with a quilt, and then turned around to pick up the oil lamp and left the bedroom

"Master Jun, you are certainly at home." This time, that voice rang clearly and distinctly in his ear

Later, he rebelled and proclaimed himself the Eight Great Kings. The bandits referred to him as the Yellow Tiger. The rebels he commanded were the strongest among the thirty-six camps when Wang Ziyong was the leader of the rebel army. Later, when the rebel leader Gao Yingxiang took over, he was one of the thirteen families of Gao's bandits

In the twelfth year of the Chongzhen era, corresponding to the year 1639, there were still five years remaining until the fall of the Ming Dynasty. Five years later, in the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng invaded Beijing, and Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself on Coal Mountain. This marked the end of the last Central Plains dynasty established by the Han people in Chinese history, which had lasted through twelve generations and sixteen emperors, with a total reign of two hundred seventy-six years

"Master Jun, the tea is ready," Abao's voice sounded again from the side

Zhang Xianzhong, a leader of the peasant uprising during the late Ming Dynasty, once established the Great Western regime. He is renowned alongside Li Zicheng. Later, when the Qing army advanced southward, Zhang Xianzhong led his troops to resist but was defeated and died. It is said that he was from Shaanxi and was a fellow townsman of Li Zicheng. In his youth, he had received an education and worked as a constable. After being dismissed from his position due to an incident, he joined the military. Due to legal issues, he was expelled from the official ranks and subsequently became the leader of the peasant army.

"Master Jun, you are awake. Would you like some tea?" That gentle voice became clearer, and after a series of sounds, the room brightened.

The book "Ji Mao, belongs to the Rabbit."

After Abao left, Liu Jun sat up again and picked up the wanted notice, frowning at the image of the bearded rebel leader Zhang Xianzhong depicted on it

Oh heavens, what kind of joke is this

Liu Jun found it strange that when he saw those pieces of furniture, names such as "door frame rack bed," "high washbasin rack," "four-drawer cabinet," and "official hat chair" would automatically pop into his mind. He understood that he should not know these names at all. Perhaps he had seen these antique pieces of furniture in television shows or movies, but it was impossible for him to know their names so clearly.

Since Master Jun is still drunk, let him lie down a little longer and not make fun of Abao. Abao seemed somewhat displeased; she felt that this question was intentionally mocking her. Did Master Jun think she was so foolish that she couldn't even remember what year it was this year

Damn! He couldn't help but mutter another curse under his breath. As he thought of the twelfth year of Chongzhen, a flood of memories suddenly surged into his mind

Liu Jun turned his head and suddenly realized that there was another person in the room whom he had not noticed before. It was a young girl, lively yet somewhat inexperienced, with a slender figure that clearly had not fully developed. She had her hair styled in two buns and was wearing a blue jacket. Her delicate features and cherry-like lips presented a natural beauty, untouched by any makeup.

Four years ago, he led his troops into Fengyang, cutting down hundreds of thousands of cypress trees in the imperial mausoleum, dismantling the Longxing Temple where the founding emperor had once taken refuge, and then excavating the emperor's ancestral grave, leaving no wealthy families in Fengyang alive.

A four-drawer cabinet stands against the wall beside the bed, accompanied by a table and a high-backed official hat chair on each side. Nearby, there is a square table with a complete tea set placed on it, and a few stools are casually scattered around the table.

"Abao, do you know about Zhang Xianzhong?" Liu Jun raised the bounty notice in his hand

She stood by the bed, surrounded by a screen that enclosed the bed's frame, with a canopy above resembling a room within a room. Liu Jun had not noticed her just moments ago.

"So you can't sleep and are just passing the time with me, right? It's not right to keep messing with people like this. One moment you want to drink, and then you don't feel like it anymore." A Bao pouted, showing no intention of lowering her voice at all, and said to Liu Jun without any reservations, "You really are a spoiled brat."

Seeing such a pure and beautiful young girl, Liu Jun became even more confused, wondering where this was exactly

At the beginning of the month, the bandit Zhang, who had originally accepted the court's amnesty, rebelled again by killing officials in Gucheng. The court has already dispatched General Xiong and Supervisor Yang to mobilize troops for the encirclement and suppression. The notice you have in hand is the court's bounty for Zhang. If you can kill Zhang, you will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold and the title of Baron.

The furniture in the room is not abundant, yet the few pieces present create a sense of spaciousness and openness in the bedroom, reflecting a simple, elegant, dignified, and composed character

Liu Jun furrowed his brows, Zhang Xianzhong

"Put it there, I don't want to drink right now," Liu Jun said

In the darkness, a voice was calling out, a gentle yet unfamiliar sound. He reached out to touch the bedside lamp, but after several attempts, he found nothing. He then extended his hand to feel for the phone on the bedside table, but again came up empty.